  Job rotation is a managerial practice to be applied in the organizational
environment to reduce job monotony, boredom, and exhaustion resulting from job
simplification, specialization, and repetition. Previous studies have
identified and discussed the use of project-to-project rotations in software
practice, gathering empirical evidence from qualitative and field studies and
pointing out set of work-related factors that can be positively or negatively
affected by this practice. Goal: We aim to collect and discuss the use of job
rotation in software organizations in order to identify the potential benefits
and limitations of this practice supported by the statement of existing
theories of work design. Method: Using a survey-based research design, we
collected and analyzed quantitative data from software engineers about how
software development work is designed and organized, as well as the potential
effects of job rotations on this work design. We investigated 21 work design
constructs, along with job burnout, role conflict, role ambiguity, and two
constructs related to job rotation. Results: We identified one new benefit and
six new limitations of job rotation, not observed in previous studies and added
new discussions to the existing body of knowledge concerning the use of job
rotation in software engineering practice. Conclusion: We believe that these
results represent another important step towards the construction of a
consistent and comprehensive body of evidence that can guide future research
and also inform practice about the potential positive and negative effects of
job rotation in software development companies.

Computers and Society