Job Analysis: An Overview

Introduction

Organizations evolved because:

The mission and objectives of most institutions are too large for any one person to accomplish

There must be a systematic way to determine which employees should perform which tasks
The cornerstone of an organization is the set of jobs performed by its employees

Introduction
Job analysis is vital to any HRM program and answers such questions as:
How long does it take to complete important tasks? Which tasks are grouped together as a job? How can a job be designed or structured so that employee performance can be enhanced? What behaviors are needed to perform the job? What kind of person, in terms of traits and experience, is best suited for the job? How can the information acquired by a job analysis be used in the development of HRM programs?

What is a Job?

A job consists of a group of related activities and duties- natural units of work that are similar and related They should be distinct from other jobs to avoid employee conflict and enable employees to understand what is expected of them

What is Job?
A Job consists of a group of related activities and duties and it includes;
Responsibility - the social force that binds you to your obligations and the courses of action demanded by that force Authority - the power or right to give orders or make decisions

Accountability - responsibility to someone or for some activity

The Vocabulary of Job Analysis

Definitions provided by government:
Job analysis: a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information on the important work-related aspects of a job Job description: the principal product of a job analysis. It represents a written summary of the job as an identifiable organizational unit Job specification: a written explanation of the knowledge, skills, abilities, traits,behaviour,Competencies and other characteristics (KSAOs) necessary for effective performance on a given job

 Tasks: Coordinated and aggregated series of work elements used to produce an output Position: the responsibilities and duties performed by an individual. There are as many positions in an organization as there are employees Job: group of positions that are similar in their duties, such as computer programmer Job family: group of two or more jobs that have similar duties

The Steps in Job Analysis

Step 1 Examine the total organization and the fit of each job Step 2 Determine how job analysis information will be used Step 3 Select jobs to be analyzed Step 4 Collect data by using acceptable job analysis techniques Step 5 Prepare job description Step 6 Prepare job specification

Use information from Steps 16 for: Job design Planning Recruitment Selection and training Performance evaluation Compensation and benefits EEO compliance Follow-up evaluations

Fig 6-1

The Steps in Job Analysis

The data collected is the foundation for virtually every other HRM activity:
Recruitment Selection Training Performance evaluation Compensation Job design and redesign

What is Job Analysis?

Job Analysis is Obtaining information about jobs using the following steps Collecting and recording Job information Checking job information for accuracy Writing job descriptions based on the information Using the information for various HR purposes Updating the information from time to time.

What is a Job description and Job Specification?

Job Description is a written narrative describing the activities performed on the job, which includes information about key activities, equipment used and working conditions A Job Specification outlines the specific skills , knowledge, abilities and other physical and personal characteristics that are necessary to perform a job

The Uses of Job Analysis

There may no longer be a choice about whether job analysis should be conducted

Job analysis plays an important role in the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
A set of policies designed to minimize or prevent workplace discrimination practices

The Uses of Job Analysis

Job analysis is critical to assessments of discrimination under most employmentrelated laws It is linked to these laws through court rulings For job analysis to be viewed favorably by the courts, it must:
Yield a thorough, clear job description Assess the frequency and importance of job behaviors Allow for an accurate assessment of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and KSAOs required by the job Clearly determine which KSAOs are important for each job duty

 To minimize resistance, HR managers must communicate:

Why job analyses are important How the information will be used

Uses of job analysis

Selection (job Description) Job Evaluation HR Planning H

Recruitment (job specs)

R
Training and Development

Job Design & Re-design

JOB ANALYSIS

Role Clarification

Compensation management Career Planning

Performance Appraisal

Who Should Conduct the Job Analysis?

Part of the planning process involves choosing who will conduct the analysis
Hire a temporary analyst from outside Employ a full-time job analyst Use supervisors, job incumbents, or a combination

Who Should Conduct the Job Analysis?

Each choice has strengths and weaknesses:
Job incumbents know what work is actually being done, rather than what is supposed to be done Involving incumbents might increase their acceptance of any work changes resulting from the analysis Incumbents tend to exaggerate the responsibilities and importance of their work

Who Should Conduct the Job Analysis?

The choice of an analyst depends on such factors as:
The location and complexity of the jobs How receptive incumbents are to an external analyst The ultimate intended purpose of the analysis

Regardless of who collects the information, the individuals should:

Thoroughly understand people, jobs, and the total organizational system Understand how work should flow within the organization

The Use of Charts

Before beginning analysis, an overview of the organization and its jobs is required
This provides a better understanding of work flow

An organization chart presents the relationships among departments and units of the firm, as well as:
Line and staff functions Number of vertical levels in the organization Number of functional departments Formal reporting relationships

Organizational structures

An organizational structure or chart displays the organization's hierarchical relationships graphically

The Process of Organizing a Firm

Outlining the specific tasks to be performed

Dividing tasks among channel members and internal people

Grouping internal tasks into jobs

Classifying jobs

Integrating positions thru an Organizational chart

 Strategy decides structure Line of authority or hierarchy of authority should be traceable Flat or tall or matrix organization Unity of command required Span of control to be limited Responsibility to be accompanied by authority Responsibility to be clear, although delegation may be allowed Limited number of organizational levels Institution type to be taken into account

Developing an Org Chart: Principles

Generic forms

Functional Organisation Chart Product Organisation Chart Geographic Organisation Chart Combination Organisation Chart

Functional Organisation Chart

Vice President

Sales Promotion Mgr

Merchandise Mgr

HR Mgr

Store Finance Operations Controller Mgr

Product Organisation Chart

Operations manager

Mens Outer Wear Mgr

Ladies Outerwear Mgr

Childrens Clothes Manager

Teenagers trends Mgr

 A process chart shows how a specific set of jobs relate to each other
This chart does not show structural relationships among job titles It shows the activities and work necessary to produce a desired product or service

The Use of Charts

SOURCES OF DATA
Job Analyst Employee Supervisor Expert Non-human sources

Process of Job Analysis

JOB DESCRIPTION Tasks Duties Responsibilities
JOB DATA Tasks Performance standards Responsibilities Knowledge required Skills required Experience needed Job context Duties Equipment used

METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA Interviews Questionnaires Observations Records

HUMAN RESOURCES FUNCTIONS Recruitment Selection Training & Development Performance Appraisal Compensation Mgt

JOB SPECIFICATION Skill requirements Physical demands Knowledge requirements Abilities needed

Sources of Job Data Job Analyst Job incumbent/employee Supervisor Job experts Non-human sources Existing job descriptions Equipment maintenance records Training manuals and materials Other literature e.g. magazines, the net etc

Eg.TYPICAL TASKS IN FMCG SALES

Advertising Indenting merchandise Billing customers Pricing merchandise Handling customer complaints Devising promotions and schemes Visiting retailers Forecasting sales Getting competitor information Preparing merchandise statistics

TYPICAL TASKS IN FMCG SALES

Controlling inventory Hiring & firing employees Training employees Selling Supervising employees Ensuring merchandise displays Customer research Transporting merchandise Collating sales data Storing merchandise