Job Analysis & Design

(JAD)
Lecture
Methods of Job Analysis

Worker-Oriented Methods
 Worker oriented Job Analysis methods –
focus on attributes or characteristics – that
people need to be able to complete their jobs
successfully.
 As the attributes are of workers(persons) –
generally considered as psychological
characteristics– perceptual, mental processes,
skill in using tools or equipment, context of
the work (abilities) some time confusing
such as work or worker !
 To determine what it takes to be good at a job,
and how do we find this out?
Amazed skilled human performance – skater,
cyclist, musicians, knowledge of celestial
objects etc
 Job analysts agree to find to be good at job
through:
 KSAOs
 Knowledge – in memory which can be retrieved
 Skills – developed or trained capacity to perform tasks
 Abilities - enduring capacity to acquire skills or
knowledge
 Others – Job relevant interests, preferences,
temperaments, personality characteristics, etc
 Worker-Oriented Methods
 Job Element Method (JEM) – breaks the job in pieces
 Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) – list of large # of standard elements.
 Trait-based worker-oriented methods
 Threshold Trait Analysis System (TTAS) - global and comprehensive list of traits
 Ability Requirements Scales (ARS) – abilities linked to psychological tests
 Occupational Reinforcer Pattern (ORP)-characteristics linked to human motives at work
 Arbeitwissenschaftliches Erhebungsverfahren Zur
Tatigkeitsanalyse (AET) - looks job from human engineering point of view
 Job Components Inventory (JCI) - lists 220 items related to tools and equipment
 Cognitive task analysis - deals with mental processes and strategies to do the job
These all methods focus on the qualities workers must have to be successful
What is Job Element Method?
 Job element method is the work oriented job analysis
approach. It was originally developed by Mr. Earnest
Primoff.
 The JEM of job analysis focuses on the human
attributes necessary for superior performance on the
job.
 It is used to match what applicants can do against
what the work calls for.
 Job Element Method
 Developed in 1950s
 Focus on work behaviors and the results of this behavior
 An element in JEM is a combination of behaviors and
associated evidences
 Elements terms are commonly used one, the behavior of acting
in a dependable fashion evidenced by punctuality , doing as
required by the job is termed element as “Reliability”
 “Elements” cover a broad range of behaviors, it could be:
 Cognitive - recognizing, reading, computing etc
 Psychomotor – sense , perceive and motor action
 Work habits – collection of behaviors which are motivational in
character – willingness to take extra work, done perfectly , without error.
 Elements & Subelements
 Supervisors or incumbents develop a list of characteristics of superior workers
that is essential to superior performance. These qualities are called job element.

 On the other hand, when elements are translated into more specific employee
characteristics then it is called sub elements. 

For example, an industrial electrician must have the following element and
subelements:
 
 ELEMENT: Ability to make electrical calculations

 
 SUBELEMENTS:
 determining the voltage across a resistor in a series circuit.
 computing power in a circuit for given levels of voltage . 
Job Elements
 Objective Of JEM
 JEM focuses on work behaviours and the results of this
behaviours rather than more abstract characteristics.

 It’s objective is to identify the superior workers on a job

according to their performance.

 One of the main objectives of the JEM is to identify workers

eligibility for the job.
 Process of JEM
 Steps in JEM
 Select a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
 Conduct brainstorming sessions to identify job elements –
gather elements from SMEs
 Assign weights to each of the elements or rate each
element on four scales/criteria
 Barely acceptable (B) – proportion of barely acceptable workers
who have the job element
 Superior (S) – effectiveness of element in picking a superior
worker
 Trouble is likely if not considered (T) – Trouble is likely to occur
if element is not considered
 Practical (P) – practicality- the effect of including the job
element on the organization’s ability to fill the job opening
Ratings Scales
The SME provides a 0 if the scale has some minimal value, a check -- scale applies somewhat,
and a plus sign (+) if the item is highly applicable.
Barely Acceptable (B)
• The rating for the B scale requires a judgment as to whether barely acceptable workers
must possess an element to do the job.
• If none 0, if some barely acceptable workers have the element, it would receive a check
sign, and if all have it , it would receive a +.
Superior (S)
• The rating for the S scale asks SMEs to describe how useful the element is for
distinguishing the superior worker (0 is not useful, check is valuable, and + is very
important).
Trouble Likely If Not Considered (T)
• The rating for T scale asks SMEs to describe whether trouble is likely if the element is
not included in an examination or screen for new hires (0 is OK to ignore, check is some
trouble, and+ is much trouble)
• We would expect a great deal of trouble if a brain surgeon were unable to use surgical
Instruments
• We might expect trouble for visually impaired operators of heavy equipment such as
buses and aircraft.
Practical (P)
• The rating for P scale asks SMEs whether job applicants are likely to possess the element.
If we select for the element, how many of our job openings can we fill? (0 is almost no
openings, check is some openings, and + is all openings)
 Steps in the JEM
Here are the steps:
1.Gather elements from subject matter experts

2.Have the experts rate each element on four scales

a.B - Barely Acceptable

b.S - Superior
c.T - Trouble Likely If Not Considered
d.P - Practical
3.Derive scale values form the expert ratings

4.Share derived ratings with experts

a.TV - total value

b. IT - Item Index
c. TR -Training Value
5.Use results in your application (for example developing tests)
 Brainstorming
 What else might a worker show that would
prove he or she is superior?
 If you had to pick out one person to get a
special bonus for outstanding work, what
might you look for?
 What might make you want to fire someone?
 If a worker is weak, what might cause
trouble?
Derived Scales
The numbers in the columns are percentages of the maximum possible scale scores, with six SMEs, the
maximum possible points would be 12 ( where 0 = 0, check = 1, and + = 2). If the sum of the SME points
were 6, the percentage would be 50%.

Total Value (TV)

• The scale is defined as TV= (S - B - P) + (SP + T)
• TV is (S - B - P)
• Let’s select employees using elements that are both
1. Useful in spotting superior workers and
2. Not found among most of the people in our workforce
• They are being multiplied rather than subtracted.
• S and P are multiplied in this part of equation is so that if we cannot fill any of positions if
we select on the element P=0, then product SP will be zero, so the high standing on S will
be discounted
Item Index (IT) relates to subelement importance in the test
• IT = SP + T
Training Value
• TR = S + T + SP’ – B is the reverse of P, so that if all openings can be filled by applicants,
then P=0.
Assigning elements to categories
Position Analysis Questionnaire
PAQ
 Developed in 1960 – by Ernest McCormick
 Designed around behaviorist formula S-O-R where the
(O) organism receives a stimulus (S) and makes a
response (R)
 PAQ also take care of environment and social setting
which play role in job performance
 Same element could be applied to all jobs
 Initially it had 194 items or elements, first 187 concern
human attributes(color perception etc) or aspect of job
requiring accommodation by the human as written info
 Last seven 188-194 concern compensation
 Items in 6 major divisions
 Now 300 items are used
 Analyst match the item with the job
 Rates the job on the selected items
 It defines the job not the position
 Trained job analyst handles the PAQ
 It requires high level of reading
comprehension and abstract judgments.
 Trained Job analyst observe and then
interview the incumbents
 decide appropriate rating
 For few may ask jobholder for rating.
 PAQ scored by computer
 List the dimension of score
 Overall scores
 Aptitude test score
 Job evaluation points
 It also compare the element with other jobs
contained in database
 It identify person’s requirement for the job
 Helps in job evaluation for compensation
 Early research – mostly concerned selection
and job evaluation
 Now it is also used in determining disability –
used by long term disability insurance carriers
Position Analysis Questionnaire - PAQ
Threshold Trait Analysis System (TTAS)
 Global and comprehensive list of traits
 For selection
 For training
 For job description
 TTAS contains 33 traits
 can do - abilities
 will do - attitudes
Ability Requirements Scales (ARS)
 Abilities linked to psychological tests
 Results of ARS used for selection
Ability Requirements Scales (ARS)
Occupational Reinforcer Pattern (ORP)
characteristics linked to human motives at work
 Cognitive task analysis
deals with mental processes and strategies to do the job