Chapter 4 - Job Analysis and Work Design Flashcards
Job
a group of related activities and duties
Position
the different duties and responsibilities performed by only one employee
Job family
a group of individual jobs with similar characteristics
Strategic HRP
information on jobs is used to examine a company’s organizational structure and strategically position it for the future
Recruitment
before can find a capable employee for an organization, recruiters need to know the job specifications for the position they need to fill
Job specification
a statement of the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform the job - establish the qualifications required of applicants
Selection
use the job description to select employees and orient them to job
Job description
a statement of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed
Training and development
any discrepancies between the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other factors demonstrated by a jobholder and the requirements contained in the description and specification for that job provide clues to training needs
Performance appraisal -
evaluating the performance of the person who holds the job - the results of performance appraisal may reveal, that certain requirements established for a job are not completely valid
Compensation management -
the worth is based on what the job demands of an employee in terms of skills, effort, and responsibility, as well as the conditions and hazards under which the work is performed
Legal compliance -
a systematic collection of job data ensures that a job’s duties match its job description. If the criteria used to hire and evaluate employees are vague and not job related, employers are more likely to find themselves being accused of discrimination
Workflow analysis -
helps a firm to determine the best process, types, and mix of jobs, and how they should ideally be organized to execute the firm’s mission
Job analysis
the process of obtaining information about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, or activities of jobs
Hr managers use this data to develop job description and job specifications
Purpose is to improve the organizational performance and productivity
Gathering job information
- interviews
- questionare
- observation
- diaries
Interviews
ask questions about the job under review
Questionnaires
the job analyst may circulate carefully prepared questionnaires to be filled out individually by the job holder and the manager - used to obtain data
Observation
the job analyst may learn about the jobs by observing and recoding on a standardized form of the activities of job holders
Diaries
jobholders may be asked to keep a diary of their work activities during an entire workcycle
Controlling the accuracy of job information
care must be taken to ensure that all important facts are included - a job analyst should be alert for employees who tend to exaggerate the difficulties of their jobs to inflate their egos and their paycheques
NOC
National Occupational Classification - compile, analyze, and communicate information about occupations, this information can be used for employment equity, HR planning, and occupational supply-and-demand forecasts and analyses
Approaches to job analysis
Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ
a questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job
Background information must be analyzed, followed by observations about the job and interviews with the job holders to assess job content
Six areas: extent of use, importance to this job, amount of time, possibility of occurrence, applicability, and item-spedicifc scales
Critical incident method -
a job anaylsis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success
Task inventory analysis -
an organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs
Functional job analysis (FJA) -
uses an inventory of the various types of work activities that can constitute any job
Basic activities called worker functions are used to describe what workers do regarding “information, people, and things” as part of this system
Competency based analysis
traditional approach that assumes a static job environment in which jobs remain relatively stable apart form incubents who might hold these jobs -
looks at the responsibilities and activities of jobs and worker competencies necessary to accomplush them - interpersonal, communication skills, decision-making ability
Jobs can be defined in terms of tasks, duties, processes, and skills necessary for job success
Job Descriptions
A written description of a job and the types of duties it includes
Contain three parts: job title, job identification, and job duties
Job title -
important for psychological importance - provide a status to the employee
Title should include some indication of what the duties of the job entail
Indicate the relative level occupied by its holder in the organizational hierarchy
Job identification
includes items such as the departmental location of the job, the person to whom the jobholder reports, and the data the job description was last revised
Job duties, or essential functions -
arranged in order of importance, should indicate the weight, or value of each duty, stress the resposnsibilites all the duties entail and the results they are to accomplish, indicate the tools and equipment used by the employee in performing the job
Job specification
if not prepared as a septerate document - usually at the end of job description
The skill required to perform the job
Education or experience, specialized training, personal traits or abilities, and manual dextarities
The physical demands the job places on the employee performing it
How much walking, standing, reaching, lifting, or talking must be done, or the physical work environment
Also should include interpersonal skills or key competencies necessary for job success - multitasking, conflict resolution
Job design
an outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organizational efficiency and employee job satisfaction,
4 comments of job design
The organizational objectives the job was created to fulfill
Behavioral concerns that influence an employee’s job satisfaction
Industrial engineering considerations, including the ways to make the job more technologically efficiency
Ergonomic concerns, including workers’ physical and mental capabilities
Motivational Considerations
- job enrichment
- job characteristics model
Job enrichment -
enhancing a job by adding meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying
Increasing level of difficulty, allowing employees to retain more authority over work outcomes, providing job performance reportsm assigning new tasksthat require additional training and growth
Five factors for enriching jobs - achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the whole job
Job characteristics model -
a job design theory that purports that three psychological states of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover
5 characteristics
- skill variety
- task identity
- task significane
- autonomy
- feedback
Skill variety -
the degree to which a job entials a variety of different activities, which demand the use of a number of different skills and talents by the jobholder
Task identity
the degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable pierce or work, that is doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome
Task significance -
the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people, whether in the immediate organization or in the external environment
Autonomy
the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out
Feedback
- the degree to which carrying out the work activities requuried by the job results in the individual being given direct and clear information about the effectiveness of their performance
Employee empowerment -
granting employees power to initte change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do
Job crafting
a naturally occurring phenomenon whereby employees mould their tasks to fit their individual strengths, passions, and motives better
Industrial Engineering Considerations
A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards
Study of work cycles to determine if any elements can be modified, combined, rearranged, or eliminated to reduce the time needed to complete the cycle - improving efficiency and simplifying work methods
Ergonomic Considerations
Ergonomics - an interdisciplinary approach to designing equipment and systems that can be easily and efficiently used by human beings
Job carving -
entails crafting, adapting, or tailoring a job to support an individual job to support an individual with a disability and concurrently adress the needs of an employer
Employee Involvment Groups
Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement
Employee teams
n employee contribution technique whereby work functions are structured for groups rather than for individuals and team members are given discretion in matters traditionally considered management prerogatives
such as process improvements, product or service development, and individual work assignments
Synergy
occurs when the interaction and outcome of team members are greater than the sum of their individual efforts
Psychological safety
where team memebers are willing to take risks because they feel safe, where they could voice their opinions, and ask judgment free questions
Flexible Work Schedules
Not a true part of job design because job tasks and responsibilities are not changed
Compressed work
number of work days are shorter by increasing the number of hours worked per day.
They may implement this because or the recruitment and retention of employees, constraining time encourages quality time, reduced job stress, improved work life balance, increased work productivity
Flextime
Permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times provided that they work a set number of hours per day or per week
job sharing -
the arrangement whereby 2 part time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee
Telecommuting
the use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do the work that is traditionally done in the workplace - virtual office
