CHAPTER 4

Analyzing Work and

Designing Jobs

What Do I Need to Know?

Define the elements of a job analysis, and discuss their significance in
HRM.
Describe how to obtain information for job analysis.

- METHODS AND SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Job design

Explain how organizations apply ergonomics to design safe jobs.

Identify approaches to designing jobs to make it motivating.

Job Analysis

The process of getting detailed

information about jobs.

Job Descriptions (JD)

Job Specifications (JS)

Job Descriptions
Job Description:
A list of tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a
particular job entails.

Key components:
Job Title
Brief summary/description of the job
List of the essential TDRs involved in carrying out the job.

Job Specifications
A list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other
characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual must
have to perform a particular job.
Knowledge
Skill
Ability
Other Characteristics

Importance of JA
Recruitment

Determine recruitment qualifications

Selection

Provide job duties and job specifications for

selection process

Performance
Appraisal

Provide performance criteria for evaluating

employees

Training
Compensation
Management

Training requirements based on job and

required skills which are listed in the JD and JS
Estimate value of each job and its
appropriate compensation based on jobs
required skill, education level, level of
responsibility etc.

Sources of information for JA

EMPLOYEE
(current incumbent)

ONET
O*NET database
(Occupational
Information Network)
Comprehensive online
JD and JS database
Developed by the U.S.
Department of Labor

Sources

IMMEDIATE
SUPERVISOR

DOT
Dictionary of
Occupational Network
Published by the U.S.
Department of Labor.
Contains standardized
and comprehensive
descriptions of over
12,000 jobs.

Methods of Collecting JA Information

Employee
recording

Group discussion

Interviews
Interview both employee and supervisor.
Interview employee first, helping him or her describe duties
performed.
Then, job analyst normally contacts supervisor for additional
information.
Major drawback
Can be time-consuming
Employees may lack verbal skills
Some employees tend to exaggerate significance of their
tasks.

Focus Group
A focus group is a smallgroup discussion guided
by a facilitator.
Widely used to learn
more about opinions on
a designated job.

Employee Recording
Describe daily work activities
in diary or work log

Valuable in understanding
highly specialized jobs
Problem
Employees
exaggerating job
importance

Observation
Watching and observing the JOB HOLDER perform the job
and record observations.
Relatively simple & straightforward method of analyzing
jobs.
Allows the job analyst to gain a better understanding of
how the work is done and the KSAs needed to perform it.
Drawbacks
Time consuming
Difficulty in capturing entire job cycle
Of little use if job involves a high level of mental activity
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Questionnaires
Structured questionnaire given to employees
Typically 3-5 pages long and contains both
objective and open-ended questions
Typically quick & economical to use
Information can be obtained from large number
of employees in a relatively short time period
Used when large input is needed and time and
cost are limiting factors

Approaches to Job Design

Designing Ergonomic Jobs

Ergonomics
The study of the interface between individuals
physiology and the characteristics of the physical
work environment.
The goal is to minimize physical strain on the worker
by structuring the physical work environment
around the way the human body works.

Designing Jobs That Motivate:

The Job Characteristics Model (JCM)
Job Characteristics
Skill variety
Task identity
Task significance
Autonomy
Feedback

Outcomes
Improved work

performance
Increased Internal
motivation
Lower absenteeism and
turnover

5 Job Characteristics Model in JCM

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Skill variety
The extent to which a job requires a variety of skills to carry out the tasks
involved.
Task identity
The degree to which a job requires completing a wholepiece of work
from beginning to end.
Task significance
The extent to which the job has an important impact on others, either
inside or outside of the organization.
Autonomy
The degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions
about the way work will be carried out.
Feedback
The extent to which a person receives clear information about
performance effectiveness from the work itself.

Designing Jobs That Motivate

JOB ENLARGEMENT
Broadening the types of tasks performed in a job.
Make job more interesting and less repetitive.

Job Rotation
Enlarging jobs by moving employees among several
different jobs.
Job Enrichment
Empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority
to jobs.
Individuals are motivated more by the intrinsic aspects of work.

Flexible Work Schedules: FLEXTIME

A scheduling policy in which full-time employees may
choose starting and ending times within guidelines
specified by the organization, provided that they work a
set number of hours per day or week.
Allows time for community/family interests
- can be extremely motivating.
Flexible hours reduce absenteeism .
Employees can schedule their working hours for the time
of day when they are most productive.

Flexible Work Schedules: Job Sharing

A work option in which two part-time employees
carry out the tasks associated with a single job.
Enables an organization to attract or retain valued
employees who want more time to attend school
or take care of family matters.

Flexible Work Schedules: TELEWORK

The broad term for doing ones work away from a centrally
located office.
Use personal computers, networks, and other
communications technology such as fax machines to do
work at home (which is traditionally done in the
workplace).

Advantages to employers include:

less need for office space
greater flexibility to employees with special needs
Easiest to implement for managerial, professional, or sales
jobs.
Difficult to set up for manufacturing workers.

Flexible Work Schedules: COMPRESSED WORKWEEK

Shortening the number of days in the workweek by
lengthening the number of hours worked per day.
The four-day, forty-hour week.
Advantages
Lower absenteeism and tardiness
Less start-up time
More time available for employees to take care of personal
business
Disadvantages
Fatigue that often accompanies longer hours

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