places a great deal of weight on the context surrounding the information. This means that
the researcher takes into account the social environment of the participants that would
influence the participants’ experiences. In this case the researcher considers how the
social influences contribute to the participant’s construction of knowledge and
understanding of his or her job.
An Interpretivist Theoretical View of Job Design
The interpretivist approach to job design analysis would gather information from
the participant that would reflect that person’s unique interpretation of the job.
Information would not simply be calculated from answers give on a pre-fabricated
questionnaire. Rather, information would be collected that told a detailed story of how
the participant came to know how to do whatever it s that he or she does when doing their
job for the organization. The information takes into consideration history of the
participant that could explain mental evolutions or learning. The participant could also
describe events that occurred which changed how the participant either behaved or
thought in regards to their job. The interpretivist’s method of gathering information
about job design would be highly individualized and would focus on understanding how
the participant came to know what he or she knows about their job.
The interpretivist’s focus on understanding job design is different from the
functionalist attempt to understand job design. The interpretivist seeks understanding not
to educate management or the dominant coalition about probably outcomes of motivation
and satisfaction that are assumed to be linked to organizational performance. The
understanding that is gained from analyzing job design exists to communicate how
people have come to understand their jobs. The importance of the research is to generate
findings that explain how individuals make sense of their world. In regards to job design,
the researcher aims to convey how the participants came to have knowledge of the
portion of their world that is composed of by their job.
The interpretivist approach to researching job design begins and ends with the
participant. The functionalist approach to job design analysis concentrates on the
organization’s definition of job design and why job design impacts organizational
performance. Thus the interpretivist search for understanding of job design may benefit
the participant more than the organization. This outcome of benefit to the participant
solely for the participant’s sake stands in contrast to the functionalist perspective. Benefit
solely to the participant for their sake means that the information provided by the
interpretivist’s research is not to be used by management or the dominant coalition. The
understanding and knowledge gained through the interpretivist’s research exists for the
participant and is not generated in the pursuit of organizational performance. The
interpretivist perspective is concerned with the individually created reality of the world
(Burrell & Morgan, 1979).
Research Demonstrating an Alternative
As discussed at the beginning of this paper, the functionalist paradigm is
dominant. Therefore the majority of research concerning job design has been generated