Nadler D A, Lawler E E
Organ Dyn. 1983 Winter;11(3):20-30. doi: 10.1016/0090-2616(83)90003-7.
The values that quality of work life (QWL) has brought to the workplace are in danger of being lost, say authors Nadler and Lawler; to avert this danger, they debunk several "definitions" of the concept that miss the point, give it a precise definition, and spell out ways to use it successfully. They delineate six factors that they believe separate more successful from less successful QWL efforts. The first success factor is a perception of need--that is, in successful efforts organization members actually perceive a problem. Second, the problem is salient to the organization. Third, a structure for participation is created. Fourth, rewards are provided both for the processes and for the outcomes of QWL activities. Fifth, multiple levels of management are involved. And, finally, QWL involves all organization members in a way that avoids "we-they" rivalries. With these factors in mind, the authors conclude that three major components of QWL efforts must be managed well if they are to succeed: (1) development of projects at different levels; (2) changes in management systems and structure; and (3) changes in senior management behavior--that is, if the QWL effort is to be credible to organization members, there must be some specific, tangible QWL activity in which senior managers participate.
作者纳德勒和劳勒表示，工作生活质量（QWL）给工作场所带来的价值正面临丧失的危险；为避免这种危险，他们揭穿了该概念的几个不得要领的“定义”，给出了精确的定义，并详细说明了成功运用它的方法。他们阐述了六个因素，认为这些因素区分了QWL工作中较成功与较不成功的情况。第一个成功因素是对需求的认知——也就是说，在成功的工作中，组织成员确实察觉到了问题。第二个因素是该问题对组织而言很突出。第三个因素是创建了参与结构。第四个因素是为QWL活动的过程和结果都提供奖励。第五个因素是涉及多个管理层面。最后，QWL以避免“我们 - 他们”对立的方式让所有组织成员都参与进来。考虑到这些因素，作者得出结论：如果QWL工作要取得成功，就必须妥善管理其三个主要组成部分：（1）不同层面项目的开展；（2）管理系统和结构的变革；（3）高层管理人员行为的改变——也就是说，如果QWL工作要让组织成员信服，高层管理人员必须参与一些具体的、切实的QWL活动。
