Organizing the work environment toward improved product quality: A sociotechnical systems study of dominant cultural variables in a semiconductor production equipment company

Statement of the problem. Lack of agreement on what organizational redesign can and cannot do implies a need for specific understanding of cultural variables in the work-place and their effects on product quality. The cultural variables neglected in this transition are reported to be the social and psychological needs of employees.;There is a need to clarify the role of cultural variables in organizational redesign relevant to characteristics of a quality production work environment through research-based analyses.;Procedure and methods. Dominant cultural variables of an ideal quality environment, the real work environment, and the ideal work environment of a Fortune 500 semiconductor production equipment company were investigated. The sample (n = 100) represented three job levels--managers, nonmanagers, and nonexempt employees--within two work settings--workcenters and functional support operating units.;Cultural variables of an ideal quality environment were assessed by the Detailed Organizational Assessment (Sematech, Inc., 1990). Assessment of the real and ideal work environment was accomplished using two forms of the Work Environment Scale (Moos, 1986).;Results. Results revealed that different job levels did not agree on the characteristics of an ideal quality environment as they are currently defined by the standards set by the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award. For managers and nonmanagers, no statistically significant differences in the dominant characteristics of either the real or the ideal work environment were found. Dissatisfaction with current work environment conditions was clearly evident for the three job levels in the functional support group and for managers and nonmanagers only in the workcenter group.;Conclusion. The purpose and usefulness of the results from this study should be considered from a strategic and tactical position for both educators and industry leaders. Implications and recommendations include: (a) organizations need to adopt and adapt long-term organizational redesign based on a realistic understanding of the current work environment, (b) not all members of an organization believe the same characteristics are required of a quality work environment, (c) change efforts mandated without considering the social and technical needs of employees contradicts the benefits attributed to such an approach, and (d) skills for managing organizational redesign effectively need to be included in education and training programs specific to organizational development activity.