Job Rotation Motivations

Commonly practiced for graduate programs and on-the-job training, a “job rotation” system can be an amazing tool for leaders too. What better manager than one who has experienced each area first hand?

In this week’s blog post we talk about the concept of job rotations and how you can implement them to train the next generation of leaders.

What’s a job rotation?

According to SHRM (2012) job rotation is the systematic movement of employees from job to job within an organisation. Typically, formal rotation programs offer customised assignments to promising employees in an effort to give them a view of the entire business. Assignments usually run for a year or more. Rotation programs can vary in size and formality, depending on the organisation. While larger companies are more likely to invest in a formalised job rotation program, businesses of all sizes might want to consider implementing a job rotation program.

Why organisations should implement job rotations

• Retention

Sustaining employee interest in a single job is not easy, which is perhaps why retention poses such a big challenge for businesses, even in a slow economy. Employees outgrow their jobs quickly and it may not be possible for employers to provide enough diversity within a career path to maintain employee interest in the job. This is where job rotation steps in to provide job enrichment from an employee’s perspective. Employees who participate in job rotation programs develop a wide range of skills, are more adaptable to changes in jobs and career, and are generally more engaged and satisfied with their jobs when compared to other employees who specialise in a single skill set or domain (SHRM, 2012).

• Developing generalists not specialists

Job rotations enable employees and managers to learn about different facets of the organisation and how work is accomplished in different departments or job functions – this will build his or her organisational knowledge and ability to get things done.

In the management ranks, rotation is typical among companies that emphasise creating well-rounded general managers, like General Electric Japan. You do not want the CEO and most other high level executives to be narrow specialists – you want them to be versed in a variety of disciplines, because they have to manage all of them.

A great example would be Steve Jobs. Was he the most technically proficient person at Apple? No, but his brilliance was in mastering fields as diverse as technical innovation, design, marketing, sales, mass media, and supply chain management. He was worth literally billions of dollars to the value of Apple as a firm because of his breadth, not his technical depth.

Ledford (2014) believes Generalists run the world because the major problems of corporations and governments are complex, multidimensional, and multidisciplinary, and narrow specialists often aren’t able to have a wider perspective of things – they don’t “see the bigger picture”. He implores organisations to acknowledge that most people will find work that includes more variety to be more fulfilling and satisfying.

• Improves inter-departmental co-operation

Periodical job rotation improves inter-departmental co-operation. Employees understand each other’s problems properly and this facilitates co-operation among them.

Tips for succesful rotations

• The goal of the job rotation determines the job changes.

Do you want each employee in a department to understand all the roles in the organisation? Or is it meant for an individual employee to acquire specific skills? Also, consider the purpose of job rotation. It could be to enhance career choices, set-up promotion opportunities, serve as a backup for employees on leave, or even to alleviate boredom.

• Job rotation must be carefully planned

An optimum training plan helps the employee build upon the skills learnt at each step of a job rotation. So, the plan involves the employee participating in a series of jobs on a path that other employees have followed that resulted in a fully trained employee, or the accomplishment of the goal.

• A mentor, internal trainer, or supervisor/trainer is provided at each step of the job rotation plan

As your employee moves to each job ‘rotation’ department/area, assign a trainer to teach them new skills, guide him and act as a mentor.

What do you think about Job Rotations? Could they be a valuable tool for retention and productivity in your organisation?

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