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Job Enrichment and Enlargement

The difference between job enrichment and job enlargement is essentially of quantity and quality. Whereas job enlargement means increasing the scope of job quantitatively by adding up more tasks, job enrichment means improvement in the quality of job such that employees are more satisfied and fulfilled.

Through job enrichment an employee finds satisfaction and contentment in his job and through job enlargement employee feels more responsible and worthwhile in the organization. Job enrichment entails the functions of planning and organizing and enlargement involves execution of the same. Both complement each other, in that job enrichment empowers and enlargement executes. Job enrichment depends upon job enlargement for success and the reverse in not true. Job enrichment means a vertical expansion in duties and responsibilities and span of control whereas in job enlargement the expansion is horizontal in nature.

Enrichment of Job

Typically job enrichment involves combining various existing and new tasks into one large module of work. The work is then handed over to an employee, which means there is an increase in responsibilities and scope. This increase in responsibility is often vertical. The idea is to group various tasks together such that natural work units are created.

In addition expanding jobs vertically also gives employee direct control over works units and employees that were formerly under the jurisdiction of top management only. While on one hand this increases the ownership of the employees in their work, it also relieves the unnecessary burden from the top management.

Job Enlargement

It is a job design technique where more number of works is associated with a certain job. This means the increase of scope of one’s duties and responsibilities. This scope is quantitative in nature and not qualitative and at the same level and not vertically. Job enlargement needs training on time and people management.

Advantages of Job Enlargement

• Lessen Monotony: People often complain of boredom and monotony of the job. A planned job enlargement will reduce boredom and make it more interesting for the employees
• Increased Work Flexibility: An individual performs a number of tasks. This increases the scope of executing tasks that are versatile and very similar in certain aspects.
• No Skills Training Required.
• An experienced individual does not need training for imparting of new skills. However people and time management intervention is required. Enrichment of job is more motivational than job enlargement. It is called as an indicator of growth and development. Job enlargement on the other hand is called as employer’s policy to increase the work load.

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