Work Design & Measurements
Assignment #4
Spiro Paris Spiro Macris
17200291
Book: “Work Design 7th edition”
Chapter 5: “Search for Solutions”
Page: 85-86
Question #3.6
[Link] the autoconfrontation concept.
How often. "When" questions can be divided into "time," "sequence," and "how often." A formal way of
considering how often is to use economic lot size calculations. For "make" items, the tradeoff is setup cost
versus inventory (capital, spoilage) cost. For "buy" items, the tradeoff is purchasing cost versus inventory cost.
For example, when preparing a meal, should a large portion be prepared and part frozen for use later?
Technologies change the answer over time. Freezers and microwave ovens have decreased the storage problem
and thus encouraged cooking larger batches. In manufacturing, computer-controlled machine tools, cell
layouts, and group technology have encouraged smaller batches due to their lower setup costs. Inventories
also have been divided into A, B/and C categories with close attention being paid tol the inventories of the
expensive A items. The mex-pensive C items (nuts, bolts, washers, screws, etc.) have relatively little inventory
cost but a large out-of-stock cost; thus a 6-to 12-month supply is ordered for them to keep purchasing costs
low.
The question of "what frequency" also can be applied to sales. For example, assume it costs $100 to call
personally on a potential customer. Then, if profit is 5% of sales, the sales/call should be $2,000. If sales/call
are lower, the sales effort should be redirected: perhaps direct mail or phone contact could be used.
Should information be sent via next day service, two-day service, or U.S. mail? The "how often" question is
especially relevant to maintenance, service, and inspection activities. Should a machine be oiled once an hour,
a week, or a month? American Airlines saved S1000/airplane window by changing windows onlv when needed
instead of on a standard schedule. Also they now buff the planes exterior every 24 months instead of every 12
months. Should failed flu orescent lamps be replaced immediately or once a week, or relamped only in groups?
Should you pick up the mail once an hour, twice a day, or four times a day? Should the cash be taken to the
bank once a day. twice a day, or what? Should the solution ph be tested once an hour, once a shift, or once a
week? Should all suppliers receive equal attention, or should some get more inspection than others? Should
wastebaskets be emptied once per day? (Every other day may require larger baskets.) How many napkins
should napkin holders in a restaurant hold? Larger holders need to be refilled less often and are less likely to
be empty.
One way of concentrating your resources where they will do the most good is to label operators or operations
or vendors as "red," "yellow?" and "green" (red, yellow, and green operations). A green vendor is OK and
inspection may even be omitted, a yellow vendor means caution and requires inspec-tion; a red vendor signals
trouble and perhaps requires 100% inspection of all characteristics of all items.
Answer
Autoconfrontation is a method used in qualitative research, specially in fields like
psychology and sociology, to explore an individual's thoughts, feelings, or
behaviors by confronting them with their own recorded experiences or data. It
involves presenting recordings and transcripts of their own actions allowing them
to reflect and analyze their own behavior.
By confronting individuals or a team with their own experiences,
autoconfrontation an promote self-awareness, critical reflection, and continuous
improvement, also it helps them gain a better understanding of their motivations,
beliefs. Moreover increases personal growth and development by encouraging
individuals to test their actions and decisions.
In the concept of the given text on resource allocation and decision-making
processes, autoconfrontation could be applied to individuals or teams tasked with
making decisions regarding how often certain tasks or activities should be
performed.
For example, individuals or teams responsible for maintenance, service, or
inspection activities could undergo autoconfrontation by reviewing their own
past decisions and actions related to scheduling maintenance tasks. They could be
presented with data or records showing the frequency of maintenance services
with main target the best possible outcome. Organizations profit is low-key the
main objective.
The taken decisions and steps that were taken will help the process and decrease
defects and minimize costs. Tasks such as machine maintenance, inventory
management, or service scheduling become easier.
Overall, autoconfrontation is a valuable tool for exploring subjective experiences
and understanding the complexities of human behavior from an introspective
perspective.
