What are the two Job Evaluation approaches?
- Market-based approach
- Internally-focused approach
Why use Job Analysis?
- To develop job worth hierarchy
- to document work methods and processes for training purposes
- to provide basis for performance appraisal based on job related standards
- to identify qualifications required to perform work for purposes of job posting, advertising, and candidate selection
- to provide a basis for legal and regulatory compliance
- to determine whether a job should continue to exist in its present form
- to identify organization design elements
Who should be involved in a job analysis and why?
- incumbents (have the most detailed information about their own duties and responsibilities)
- analysts (can provide a more objective and consistent approach to analyzing job content)
- supervisors (can provide important validation of incumbent input)
- local or centralized staff (depends on company policy)
- employee representatives (useful but not mandatory)
Working with unions/employee representatives
- determine level of participation
- describe project to representative
- emphasize role of job analysis
- discuss various approaches
- discuss joint participation
What is the Job Analysis process?
- *PLAN**
- identify information (critical data)
- determine sources
- develop communication plan
- *ACTION**
- communicate
- collect critical data
- verify data
- revise appropriately
How to IDENTIFY CRITICAL DATA in the PLAN portion of a job analysis
Critical data falls into two major categories:
- *NATURE OF WORK**
- Duties
- Responsibilities
- *LEVEL OF WORK**
- skill
- effort (mental, physical)
- responsibility (accountability)
- working conditions
How to DETERMINE SOURCES OF JOB INFORMATION in the PLAN portion of a job analysis
- Secondary sources: information obtained from sources other than incumbent or supervisor (review material that provides context about the nature of work) (where planning process STARTS)
- Primary sources: information obtained directly from incumbent and/or supervisor
Examples of SECONDARY sources
Internal Sources:
- workflow studies
- policies and procedures manuals
- organizational charts
- existing job documentation
External sources:
- industry association materials
- commercially available materials
- salary surveys
- government publications
`Examples of PRIMARY sources
- Direct observation
- Individual interviews
- Group interviews
- Technical consultation
- questionnaires (open ended or highly structured)
Describe the DIRECT OBSERVATION approach
- Description: observing workers in order to understand job duties, responsibilities, tasks, and task elements
- Application: most appropriate for manual and repetitious work that occurs in short cycles
- Procedure: gather info from secondary sources, identify desired work activities to observe, explain process to employee before observing, be as unobtrusive as possible and observe through entire work cycle, conduct a follow up interview with incumbent to understand work observed, verify results with supervisor
- Advantages: for short cycle work, observations can be done fairly easily to identify tasks and confirm behaviors.
- Disadvantages: can be time consuming and costly in terms of resources used such as manual labor to observe duties, may not be sufficient enough info to write JD, may intimidate employee by creating a big brother atmosphere, not as useful in higher level jobs
Describe the INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW approach
Description: structured, one one review of job content by a job analyst with the incumbent (or supervisor if job is vacant)
Application: applies to most job families, less likely for production jobs. most often used with professional and managerial jobs.
Procedure:
- PREPARE for interview: gather info from secondary sources, structure interview to ensure correct data will be collected, schedule adequate time, explain the purpose to employee and ask for sample work, supply appropriate materials to interviewee in advance.
- CONDUCT interview: communicate the purpose and procedures, create relaxing atmosphere, ask broad general questions at beginning of interview, ask questions in logical sequence, ask specific follow up questions, give incumbent time to think, take detailed notes and listen, ask for definitions, maintain an objective status, maintain control of interview.
- CLOSE interview and follow up: summarize findings with interviewee, explain next steps and close interview with courtesy, summarize notes immediately after interview, verify findings with interviewee and supervisor.
Advantages: accurate JDs, allows buy in to the process.
Disadvantages: costly in time and resources
Describe the GROUP INTERVIEW approach
Description: a structured review of job content between a job analyst and group of incumbents
Application: when an individual interview with all incumbents is impractical, when a sample of incumbent responses is desirable, when information indicates the jobs are basically the same in terms of nature and level of work or only minor differences
Procedure: follow guidelines for individual interview, involve technical experts if necessary, request that all incumbents complete a job questionnaire first, then compile questions for interview based on questionnaire data, combine data into a single JD for job evaluation purposes, allow all incumbents and supervisors to review final information
Advantages: accurate JDs, greater validity of results due to several sources
Disadvantages: can become a gripe session, can be side tracked by dominant participant, some can be excluded, or wrong people included
Describe the TECHNICAL CONSULTATION approach
Description: a structured review of job content between a job analyst and several experts
Application: for a new technical job classification best understood by people other than incumbents, for jobs in a new and emerging field, typically used when the job has no incumbents.
Procedure: follow procedures for group interview
Advantages: accurate JDs, obtain accurate info from diverse group
Disadvantages: perspective may be limited to technical aspects of job as opposed to actual duties and responsibilities of incumbents, costly in lost work time for technical experts
Describe the OPEN ENDED QUESTIONNAIRE approach
MOST COMMON
Description: a written set of questions regarding job content that requires a narrative response
Application: for most job families, except production and maintenance jobs, best for jobs that are professional, managerial, and executive level. when the org lacks internal resources for individual interviews. when the time frame is too short for individual interviews. a tool in conjunction with individual interviews. to gather information to determine legal compliance.
Procedure: develop questionnaire and send to incumbent or supervisor (best performer or most experienced). collect completed questionnaires. write the JD from questionnaire or evaluate job directly from the questionnaire.
Advantages: flexibility, consistency, good for preparing incumbent for interview. can cover large amount of jobs.
Disadvantages: may require follow up. variations in writing skills. inconsistency. time consuming. tedious.
Describe the HIGHLY STRUCTURED QUESTIONNAIRE method
USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH JOB EVALUATION PROGRAMS WHICH USE STATISTICAL METHODS.
Description: a written set of questions regarding job content that limits responses to a predetermined set of answers (behavioral and task)
Application: all job families, typically not used for lower level or production type jobs. when highly detailed data on job tasks, skills, or behaviors are desired for HR purposes. when orgs have sufficient computer capabilities, personnel, and financial resources.
Procedure: develop questionnaire, completed by incumbent, approved by supervisor, returned to HR. responses from multiple incumbents of same job are reconciled to common set of answers. responses are entered into computer and scored.
Advantages: flexibility, consistency, covers large amount of jobs, database of responses.
Disadvantages: time consuming and expensive. lengthy. questions need to be validated. individuals may complete without care.
Job Analysis Communication
Audience: who has to be informed?
Media: what media should be used?
Message: what message will be communicated?
Timing: when should various elements of communication take place?
Process: design a communication plan (who what where when), (identify responsible parties)
Methods:
-Group Meetings with managers and supervisors, arrange and conduct info sessions.
Written communication through a general announcement to employees from sr mgmt, or publish article in employee newsletter.
-Feedback from participants at intervals and send letters of thanks from mgmt
Possible sources of error in job analysis
CONTENT ERRORS
- Sampling errors: selecting first ten job incumbents from list arrayed by hire date so that sample represents only incumbents with shortest tenure.
- incumbent bias: an individual in the job may not accurately represent all facets of the work.
- incomplete information: where incumbent leaves blank or insufficient responses
- illogical question order and sequence: where incumbent is confused or misled, causing inaccurate data.
- incumbent illiteracy: inability to understand what is written
PROCESS ERRORS
- inadequate communication: failure to explain what the info will be used for.
- misinterpretation of questions: failure to explain level of responsibility associated with budget accountability
- bias in recording or coding information: job analyst, incumbent, or supervisor
- misuse of statistical procedures: constructions of questionnaires, too small of sample
Q: Describe the purpose of job analysis and the people who may be involved
Job analysis is a systematic process for obtaining important and relevant information about each distinct role played by one or more employees
Q: explain the job analysis process
…………
Q: Identify and explain the various sources of job information
………..
Q: Explain considerations related to job analysis communication
…………….
Q: Identify and describe possible sources of error in job analysis
……………
Quiz: What best describes one of the purposes of job analysis? A) to document work processes for training purposes. B) to document the level of coaching needed by supervisors. C) to define scope of any follow up studies.
To document work processes for training purposes
Quiz: Prior to conducting a job analysis interview, where might one obtain secondary job information? A) organizational job charts. B) Employment applications. C) the employees supervisor
Organization job charts
