Measuring the routine and non-routine task contents: a comparative study between state and industrial sector employees
International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management
ISSN: 1741-0401
Article publication date: 9 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study developed new measures of the routine and non-routine task contents of managerial, professional, technical, and clerical occupations from a workload perspective. Here, we present a comparative analysis of the workload structures of state and industrial sector employees.
Design/methodology/approach
Our method involves detailed descriptions of work processes and an element-wise time study. We collected and analysed data to obtain a workload structure that falls within three conceptual task categories: (i) non-routine analytic tasks, (ii) non-routine interactive tasks and (iii) routine cognitive tasks. A total of 2,312 state and industrial sector employees in Kazakhstan participated in the study. The data were collected using a proprietary web application that resembles a timesheet.
Findings
The study results are consistent with the general trend reported by previous studies: the higher the job level, the lower the occupation’s routine task content. In addition, the routine cognitive task contents of managerial, professional, technical, and clerical occupations in the industrial sector are higher than those in local governments. The work of women is also more routinary than that of men. Finally, vthe routine cognitive task contents of occupations in administrative units are higher than those of occupations in substantive units.
Originality/value
Our study sought to address the challenges of using the task-based approach associated with measuring tasks by introducing a new measurement framework. The main advantage of our task measures is a direct approach to assessing workloads consisting of routine tasks, which allows for an accurate estimation of potential staff reductions due to the automation of work processes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors of this work would like to acknowledge Baktygali Salimgereyev for his substantial assistance to the organization and implementation of the study.
Funding: This study was funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Kazakhstan Electric Power Association and “KEGOC” JSC.
Citation
Salimgereyev, N., Mukhamediyev, B. and Shaikh, A.A. (2024), "Measuring the routine and non-routine task contents: a comparative study between state and industrial sector employees", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-03-2023-0129
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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