Autonomous task decision-making and its implications for job design

This paper describes a model for task related decision-making. A distinction is made between three types of task decisions: boundary control decisions, which related the task system to its environment; intrasystem control decisions, which determine the means of performing the assigned tasks; and regulation decisions, which counteract disturbances that may affect task performance. Propositions for autonomous decision-making by the task performer under various conditions, derived from the model, were confirmed through extensive investigations of actual workstations. Implications of research findings on job design are also discussed.