4

Lecture
4

Job Analysis
Presenter:
Nusrat Jahan Arefin
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Public Administration
Jahangirnagar University

Date: 05/02/2021
McGraw-Hill/Irwin © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 4

Job Analysis

Systematic method to discover and describe:

The differences and similarities amongst various jobs
Constitutes of:
Job Description - Tasks, duties and responsibilities
that make up a job
Job Specification - Knowledge, skills, and abilities,
necessary to perform the job

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 4

Structures Based On Jobs, Or People

 Internally aligned structures may be
 Job-based i.e. look at what people are doing and the expected outcomes
 Skill- and competency based i.e. look at the person.
 An equitable internally aligned pay structure has two
hallmarks:
 to encourage employee behaviors to help achieve organization’s objectives
 to foster a sense of fairness among employees.
 Strategic pay decisions on alignment
 first is how much to align a pay structure internally compared to aligning it
with external market forces.
- Need of sustaining optimal balance in both.
 next decision on- whether job and/or individual employee characteristics
will be the basic unit of analysis supporting the pay structure

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 4

Many Ways to Create Internal Structure

Business and Work-Related
Internal Structure

Person-based

Job-based Skill Competencies

PURPOSE

Collect, summarize Job analysis

work information Job descriptions

Determine what to Job evaluation:

value classes or
compensable factors

Assess value Factor degrees and

weighting

Translate into Job-based structure

structure
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 4

Analysis Fundamentals
• After deciding whether it will be job based or person
based decide
• what job information will be collected?
• what method(s) will be used to collect the information?
• who should be involved in the data collection process?
• The underlying actions for both type is the same
• Collect and summarize work content information that identifies
similarities and differences
• Determine what to value
• Quantify the relative value
• Translate the relative value into an internal structure

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 4

*Job Analysis is the systematic

process of collecting
information that identifies
similarities and differences in
the work.
*Involves collecting information
about the content of jobs; &
using the content as the input
for describing and valuing work.

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 4

Some Major Decisions in Job

Analysis

 Why perform job analysis?

 What information is needed?

 How to collect information?

 Who to involve?

 How useful are the results?

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 4

Job-Based Approach: Most Common

Why Perform Job Analysis?

Potential uses for job analysis have been suggested

for every major personnel function
Internal structure based on job-related information
provides a work-related rationale for pay differences
to both managers and employees

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 4

Job-Based Approach: Most Common

(cont.)
Why Perform Job Analysis? (cont.)
In compensation, job analysis has two critical uses:
- Establishes similarities and differences in the work
contents of the jobs
- Helps establish an internally fair and aligned job structure
Key issue for compensation decision makers:
-Ensuring that data collected are useful and
acceptable to employees and managers involved

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 4-

Determining the Internal

Job Structure

Internal
relationships in the Job descriptions Job evaluation Job structure
Job analysis
organization

Collecting Summary reports that Comparison of jobs An ordering of jobs

information identify, define, and within an based on their content
about the nature describe the job as it is organization or relative value
of specific jobs actually performed

Some
Some Major
Major Issues
Issues inin Job
Job Analysis
Analysis
•Why
Why collect
collect information?
information?
•What
What information
information isis needed?
needed?
•How
How to
to collect
collect the
the information?
information?
•Who
Who should
should be be involved?
involved?
•How
How useful
useful are
are the
the results?
results?
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 4-

Job Analysis Terminology

Job Family
Grouping of related jobs with broadly similar content, e.g.
marketing, engineering, office support, technical.

Job
Group of tasks performed by one person that
make up the total work assignment of that person,
e.g. customer support representative.
Task
Smallest unit of analysis, a specific
statement of what a person does; for
example, answers the telephone.
Similar tasks can be grouped into a task
dimension, e.g. responsible for ensuring
that accurate information is provided to
customer.

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 4-

General Procedures for

Conventional Job Analysis

1. Develop preliminary job information

2. Conduct initial tour of work site
3. Conduct interviews
4. Conduct second tour of work site
5. Consolidate job information
6. Verify job description

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 4-

Typical Data Collected for Job Analysis

Data Related to Job

 Job Identification
 Job Content
 Data Related to Employee
 Employee Characteristics
 Internal Relationships
 External Relationships

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 4-

Job Analysis: Data Related to Job

Job Identification Job Content

 Tasks
 Title
 Activities
 Department in which job
 Constraints on actions
is located
 Performance criteria
 Number of people who
hold job  Critical incidents
 Conflicting demands
 Working conditions
 Roles (e.g., negotiator,
monitor, leader)
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Job Analysis: Data Related to Employee

Employee Characteristics Internal Relationships
 Professional/technical  Boss & other superiors
knowledge
 Peers
 Manual skills
 Subordinates
 Verbal skills
 Written skills External Relationships
 Quantitative skills  Suppliers
 Mechanical skills  Customers
 Conceptual skills  Regulatory
 Managerial skills  Professional/Industry
 Leadership skills  Community
 Interpersonal skills
 Union/Employee Groups

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 4-

Job Analysis:
How Can the Information be Collected?

Conventional Methods

Quantitative Methods

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 4-

The Conventional Techniques

of Job Analysis
 Task Inventory Analysis

 Critical Incident Technique

 Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

 Functional Job Analysis (FAQ)

 Methods Analysis (Motion Study)

 Guidelines-Oriented Job Analysis

 Management Position Description Questionnaire (MPDQ)

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 4-

Conventional Methods
 Methods include
 Asking job incumbents to complete a questionnaire;
 Conducting interviews with the jobholders and their supervisors;
 Observing the jobholders at work and taking notes.

 Do yourself:
 Study from book about sample questionnaires about job analysis.
 Study exhibit about process to be adopted & care to be taken

 Advantages:-
 Employees Involved. It increases their understanding of the process of Job Analysis.

 Disadvantages:-
 Difference in perceptions of the job analyst and the jobholder may result in
differences in interpretation,.
 So, conventional methods are open to potential subjectivity so open to bias and
favoritism

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 4-

Level of Analysis of Conventional Method

 Decide level to determine whether the work is similar or different.
i.e., at the job-family level several jobs may appear to be similar,
yet at the job level they are different jobs.
 Microscopic approach
 Broad, generic descriptions
 If the outcomes of job analysis suggest that jobs are similar; then
the jobs must be paid equally; if jobs are different, they can be
paid differently.
 If decision is to pay differently follow Microscopic approach
 If decision is not to create too many job based levels follow
“Broad, generic descriptions approach”
 Countervailing view
 Promotion to a new job title is part of the organization's network of returns
 Reducing title may reduce opportunities to reinforce positive employee behavior
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 4-

Quantitative Methods
 Employees completes a questionnaire online
 Questions around 5 factors
 Knowledge
 Accountability
 Working conditions
 Communication
 Reasoning
 Knowledge further subdivided in to
 Qualification
 Experience
 Depth
 Functional-managerial skills
 Learning time

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 4-

Quantitative Methods (cont.)

 Large sample for each job
 Consultant to develop Questionnaire in consultation
with experts on job
 Ensure that No important details omitted
 Process Include:
 Response givers to be briefed about process & purpose
 Jobholders to assess each item in a questionnaire in terms of
whether or not a particular item is part of their job; if yes how
important & time spent

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 4-

Quantitative Methods (cont.)

 Responses are machine-scored- Statistical analysis of the results.
 Results used to develop a job profile
 Many organizations find it practical and cost-effective to modify
these existing inventories rather than to develop their own analysis
from ground zero.
 Caution:- Include only good performers employees to ensure that
the work is usefully analyzed.
 Advantages:--
 More job data is collected faster
 Comprehensive list of all activities.
 Disadvantages:
 Important aspects of a job may be omitted
 Resulting job descriptions can be faulty
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 4-

Who is Involved in Job Analysis?

Who Collects the
Information?
Who Provides the
Information?
How to Resolve
Discrepancies
Top management (and
union) support is
critical
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 4-

Who Collects the Information?

 Human resource generalists and supervisors are the key

people involved in collecting job data.

 Job analysis be done by someone thoroughly familiar

with the organization and its jobs;

 The individual should be trained in how to do the

analysis properly.

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 4-

Who Provides the Information?

 Source of the data – Expertise about the work resides with
the jobholders and supervisor hence, they are the principal
sources.
 For managerial/professional jobs, “two/three levels above” as
they have strategic view of how jobs fit in the overall
organization.
 In some cases, subordinates, and employees in other jobs that
interface with the job under study, are also involved.
 Completion of a questionnaire can increases the
understanding by information providers of the process.
 This has the likelihood that the results of the analysis will be
acceptable.
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 4-

How to Resolve Discrepancies?

 In case of differences as to what are included in a job, collect more
data to ensure consistent, accurate, useful, and acceptable results.
 Hold Focus group discussions with multiple jobholders and
supervisors to discuss discrepancies.
 Ensure agreement / understanding .
 Reduce outcome in writing as minutes of meeting etc.
 Advantages of Focus group discussions:
 Discrepancies thrashed out.
 Clarity about tasks role etc. increased
 Find better ways to do the job
 Wrongly included/excluded activities taken care of.
 Expectation stand clarified,

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 4-

Top management (and union)

support
 Support of top management and , union officials in
unionized organizations, essential to gain cooperation of
employees for Job Analysis

 They know (hopefully) what is strategically relevant

 If they are not willing to seriously consider any changes

suggested by job analysis, the process is probably not
worth the bother and expense.

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 4-

Prepare Job Descriptions

 A job description is a written record of the duties and

responsibilities of a specific job compiled through job
analysis.
 It consists of statements which identify and describe the
scope and contents of a job.
 A job description does not describe all the details of a
job.
 Information collected should be summarized for use in
HR decisions – the summary is the job description.
 This helps in job evaluations.

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 4-

Prepare Job Descriptions (cont.)

 The job description provides a ‘word picture’ of the job.

 It contains

 Job title,

 Overview/summary of the job,

 Its relationships to other jobs in the structure,

 A list of the essential tasks and responsibilities

 Job specifications:- It lists the qualifications (i.e. knowledge,

skills, and abilities) necessary to adequately perform the job.
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 4-

Job Descriptions

Job Title
Job Description

1. Job Title.

2. Job Identification.
Job
3. Essential Functions.
Identification
1. XXX
2. XXX
3. XXX
4. XXX

4. Job Specifications.
Essential
1. XXX
2. XXX
3. XXX
Functions
4. XXX

Job
Specifications

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 4-

Jobs Description of
Managers/Professional
 More detailed information on the nature of the job, its, scope, and
accountabilities are needed.
 Job descriptions to capture
 the relationship between the job, the person performing it, and the organization
objectives
 how the job fits into the organization,
 the results expected from Job holder
 major challenges of job holder.

 Verify the Description- The final step

 Verify the accuracy of the resulting job descriptions
 The verification process involves the interviewees as well as their supervisors to
determine if the proposed job description is accurate and complete.
 A line by line discussion brings to light any omissions, ambiguities, and needed
clarifications.

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 4-

When to Review Jobs and Revise Job

Descriptions
 As part of periodic performance review.
 When assigning a new incumbent to the job
 When major changes are made in the product or outputs provided
by a work unit or individual
 With the introduction of new equipment, methods, or procedures
to the workplace
 With the reorganization of the work unit
 With the implementation of a new pay system
 When a new responsibility (a major work activity area) is added to
the job

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 4-

Judging Job Analysis

Reliability Validity

Acceptability Practicality

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Judging Job Analysis (cont.)

 Reliability
 Measure of consistency of results among various analysts,
various methods, various sources of data, or over time
 Validity
 Examines the convergence of results among sources of data
and methods
 Acceptability
 Potential for subjectivity and favoritism
 Usefulness/Practicality
 Practicality of information collected
 Can be used for multiple purposes

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 4-

Summary
 Encouraging employee behaviors that help achieve an
organization’s objectives and foster a sense of fairness
among employees are two hallmarks of a useful internal
pay structure.
 A key strategic decision is how much to align a pay
structure internally compared to aligning it to external
market forces.
 This strategic decision focuses on sustaining the optimal
balance of internally aligned and externally responsive
pay structures that help the organization achieve its
mission. Both are required.
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 4-

Summary (continued)

 A key test of an effective and fair pay structure is acceptance

of results by managers and employees.
 The best way to ensure acceptance of job analysis results is
to involve employees as well as supervisors in the process.
 Alternatives to job-based structures such as skill-based or
competency-based systems are being experimented within
many firms.
 The premise is that basing structures on these criteria will
encourage employees to become more flexible, and fewer
workers will be required for the same level of output.

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