Job analysis

Job Analysis (JA) (Chapter 3): 

Job Analysis (JA) (Chapter 3)

Agenda: 

Agenda Job-Analysis Job-Oriented Worker-Oriented Applications Job-Analysis Process Alternative Methods Job Evaluation Job Description

Definition and Purpose: 

Definition and Purpose The process of gathering, analyzing and structuring information about a job’s components, characteristics, and job requirements The process of gathering information about job oriented and worker oriented elements of a job A method for describing jobs and/or the human attributes necessary to perform them Job Analysis provides the basis for Job evaluation

The Criterion Problem: 

The Criterion Problem Criterion as sample of performance JA is important for: JP criterion development Job specification Selection Systems Performance Appraisal and Reward systems

Job-Oriented JA: 

Job-Oriented JA Detailed and Job-Specific Analyses Emphasis on job components: Duty —major component of the job Task —a complete piece of work that accomplishes some particular goal Activity —individual parts that make up the task Element —molecular behaviours Usually each job will have multiple duties, each duty several tasks...

Job-Oriented JA: 

Job-Oriented JA Example (Lawyer): Duty - Provide legal representation Task – represent clients in a court of law Activity – make opening statement in a court of law Element – voice objection to opposing party

Worker-oriented JA: 

Worker-oriented JA Focuses on worker attributes (KSAO’s) Components of Worker-Oriented JA: KSAOs or Competencies (1) Knowledge (2) Skills (3) Ability (4) Other b) Work analysis: the study of certain tasks and skills that workers can transfer from one job to another

Uses of JA: 

Uses of JA Writing job descriptions Job specifications for selection Training Career development Reward/Compensation Workforce planning Performance appraisal

Uses of JA: 

Uses of JA Job classification Job evaluation Job design Compliance with legal guidelines Organisational analysis Efficiency/safety Research

Preparing for JA: 

Preparing for JA Who will conduct the analysis Must be a trained analyst Can be an internal department or task force such as HR Considerations No compensation for information sharing Employees may not have time or ability to provide adequate information Consulting work is costly

Preparing for JA: 

Preparing for JA Which Employees Should Participate SME Committee or incumbents Sample Size Other Sample Characteristics Differences between participants: Job competence Race Gender Education level Organisational position

Preparing for JA: 

Preparing for JA What type of information should be gathered? Level of Specificity (e.g., job, position, duty, task…) Requirements (formal vs. informal) Sources of information

Conducting JA (Task Inventory): 

Conducting JA (Task Inventory) Step 1: Identify tasks performed Gathering existing information Interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs) Observing incumbents Job participation Step 2: Write task statements Required elements to a task statement Characteristics of well-written task statements

Conducting JA (Task Inventory): 

Conducting JA (Task Inventory) Step 3: Rate task statements Task inventories Incumbents complete inventory Categorizing tasks Chart

Conducting JA (Task Inventory): 

Conducting JA (Task Inventory) Step 4: Determine essential KSAOs Questionnaires Step 5: Selecting tests to tap KSAOs

Alternative JA Methods (O*NET) : 

Alternative JA Methods ( O*NET) Occupational information network (O*NET) http://online.onetcenter.org/ Online and CD database KSAs for 1000+ groups of jobs Domains: experience requirements, worker requirements, worker characteristics, occupational requirements, occupation-specific requirements, and occupation characteristics Levels of Information Analysis: Individual; Job; Organisation; Business Environment O*NET job descriptions combine job oriented and worker oriented analyses

Alternative JA Methods (O*NET): 

Alternative JA Methods ( O*NET) Worker Characteristics Abilities Occup. Interests Work Values Work Styles Occupational Requirements Detailed and Generalised Work Activities Org. and Work Context Worker Requirements Skills Knowledge Education Experience Requirements Training Experience Licensing Skills Occupational Characteristics Labour Market Information Occupational Outlook Occupation- Specific Information Tasks Tools Technology Worker Oriented Job Oriented Occupation Specific Cross-Occupation

Alternative JA Methods (PAQ): 

Alternative JA Methods (PAQ) Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ) Information input Mental processes Work output Interpersonal activities Work situation and job context Miscellaneous aspects relevant to the job Method : SME rates each item based relevance, criticality of error, and time SME develops a profile of task elements and KSAOs based on other jobs in the PAQ database and assigns a percentile scale score Limitations

Alternative JA Methods (CMQ): 

Alternative JA Methods (CMQ) Common-Metric Questionnaire Behaviour- vs. Task-Oriented Items Rating scale consistency across jobs Method: 2077 items along 80 dimensions asking whether a given job requires the specified skill, experience, or education level Measure of criticality

Alternative JA Methods (CIT) : 

Alternative JA Methods (CIT) Critical incident technique (CIT) Poor vs. Good incidents Method : 1 – Behavioural classification (good vs. poor) 2 – Sorting process 3 – Classification 4 – Verification 5 – Criticality assessment Limitations

Job Evaluation: 

Job Evaluation A properly designed job: Contributes to employee attraction and retention Is motivating Is equitable Is in compliance with legal guidelines

Conducting Job Evaluation: 

Conducting Job Evaluation Step 1: Determining job evaluation criteria a) Error criticality b) Educational/training background c) Responsibility Skill level Complexity/difficulty f) Physical demand Work environment Step 2: Determining levels for each compensable criterion

Conducting Job Evaluation: 

Conducting Job Evaluation Step 3: Determining criteria weights Step 4: Assigning scores to each level of a criterion Method : Add scores; Plot salary against score totals; Assess correlation between scores and salary; Increase underpaid, freeze salary of overcompensated or reduce salary with turnover

Writing a good job description : 

Writing a good job description Title a) Describes the nature of the job accurately b) Assists in adequate employee attraction c) Affects perceptions of job worth and status d) Affects clarity of resumes Brief summary a) Useful for recruitment advertising b) Should be written in an easy to understand style c) Jargon and abbreviations should not be used Work Activities Organised by dimensions or duties b) Task statements (e.g., “responsible for”, “oversees team”, “handles account”)

Writing a good job description: 

Writing a good job description Tools and Equipment Used Work Context Work schedule ; Degree of supervision ; Ergonomic information Work Performance Standards used ; Frequency of evaluation ; Evaluation dimensions ; The person evaluating

Writing a good job description: 

Writing a good job description Compensation Information Job evaluation dimensions ; Pay grade ; Job group Job Competencies or specifications KSAs needed to ensure success