Designing and controlling people's jobs : the Scottish Prison Service quality management programme

Abstract

This paper identifies and discuss the impact of the Scottisch Prision Service’s Quality Management Programme in the job structure and organization control. The results are analysed based on two mainly thesis found on literature regarding the topic: a) flexibel specialization model; and b) control enhancement over the work force. The data were collected by means of open-ended interviews, informal interviews, documentary research, and participation in training sessions. The case studies were developed in the Headquarters of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and in two prisions: Perth and Dungavel, since they were the most advanced regarding the programme implantation. The data were analysed in a descriptive-interpretative form. The results demonstrate that the quality programme had significantly affected the job design in the prisions. However, this results support parcially both the flexibel specialization thesis, wich claims for a job enrichment, but also the control enhancement over the work thesis. It is also evidence the use of control over the workers’ cognitive premises , wich shows that quality programmes can work as a cultural control device since it incorporates an adequated human resorces management policy.