You are on page 1of 12

Job Analysis - Job Description and Job

Specification
Job analysis is primary tool in personnel management. In this method, a personnel manager tries to
gather, synthesize and implement the information available regarding the workforce in the concern. A
personnel manager has to undertake job analysis so as to put right man on right job.
There are two outcomes of job analysis :
1. Job description
2. Job specification
The information collected under job analysis is :
1. Nature of jobs required in a concern.
2. Nature/ size of organizational structure.
3. Type of people required to fit that structure.
4. The relationship of the job with other jobs in the concern.
5. Kind of qualifications and academic background required for jobs.
6. Provision of physical condition to support the activities of the concern. For example- separate
cabins for managers, special cabins for the supervisors, healthy condition for workers,
adequate store room for store keeper.

Advantages of Job Analysis


1. Job analysis helps the personnel manager at the time of recruitment and selection of right
man on right job.
2. It helps him to understand extent and scope of training required in that field.
3. It helps in evaluating the job in which the worth of the job has to be evaluated.
4. In those instances where smooth work force is required in concern.

5. When he has to avoid overlapping of authority- responsibility relationship so that distortion in


chain of command doesnt exist.
6. It also helps to chalk out the compensation plans for the employees.
7. It also helps the personnel manager to undertake performance appraisal effectively in a
concern.
A personnel manger carries analysis in two ways :
a. Job description
b. Job specification
1. JOB DESCRIPTION is an organized factual statement of job contents in the form of duties
and responsibilities of a specific job. The preparation of job description is very important
before a vacancy is advertised. It tells in brief the nature and type of job. This type of
document is descriptive in nature and it constitutes all those facts which are related to a job
such as :
1. Title/ Designation of job and location in the concern.
2. The nature of duties and operations to be performed in that job.
3. The nature of authority- responsibility relationships.
4. Necessary qualifications that are required for job.
5. Relationship of that job with other jobs in a concern.
6. The provision of physical and working condition or the work environment required in
performance of that job.

Advantages of Job Description


7. It helps the supervisors in assigning work to the subordinates so that he can guide
and monitor their performances.
8. It helps in recruitment and selection procedures.
9. It assists in manpower planning.

10. It is also helpful in performance appraisal.


11. It is helpful in job evaluation in order to decide about rate of remuneration for a
specific job.
12. It also helps in chalking out training and development programmes.
2. JOB SPECIFICATION is a statement which tells us minimum acceptable human qualities
which helps to perform a job. Job specification translates the job description into human
qualifications so that a job can be performed in a better manner. Job specification helps in
hiring an appropriate person for an appropriate position. The contents are :
1. Job title and designation
2. Educational qualifications for that title
3. Physical and other related attributes
4. Physique and mental health
5. Special attributes and abilities
6. Maturity and dependability
7. Relationship of that job with other jobs in a concern.

Advantages of Job Specification


8. It is helpful in preliminary screening in the selection procedure.
9. It helps in giving due justification to each job.
10. It also helps in designing training and development programmes.
11. It helps the supervisors for counseling and monitoring performance of employees.
12. It helps in job evaluation.
13. It helps the management to take decisions regarding promotion, transfers and giving
extra benefits to the employees.

From the above advantages, we can justify the importance of job analysis and its related products.
Both job description as well as job specification are important for personnel manager in personnel
management function. Therefore, job analysis is considered to be the primary tool of personnel
management.

http://managementstudyguide.com/job-analysis.htm

Job Analysis Methods One of the most important functions

One of the most important functions that a human resource manager


performs is that of accurately analyzing the jobs that are and need to be
performed within an organization. Such job analysis assists the manager
to design programs for recruiting, hiring, evaluating and training
personnel. If the manager is unable to accurately gauge both the needs
of the company and match those needs with the talent pool of current
and potential employees, the organization may face decreasing
employee morale, decreased productivity and decreased profits.
Accurately assessing the jobs to be performed and how individuals
should perform those jobs provides the organization with the best
information possible and enables the company to take full advantage of
its human resources. This research compares two commonly used
methods for analyzing jobs, functional job analysis and task inventory, in
light of seven attributes. In addition, this research also examines the
applicability of the two job analysis systems for five specific human
resource functions.

The attributes that are considered are generalizability, reliability, validity,


direct cost, data information turnaround, exhaustiveness and
descriptiveness. These factors are important considerations because
they offer human resource managers the ability to weigh each in light of
the organization's operating environment and characteristics. Some
organizations may be willing to sacrifice one of the characteristics in
favor of another, and all organizations will have to seek the balance that
works best for their particular situation. For example, some companies
may find that although they would prefer the high descriptiveness of the
task inventory, they are unable to afford the cost of its implementation.
Generalizability refers to the degree to which results gained from the job
analysis system can be applied to other environments or positions. This
is important to organizations because it reduce...
s the amount of time and resources that a company has to expend in
order to learn as much as possible about given job situations. Functional
job analysis is considered to have a low level of generalizability, meaning
that results cannot be readily applied outside of the original context in
which they were obtained. Task inventory, on the other hand, provides
highly generalized results, with the consequence that results gained from
task inventories can be applied to similar situations, thus saving the

company additional money and time in assessing its human resource


needs and system.
If the job analysis system that a company uses is highly reliable, the
results from that system can be used with greater confidence than if the
results are suspect due to low reliability. In this way, a company may use
a system that has a poor reliability record and base future decisions on
that system, only to find that because of the low reliability, the decisions
are not the best for the company. Reliability thus becomes an important
factor when considering which job analysis system is right for a particular
organization. Functional job analysis provides a poor level of reliability
while task inventory offers a very good level of reliability. Based on this
information, managers who use functional job analysis should view their
results carefully and understand that the results may have limited
applicability within the organization. Managers who work in organizations
that use task inventories will find that they have a higher degree of
confidence when making decisions based on the results obtained from
those inventories.
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1690487.html

Job Analysis Collection Methods

Collecting valid and reliable information to analyze occupations is an


extremely important component of organizational behavior, particularly

human resources (HR). Nevertheless, despite job analysis being a


primary function of HR its overall importance to the organization cannot
be overestimated. Well conducted job analyses involve valuable
feedback from supervisors and employees, enabled HR managers to
redesign or improve jobs, and help set a fair wage in light of duties and
responsibilities entailed by different positions. Job analyses also enable
the creation of job descriptions that attract valuable human resources.
Well conducted job analyses often lead to a more productive and
motivated workforce. There are a variety of ways to perform job
analyses, but the job analysis process always represents the collection
of information.
There are a variety of methods for collecting information on job duties,
responsibilities, and other information pertinent to specific positions. No
one is superior to the others and often a combination of methods is
appropriate because each is suited to providing information on different
aspects of the job. As Dessler (2000) maintains, an interview might
be appropriate for creating a job description, whereas the position
analysis questionnaireis more appropriate for determining the worth of
a job for compensation purposes (87). The job analysis process also
includes overlap with respect to the interaction of the HR specialist or
manager, the workers supervisor, and the worker in a particular
position. A supervisor may work with the HR manager to list the duties

and responsibilities of the job, while the worker and supervisor might
review them for any possible discrepancies between the list and the
actual requirements of the position. Only through such a thorough and
accurate analysis of the job can the process be most fruitful.
... http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1685797.html

Importance of Job Analysis in an Organization

Analysis of jobs in the organization is a primary task for setting a


baseline that enables human resources (HR) professionals to effectively
manage job-related activities. Job analysis consists of two components:
job description and job specification ("HRD & Marketing"). The job
description "states job related details such as duties and responsibilities,
salary and incentives, working conditions and facilities, etc.," whereas
the job specification "gives the related details like qualifications and
qualities required by job holders, experience and training required, etc."
("HRD & Marketing"). A job analysis is an efficient way to gather useful
information about a job, and its cost-effectiveness makes it affordable for
any organization (Adams).
Any attempt to apply HR resources and talent to the organization's jobs
will be more effective if those jobs are clearly specified in terms of their
variables. An effective training program for a particular job cannot be

developed unless information about what the job entails is elucidated, for
example. Details about the job's content, systems, standards, and
demands can be used to choose or develop a training program that
specifically meets the needs of the employees (Adams).
A job analysis is useful for many reasons. It can facilitate employee
performance evaluations and promotions by identifying the level of work
the employee has been accomplishing well and specifying the level of
work required for the new job at the promoted level ("HRD & Marketing").
Job analysis enables job candidates to make informed decisions about
new jobs that they are offered, as well, because the analysis provides
detail about the job's duties and responsibilities, salary, and other
incentives, as well as other variables pertinent to the job ("HRD &
Marketing"). In recruiting for jobs and selecting candidates for them, job
analysis provides similar benefits, enabling HR to properly convey what
the job ent...
http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1712742.html?page=2

Godrej Industries is India's leading manufacturer of oleochemicals and makes more


than a hundred chemicals for use in over two dozen industries. It also manufactures
edible oils, vanaspati and bakery fats. Besides, it operates real estate. GIL is a

member of the Godrej Group, which was established in 1897 and has since grown into
a US$1.875 billion conglomerate. The company was called Godrej Soaps until March
31, 2001. Thereafter, the consumer products division got de-merged into Godrej
Consumer Products, and the residual Godrej Soaps became Godrej Industries. This
led to the formation of two separate corporate entities: Godrej Consumer Products and
Godrej Industries.
Besides its three businesses, Godrej Industries also runs four divisions Corporate
Finance, Corporate HR, Corporate Audit and Assurance and Research and
Development which operate on behalf of the entire Godrej Group.
GIL has built a strong manufacturing base capable of delivering international quality
products at competitive prices. It operates two plants, one at Valia in the Indian state of
Gujarat and a second at Vikhroli in suburban Mumbai. The company's products are
exported to 40 countries in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and
Africa, and it leads the Indian market in the production of fatty acids, fatty alcohols and
AOS.

Godrej Industries is India's leading manufacturer of oleochemicals and makes more


than a hundred chemicals for use in over two dozen industries. It also manufactures
edible oils, vanaspati and bakery fats. Besides, it operates real estate. GIL is a
member of the Godrej Group, which was established in 1897 and has since grown into
a US$1.875 billion conglomerate. The company was called Godrej Soaps until March
31, 2001. Thereafter, the consumer products division got de-merged into Godrej
Consumer Products, and the residual Godrej Soaps became Godrej Industries. This
led to the formation of two separate corporate entities: Godrej Consumer Products and
Godrej Industries.
Besides its three businesses, Godrej Industries also runs four divisions Corporate
Finance, Corporate HR, Corporate Audit and Assurance and Research and
Development which operate on behalf of the entire Godrej Group.
GIL has built a strong manufacturing base capable of delivering international quality
products at competitive prices. It operates two plants, one at Valia in the Indian state of
Gujarat and a second at Vikhroli in suburban Mumbai. The company's products are
exported to 40 countries in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and
Africa, and it leads the Indian market in the production of fatty acids, fatty alcohols and
AOS.

Godrej.com Godrej Industries About Us

Pirojsha Godrej
Pirojsha Godrej is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Godrej Properties Limited.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Wharton School of Business in 2002, Pirojsha
completed his Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University in 2004. He worked as a management trainee
with Godrej Properties Ltd. (GPL) from 2004 to 2006. He went on to complete an MBA from Columbia Business
School in 2008 before rejoining GPL in the capacity of Executive Director.

Pirojsha has previously served as the additional private secretary to the Minister of State for External Affairs in 2003
and also worked as a summer intern in the senate office of Hillary Clinton in 2002.

He has travelled to 49 countries, in 5 continents and his interests include cricket, politics, chess and rare-book
collecting.

http://www.godrej.com/godrej/GodrejIndustries/PirojMgt.aspx?id=12&menuid=1093

You might also like