MN7701 Assignment: Job Role Design in Saudi Electricity Company

This report addresses a significant people management problem within the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC): ineffective job role design and allocation. It explores the impact of this issue on employee motivation, productivity, and organizational growth. The report presents a research question: "Can better job role design contribute to higher levels of employee motivation, productivity and growth in the Saudi Electricity Company?" It utilizes evidence-based management principles, drawing upon research from various sources to analyze the problem. The report examines the SEC's structure, stakeholders, and the implications of poor job design, including workplace conflicts and inefficient resource allocation. The analysis incorporates findings from studies on knowledge management, work design, and industrial psychology. The report identifies stakeholders, potential impacts, and provides recommendations for improvement, aiming to enhance employee performance and organizational effectiveness. The report also includes leadership lessons learned from the case study.

Running head: MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Table of Contents
Introduction: The management problem.........................................................................................2
The Research Question....................................................................................................................2
The Research Evidence....................................................................................................................3
The Stakeholders.............................................................................................................................4
The Organizational evidence...........................................................................................................6
Recommendations............................................................................................................................7
Leadership lessons...........................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

2MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Introduction: The management problem
Managing people becomes central to the productive functioning of any organisation. The
report is focused on a people management problem that presently affects the Saudi Electricity
Company. The organization is facing issues pertaining to Job Role Design and role allocation to
the employees. Job role design is a significant challenge that affects various organizations.
Allocation of proper job roles to employees is not always done in an effective manner across the
corporate sectors. Hence, the report is focused on understanding this problem and find possible
solutions. The company in focus for the report is Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). It is an
electric energy company based in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Electric Company operates 45 power
generation plants in Saudi Arabia. According to Forbes, it is the 5th largest company in the
country. It has annual sales worth 17.1 billion US Dollars. The company was established in the
year 2000 by the Council of Ministers of the Country. In the power transmission, generation and
distribution sector of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Electricity Company enjoys monopoly. More than
80% of the company is owned by the government. It is currently engaged in the first solar power
generation project in Saudi Arabia. The company has total assets worth more than 307 billion
Saudi Riyal. The net income of SEC is 3.6 billion SR.
Job Design refers to the integration of job responsibilities among the employees engaged
in the various departments of any organization. Job design is important in the context of
organizational behaviour. The alignment of important roles to employees based on their areas of
expertise creates positive value concerning organizational behaviour amongst them. Job role
design requires the effective allocation of the right jobs to the right persons. However, like many
other organizations this is a significant people management-oriented problem that exists within
the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC). The departmental functions are not properly defined in the
SEC. This leads to confusion at times concerning the actual job roles that are to be managed by
the people involved in various designations. The company has also expanded in recent years with
the formation of a solar power station and the subsidiary transmission company, National Grid
SA. The lack of proper job alignment is rooted in the old job role allocation system that is
followed in the company. There have not been significant changes in the job role design and
allocation process for a long time despite various changes taking place in the organization.
The Research Question
The management problem that is being faced by the organization is significant in view of
the challenges it can create for the productivity of the company. The improper allocation of roles
within the organization can result in important job functionalities being assigned to people with
lack of skills concerning the specific role. Subsequently, this can lead to sharp drops in
productivity in the organization. Improper job design can lead to improper utilization of
resources. It can be a huge challenge for the growth and developmental prospects of the
organization. The organization would not be able to realize its optimal performance potential as a
result of the job role allocation issues. Additionally, the improper allocation of job roles can lead
to workplace conflicts. While forming the research question, it is important to understand the
implications that the identified problem can have for the SEC. Despite being a monopoly
business the SEC needs to judiciously consider Job role design.
SEC has the aim of increasing its power generation capability to 91 Gigawatts from 60
Gigawatts in 2020. This would require the organization to allocate job roles to individuals, teams
and departments more effectively. Currently, there are discrepancies in the job role allocation

3MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
process and the job responsibilities of various departments. A cause and effect oriented research
question has been formed for the report considering all the above mentioned factors.
The research question for the report is: can better job role design contribute to higher
levels of employee motivation, productivity and growth in the Saudi Electricity Company. The
question has been formed on the basis of its relevance concerning all the employees that work for
SEC and the organization as a whole. The question concerns more than a thousand employees of
SEC. The establishment of better job roles can help in realizing the optimal growth potential of
the organization. Effective utilization of job role designing can help in the better people
management in the organization. The research question is focused on bringing about positive
outcomes concerning the future of people management in the company.
The Research Evidence
The study needs to be based on strong research evidences. The foundation of the study
should be on the previous literatures that have provided the best possible findings concerning the
subject matter. The search process became extremely important as proper information was
required from the best possible sources. Some of the most important aspects that were considered
for the search process were effectiveness, mechanism, context, safety, acceptability, prevalence
and appropriateness. These aspects also determined the guidelines for the selection of the best
qualitative sources. As part of the research process, it became important that proper keywords
were used to search the internet. This was done in order to get the best possible sources for
undertaking the research. Much of the search process was undertaken through the internet. This
was helpful in getting access to various previous pieces of literatures that were helpful in
determining the effectiveness of the research process. Some of the important works that were
found and used for research and analysis are appraised concerning their significance for the
research.
One of the important work that was used for the research was of Zhang and Venkatesh
(2017). The evidence that was there to support the research was the utilization of the knowledge
management system (KMS) in determining the job roles of employees. The findings suggest that
peer intervention is very effective in determining the job roles of employees. The utilization of
better knowledge management techniques can help to improve job role design. The research
evidence that is found from the article helped to better analyse the management processes. The
article by Parker, Morgeson and Johns (2017) considers the perspective of the big picture
concerning work design research. Some of the most important elements related to work design
are explored through this study. Five important aspects that were much importantly derived from
the study are sociotechnical systems, job characteristics model, autonomous work groups, model
of job demands-control, job-demands resources and role theory. Moreover the study provides
important information concerning the psychological aspects that are related to the job roles. The
consultation of this paper has enabled the deeper analysis of the subject matter. The study has
made effective utilization of another important work by Peiró et al. (2020). The journal examines
the effect of work characteristics on job performance. The journal further evaluates the mediating
role of the work-design and performance relationships concerning job performance. The work is
very important for the study. It has greatly contributed towards the development of better
understanding in regards to job role design and the vital factors that determine employee
performances.

4MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
The book by Woods et al. (2017) was very important for bringing forward some of the
most important evidences related to the study. The book provides a thorough analysis of job roles
and their design elements. According to the study effective determination of job roles require
significant scrutiny of the people that would be engaged in the job. It is important to remember
that job design is related greatly to the people engaged in the job. The book has been very
effective in the analysis of job design as it has reviewed all the important factors that are related
to jobs. Some of the sections of the book have been particularly very helpful. Moving forward,
the work of Chae and Choi (2018) was effectively utilized in the study. The article analyses the
dynamic nature of work in the present corporate scenarios. The work provided sufficient
evidence related to the identification of creativity as a crucial proactive behaviour that can
differentially explain complexity of jobs and task performances. The work has been very
important in view of the study as it has defined the relationships that exist between factors such
as job complexity and performance. This can provide significant insights into the best practices
that are implemented across companies to determine effective work design. The work of Van den
Broeck and Parker (2017) provided essential information in regards to industrial and
organizational psychology. The work was effective in terms of the analysis of job design with
respect to the content, structure and the organization of tasks. The study has helped in the
comparative understanding of job roles and job design. Some well-known concepts such as
autonomy, job characteristics, workload, role issues and feedback. This can contribute greatly
towards the recommended practices that are to be provided after deriving the implications.
The article by Gagné et al. (2019) was important for the study. The article provides
deeper analysis of knowledge sharing or hiding and its role in motivating work design. The work
has been important as it determined how effective work design can help in motivating the
employees. The study informs about sharing and hiding information in the context of job roles.
This helped in forming the basis of deriving the recommendations from the study. The work of
Böckerman et al. (2020) has been effective in terms of the information derived from it. The
article focuses on finding whether job design helps in making workers happier. The work is
important as it is based on quantitative data analysis in regards to the views of the actual
employees. The findings of this study suggested that employee wellbeing in positively affected
by supervisory support and job control. Whereas, it is negatively affected by job related stress.
The study has helped in the determination of important implications concerning the study.
Additionally, the study has consulted the work of Biltner et al. (2017) for gaining further
information important for the completion of the task. The study takes into consideration the job
design elements that were utilized in some of the call centres in Germany. The study is important
considering that the various factors that influence job design and the training and recruitment
functions across various organizations are effectively evaluated. The work is important in the
value that it has provided for deriving important recommendations. The work of Sinclair,
Siemieniuch and Henshaw (2018) was important for the study. The study has effectively
evaluated the factors affecting job design across the manufacturing sector. The work has
contributed much towards deriving the best possible implications from the study.
The Stakeholders
The internal and external stakeholders of the organization need to be identified to develop
a clearer understanding of how each stakeholder would be affected by the issue. SEC has both
internal and external stakeholders that can be greatly affected by the issues related to job role
designing.

5MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Stakeholders Role in the organization Potential issues the problem can
cause for them
Internal-
Employees The employees are the workers
across all the levels of the
organization
The employees of the organization
can be greatly affected by the lack
of job design. They would not be
able to do their work functions
effectively. This would hamper
their skill development and growth
prospects in the future.
Managers The management of various
departments
Managing people would become
very difficult as a result of
improper job role designing.
Confusion would prevail in
regards to the role of the team
members ultimately leading to
attrition and conflict. Managers
would not be able to know the
competencies of their team
members.
The Owners The government agencies that own
the operations
The owners of the organization
would be greatly affected by the
lack of job design. They might not
be able to realize the goals that
they have set for the organization.
Effective leadership is required in
order to tackle the issues. Lack of
job design can lead to lack of
development.
External-
Customers The customers of SEC comprise of
almost the entire population of Saudi
Arabia
The lack of proper job design in
SEC can lead to improper
functioning of the departments.
Setting up electric lines can
become a lengthier process for the
customers. The customers can
even experience lack of proper
engagement with the service
centre. Disruption of services is a
possibility.
Regulatory
Authority
The regulatory authorities are the
Electricity and Cogeneration
Regulatory Authority (ECRA)
The regulatory body would not be
able to effectively control the
organization due to the lack of job
role allocation. It would be more
difficult for them to manage the
operations of the organization.

6MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Assessment and regulation of the
organization would become more
difficult.
Government The government is the government of
Saudi Arabia
The effect on the government
would be significant. As a result of
the improper alignment of work, it
would be difficult for the
organization to live up to its
reputation as a government
controlled monopoly organization.
This would lead to the loss of
credibility for the Saudi
Government. Proper intervention
from the government could
however, be effective in tackling
the issues.
The Organizational evidence
Evidences that provide information about the nature of the issues related to job role
design can help to find effective solutions to the issues. In order to engage in effective decision
making, it is important to gather proper evidences related to the issues. In view of this, some
important organizational data need to be gathered. The previous pieces of literature have been
very effective in determining the value of organizational processes that are required to create
effective job roles. There are certain important organizational data are required to find the issues
present within the organizational processes. All the recommendations are based on the SMART
goals framework. Meaning, that they are designed to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant
and time-bound.
Firstly, departmental functional areas need to be found. It would help to understand
whether the job roles of the employees are properly aligned with the requirements as per the
scope of the departments. The thorough understanding of the various departmental roles of the
organization are required in order to find this information (Stankevičiūtė and Savanevičienė
2018). Departmental documents that specify the functional scope, number of employees and sub-
divisions within the department. Secondly, the employee qualifications need to be known
through the organizational sources. This would provide ample scope for the development of
more qualification specific jobs. Data can be gathered more effectively through the employee
portals that are used in the various departments of the Saudi Electricity Company. A time period
of 2 months would be ample for undertaking this activity. Thirdly, employee survey data
concerning their job roles become very important in view of understanding the problem
situations. This data is not easily available and survey methods need to be devised to gain
information from the employees. Information is required about the perception of the employee
about their roles in the organization (Vasu, Stewart and Garson 2017). A questionnaire would
need to be formed that asks the employees about their roles and whether they feel that the roles
suits them.

7MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
Fourthly, it becomes necessary that the organizational hierarchy data is collected. The
data would inform of the roles of the leadership of the organization. This would be helpful in
understanding how they can be well aligned with the departmental functions. The job design
process can take place across all the hierarchical levels. Fifthly, it is important to consider the
data related to the performance of the various departments. This can be gathered from the
performance monitoring systems that are utilized in the SEC. Obtaining performance data is vital
for understanding the discrepancies that can be present between the performance standards and
the actual performances. All the required data can help in finding effective solutions to the
identified problem.
Recommendations
The analysis of the various issues that stem from the identified problem of Job Role
Design makes it necessary that some proper recommendations are provided. Although SEC
operates as a monopoly business in the power generation sector of Saudi Arabia, the lack of
proper job design and job allocation can cause severe damage to its goodwill and productive
efficiency. The stakeholder analysis provided earlier can be used to provide recommendations
that can help to tackle the specific challenges the problem can create for every identified
stakeholder. Some of the major stakeholders that were identified for the recommendations are the
employees, the managers, the customers and the government (Gelfand et al. 2017). An email is
being addressed to the CEO, Directors and other members of the higher management of the SEC,
highlighting the issues and providing recommendations respectively. These people would be the
most effective in taking any important change or policy oriented decisions.
To: <CEO’s mail id>
Cc: <Mail ids of the directors and other board members>
Subject: Job role design problems and recommendations
Dear Sir,
Some significant issues have been identified within our organization related to the overall Job
Role Design that have taken place across various departments. The job roles of many employees
in some of the departments, especially within the larger scope of the transmission and generation
of energy are not well defined. This causes significant issues related to the productivity of these
particular departments. If the particular job roles continue to be defined in an obscure manner,
there are chances that the productivity of the SEC falls drastically. Hence, there is a strong need
to develop better job role designs that would clearly define the functional areas of departments,
teams and individuals that work for the organization. The most important stakeholders that have
been identified in regard to the problem are the employees, the managers, the customers and the
government.
It is highly recommended that for the employees the organization should take some much
important responsibilities. There need to be special HR teams that design the job roles for the
employees based on their areas of expertise (Shaw 2017). This can further be enhanced through
the implementation of a qualification based recruitment strategy. Only the people qualified
enough to handle responsibilities that come with their job roles need to be recruited. Moving
forward, it is important that all the managers are properly trained about the processes that are
needed to be followed as per their respective departments. They need to understand the scope

8MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
within which their departments function and allocate roles that are appropriate in terms of
maintaining productivity. The customers need to be the main focus of the productive mechanism
that needs to be implemented in the organization. The specific, measurable, attainable, relevant
and time-bound or SMART framework need to be utilized to enhance the change prospects
positively. It is also important that proper relationships are maintained with the customers and
much important feedbacks are gathered. The government is an important stakeholder for the
organization as they own majority share in the SEC. The government needs to intervene in the
decision making system that can determine the effective designing of job roles as per the
principle productive requirements.
Leadership lessons
There were many lessons in leadership that I was able to gather from this assignment.
The learning gathered was not limited to a single aspect of organizational behaviour. The
assignment helped to be understand course concepts in better ways. I learnt more about
organizational behaviour and its significance in determining organizational functioning.
Managing and developing people and organizations was an important part of my learning
process. I learnt more about the ground realities that are present within the operational factors
that determine organizational productivity. I learnt that managing people was very important in
terms of ensuring both long term and short-term productivity. I learnt that organizational
behaviour encompassed factors such as task performance, organizational citizenship,
organizational commitment or withdrawal and counter-productive behaviour. My learning
process was further enhanced through the effective understanding of the SMART framework.
This helped me to learn more about the implementation of effective people management across
various organizations. The assessment was further helpful as it also helped me to learn more
about the leadership aspects that are connected with the organizational management processes.
The leadership values that I was able to develop were connected with transformational
leadership. This form of leadership depends on change orientation, motivation, and mentorship
and performance development.
The learning that I was able to develop throughout the course and the assignment would
help me in the future to be aware about the issues that affect large organizations. In the field of
study, the practical experiences gained would help me to gain better points. At the same time the
experience gained through the course and the assessment would help me to engage in further
studies more effectively in the future. As I plan to start my career with a large multinational
corporation in the future, this experience would help me to get selected and subsequently
perform as per the business standards of the organization. In essence, the course and assignment
would help me to be a better leader in the future. I want to be a transformational leader and
develop skills that would help me to lead people by nurturing their intrinsic abilities.

9MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS
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