Job Analysis and Design

By Shweta Bambuwala

Job Analysis
Job analysis is a process through which you determine the duties of these positions and characteristics of people to hire for them.

It produces information used for writing job descriptions.

Types of Information Collected

Work activities

Human requirements

Human behaviors

Job context

Information Collected Via Job Analysis

Machines, tools, equipment, and work aids

Performance standards

Use of Job Analysis Information

Recruitment and Selection

Legal Compliance

Compensation

Discovering Unassigned Duties

Information Collected Via Job Analysis

Performance Appraisal

Training

Features of Job Analysis

1. Identification of tasks required to be performed. 2. Defining the role, context, conditions, human behavior, performance standards and responsibilities. 3. Establishing the jobs worth to an organization. 4. Establishes job-relatedness. 5. Assists in the resource management and strategy formulation.

6. Developing a job profile for each job and acts. 7. Identifying the appropriate job for each employee. 8. Better understanding of the impact of environmental changes on individual jobs. 9. Identifying and removing unnecessary skills and other requirements for a job. 10.Job improvements through job reengineering and job enlargement. 11.Job improvements through job reengineering and job enlargement.

Steps in Job Analysis

Steps in doing a job analysis:
1

Decide how youll use the information. Review relevant background information. Select representative positions. Actually analyze the job. Verify the job analysis information. Develop a job description and job specification.

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Process Chart for Analyzing a Jobs Workflow

Source: Compensation Management: Rewarding Performance by Richard J. Henderson. Reprinted by perission of Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

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Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information: The Interview

Information Sources
Individual employees Groups of employees Supervisors with knowledge of the job

Interview Formats
Structured (Checklist) Unstructured

Advantages
Quick, direct way to find overlooked information

Disadvantages
Distorted information

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Job Analysis: Interviewing Guidelines

The job analyst and supervisor should work together to identify the workers who know the job best. It is advisable to quickly establish rapport with the interviewee. Follow a structured guide or checklist, one that lists openended questions and provides space for answers. Ask the worker to list his or her duties in order of importance and frequency of occurrence. After completing the interview, review and verify data. the

Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information: Questionnaires

Information Source
Have employees fill out questionnaires to describe their job-related duties and responsibilities

Advantages
Quick and efficient way to gather information from large numbers of employees

Questionnaire Formats
Structured checklists Open-ended questions

Disadvantages
Expense and time consumed in preparing and testing the questionnaire

Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information: Observation

Information Source
Observing and noting the physical activities of employees as they go about their jobs

Advantages
Provides first-hand information Reduces distortion of information

Disadvantages
Time consuming Difficulty in capturing entire job cycle Of little use if job involves a high level of mental activity

Methods of Collecting Job Analysis Information: Participant Diary/Logs

Information Source
Workers keep a chronological diary/ log of what they do and the time spent on each activity

Advantages
Produces a more complete picture of the job Employee participation

Disadvantages
Distortion of information Depends upon employees to accurately recall their activities

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Quantitative Job Analysis Techniques

Quantitative Job Analysis

Position Analysis Questionnaire

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Procedures

Functional Job Analysis

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Job description
Job description is a document that specifies the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of the job and should certainly be relevant and accurate Clyde E. Witt

Writing Job Descriptions

Job Identification

Job Specifications

Job Summary

Sections of a Typical Job Description

Working Conditions

Responsibilities and Duties

Standards of Performance

Authority of the Incumbent

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The Job Description

Job Identification
Job title Preparation date Preparer

Responsibilities and Duties

Major responsibilities and duties (essential functions) Decision-making authority Direct supervision Budgetary limitations

Job Summary
General nature of the job Major functions/activities

Relationships
Reports to: Supervises: Works with: Outside the company:

Standards of Performance and Working Conditions

What it takes to do the job successfully

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Job specification
Job specification is the process of inferring the human trait requirements presumed to be necessary for successful job performance. R. Harvey and M. Wilson

Writing Job Specifications

What traits and experience are required to do this job well?

Specifications for Trained Versus Untrained Personnel

Specifications Based on Judgment

Specifications Based on Statistical Analysis

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Components of job specification

Education and training Work experience Skills and competencies Physical strength and stamina Stress-coping ability Special needs

Challenges affecting the effectiveness of job analysis

Employees anxiety Management attitude towards job analysis Undue importance to job holders Environmental influence Absence of follow-up action

Job design
Job design is the process of determining the specific tasks to be performed, the methods used in performing these tasks, and how the job relates to other work in the organization. R. Wayne Mondy

Job enrichment
Job enrichment refers to redesigning jobs in a way that increases the opportunities for the worker to experience feelings of responsibility, achievement, growth and recognition.

Dejobbing
Broadening the responsibilities of the companys jobs and encouraging employees not to limit themselves to whats on their job descriptions.

Job Analysis in a Jobless World

Dejobbing the Organization

Flattening the Organization

Using Self-Managed Work Teams

Reengineering Business Processes

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Self-managing teams
Self-managing teams have the overall responsibility for the accomplishment of work or goal preparatory requirements for self-managing teams Work mapping Determining the size of the team Leadership development Fixing the team norms

Job reengineering
Job reengineering is the process of streamlining jobs in the form of combining a few jobs into one, redistributing the tasks among various jobs and reallocation of resources.

Job reengineering process

Job reengineering process involves Pattern breaking Realigning with corporate goals Abolition of power structure Work flow redesigning Enhancing IT applications Redefining titles and positions Establishing a learning organization Performance-based incentives and rewards

Job enlargement
Job enlargement aims at making the job more attractive by increasing the operations performed by a person in the job. It transforms the jobs to include more and/or different tasks. Enlargement is of two types and these are Horizontal enlargement Vertical enlargement

Job rotation
Job rotation refers to moving employees from one job to another in a predetermined way. It enables an employee to perform diverse roles and gain exposure to the techniques and challenges of doing several jobs. Uses of Job rotation

Participative management
Participative management means allowing employees to play a greater part in the decisionmaking process. It helps in improving the quality of work life, job enrichment, quality circles, total quality management and empowerment.

Peer performance review

In this method, team members evaluate one anothers performance. Thus, performance appraisal for employees becomes more personalized and is conducted on a regular basis.

Recent trends in job design

E-commuting- E-commuting is a kind of work system in which the distance barrier is overcome by means of telecommunication. Flexi-time work- In this method, employees enjoy the freedom to choose their flexible starting and ending time of work within the scheduled working hours of the firm.

The individual working hours are determined as per the convenience of each employee.

Social surveyors in flood hit areas

Unexpected flood hit the Mumbai City Wide spread damage to life and property John heads HR and Admin of a national level NGO. NGO promotes community based solid waste management and other initiatives in Dharavi NGO has 25 full time employee and 4 to 5 employees at a given point of time JD has never been designed by John as employees knew their jobs very well and also helps each other when required. When flood water receded immediate action need to be taken by NGO for estimation of damage through survey John decided to recruit 25 final yr statistics student for survey as employees were engaged to other task John wanted to develop a JD for new employees This Idea was not received well by existing employees. They said Action is required not bureaucracy or paper work. COMMENT.