Job Analysis (JA) (Chapter 3)

Agenda
Job-Analysis
-

Job-Oriented Worker-Oriented Applications

Job-Analysis Process Alternative Methods Job Evaluation Job Description

Definition and Purpose

The process of gathering, analyzing and structuring information

about a jobs 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

Criterion as sample of performance
JA is important for:
1. 2. 3.

4.

JP criterion development Job specification Selection Systems Performance Appraisal and Reward systems

Job-Oriented JA
Detailed and Job-Specific Analyses Emphasis on job components:

Dutymajor component of the job Taska complete piece of work that accomplishes some particular goal Activityindividual parts that make up the task

Elementmolecular behaviours
Usually each job will have multiple duties, each duty several tasks...

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
Focuses on worker attributes (KSAOs) Components of Worker-Oriented JA: a) 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

a)

Writing job descriptions

Job specifications for selection

Training

Career development
Reward/Compensation

Workforce planning
Performance appraisal

Uses of JA
Job classification Job evaluation Job design

Compliance with legal guidelines

Organisational analysis Efficiency/safety Research

Preparing for JA

a) b)

Who will conduct the analysis

Must be a trained analyst Can be an internal department or task force such as HR

a) b) c)

Considerations
No compensation for information sharing Employees may not have time or ability to provide adequate information Consulting work is costly

Preparing for JA

a) b)

Which Employees Should Participate

SME Committee or incumbents Sample Size

c)
d)
-

Other Sample Characteristics

Differences between participants:
Job competence Race Gender Education level Organisational position

Preparing for JA
What type of information should be gathered?
a) b) c)

Level of Specificity (e.g., job, position, duty, task) Requirements (formal vs. informal) Sources of information

Conducting JA (Task Inventory)

a) b) c) d)

Step 1: Identify tasks performed

Gathering existing information Interviewing subject matter experts (SMEs) Observing incumbents Job participation

a) b)

Step 2: Write task statements

Required elements to a task statement Characteristics of well-written task statements

Conducting JA (Task Inventory)

a) b)

Step 3: Rate task statements

Task inventories Incumbents complete inventory Categorizing tasks Chart

c)
d)

Conducting JA (Task Inventory)

a)

Step 4: Determine essential KSAOs

Questionnaires

Step 5: Selecting tests to tap KSAOs

Alternative JA Methods (O*NET)

a)

Occupational information network (O*NET)

http://online.onetcenter.org/ Online and CD database KSAs for 1000+ groups of jobs

b)

Domains: experience requirements, worker requirements, worker characteristics, occupational requirements, occupation-specific requirements, and occupation characteristics
Levels of Information Analysis: Individual; Job; Organisation; Business Environment

c)

O*NET job descriptions combine job oriented and worker oriented analyses

Alternative JA Methods (O*NET)

Worker Oriented
Worker Characteristics Worker Requirements
Skills Knowledge Education

Experience Requirements
Training Experience Licensing Skills

Cross-Occupation

Abilities Occup. Interests Work Values Work Styles

Occupation Specific

Occupational Requirements
Detailed and Generalised Work Activities Org. and Work Context

Occupational Characteristics
Labour Market Information Occupational Outlook

OccupationSpecific Information
Tasks Tools Technology

Job Oriented

Alternative JA Methods (PAQ)

Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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)

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)

Critical incident technique (CIT)
a) Poor vs. Good incidents

Method:
1 Behavioural classification (good vs. poor) 2 Sorting process 3 Classification 4 Verification 5 Criticality assessment

Limitations

Job Evaluation

a) b) c) d)

A properly designed job:

Contributes to employee attraction and retention Is motivating Is equitable Is in compliance with legal guidelines

Conducting Job Evaluation

Step 1: Determining job evaluation criteria
a) Error criticality b) Educational/training background c) Responsibility d) Skill level e) Complexity/difficulty f) Physical demand g) Work environment

Step 2: Determining levels for each compensable criterion

Conducting Job Evaluation

Step 3: Determining criteria weights Step 4: Assigning scores to each level of a criterion

Method:
a) b) c) d)

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

Title
a) b) c) d) Describes the nature of the job accurately Assists in adequate employee attraction Affects perceptions of job worth and status 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
a) Organised by dimensions or duties

b) Task statements (e.g., responsible for, oversees team, handles account)

Writing a good job description

Tools and Equipment Used
Work Context
a) b) c)

Work schedule; Degree of supervision; Ergonomic information

Work Performance
a) b) c) d)

Standards used; Frequency of evaluation; Evaluation dimensions; The person evaluating

Writing a good job description

Compensation Information
a) b) c)

Job evaluation dimensions; Pay grade; Job group

Job Competencies or specifications a)

KSAs needed to ensure success