Chp 2: job analysis and design Flashcards
define job analysis
Systematic study of a job to discover its specifications and skill requirements
where is job analysis used?
Used for all HR function (wage setting, recruitment, training etc)
define job
Group of related activities and duties
define position
Collection of tasks and responsibilities performed by an individual
LO1: HRM activities that rely on job analysis
- Careful study of jobs to improve employee productivity levels.
- Elimination of unnecessary job requirements that can cause discrimination in employment.
- Creation of job advertisements used to generate a pool of qualified applicants.
- Matching of job applicants to job requirements.
- Planning of future human resource requirements.
- Determination of employee onboarding and training needs.
- Fair and equitable compensation of employees.
- Identification of realistic and challenging performance standards.
- Redesign of jobs to improve performance, morale, and quality of work life.
- Fair and accurate appraisal of employee performance.
LO2: 3 phases of job analysis
1) Phase 1 - preparation for job analysis
2) Phase 2 - collection of job analysis info
3) Phase 3 - use of job analysis info for improving organizational effectiveness
LO2: phase 1:preparation for job analysis - 3 steps
Step 1: Become familiar with the organization and its jobs
Step 2: Determine uses of job analysis information (LO1)
Step 3: Identify jobs to be analyzed
LO2: explain phase 1, step 3: identify jobs to be analyzed - 2 points
1) Resource and time constraints often preclude analyzing all jobs
2) Senior management should be consulted
LO2: 3 steps in phase 2 of job analysis
4) Determine sources of job data (Human and nonhuman sources)
5) Identify the data required
6) Choose the method for data collection
LO2: who is the most direct source of info about job
job holders
LO2; 6 types of data that may be required in job analysis
1) Job Identification (e.g., job title, division, title of supervisor, job identification number (NOC))
2) Duties (e.g., the job tasks)
3) Responsibilities (e.g., equipment operation, supervisory responsibility)
4) Human Characteristics (e.g., lifting, hearing)
5) Working Conditions (e.g., exposure to hot or cold)
6) Performance Standards (e.g., how well the job needs to be performed)
LO2: 3 standard forms to collect data required
1) O*NET
2) position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)
3) critical incident method (CIM)
explain O*Net
generic questionnaire that can be customized
LO2: explain PAQ
survey designed to determine the degree to which 194 different task elements in 6 divisions are involved in performing a particular job. Enables comparisons between jobs and is useful for lower level jobs
explain CIM
identifying and describing events when employee performed really well and when they performed poorly
LO2: 6 methods for data collection
1) interviews
2) focus groups
3) quesionnaires
4) employee logs
5) observation
6) combo
LO2: explain interviews
face to face meeting with jobholder and then supervisor to verify answers.
LO2: explain focus groups
face to face meeting with 5-7 knowledgeable experts on the job and a facilitator to collect info
LO2: explain questionnaires
checklists used to collect info in a uniform manner
LO2: explain employee logs
jobholder summarizes tasks, activities and challenges in a diary format
LO2: explain observation
direct observation of jobholders by specialist.
LO2: list data collection methods in order from most used to least
questionnaire -> interview -> observation-> focus group -> log
LO2: phase 3: 4 usable forms info collected is put into
Job Descriptions
Job Specifications
Job Standards
Competency Models
LO3: define job description
recognized list of functions, tasks, accountabilities, working conditions and competencies for a particular job/occupation
LO3: 5 contents of job description
Job identity Job summary Duties and responsibilities Working conditions Approvals
LO3: what consists of job identity
Job title, job location, job code, National Occupational Classification (NOC), job grade, if exempt from overtime laws
LO3: explain job code
Job code provides quick summary of job and provides comparisons
LO3: explain NOC
created by federal gov, uses skill level and type of job(type of work performed) (job code)
LO3: explain job summary
Indicates what the job is
Indicates how the job is done
LO3: explain job duties and responsibilities
Each major duty is described in terms of the actions expected; requirements
LO3: explain working conditions
Hours of work, safety and health hazards, travel requirements, and other features of the job
LO3: explain approvals
Reviewed by jobholders and supervisors
LO3: explain job specification
A written statement that explains the human knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) needed to do a job
LO4: define job performance standards
The performance level expected from an employee
LO4: 2 functions of job performance standards
Objectives or targets for employee efforts; Criteria for measuring job success
LO4; 2 sources of standards
Job analysis information Alternative sources (e.g. industry standards as benchmark for performance)
LO5: 2 points to competency
Knowledge, skills, ability, or behaviour associated with success on the job
Broader in scope than KSAOs (e.g. communication, presenting, leading)
LO5: 2 points to competency model/framework
1) Describes a group of competencies required in a particular job
2) Competencies may be job spanning and may vary in importance across job roles
LO5: explain competency matrix
A list of the level of each competency required for several jobs at an organization
LO6: 5 key considerations in job design
organizational, ergonomic, employee, job specialization, environmental
LO6: define org considerations
each job should contribute to organizational objectives effectively and efficiently
LO6: define efficiency
Achieving maximal output with minimal input
LO6: what can use to measure efficiency in org considerations
scientific management & industrial engineering principles
LO6: define task specialization
When workers limited to few repetitive tasks, output is higher because specialized jobs lead to short job cycles
LO6: explain workflow
Sequence of and balance between jobs in an organization needed to produce the firm’s goods or services; avoids production bottleneck
LO6: define ergonometric considerations
study of relationships between physical attributes of workers and their work environment to reduce physical and mental strain and increase productivity and quality of work life
LO6: 2 points to ergonometric considerations
1) Fitting the task to the worker rather than forcing employees to adapt to the task
2) Nature of job tasks don’t change, but locations of tools, switches and work product itself are evaluated and placed in a position for ease of use
LO6: 2 things ergonometric considerations can lead to
Efficiency and productivity
Workplace safety
LO6: 4 things ergonometric considerations is drawn from
Drawn from biology, behavioural science, physics, engineering
LO6: 5 job characteristics in model
variety, task significance, task identity; autonomy; feedback
LO6: psychological states in job characteristics model
meaningfulness of work; responsibility for work outcomes; knowledge of results of work
LO6: outcomes in job characteristics model
high motivation, high performance, high satisfaction, low absenteeism and turnover
lO6: define autonomy
Having control over one’s work &; response to work environment; assuming responsibility for work
LO6: define variety
Opportunity to use different skills or perform different activities
LO6: define task identity
Feeling of responsibility or pride from doing an entire piece of work
LO6: define feedback
Information that helps evaluate success or failure, otherwise little guidance for success or motivation
LO6: define task significance
Knowing that one’s work is important
LO6: explain job specialization
Non-specialization Increases quality of work life
LO6: 4 things non specialization includes
Job Rotation
Job Enlargement
Job Enrichment
Employee Involvement and Work Teams
LO6: define job rotation
moving employees from one job to another to allow them more variety and to learn more skills. Caution: this does not improve jobs
LO6: explain job enlargement
adding more tasks to a job to increase job cycle and draw on a wider range of employee skills. Also called horizontal loading.
LO6: explain job enrichment
adding more responsibilities and autonomy to a job. Sometimes called vertical loading.Views jobs as consisting of plan, do, control
LO6: explain employee involvement and work teams
self-managed and autonomous teams to increase involvement, autonomy, feedback, task significance, innovation
LO6: define job families
groups of different jobs that are closely related by similar duties
LO6: how can we create job families
Can be created by study of existing job analysis info, using codes in NOC, or by using PAQ to analyze info on tasks and worker traits to group them
LO6: define environmental considerations
influence on external environment on job design
LO6: define workforce availability
Abilities and availability of the people who will do the work. Problem for both complex and simple jobs.
LO6: 3 environmental considerations
workforce availability, social expectations, work practices
LO6: define social expectations
Expectations of larger society and workers
LO6: define work practices
Set ways of performing work
LO6: explain job analysis in jobless world
employees don’t do one job, HR should adopt a future-oriented style when describing job activities and specifications (what should be done).
LO6: define de-jobbing
traditional boundaries between firm and its stakeholders are disappearing.
LO6: 2 organizational considerations
1) efficiency
2) workflow
LO2: step 3, which jobs should be analyzed
jobs critical to success of org, difficult to learn or perform (to identify training); jobs where firm continuously hires new employees (to identify clear job requirements); jobs that exclude members of protected classes; new tech/work environments affect how job is performed
lecture: when are discriminatory practices prohibited
Discriminatory practices are prohibited as long as a person is able to do the job
lecture: critical incident technique
good and bad behaviours observed from professors
lecture: motivating potential score (MPS)
[skill variety + task identity + task significance/3] * autonomy * feedback
LO1: what happens to data collected from job analysis design
converted into a human resource informations system (HRIS)
LO2: who may be asked to develop performance standards
supervisors and industrial engineers can be asked to develop reasonable standards of performance
LO2: goal of CIM
Goal is to create behaviourally focused description of work and related performance standards
LO2: benefits/disadvantage of observation as data collection method
Low accuracy but can be used to confirm/remove doubts from other techniques
LO2: when is combo of data collection methods most often used
if locations are geographically dispersed
LO4: 5 times when job analysis info is sufficient to set standards
Performance quantified
Performance easily measured
Performance standards understood by workers and supervisors
Performance requires little interpretation
Aka jobs with short work cycles like assembly line
LO5: what does competency matrix encourage
Encourages developing broader skills and assume new responsibilities
LO5: explain competency based management
highly integrated HR management system with competencies
LO5: legal issues with competencies
As competencies are more job spanning and not supported by specific duties, legal defensibility is unknown
LO6: 3 things that has necessitated redesign of jobs
Worldwide competition, complex tech and increasing working expectations
LO6: define job design
identification of job duties, characteristics, competencies and sequences taking into consideration tech, workforce, org character and environment
LO6: strategy to improve efficiency in org considerations
task specialization
LO6: when are work teams and employee involvement not useful
for complex tasks, shifts and low skill level
LO6: when is job enrichment most useful
when jobs are unchallenging and limit employee motivation and satisfaction
LO6: what can we identify from job families
Job families make it easier for HR to plan job rotation programs and make employee transfer decisions. Compensation should be comparable across family.
LO6: 2 things work practices can arise from
May arise from tradition or collective wishes of employees
LO6: 4 things that makes job descriptions difficult (de-jobbing)
global competition, fast tech obsolescence, changing worker profiles, rapid increases in knowledge requirements
