Explain the concept of quality of working Life (QWL) in broader societal perspective. Discuss how does socio-cultural conditions affects the QWL in your organisation or an organisation you are familiar with the suggest some methods to improve the QWL in the organisation. Briefly describe the organisation you are referring to.
QUALITY OF WORKING LIFE:
The Siemens Quality of Working Life movement aims "at integrating the socio-psychological requires of human beings, the original requirements and limitations of a particular technology, the process and the structure of organisation and the existing socio-culture milieu. The purpose of this movement is to make a culture of work commitment in organisation and society at large so as to ensure higher productivity satisfaction of greater job and in social life community active involvement. We have some suggestion for its betterments are:
We offer extensive programs to ensure you're equipped with the latest developments and information in your area of expertise. We also provide for licensing and accreditation. Many of these initiatives have been expanded into web-based programs so that employees in different locations can receive the benefits of live instruction and classroom-like online discussions.
Development Resource Center
Available online to all employees and in-person at key sites, the Center offers more than 2,500 CD-ROM courses, video and audiocassette programs, and hundreds of books and periodicals on leadership, general management and personal development.
New technology is also enhancing our performance assessment procedures. Using feedback from colleagues at every level, employees can identify specific areas where development is needed and then create a plan that will help achieve their career goals.
Educational Assistance Program
In addition to in-house programs, we also encourage all employees to reach their full potential through formal education. If business needs warrant, employees have the opportunity to pursue coursework and degrees with 100% tuition reimbursement.
The movement of quality working life traditionally has been closely proved with the job redesign effort based on socio-technical systems approach. However, during the 80s the anxious or Quality of Working Life has been broadened to include a number of approaches aimed at joint decision-making, collaboration and mutual respect between management and employees, increased autonomy at work place, and self-management. Thus
the Quality circles adopted by Japanese and Indian industries as well as democratization of work process through self regulating autonomous groups in the Scandinavian countries and the U.S.A. are all considered part of the Quality of Working Life movement. The following table outlines the elements of quality of working life efforts.
IN THE INDIAN CONTEXT FEATURE OF WORKING LIFE
In the context of India and other developing countries the movements of various aspects of quality working life that benefit consideration.
1. In a state of dynamic equilibrium the quality of working life of people depends on the extent to which men-work-environment relationship forms integral whole and where the level of interaction either the three is very high resulting. By adaptive action orientation it is only in a state of dynamic equilibrium and an awareness of it that the status quo orientation of people in organisations can be exchanged.
2. Those country which is developing the design of work systems therefore, will have to be such as to take into account the mutually of relationship between work organisation and the socio-cultural realities. There will, inevitably, be the need to initiative action research in variety of settings and on a big scale, which alone can provide insight into the nature and dynamics of inter linkages between the work system and the socio-cultural system.
3. Work redesign can become a powerful instrument of cultural and attitudinal change in developing countries. Definite values, attitudes and cultural attributes acquired in the new work system can manifest themselves in the socio-cultural and political system as well. Thus, while in the case of India, the bureaucratic form of work organisation reinforce the authoritarianism of traditional society, the redesigned work system based on participative principles will tend to foster democratic values in the society at big.
4. To fix idea (inculcate) new values it will be necessary and attitudes in the work place, it will also be equality desirable to design such systems that will sustain and strengthen the pre most important patterns of behaviour that already exist in a given culture. Thus, in case of India, proposed alternative form of work organisation with semi-autonomous groups as unit is more geared towards incorporating the main orientations of people as also some of the features of socio-cultural conditions to obtain today.
5. When confined to the organized sectors of industry and government the quality of working life movement, which constitute or emphasis but very minimum percentage of the whole working population, will not be able to contribute towards its ultimate goal of enlarging the quality of life of people in general. To broaden the framework it will be essential, therefore to surround the big majority of men and women who among work in unorganised sectors or as agricultural labour in rural areas and to whom even some of the basic rights have been denied. Maccoby's (1975) enunciation (pronounce clearly) of four principles: security, equity, democracy and individuation in the context of democratisation of work process are highly appropriate here. In unorganised sector most people working as agricultural labour, principles of security and equity are not applicable as in the organised sectors. Obviously then ensuring fulfillment of these basic need a pre-condition for improvement in the quality of working life in the rural areas. Labour of rural organisation, which can ensure security and equity for its members are the first step towards moving in the direction of improvement in the quality of working life. In form of suitable technology it is here that exercise or choice becomes inevitable.
In India as we gather experiences in system of redesigning work, The assessment of social technical development countries we shall be able to develop models and for planning for the future. The philosophy of work redesign does have long term lightly consequence for the gradual development of social policies of a nation. In the coming year our biggest challenge will be to design such system as will be able to resolve for the individual and for the society 'cultural contradictions' which Daniel Bell has defined as the 'double' bind of modernity' that is, effect on personality of receiving simultaneous, contradictory injunctions, if contradictory injunctions pervade through the fabric of the whole society, the result might be what Bell calls social schizophrenia.
The quality of working life movement gives a value framework and a philosophy that has a long-term conclusion for the gradual development of social policies to relate the technological choice and development of human resources such as India.