S.M.A.R.T Work Design

The SMART Work Design model, developed by Professor Sharon Parker at the Future of Work Institute is a useful model that employees and employers can refer to when designing meaningful and motivating work.

SMART work is: Stimulating, Mastery, Agency, Relational, and Tolerable demands.

There are many job resources that can be considered.

The SMART work design model identifies four key types of job resources:

• Stimulating job resources – stimulating job resources include having task variety and
  meaning in the job.
• Mastery job resources – mastery job resources include workers having role clarity, and
  receiving feedback, including getting appropriate reward and recognition in their work.
• Agency job resources – agency job resources include job control and participation in
  decision-making.
• Relational job resources – relational job resources are about having positive work
  relationships and having high levels of supervisor and co-worker support.
• Tolerable demands – Job demands are aspects of work resourcing that require effort. In excess, or when there are insufficient buffering job resources, job demands can cause stress and discomfort. Every individual has different levels of tolerance to demands in the workplace, and stress can occur when the amount of work demands exceeds a person’s capacity to cope.

Find out more on the Thrive at Work website: