Job Design of Patternmakers in Apparel Manufacturing

Abstract

The job structure of apparel patternmakers in North Carolina manufacturing units producing women's and children's apparel in 1989 was examined Sixty companies met the eligibility requirement of employing their own patternmakers. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by patternmakers and managers during visits to the companies by the researcher. The response rate of 83 % represented 50 companies employing 79 female and 40 male patternmakers. The independent variables were fashion change frequency and organizational strategy. The dependent job structure variables were task differentiation, skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Results indicate that companies with high fashion change frequency and analyzer strategy require patternmakers with strong patternmaking skills. Companies with low fashion change frequency and defender strategy require patternmakers with diverse pre-production manufacturing skills and minimal patternmaking skills. Implications for pattermnaker education and for future research are discussed

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Archer, W.B. , & Fruchter, D.A. (1963). The construction, review,. and administration of Air Force job inventories. Lackland Air Force Base, TX: Personnel Research Laboratory, Aerospace Medical Division.

Belleau, B.D. , & Didier, J.T. (1989). Computer technology use by Louisiana apparel manufacturers . Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 7(3), 47-50.

Brief, A. , & Aldag, R. (1978). The Job Characteristic Inventory: An examination . Academy of Management Journal, 21, 659-670.

Chung, K.H. (1987). Management: Critical success factors. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Cristal, R.E. , & Morsh, J.E. (1969). Comments by the chairman. In Proceedings of 19. Division of Military Psychology symposium: Collecting, analyzing, and reporting information describing jobs and occupations (p. 977). ( 77th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association.) Lackland Air Force Base, TX: Personnel Research Division, Air Force Human Resources Laboratory.

Daft, R.L. (1983). Organization theory and design. New York: West.

Daft, R.L. , & Steers, R.M. (1986). Organizations: A micro/macro approach. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.

Duncan, R.B. (1972). Characteristics of organizational environments and perceived environmental uncertainty. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 313-327.

Emery, F. , & Trist, E. (1965). The causal texture of organizational environments . Human Relations, 18, 21-32.

10.

Fraser, A. (1985a). Attitudes of designers, patternmakers, and production managers as related to implementation of computer aided design systems in apparel production. Dissertation Abstracts, 46B, 3996.

11.

Fraser, A. (1985b, November). Designers, patternmakers, and production managers evaluate CAD/CAM. Bobbin, pp. 35-44.

12.

Glos, R.E. , & Baker, H.A. (1972). Business: Its nature and environment-An introduction (7th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western.

13.

Hackman, J.R. , & Oldham, G.R. (1974). The Job Diagnostic Survey: An instrument for the diagnosis of jobs and the evaluation of job redesign projects. New Haven, CT: Yale University, Department of Administrative Sciences.

14.

Hackman, J.R. , & Oldham, G.R. (1975). Development of the Job Diagnostic Survey. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 159-170.

15.

Hackman, J.R. , & Oldham, G.R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16, 250-279.

16.

Kerlinger, F.N. (1973). Foundations of behavioral research. New York. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston.

17.

McCormick, E.J. (1976). Job and task analysis. In M. D. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 651-696). Chicago: Rand McNally .

18.

Miles, R.E. , & Snow. C.C. (1978). Organization strategy, structure, and process . New York: McGraw-Hill.

19.

Miles, R.E. , Snow, C.C. , Meyer, A.D. , & Coleman, H.J., Jr. (1978). Organization strategy, structure, and process. Academy of Management Review, 3, 546-562.

20.

Morsh, J.E. (1964). Job analysis in the United States Air Force. Personnel Psychology, 17, 7-17.

21.

Morsh, J.E. (1969). Collecting, analyzing, and reporting information describing jobs in the United States Air Force. In Proceedings of 19. Division of Military Psychology symposium: Collecting, analyzing, and reporting information describing jobs and occupations. (77th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association ). Lackland Air Force Base, TX: Personnel Research Division, Air Force Human Resources Laboratory.

22.

Morsh, J.E. , & Archer, W.B. (1967). Procedural guide for conducting occupational surveys in the United States Air Force. Lackland Air Force Base, TX: Personnel Research Laboratory, Aerospace Medical Division.

23.

1987-1988 directory of manufacturing firms in North Carolina. (1987). Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Commerce.

24.

Sheldon, G.J. (1988). The impact of technology on apparel designer training . Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 6(4), 20-25.

25.

Snow, C.C. , & Hrebiniak, L.G. (1980). Strategy, distinctive competence, and organizational performance. Administrative Science Quarterly , 25, 317-336.

26.

U.S. Department of Labor. (1988). Non-ag series. (Available from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Southeast Regional Office, 1371 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30367.)