Determination of similar task types by the use of the multidimensional classification method: towards improving quality of working life and job satisfaction

In this paper the entity is defined as the constituent unit of the work group. Actually the entity means the individual worker, supervisor, or task. These entities have respectively their attributes and also contribute to the effectiveness of the design of the work group. Similar types of entities are constructed by considering the interrelations between attributes and effectiveness.

The suggested MDC (multidimensional classification method) is a new method of classifying the entities in relation to the defined attribute space and effectiveness space and of better constructing similar types. From the viewpoint of the operationality of design and redesign of the work group, the MDC is useful to determine rationally the similar types of entities. In fact, in relation to job satisfaction, the similar task types could be successfully constructed by the use of the MDC. As a result, higher job satisfaction could be realized by manipulating the similar task types so determined.

The similar types which are determined by the MDC are useful to create the design rules for manipulating the entities in the process of designing an effective work group. By determining the similar types of workers and supervisors and also adopting work performance and productivity as effectiveness indexes, the methodology can be established for designing an effective work group.     

A multidimensional classification method for finding the design rules of work groups

This paper suggests a new multidimensional classification method (CMDC-II), which is a method for finding the design rules of effective work groups by determining rational combinations of workers, tasks and supervisors. The CMDC-II is a new method for providing design rules from the viewpoint of design goal attainment. The features of our methodology are summarized as follows.

Technical, social and organizational factors are introduced as attributes of task, worker and supervisor.

Goals, criteria, standards and goal sets are integrated into a multidimensional space.

The design rules are found by the use of the CMDC-II.

The design is performed by determining an effective combination of task, worker and supervisor.     

Evaluation of Fracture Toughness for Ceramic Materials by a Single-Edge-Precracked-Beam Method

As a substitute for the fatigue-cracked-beam method prescribed in ASTM E399 A2, a recently devised precracking method was applied to the evaluation of fracture toughness of ceramic materials. Straight-through precracks proved to be easily introduced into rectangular beams of several ceramic materials. This method gives K_ic values almost identical with those of the fatigue-cracked-beam method. The K_ic values are almost constant over wide ranges of the pop-in precrack length and the loading rate of the three-point bend test. The test can be easily performed even at elevated temperatures although its validity should be further examined.     

Optimizing the interaction of technical,social and organizational factors in work groups—an application of the multidimensional classification method

This paper suggests a new multidimensional classification method for finding design rules for work groups from the viewpoint of optimizing the interaction of technical, social and organizational factors in work groups. It is called the contingent multidimensional classification method (CMDC)

For classifying tasks, the CMDC evaluates three kinds of similarities.

(1)Similarity in the attributes of tasks.

(2)Similarity in the effects of tasks.

(3)Similarity in the attributes of worker and supervisors being assigned the tasks.

The effects are measured by such effectiveness indexes as job satisfaction or work performance.

Several design rules are needed to adapt to various situations, because there is no single best rule for designing effective work groups. The diverse design rules for determining interrelationships among constituent units of the work group—task, worker and supervisor—can be found by examining the properties of ‘similar task types’ resulting from classifying tasks by CMDC     

On the evaluation of group effectiveness for designing work groups

This study suggests a method evaluating the effectiveness of the individual work group, i.e. group effectiveness. In the design process it is very important to know what effectiveness we can expect from a proposed work group, and also when redesigning or reappraising a work group we must be able to evaluate the existing State of effectiveness. In either case the evaluation of group effectiveness is carried out through a procedure for ascertaining the goals for which the work group is designed.

A special characteristic of our suggested method is that the group effectiveness is evaluated on the basis of configural patterns in multidimensional space. That is. each group member's response to effects is discriminated as an ‘effect-point’ in the multidimensional ‘effectiveness space’, which is formed by the use of a multidimensional scaling method, and then the relative effectiveness is assessed from the patterns of the effect-points in the effectiveness space.

In order to appraise the existing state and estimate the design goals, the effectiveness must be related to the attributes of the work group. These relationships can he found from analyses employing ‘multidimensional classification methods’, i.e. M DC, CMDC-I, and CMDC-II. Thus the designer is able to predict effectiveness from the attributes of the proposed work group. In this paper we examine these relationships by the analysis of two indices of effectiveness (job satisfaction and work performance) and the attributes of the worker and task which are the critical elements for the design of an effective work group. We suggest a procedure to evaluate group effectiveness and identify the design goals. Our procedure will be applied to the design of more effective and better work groups.     

Electrical Conductivity of TiO2-V2O5-P205 Glasses

The dc conductivities (σ) of V₂O₅-P₂O₅ glasses containing up to 30 mol% TiO₂ were measured at T=100° to ∼10°C below the glass-transition temperature. Dielectric constants from 30 to 10⁶ Hz, densities, and the fraction of reduced V ion were measured at room temperature. The conduction mechanism was considered to be small polaron hopping between V ions, as previously reported for V₂O₅-P₂O₅ glass. The temperature dependence of σ was exponential with σ = σ₀ exp(-W/kT ) in the high-temperature range. When part of the P₂O₅ was replaced by TiO_2,σ increased and W decreased. The hopping energy depended on the reciprocal dielectric constant which, in this case, increased with increasing TiO₂ content.     

重复压缩—轧制法制备纳米级金属多层材料

通过将层厚为数十微米的金属多层材料重复地进行压缩和轧制处理制备了纳米级金属多层材料,扫描电镜和透射电镜观察提示了最终达到纳米级层厚的有规律的层厚减薄过程,磁电阻的测定结果也证实了纳米多层材料的形成。试样的拉伸强度高达１５００ＭＰａ以上,延伸率为０．８％左右。     

Electrical Conductivity of PbO-P2O5-V2O5Glasses

The dc conductivities (α) of PbO-P₂O₅-V₂O₅ glasses containing up to 80 mol% V₂O₅ were measured at T = 100°C to T = 10°C below the glass transition temperature. Dielectric constants at 1 MHz, densities, and the fraction of reduced V ion were measured at room temperature. The conduction mechanism of glasses containing >10 mol% V₂O₅ was considered to be small-polaron hopping, as previously reported for other vanadate glasses. The temperature dependence of α was exponential, with α= (αo/ T ) exp(− W/kT ). When the V₂O₅ content was ≥50 mol%, W decreased and α increased with increasing V₂O₅ content, and the adiabatic approximation could be applied. In the composition range between 10 and 50 mol% V₂O₅, α increased with increasing V₂O₅ content, but W varied little. In this region, the hopping conduction was characterized as nonadiabatic. The effect of dielectric constants and V ion spacing on W is discussed.