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HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
Text and Cases

S S Khanka
2e
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JOB ANALYSIS AND DESIGN
Chapter 6
LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 Understand the nature of job analysis, job description and job

specification

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 Appreciate the need for job analysis
 Outline the process involved in job analysis
 Discuss the methods of data collection for job analysis
 Define job design and enumerate the factors that affect job design
 Explain the techniques/methods used for job design
 Suggest ways to enrich a job
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CONCEPT OF JOB ANALYSIS
A Job is a collection or aggregation of tasks, duties and responsibilities which as a
whole is regarded as a regular assignment to individual employees and which is

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different from other assignments.
Dale Yoder

Job analysis is a systematic exploration of what activities and accountabilities the

job entails.
Davis A. DeCenzo | Stephen P. Robbins

A job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skill requirements of
a job and the kind of person who should be hired.
Gary Dessler | Biju Varkkey
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Two major aspects of Job Analysis

 JOB DESCRIPTION: It is a written statement of what a job holder does,

how it is done, and why it is done. The purpose of job description is as
follows:

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• Grading and classification of jobs
• Placement and orientation of new employees
• Promotions and transfers
• Outlining for career path
• Developing work standards
• Counselling of employees
• Delimitation of authority

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 JOB SPECIFICATION: It is a statement of the minimum acceptable
qualifications that an incumbent must possess to perform a given
job. It sets forth the knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the
job effectively. The following are its uses:
•

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Personnel planning
• Performance appraisal
• Hiring
• Training and development
• Job evaluation and compensation
• Health and safety
• Employee discipline
• Work scheduling
• Career planning
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 Contents of Job Description and Job Specification
JOB DESCRIPTION JOB SPECIFICATION
A statement containing details such as: A statement of human qualifications necessary
to do the job usually contains details such as:
 Job title
 Location  Education
 Job summary  Experience

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 Duties  Training
 Machines, tools and equipment  Judgment
 Materials and forms used  Initiative
 Supervision given or received  Physical effort
 Working conditions  Physical skills
 Hazard  Responsibilities
 Communication skills
 Emotional characteristics
 Unusual sensory demands such as sight,
smell, hearing

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Source: Dale S. Beach: Personnel – The Management of People at Work, Macmillan, New York, 1980, p.166.
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Example
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WHY JOB ANALYSIS?
Job analysis is useful for the overall management of following personnel
activities:

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 Human Resource Planning
 Recruitment and Selection
 Training and Development
 Placement and Orientation
 Job Evaluation
 Performance Appraisal
 Personnel Information
 Health and Safety
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Figure 3.4 Job Analysis and Other Human Resource
Functions

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THE PROCESS INVOLVED IN JOB ANALYSIS
ORGANIZATIONAL JOB ANALYSIS

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SELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVE JOBS

DATA COLLECTIONS

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB SPECIFICATION
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 The Job Analysis Process
 Job Analyst
• Is the individual who performs job analysis in an
organization.
 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs):

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• Are individuals presumed to be highly

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knowledgeable about a job and who provides data

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for job analysis.

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• May be an existing job incumbent, supervisor, or

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other knowledgeable employee.

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METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION
 OBSERVATION: Data is collected through observing an employee while at work.
 INTERVIEW: The job analyst directly interviews the job holder through a

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structured interview form to elicit information about the job.
 QUESTIONNAIRE: The employee is given a structured questionnaire to fill in,
which is then returned to the supervisors. The supervisor, after making the
required and necessary corrections submits the corrected information to the
job analyst.
 CHECKLISTS: As in the questionnaire method, the employee is given a
questionnaire which additionally contains a few subjective questions too in the
form of yes or no. The job holder is asked to tick the questions that are related
to his/her job.
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 CRITICAL INCIDENTS: This method is based on the job holder’s past
experiences on the job. They are asked to recapitulate and describe the
past incidents related to their jobs.

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 DIARIES OR LOG RECORDS: The job incumbent maintains a daily diary
of the various tasks, duties and responsibilities he performs, along with
information about the various enablers and disabling factors at work.
 TECHNICAL CONFERENCE METHOD: Subject matter experts,
supervisors and others who are familiar with the job are invited to a
technical conference and they deliberate in detail about the job and its
various nuances.

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Specific Job Analysis Techniques

Narrative
NarrativeJob
Job Functional
FunctionalJob
Job
Analysis
Analysis Analysis
Analysis

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Fleishman
FleishmanJob
JobAnalysis
Analysis Job
JobAnalysis
Analysis Position
PositionAnalysis
Analysis
System
System Techniques Questionnaire
Questionnaire
Techniques
Task
TaskAnalysis
Analysis Management
ManagementPosition
Position
Inventory
Inventory Description Questionnaire
Description Questionnaire

Critical
CriticalIncidents
Incidents
Approach
Approach

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 Narrative job analysis

 Involves one or more SMEs preparing a written narrative, or text

description, of the job.

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 a) The quality of the information is dependent on the writing skills of

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the job analyst.

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 b) Narratives are typically individualistic, making it difficult to

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compare the tasks of different jobs.

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 c) Narratives are relatively inexpensive and require little training.

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5–18
 The Fleishman job analysis system defines abilities as
the enduring attributes of individuals that account for
differences in performance.
 a) The system relies on a taxonomy of 52 abilities that
presumably represents all of the dimensions relevant

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to work, including cognitive, psychomotor, and
sensory abilities.

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 b) Scales consist of descriptions of each ability,

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followed by a behavioral benchmark example of the

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different levels of the ability on a seven-point scale.

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 c) A panel of SMEs completes the scales, and job

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analysts must be trained.

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 Task analysis inventory refers to a family of job analysis
methods, with each focusing on analyzing all the tasks
performed in the focal job.
 a) This method relies on SMEs to generate a list of tasks
performed in a job.
 b) A job analyst, frequently the job incumbent, then evaluates

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each task on dimensions such as time spent on the task,

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frequency of performance, or relative importance.
 c) The information generated is often very detailed and is

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useful for establishing KSA requirements and training needs.

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 d) It is difficult to make comparisons across job families

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5–21
 Functional job analysis (FJA) is a method used by human
resources and industrial-organizational (I/O) psychologists to
assess occupational roles within an organization.
 This method is characterized by a detailed examination of an
individual’s abilities and overall qualification compared to the

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demands and expectations of their specific position within a
larger structure.

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 This type of job analysis is used in both private and public

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sectors to ensure that applicants or current employees are

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able to fill their occupational roles and responsibilities in a

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safe, productive manner.

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 The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a standardized job analysis
instrument consisting of 194 items reflecting work behavior, working
conditions, or job characteristics that are assumed to apply to a wide variety of
jobs.
 a) The PAQ is organized into six sections: information inputs, mental
processes, work output, relationships with other people, job context, and other
characteristics.

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 b) Job analysts are asked to determine whether each scale applies to the
specific job being analyzed, rating each item on six scales: extent of use,

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amount of time, importance of the job, possibility of occurrence, applicability,

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and special code.

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 c) Advantages of the PAQ are that the dimensions are believed to underlie all
jobs, the items allow a much richer picture of what happens on a job, a

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considerable database of responses exists attesting to its reliability and validity,

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and it has been statistically related to other standardized measures.
 d) Disadvantages are that it is relatively complex, requires a college-graduate

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reading level to complete, and is less useful for higher-level and white-collar
jobs.

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5–24
 Example sheet of PAQ
 The Management Position Description Questionnaire is a standardized
measure that contains 197 items and taps thirteen basic components of
managerial work. The data provided by the measure can be used to
categorize different management jobs and establish fair compensation.
 The critical incident approach to job analysis focuses on those critical

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behaviors that distinguish between effective and ineffective performers.

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Critical incidents are examples of particularly effective or ineffective

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performance.

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Problems faced with Job Analysis
 Lack of support from the top management
 Relying on one source and method of data collection

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 Non-trained and non-motivated job holders who are the actual
source of job data
 Distorted information/data provided by the respondents, i.e. the job
holders because of non-preparedness on their part

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 CONCEPT OF JOB DESIGN
Job design is allocation of tasks to an employee or group of employees in an organization.
Job design determines those job, tasks and responsibilities and employee (group) have to
perform.

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Job design is defined as the process of deciding on the contents of a job in terms of its duties
and responsibilities, on the methods to be used in carrying out the job, in terms of
techniques, systems and procedures, and on the relationships that should exist between the
job holder and his superiors, subordinates and colleagues.
Michael Armstrong

Job design is a process that integrates work content (tasks, functions, relationships), the
rewards (extrinsic and intrinsic), and the qualifications required (skills, knowledge, abilities)
for each job in a way that meets the needs of employees and organizations.
Mathis | Jackson

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 JA vs JD
 Job design and Job analysis differs not only on their purpose of creation but also their
timing of performing.
 That means Job design is performed before Job analysis. Job analysis is performed when
new job is created or job nature and method is changed due to change in technology or

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requirements.
 Job design mainly focuses on work division and effective performance of tasks and job
completion whereas Job analysis is about effective and appropriate selection of candidates.
 Job design attempts to implement the available manpower effectively and efficiently but
Job analysis deals with the required skills, qualification of employees who are to be
assigned tasks.
 Job analysis covers wide range of information viz. Job description, Job Specification, Job
Design, Recruitment and Selection process, Compensation and remunerating employees.
 Job analysis defines about evaluation of employees too. Job design deals with business
objectives and structuring works.

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The design of the job is a very conscious and scientific process. If done randomly and
unscientifically it may result in increase of routine and meaningless jobs in the
organization. Job design should consider the various stakeholders objectives and ensure
that they are met in the manner a job is executed.
JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL BY RICHARD HACKMAN AND GR OLDHAM

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 Skill Variety
 Task Identity
 Task Significance
 Responsibility
 Feedback

If these five characteristics are present in a job, they are expected to create the following
three critical psychological states in job incumbent:
1. Experienced Meaningfulness of Work
2. Experiencing Personal Responsibility
3. Knowledge of the Results
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 HACKMAN AND OLDHAM’S JOB CHARACTERISTICS MODEL

CORE DIMENSIONS PSYCHOLOGICAL STATES OUTCOMES

Skill Variety
Meaningfulness
Task Identity

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of work High intrinsic motivation
Task Significance

Responsibility High job performance

Autonomy for outcomes High job satisfaction
Low absenteeism and turnover

Knowledge of
Feedback
Results
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FACTORS AFFECTING JOB DESIGN
 Organizational factors: Task Features | Work Flow | Ergonomics | Work
Practices
 Environmental factors: Social and Cultural Expectations | Employee Ability
and Capability

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 Behavioural factors: Autonomy | Use of Abilities | Feedback | Variety

APPROACHES TO JOB DESIGN

 Job Engineering
 Human Relations Approach
 Job Characteristics Approach
 Socio-technical Systems
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 METHODS/ TECHNIQUES OF JOB DESIGN

Work Simplification Job Rotation

Breaking down into small Relief from boredom
subparts and repetition of tasks

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JOB
DESIGN

Job Enlargement Job Enrichment

Extension of work plus Increased responsibility with
additional tasks freedom

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ASPECTS OF JOB DESIGN
HOW TO ENRICH A JOB?
 Increasing responsibilities of the employees by adding variety of tasks
 Assigning the employee a complete natural unit of work i.e. reducing task
specialization

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 Allowing the employee to set his own standards
 Making the employee directly perform for his work
 Ensuring worker participation in work planning, working out improvement
and/or new ways of performing a job and joint review of result
 Incorporation of new tasks that offer more challenge in terms of ability and
cognition
 Removing some controls from while ensuring that individuals are clearly
accountable for achieving standards
 In the event of a crisis, giving room and backing to employees to handle such
situations without depending on their superiors 33
 JOB ENRICHMENT VS. JOB ENLARGEMENT

BASIS JOB ENRICHMENT JOB ENLARGEMENT

Vertical loading of functions and Horizontal Loading and

Job Loading responsibilities expansion

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Purpose Make the job lively, challenging and Seeks to reduce monotony of
Satisfying repetitive jobs

Employment of more refined skills, Does not require acquisition of

Skills Necessary initiative and innovation more refined skills

Direction and Self-direction, control and Necessitates external direction

Control employment of own capabilities. and control
No or less external direction control
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CURRENT ISSUES IN JOB DESIGN

 Telecommuting/Work from Home

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 Task Revision
 Job Techno stress
 Knowledge Work

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