I've pondered on my posting on Job Rotation last week, and thought of a
few more points to consider. Since I'm not an expert in the field, I
would like to seek others' opinions on the subject.
What needs to be in place so that job rotation can become an effective
tool in organizational learning? Here are my thoughts, in no particular
order.
1. Medium term performance measurement.
Performance measurement need to take into account learning curve for the
employee who has just been rotated. For example, during his/her first few
months on the job, he/she may not be as good as the person he/she replaces,
i.e. short term performance will generally be below his/her potential.
2. Accelerated learning.
Knowledge management need to enable the employee to learn the new job's
skills fast and effectively, e.g. through well documented processes, job
desc, etc.
3. Optimal tour of duty.
The length of one job rotation must be long enough for the person to make a
difference for the company and/or for the employee to achieve personal
growth milestone. Otherwise the employee may not care to give their best
or other job holders may not have enough faith in the employee's
suggestions or work plans that they will be carried out to completion.
4. Job-based business relationship.
Business relationship need to be job-based, instead of person-based. The
customer/supplier need to be willing to continue the business relationship
when their liaison person rotates to a different job. Implicit in this is
that they must see only minimal drop in the service quality when their
liaison person changes. Of course this applies also to internal
customer/supplier, e.g. other departments.
5. Shared values.
The organization as a whole need to share the necessary values. Some
examples would be: continuous change, continuous learning, etc. which needs
to be compatible with the organization's vision.
6. Capacity to learn.
Having shared values, may not be enough without the capacity and
commitment, i.e. capacity and commitment to change which results from
capacity and commitment to learn. Continuously.
I'd appreciate any input. Thx much in advance.
- --
Slamet Hendry (sh@earthling.net)
Jakarta, Indonesia
| I believe this is an effective technique, albeit slow, to achieve the
| following.
|
| 1. Shared understanding.
| "I know what you mean, I experienced it too."
| 2. Transfer of tacit knowledge.
| "I read the well written instruction many times, but I could only
| do it well after a lot of practice." (Refer to Nonaka &
| Takeuchi's book: Knowledge Creating Companies.)
| 3. Corporate memory.
| Have you ever had your colleague, who is a specialist, leave the
| firm? Or an account executive who's been managing a customer
| account for years?
| 4. Process enrichment.
| Job rotation also implies that more people will hold the same job,
| over time, compared to non job-rotation system. Each person
| usually brings in his/her flavor of doing things, and thus he/she
| will enrich the way the process is performed.
| 5. Critical mass.
| Theoretically, with job rotation, a 10-person firm can consist of
| 10 programmers, 10 accountants, and 10 environmental engineers,
| etc. (Getting the same depth for all 10 would be difficult,
| though.) This may lead to flexibility on the type of work the
| firm can do, for example. (Consulting firms come to mind.)
|
| Point 1 through 4 are especially valid for org learning, I think. I hope
| others will add to the above list.
| - - --
|
| Slamet Hendry (sh@earthling.net)
| Jakarta, Indonesia
--"Slamet Hendry" <sh@earthling.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>