Chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs Organizational need analysis

Organizational need analysis Typically prompted by a problem encountered For example? Problem or opportunity? what is a problem? What is an opportunity? Org level Outcomes Profit/ loss / stock fluctuation / market share Why focus on these outcomes? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Approaches to Org Need Analysis How can IO help with Org problems and Opportunities? Examples for people solutions? Approaches Conference Nature of problem or opportunity What’s its history? What outcomes or consequences are expected? System wide or specific to sub unit? Org assessment surveys Make them systematic and ongoing OAI Van de Ven & Ferry (1980) chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

General Approach to Need Analysis a managerial function to generate hypotheses What work outcomes are most in need of fixing? How widespread is the problem? What level of analysis is needed Individual employee / unit / dept / company? What corrective actions are plausible? How effective have the options been before? Is selection / performance the answer? Identify key informants to interview chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Job Analysis Duties and KSAOs Methods Observation and Interviews What if the work behavior is not observable? Functional Job Analysis (S. Fine) Data, People, Things Occupation, Job family, Duty, Task, Element Critical Incidents (Flanagan 1954) What are some jobs that lend themselves to CI JA? JA Surveys chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Task Inventory Development (E. McCormick ’59) Job oriented What is done “bakes bread” and Accomplishes - results bread loaf Worker oriented Describes activity (behaviors)– “Pours ingredients” >?when is a behavior a behavior? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Task Inventory Development Using job experts (SMEs) Writing Items Item categories Response scales (usually Liker type) Frequency / duration / criticality / importance Pilot Studies Use “thinking aloud” to capture Thoughts, ambiguities, unintended meanings chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Inventory Research and Data Analysis Task Inventory Administration may need to sample With large number of incumbents To endure reliability (and hence validity) Caution – inflation may occur! Make sure the ratings are independent Grouping Task Statements to: ID jobs, define criteria, infer predictors Linkage KSAOs to Activities (fig 2.2 p. 33) How do you distinguish skills from abilities? Or “job requirements?” chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Caveats! 1. Different sources may yield different results Are they seeing different parts of the job What are some examples where you would expect this? Must be reconciled 2. Using all the complex info is not necessary Two to three predictors are usually sufficient 3. Job Descriptions usually reflect status quo 4. Can the job be done with different behaviors? Give examples? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Caveats (con’t) 5. JA is typically descriptive, not prescriptive What does this mean? Give examples How can observing high v. low performers help? 6. There is no “one best way” find one that is optimal What are some considerations? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Ready to Use Methods Occupational Information Network O*Net Personality-Based JA (Table 2.4 p. 35) Self-Descriptive Index (Guion et al.) 12 dimensions (based on IPIP Goldberg) NEO Profiler (Costa, McRae, Kay, ‘95) Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)  Direct Identification of Required Attributes chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

Competency Modeling What is it really? (Sackett & Laczo, ‘03) Assumes JA focuses only on tasks, not KSAO’S Are there such things as organizational competencies? Should be required of all employees? What are some? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs

General Caveats JA is subjective Not every JA must be comprehensive Be prepared before conducting it chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs