ABSTRACT
A participative job redesign intervention was used to try and improve the job design of knowledge workers in six organisations. Employees chose to alter their jobs by implementing relational initiatives (e.g., improved feedback and support) and work process initiatives (e.g., formalisation of planning and other procedures). Quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods were used. Analysis of a longitudinal survey suggested that the relational initiatives resulted in significant improvements in perceptions of leadership style, supervisory support, recognition and fairness. Work processes initiatives did not appear to result in perceived changes in work conditions, which the qualitative data indicated was due to implementation problems. The results suggest knowledge work can be made less problematic by reducing task complexity and ambiguity through enhancing social relations and through the fonnalisation of work process initiatives.
