Job Demands, Choices and Constraints

1. job demands (what what you must do)
2. job choices (the freedoms you have)
3. job constraints (the limit on what you can do)

Use these headings for your next stage of analysis.

Job Demands

• What routine job activities must not be neglected or delegated (off-loaded to someone else) without a penalty being incurred?
• What are the targets that you specifically must meet?
• Who or what defines these demands and rank these according to importance (1 = most important, 6=least)
  • Your boss
  • Your peers in the organisation,
  • the organisation itself or its systems
  • your staff,
  • people outside the organisation
  • you - yourself (your standards or ambitions)

Now rank them again according how much attention/time you allocate to each them.

Do these rankings reflect their status in terms of importance? If not, why not and what should be done about it?

Job Constraints

What factors limit you in what you would like to do in your job?

Attitudes of or expectations arising from:

• your boss other managers your subordinates people outside the organisation?
• Your organisation's policies or procedures?
• legal requirements? What are they
• Union agreements? What are they? Do they really constrain you? How?
• Shortage of skilled staff? List the needs.
• Shortage of other resources? List the needs
• Inadequate technology (e.g. equipment or ways of working)? What alternatives are they? Are these feasible?
• The physical location of your section? What are the impediments? Are these real or your fantasy?
• Your own skills, knowledge or attitudes? What are you pleased with/ less pleased with?
• Others (what?)

Job Choices

All managers have some degree of choice as to what work is to be done and how.

Do you feel you ought to have more freedom than you have at present to decide?

What choice do you have over"

• Work is to be done?
• When it is to be done?
• How it is to be done?
• The standards to which it is to be done?
  • The results that are to be achieved?
  • By whom the work is to be done?
  • Others(what?)

Finally

Can you risk this? If not, why not?

References