4.8. SUMMARY

In this chapter we have examined job design, broadly defined, as it contributes to organizational effectiveness. We have considered how managers can interrelate individual and organizational goals for effectiveness, how job attributes suggest that certain people would be more or less effective doing some jobs, and how physical layout can help communication. Jobs should be designed to promote the interrelationship of personal and organizational goals, match available personnel, and be consistent with the physical layouts that are good for communication. We then turned to career paths, which inevitably have implications for the organizational structures that are likely to be effective in an R&D laboratory, and that discussion resulted in an examination of the advantages and disadvantages of various organizational structures. Keeping the researcher on the path of innovation and designing the job so as to take advantage of productive conflict and avoid destructive conflict were also discussed.