PSYC 306 Lectures 5 Job Analysis

What is Job Analysis? Formal methods for describing jobs and human attributes necessary for jobs. Process should be systematic Job is broken into smaller units Results in some written product: Job Description Two Major Approaches Task-oriented (job description) Person-oriented (job specification) Unit of analysis is the job not the individual.

Purposes of Job Analysis Selection: What sorts of people should we hire? Performance appraisal Training: What knowledge and skills are needed? Vocational Counseling, Career development Job classification, description, & design Job evaluation: valuing a job Legal defense Essential functions: What tasks must be done? Job relevance: Is KSAO necessary to do the job?

Figure 3.2 Relationship among tasks, positions, jobs, and job families. Page 62 Fig. 3.2, p.62

Person-Oriented Job Analysis Provides a description of the characteristics (KSAOs) necessary for a person to be successful in a particular job KSAOs Knowledge: Know to do a task Skill: Can do a task Ability: Capability to learn to do a task Other personal characteristics: Other attributes needed

Examples Of KSAOs For Different Occupations Job Knowledge   Skill Ability Other Lawyer Constitutional rights Writing clearly Communica-tion Willingness to work long hours Nurse Surgical procedures Drawing blood Remain calm in a crisis Lack of squeamishness in the sight of blood Plumber Pipe design Soldering joints Hand-eye coordination Willingness to get dirty Teacher Learning principles Relate to children Commitment to learning

How do we know what KSAOs are required for a job? 1. Engaging in a long and deep observation of the job and employee (rarely used technique). 2. Compare employees with very high and mediocre job performance on knowledge, skills, personality characteristics, and competencies. 3. Distribute structured questionnaires to many employees holding the same job and ask them to rate the importance of each KSAO to perform high in their job. Benchmark with an external source – e.g., ONET.

Sources of Job Analysis Information Who provides information? Job analysts Subject Matter Experts: SMEs Job incumbents Supervisors Trained Observers How to collect information? Perform job Observe employees on the job Interviews SMEs Survey SMEs Employee logs

Sample Interview Questions What is the job being performed? What are the major duties of your position? What exactly do you do? What physical locations do you work in? What are the education, experience, skill, and [where applicable] certification and licensing requirements? In what activities do you participate? What are the job’s responsibilities and duties? What are the basic accountabilities or performance standards that typify your work? What are your responsibilities? What are the environmental and working conditions involved? What are the job’s physical demands? The emotional and mental demands? What are the health and safety conditions? Are you exposed to any hazards or unusual working conditions?

Methods of Job Analysis Job Components Inventory (JCI) Functional Job Analysis (FJA) Dictionary of Occupational Titles: DOT Occupational Information Network: O*NET Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) Task inventories

Position Analysis Questionnaire Sections Information Input Mental Processes Work Output Relationships with Other Persons Job Context Other Job Characteristics Under Information Input: Verbal Sources Verbal instructions, orders, requests, conversations, interviews, discussions, or formal meetings (Consider only verbal communication that is relevant to job performance.) Under Mental Processes:Decision Making Indicate the level of decision making typically involved in the job, considering the number and complexity of the factors that must be taken into account, the variety of alternatives available, the consequences and importance of the decisions, the background experience, education, and training required, the precedents available for guidance, and other relevant considerations. Under Work Output:Precision tools or instruments Hand-held powered tools or instruments used to perform operations requiring great accuracy or precision, such as small dentist drills or laboratory equipment used for accurate or fine work. Under Relationships with Other Persons:Advising Counseling or guiding individuals with regard to problems to be resolved on legal, financial, scientific, technical, clinical, spiritual, or other professional principles. Under Job Context:Awkward or confining work space Conditions that are cramped or uncomfortable. Under Other Job Characteristics:Repetitive Activities Performance of the same physical or mental activities repeatedly, without interruption, for periods of time.

Sample Position Analysis Questionnaire The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) developed by McCormick, Jeanneret, and Mecham (1972) is a structured job analysis instrument to measure job characteristics and relate them to human characteristics. It consists of 194 job elements that represent in a comprehensive manner the domain of human behavior involved in work activities. The items that fall into five categories: Information input (where and how the worker gets information), Mental processes (reasoning and other processes that workers use), Work output (physical activities and tools used on the job), Relationships with other persons, and Job context (the physical and social contexts of work). Visit: http://www.hr-guide.com/data/G012.htm, and http://www.paq.com/ Figure 3 - 4

Sample O*NET Information

What Information does Job Description contain? Work activities (cleaning, selling, teaching, etc.) Human behaviors (communicating, deciding, writing, etc. plus job demands such as lifting) Machines, tools, equipment and work aids (Products made, materials processed, knowledge, services) Performance standards Job context (Working conditions, schedule, organizational context, social context) Human requirements Job-related knowledge and skills (education, training, work experience) Personal attributes (Aptitudes, physical characteristics, personality, interests)

Using on-line resources www.onetcenter.org www.jobdescription.com www.iskur.gov.tr