Final answer:
A control system that limits employees to tasks within their job descriptions can cause role confinement or job demotivation, leading to a lack of positive feedback, work overload, and limited opportunities for advancement.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a control system in a workplace prompts employees to adhere strictly to the tasks outlined in their formal job descriptions, it can lead to what is known as role confinement or job demotivation.
This phenomenon can make employees feel undervalued and replaceable, providing little positive feedback and no sense of ownership or responsibility for their work.
It is closely related to the concept of McDonaldization, as termed by George Ritzer, where service industries have highly routinized roles and tasks that discourage workers’ initiative and decision-making abilities.
This problem can lead to work overload, as employees may not go beyond their defined roles to help with unanticipated challenges or opportunities.
Additionally, it can foster a sense of disenchantment with the work environment, where personal growth and advancement are seen as limited.
The tendency to replace human labor with technology through automation may contribute to this issue, as it emphasizes efficiency over human skills and decision-making.
Factory work can epitomize this control system, with its strict start and end times, and repetitive, monitored tasks. Workers face a regimented workflow and are often seen as just another cog in the machine.
Excessive paperwork, lack of adequate supplies, safety concerns, and minimal support from supervisors can compound the negative impact of a control system that limits workers to their job descriptions.