© 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. 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,  worker requirements.

© 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. Job Analysis  RQ (or MQ) & DQ -?  Rule of Thumb for JA: -look at the consequences of discrimination is the standards are set too high; you need to be certain that every required KSA has a related activity -look at the consequence of error is the standards are set too low (hazardous waste handler) -usually best to error on the low side, unless the consequences of error are great (someone may die)  Who performs the JA? -HR analyst, supervisor, or job incumbent -However, recommend a unit that will exist independently of others

© 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:  Actual Job Performance  Interviewing the workers.  Observing them at work.  Having them complete job analysis questionnaires.

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. Actual Job Performance job performance - actually perform the job  advantages -exposure to actual job tasks & to the physical, environmental, & social demands of the job -appropriate for jobs that can be learned in a short period of time  disadvantages -inappropriate for jobs that require extensive training or that are hazardous to perform

© 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.  advantages -provides information about standard & nonstandard activities -since worker is own observer, can report activities that would not often be observed e.g., those rare but critical tasks—like fire-fighting or defibrillation -in short, worker can provide analyst with information that is not available from any other source—what goes on inside his/her head

© 2010 Cengage Learning. Atomic Dog is a trademark used herein under license. All rights reserved. Interviews  Interviews:  disadvantages -employee may be suspicious of interviewer & his motives; may misrepresent reality [why?] -interviewers may ask ambiguous questions & interviewee may not understand question & answer inappropriately -as a result of these two issues, there is the possibility of distortion of information -takes long -for this reason, interview should never be sole source of job information

© 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. why do we need to use a standard format?] - ease of comparison  disadvantages -if work involves primarily mental tasks, observation alone reveals little useful information -critical yet rare job requirements (for example, coping with emergencies) simply may not be observed - May be time consuming, not completely reliable

© 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 Advantages  Require job information to be recorded in writing.  Contain either open-ended or close-ended questions.  Less time  Ease of use Disadvantages - May not give complete information - Less suitable for new, complex jobs

© 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)  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.  there are 187 job element questions & 7 pay oriented questions (for research only)  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. 4-3c 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