Interdisciplinary examination of the costs and benefits of enriched jobs: A job design quasi-experiment

The costs and benefits of a job enrichment intervention were explored in an applied quasi-experimental study using an untreated control group design with pre- and posttests. Campion's (1988) interdisciplinary approach to job design was used as the framework. While the costs and benefits of job enlargement have been examined in some detail (Campion & McClelland, 1991, 1993), the costs and benefits of job enrichment heretofore have not. It was predicted that the job enrichment intervention would result in primarily benefits and a minimum of costs for Enrichment Unit staff. It was also predicted that the intervention would be perceived as more enriching by the Direct Care staff than the Professional staff of the Enrichment Unit. The enrichment intervention consisted of training the staff on one unit of an in-patient psychiatric hospital in a psychoeducational model of treatment (PEM). Analyses of the 2 (Enrichment versus No Enrichment intervention) x 2 (Direct Care versus Professional level staff) design consisted of a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance. Dependent measures included job design and outcome measures from each of the approaches and a measure of social atmosphere. Selection effects were tested using a measure of work preferences and tolerances and demographic variables as potential moderators; none were found. Results indicated significant benefits in job design factors from the biological approach for Enrichment unit staff. There were also significant benefits from the mechanistic approach for all Direct Care staff. Significant pre- to posttest improvements on measures of social atmosphere occured for both units. The enrichment interventions does not appear to have resulted in increased benefits and reduced costs compared to enlargement interventions. However, the large amount of variance accounted for at posttest (23%) indicates that staff on the Enrichment Unit perceived significantly improved job design from the biological approach. Fut