© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. Chapter 4 Analyzing Jobs

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. Chapter Outline 4-1 Gaining Competitive Advantage 4-2 HRM Issues and Practices 4-3 The Manager’s Guide

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-1a Opening Case: Gaining Competitive Advantage at Armco Inc. Problem: Not knowing whether new workers were qualified for their first job assignment. Solution: Developing job analysis-based employment tests. How the use of job analysis-based employment tests enhanced competitive advantage:  Individuals who did well on the tests performed their jobs much better than those who did poorly.  High scorers could do twice as much work than low scorers.  Productivity gain of $4,900 per employee per year.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-1b Linking Job Analysis to Competitive Advantage Job analysis information can be applied to a variety of HRM practices.  Recruitment and selection  Training and development programs  Performance appraisal forms  Compensation decisions  Productivity improvement programs  Employee discipline decisions  Safety and health programs

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2 HRM Issues and Practices When conducting a job analysis, the organization must determine:  The type of information to be collected.  How it will be collected?  How it will be recorded or documented?

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2a Determining the Type of Information to Be Collected Job analysis information may be divided into three categories - job content, job context, and worker requirements. The purpose of job analysis dictates the particular information to be gathered.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2a Determining the Type of Information to Be Collected (cont.) Job content  What the worker does?  Purpose of the action.  Tools, equipment, or machinery used in the process.  Relative importance of tasks.  Expected performance levels.  Type of training needed by a new worker to perform the tasks satisfactorily.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2a Determining the Type of Information to Be Collected (cont.) Job context  Conditions under which work is performed.  The demands such work imposes on workers. Worker requirements  Knowledge - body of information.  Skill – capability to perform a learned motor task.  Ability – capability to perform a nonmotor task.  Personal characteristics – individual’s traits  Credentials – proof or documentation of competencies possessed.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2b Determining How to Collect the Information HR professionals gather job analysis information by:  Interviewing the workers.  Observing them at work.  Having them complete job analysis questionnaires. Appropriateness of each approach depends, in part, on the type of information sought.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2b Determining How to Collect the Information (cont.) Job analysis interviews  Structured conversations between the job analyst and one or more subject-matter experts.  Most frequently used method.  Provides a potential wealth of information.  Can be used to collect all or some types of information.  One-on-one interviews are time-consuming.  Group interviews are an alternative when time is a constraint.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2b Determining How to Collect the Information (cont.) Job analysis observation  Involves watching the incumbent perform the job.  Most useful for complex, difficult jobs.  Gives a better understanding of how work is done and the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2b Determining How to Collect the Information (cont.) Job analysis questionnaires  Require job information to be recorded in writing.  Contain either open-ended or close-ended questions.  Job analysis inventory contains close-ended questions.  Task inventory contains a listing of task statements.  Ability inventory contains a listing of worker ability requirements.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2b Determining How to Collect the Information (cont.) Job analysis questionnaires are used to:  Gather information from several people quickly.  Group jobs based on the similarity of tasks performed or skills needed.  Determine employees’ training needs.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2c Determining How Job Analysis Information Will Be Recorded Job descriptions  A short written summary of job analysis findings.  Format may be general purpose or special purpose. -General-purpose formats: Provide only a brief summary of job analysis information, and thus lack sufficient detail for some HRM applications. -Special-purpose formats: Cover fewer topics, but the topics covered are analyzed in more depth.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2c Determining How Job Analysis Information Will Be Recorded (cont.) Some of commonly used special-purpose approaches include:  Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)  Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)  Critical Incident Technique (CIT)

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-2c Determining How Job Analysis Information Will Be Recorded (cont.) Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)  Used as a tool to identify the basic abilities, from a list of all possible abilities needed for any job, and their definitions.  Often used for employee selection.  Also used to set medical standards for jobs.  Serves as a useful technique for ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved.

4-2c Determining How Job Analysis Information Will Be Recorded (cont.) Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)  Premised on the notion that “there is some underlying behavioral structure or order to the domain of human work,” and there is a limited set of job characteristics that describe this domain.  Jobs differ from one another in terms of the extent to which each of these characteristics is present.  Particularly useful for establishing compensation rates, determined using a statistical formula to arrive at an appropriate rate.  Scores can be used to group jobs into “families.”

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved.

4-2c Determining How Job Analysis Information Will Be Recorded (cont.) Critical Incident Technique (CIT)  Identifies specific work behavior that determines success or failure in executing an assigned task.  Requires the job analyst to collect critical incidents from people familiar with the job, usually in the form of stories or anecdotes.  A good tool for identifying selection criteria, training needs, and developing performance appraisal forms.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3a Job Analysis and the Manager’s Job Managers have two primary job analysis roles:  Help HR professionals complete the analysis.  Implement job analysis results in their day-to-day activities. They may also review and maintain the accuracy of job descriptions. Managers may request a reanalysis of the job when the content, context, or worker requirements of a job change significantly.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3a Job Analysis and the Manager’s Job (cont.) Implementing job analysis results  Selecting applicants: Managers should carefully review the content, context, and worker requirement information to form a clear picture of the type of applicant best suited for the job.  Communicating job responsibilities: Managers should: -Review job descriptions with new employees to convey job responsibilities. -Frequently communicate performance standards, once employees are trained.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3b How the HRM Department Can Help The HRM department serves two primary roles with regard to job analysis:  Gain the support of upper management.  Plan and implement a job analysis project.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3b How the HRM Department Can Help (cont.) Gaining upper-management support – HR professionals must:  Solicit support from upper-level managers to avoid negative consequences of a lackadaisical approach to job analysis.  Forcibly and continually emphasize the importance of conducting job analyses that are sufficiently thorough and accurate.  Stress the need to update job analysis information on a regular basis.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3b How the HRM Department Can Help (cont.) Planning and implementing a job analysis project  Determine goals and objectives  Choose methods for collecting and recording job analysis information  Select subject-matter experts  Gather data  Establish a project schedule  Document the data  Disseminate the information  Manage the study

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3c HRM Skill-Building for Managers Collecting job analysis information: When interviewing workers for the purpose of job analysis, managers adhere to the following guidelines:  State the purpose of the interview.  Structure the interview.  Steer the interview.  Record the interview.  Close the interview.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. 4-3c HRM Skill-Building for Managers (cont.) The documentation of job analysis information should include:  Job identification  Job summary  Essential functions  Job context  Worker requirements  Minimum qualifications