JOB ANALYSIS METHODS

Riggio: PAQ, FJA, CIT, O*NET

Methods providing general information about

WORKER ACTIVITIES
PAQ – POSITION ANALYSIS QUESTIONNAIRE

 a structured questionnaire that analyzes various jobs in terms of 187 job elements that are arranged
into six categories, or divisions: information input, mental processes, work output, relationships with
other persons, job context, and other job-related variables such as work schedule, pay, and
responsibility.
 194 items
*JSP – JOB STRUCTURE PROFILE

 a revised version of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) designedtobeusedmorebythe job analyst
than by the job incumbent. (Aamodt)

*JEI – JOB ELEMENTS INVENTORY

 a structured job analysis technique developed by Cornelius and Hakel that is similar to the Position
Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) but easier to read. (Aamodt)
FJA – FUNCTIONAL JOB ANALYSIS

 a job analysis method developed by Fine that rates the extent to which a job incumbent is involved with
functions in the categories of data, people, and things. (Aamodt)
 a method that could be used by the federal government to analyze and compare thousands of jobs.
(Aamodt)
 a structured job analysis technique that examines the sequence of tasks in a job and the processes by
which they are completed. (Riggio)
 FJA is especially helpful when the job analyst must create job descriptions for a large number of
positions. (Riggio)
 FJA has also proven useful in research designed to gain insight into how workers are performing their
jobs. For instance, in a study of over 200 nursing assistants in nursing homes, functional job analysis
discovered that nursing assistants were spending too little time dealing with the people aspects of their
jobs (e.g., giving attention to elderly residents) and a disproportionately large amount of time dealing
with data (e.g., reports) and things, such as changing bedding. (Riggio)

Methods providing information about

TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT

JCI – JOB COMPONENTS INVENTORY

 a structured job analysis technique that concentrates on worker requirements for performing a job
rather than on specific tasks. (Aamodt)
 consists of more than 400 questions covering five major categories: tools and equipment, perceptual
and physical requirements, mathematical requirements, communication requirements, and decision
making and responsibility. (Aamodt)
 It is the only job analysis method containing a detailed section on tools and equipment. (Aamodt)
 Methods providing information about

WORK ENVIRONMENT
AET - “ergonomic job analysis procedure”

 provide information about the activities that are performed and the equipment used to perform them.
The job analyst still needs information about the conditions under which the activities are performed.
(Aamodt)
 by ergonomic, we mean that the instrument is primarily concerned with the relationship between the
worker and work objects. (Aamodt)
 Methods providing information about

COMPETENCIES
CIT – CRITICAL INCIDENTS TECHNIQUE

 Written reports of good and bad behavior. (Aamodt)

 records the specific worker behaviors that have led to particularly successful or unsuccessful job
performance. (Riggio)
 tailored to analyze specific jobs and is particularly suited to analyzing complex jobs (Riggio)

The numbers of both types of incidents sorted into each category are then tallied and used to create a table
O*NET – OCCUPATIONAL INFORMATION NETWORK

 the job analysis system used by the federal government that has replaced the Dictionary of Occupational
Titles (DOT: a reference guide that classifies and describes over 40,000 jobs). (Aamodt)
 includes information about the occupation (generalized work activities, work context, organizational
context) and the worker characteristics (ability, work style, occupational values and interests,
knowledge, skills, education) needed for success in the occupation. (Aamodt)
 The O*NET also includes information about such economic factors as labor demand, labor supply,
salaries, and occupational trends. (Aamodt)
 O*NET is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Web-based site that is intended to be the primary source of
information about occupations. O*NET is a downloadable database of information about jobs. (Riggio)
TTA – THRESHOLD TRAITS ANALYSIS

 a 33-item questionnaire developed by Lopez that identifies traits necessary to successfully perform a job.
(Aamodt)
 the 33 items cover five trait categories: physical, mental, learned, motivational, and social. (Aamodt)
 not commercially available
FJAS – FLEISHMAN JOB ANALYSIS SURVEY

 a job analysis method in which jobs are rated on the basis of the abilities needed to perform them. (Aamodt)
 commercially available compared to TTA
JAI – JOB ADAPTABILITY INVENTORY

 a 132 item inventory/job analysis method that taps the extent to which a job involves eight types of adaptability:
1. Handling emergencies or crisis situations
2. Handling work stress
3. Solving problems creatively
4. Dealing with uncertain and unpredictable work situations
5. Learning work tasks, technologies, and procedures
6. Demonstrating interpersonal adaptability
7. Demonstrating cultural adaptability
8. Demonstrating physically oriented adaptability

PPRF – PERSONALITY-RELATED POSITION REQUIREMENTS FORM

 a job analysis instrument that helps determine the personality (Big 5) requirements for a job.

PIC – PERFORMNCE IMPROVEMENTS CHARACTERISTICS

 the 48 questions on the PIC help determine which of the seven main personality traits are needed to perform a
given job.

Additional Notes:

worker-oriented methods, such as the CIT, JCI, and TTA, are the best for employee selection and performance
appraisal.

job-oriented methods, such as task analysis, are best for work design and writing job descriptions.