Human Resource Considerations in Textile Work Redesign

Abstract

Evidence is presented that the textile industry is beginning to recognize the severity of the employee turnover problem. Work redesign has been a proposed solution in other industries whereby the intent was to provide employees with work that satisfied their psychological and social needs. However, research has not shown work redesign to produce consistently positive results. Investigators have concluded that individual reactions to job characteristics may be moderated by such variables as their background (urban vs. rural), the existence of a Protestant Work Ethic (strong vs. weak) and the individual's need strength (high vs. low). If the textile industry does undertake work redesign as a solution to the turnover problem, it would be of extreme importance to know what moderates individual reactions to job characteristics. The results of this research indicate that individual need strength is a better moderator than Protestant Work Ethic for employees in a Southeastern textile mill. The authors present alternative ways of dealing with individual reactions to job characteristics so that results of work redesign will be positive.