Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs

Presentation Overview

Meaning and Definition

Job analysis and competitive advantage

Process of job analysis

Job Analysis

Process of collecting, analyzing and setting out information about the content of jobs in order to provide the basis for a job description and data for recruitment, training, job evaluation and performance management

orIt is the process which provides information

used for writing job description ( a list of the job entails) and job specification (what kind of people to hire for the job)

Types of information provided by Job Analysis

Overall purpose- why the job exist and, in essence, what the job holder is expected to contribute

Content- the nature and scope of the job in terms of the tasks and operations

Key result areaPerformance criteriaResponsibilitiesOrganizational factors- reporting relationships etcMotivating factorsDevelopment factors- promotion, and career

perspectivesEnvironmental factors- working condition, unsocial

hours, mental and emotional demands

Job Description and Job Specification in Job Analysis

Process of Job Analysis

Process of Job Analysis

Strategic choices employee involvement levels of details timing and frequency of analysis sources of data

Information gatheringInformation processingJob descriptionJob Specification

PURPOSE

Conducting a job analysis can help identify: Selection Procedures:

job duties that should be included in advertisements of vacant positions

minimum requirements (education and/or experience) for screening applicants

interview questionsCompensation:

skill levels responsibilities (e.g., fiscal; supervisory) required level of education (indirectly related to

salary level)

Training/ Needs Assessment: training content equipment to be used in delivering the training methods of training (e.g., small group, computer-

based, video, classroom)

Performance Review: goals and objectives performance standards evaluation criteria

Methods of Collecting Job Data

Interview

Job analysis interviews should be conducted as follows:

Work to a logical sequence of questions that help interviewees to order their thoughts about the job.

Probe as necessary to establish what people do-answers to questions are often vague and information may be given by means of untypical instances.

asking leading questions that make the expected answer obvious

Allow the job holder ample opportunity to talk by creating an atmosphere of trust

Pros and cons Basic method of analysis and, as such, is the

one most commonly used. Obtain clear statements from job holders about their authority to make decision

Requires skills on the part of the analyst and is time consuming.

Effectiveness can be increased by the use of a checklist

Questionnaires

They are helpful when a large number of jobs are to be covered.

Can save interviewing time by recording purely factual information and by enabling the analyst to structure questions in advance to cover areas that need to be explored in greater depth

should only be carried out on the basis of some preliminary field work

The accuracy of results also depends upon the willingness and ability of job holders to complete questionnaires

Pros and cons Can save interviewing time but may fail to reveal full

flavor of the job. if they are over generalized it will be too easy for job holders to provide vague or incoherent answers

Self description

Job holders can be asked to analyze their own jobs and prepare job descriptions but people do not find it easy, perhaps because what they do is so much part of themselves that they find it difficult to be detached and dissect the information into various elements.

It is advisable to run special training sessions in which they practice analyzing their own and other people’s jobs

Observation

Observation means studying job holders at work, noting what they do, how they do it, and how much time it takes. It is appropriate for situations where a relatively small number of key jobs need to be analyzed in depth, but it is time consuming and difficult to apply in jobs that involve a high proportion of unobservable mental activities, or in highly skilled manual jobs

Pros and cons Most accurate but so time consuming that it is

seldom used except when preparing training specifications for manual or clerical jobs.

Diaries and Logs

Job holders requires to analyze their own jobs by keeping diaries or logs of their activities. These can be used by the job analyst as the basic material for a job description

Best used for managerial jobs which are fairly complex and where the job holders have the analytical skills required, as well as the ability to express.

Pros and cons Make great demand on job holders and can be

difficult to analyze