BUS 310: Human Resource Management

Adopted from Dessler, 2008

Chapter 4: Job Analysis

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 Chapter Outline
I- The Basics of Job Analysis

II-Methods for Collecting Job Analysis Information

III-Writing Job Descriptions

IV- Writing Job Specifications

V-Job Analysis in a ‘Jobless’ World

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 I- The Basics (Nature) of Job Analysis

• Job Analysis: The procedure for determining the duties and

skill requirements of a job and the kind (characteristics) of
person who should be hired for the job.

• Job analysis produces information used for writing:

-job descriptions: A list of a job’s duties, responsibilities,
reporting relationships, working conditions, and supervisory
responsibilities.

-job specifications: A list of a job’s “human requirements”: the

requisite education, skills, knowledge, and so on.

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Job analysis is done by collecting the following information:

Work
activities

Human Human
requirements behaviors
Information
Collected Via
Job Analysis Machines, tools,
Job
equipment, and
context
work aids

Performance
standards

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Use of Job Analysis Information

Recruitment and
Selection

EEO
Compliance Compensation
Information
Collected Via
Discovering Job Analysis
Performance
Unassigned
Appraisal
Duties

Training

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Steps in Job Analysis

Steps in doing a job analysis:

1 Decide how you’ll use the information.

2 Review relevant background information.

3 Select representative positions.

4 Actually analyze the job.

5 Verify the job analysis information.

6 Develop a job description and job specification.

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Steps in Job Analysis
1. Decide how the information will be used because that will
determine what data will be collected and how it should be collected.

2. Review relevant background information, such as organization

charts, process charts, and job descriptions.

Organization chart- shows the organization wide distribution of work, with

titles of each position, and interconnecting lines that shows who reports to
and communicates to who.

Process chart- A work flow chart that shows the flow of inputs and outputs
from a particular job (See fig 4.2)

3. Select representative positions to analyze because there may

be too many similar jobs to analyze, and it may not be necessary to
analyze them all.

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4. Analyze the job by collecting data on job activities, required
employee behaviors, working conditions, and human traits and
abilities needed to perform the job.

5. Verify the job analysis information with job incumbents and

supervisors to confirm that it is factually correct and complete.

6. Develop a job description and job specification from the

information. Increasingly, these steps are being streamlined
through the use of collaboration software.

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 FIGURE 4–2 Process Chart for Analyzing a Job’s
Workflow

Source: Compensation Management: Rewarding Performance by Richard J.

Henderson. Reprinted by permission of Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ. 9
II-Methods for Collecting Job Analysis
Information
• An HR specialist (an HR specialist, job analyst, or consultant), a
worker, and the worker’s supervisor usually work together in
conducting the job analysis.

• Job analysis data is usually collected from employees and

supervisors familiar with the job (subject matter experts,) using
interviews and questionnaires.

• The data is then averaged, taking into account the departmental

context of the employees, to determine how much time a typical
employee spends on each of several specific tasks.

• It is important to make sure that surveys and questions are clear and
understandable, and that respondents are observed and questioned
early in the process to allow time for adjustments, if needed.
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The Interview

Information Sources
• Individual employees (to get the employee’s perspective on the job’s
duties and responsibilities).
• Groups of employees (when large numbers of employees perform
the same job)
• Supervisors with knowledge of the job (to get his/her perspective on
the job’s duties and responsibilities).

Interview Formats
• Structured (Checklist)
• Unstructured (i.e. Tell me about your job)

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• Advantages of using an interview are that it is:
simple, quick, and more comprehensive because the interviewer can
unearth activities that may never appear in written form.

• The main problem is distortion, which may arise from the jobholder’s
need to impress the perceptions of others.

Typical questions
• What is the job being performed?” “In what activities do you
participate?” “What are the health and safety conditions?”

• Figure 4-3 gives an example of a job analysis questionnaire.

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 FIGURE 4–3
Job Analysis
Questionnaire for
Developing Job
Descriptions

Source: www.hr.blr.com. Reprinted with

permission of the publisher, Business and Legal
Reports, Inc., Old Saybrook, CT © 2004. 13
Note: Use a questionnaire like this to interview
job incumbents, or have them fill it out.

Source: www.hr.blr.com. Reprinted with

permission of the publisher, Business and Legal
Reports, Inc., Old Saybrook, CT © 2004. 14
Job Analysis: Interviewing Guidelines

• The job analyst and supervisor should work together to identify the
workers who know the job best.

• Quickly establish rapport with the interviewee.

• Follow a structured guide or checklist, one that lists open-ended

questions and provides space for answers.

• Ask the worker to list his or her duties in order of importance and
frequency of occurrence.

• After completing the interview, review and verify the data.

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Questionnaires
Information Source
• Have employees fill out questionnaires to describe their job-related
duties and responsibilities.

Questionnaire Formats
• Structured checklists
• Open-ended questions

Advantages
• Quick and efficient way to gather information from large numbers of
employees
Disadvantages
• Expense and time consumed in preparing and testing the
questionnaire

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Observation
Information Source
• Observing and noting the physical activities of employees (i.e.
assembly-line workers and accounting clerk) as they go about their
jobs.
Advantages
• Provides first-hand information
• Reduces distortion of information

Disadvantages
• Time consuming
• Difficulty in capturing entire job cycle
• Of little use if job involves a high level of mental activity

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Participant Diary / Logs

Information Source
- Workers keep a chronological diary/ log of what they do and the time
spent on each activity.

Advantages
– Produces a more complete picture of the job
– Employee participation
Disadvantages
– Distortion of information
– Depends upon employees to accurately recall their activities

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Quantitative Job Analysis Techniques

Quantitative Job
Analysis

1- Position 2- Department of
3- Functional Job
Analysis Labor (DOL)
Analysis
Questionnaire Procedure

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1- Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
• is a very structured job analysis questionnarie.

• a questionnaire used to collect quantifiable data concerning the

duties and responsibilities of various jobs, see Figure 4-4 and 4-5,
on five basic activities:
a) having decision-making/communication/social responsibilities,
b) performing skilled activities,
c) being physically active,
d) operating vehicles/equipment, and
e) processing information.

• In Fig 4-5, for example, ‘written materials’ received a rating of 4,

indicating that written materials (such as books, reports, office
notes) play a considerable role in this job.

• The analyst can do this online (see www.paq.com)

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 FIGURE 4–5
Portion of a Completed
Page from the Position
Analysis Questionnaire
The 194 PAQ elements are grouped into
six dimensions. This exhibits 11 of the
“information input” questions or elements.
Other PAQ pages contain questions
regarding mental processes, work output,
relationships with others, job context, and
other job characteristics.

Source: www.ncf.edu/humanresources/documents/
A&P%20Final.doc. Accessed May 10, 2007. 21
2- Department of Labor Procedure (DOL)

• is a standardized method for rating, classifying, and

comparing virtually every kind of job based on data,
people, and things. Table 4-1 shows a set of basic
activities, and Figure 4-6 gives a sample summary.

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TABLE 4–1 Basic Department of Labor Worker Functions
Data People Things
0 Synthesizing 0 Mentoring 0 S e tti n g u p
1 Coordinating 1 Negotiating 1 Precision working
2
2 Analyzing 2 Instructing Operating/controlling
Basic Activities

3 Compiling 3 Supervising 3 Driving/operating

4 Computing 4 Diverting 4 M a n i p u l a ti n g
5 Copying 5 Persuading 5 Tending
6 Comparing 6 Speaking/signaling 6 Feeding/offbearing
7
8STaekrviningg 7 Handling
instructions/helping

Note: Determine employee’s job “score” on data, people, and things by observing his
or her job and determining, for each of the three categories, which of the basic functions
illustrates the person’s job. “0” is high; “6,” “8,” and “7” are lows in each column.

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 FIGURE 4–6
Sample Report
B as ed on
Department of
Labor Job Analysis
Technique

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3- Functional job analysis

• rates a job on data; people; things; the extent to which specific

instructions are necessary to perform the task; the extent to which
reasoning and judgment are required to perform the task; and
mathematical ability required to perform the task; and

• identifies performance standards and training requirements.

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Internet-based Job Analysis

• Standardized questionnaires are frequently distributed, with

instructions, via the Internet or Intranet. The danger is that important
points may be missed or misunderstood, clouding results.

 Using Multiple Sources of Information

• Where possible, collect job analysis data using several types of
collection techniques (i.e. interviews, questionnaires, observations)
and respondents (i.e. groups, individuals, observers, supervisors,
and analysts). Potential inaccuracies in peoples’ judgments could
lead to inaccurate conclusions.

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III-Writing Job Descriptions
There is no standard format for writing job a description. Most descriptions contain the
following sections:

Job
Identification

Job Job
Specifications Summary

Sections of a
Typical Job
Working Description Responsibilities
Conditions and Duties

Standards of Authority of the

Performance Incumbent

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FIGURE 4–8
Sample Job
Description,

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FIGURE 4–8
Sample Job
Description,
(cont’d)

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 FIGURE 4–9
Marketing
M anager
Description
from Standard
Occupational
Classification

Source: www.bls.gov/soc/
soc_a2c1.htm. Accessed
August 17, 2007. 30
• Job identification: contains the job title, the FLSA (Fair
Labour Standards Act) status, date, and possible space to
indicate who approved the description, the location of the job,
the immediate supervisor’s title, salary and/or pay scale.

• Job summary: should describe the general nature of the job,

and includes only its major functions or activities.

• Relationships – occasionally a relationships statement is

included. It shows the jobholders’ relationships with others
i n s i d e a n d o u t s i d e t h e o rg a n i z a t i o n .

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• Responsibilities and Duties: The job analysis itself will
provide information about what employees are doing on
the job.

-Major responsibilities and duties (essential functions)

-Decision-making authority
-Direct supervision
-Budgetary limitations

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• Standards of Performance and Working Conditions –
states the standards the employee is expected to achieve
under each of the job description’s main duties and
responsibilities.
(i.e. What it takes to do the job successfully)

Example: Duty: Accurately Posting Accounts Payable

Duty: Meeting Daily Production Schedule

• Using the Internet for Writing Job Descriptions - Internet

sites such as www.jobdescription.com and O*NET found at
h t t p : / / o n l i n e . o n e t c e n t e r. o rg / a re u s e f u l W e b t o o l s f o r
developing job descriptions.

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IV-Writing Job Specifications

“What traits and

experience are required
to do this job well?”

i- Specifications
ii- Specifications iii- Specifications
for Trained Versus
Based on Based on
Untrained
Judgment Statistical Analysis
Personnel

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• The job specification may be section of the job description, or
a separate document entirely.
Regularly, as seen in Figure 4.8, the employer presents it as
p a rt o f t h e j o b d e s c ri p t i o n .

i- Specifications for Trained Versus Untrained Personnel

• Writing job specifications for trained employees is relatively
s t r a i g h t f o rw a rd b e c a u s e t h e y a r e l i k e l y t o f o c u s o n t r a i t s l i k e
length of previous service, quality of relevant training, and
previous job performance.
• Writing job specifications for untrained employees is more
complex because they are more likely to specify qualities
such as physical traits, personality, interests, or sensory skills
that imply some potential for performing or being trained to
p e rf o r m o n t h e j o b .

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ii- Specifications Based on Judgment
• Job specifications may come from educated guesses or
judgments of people like supervisors and HR managers, or from
competencies listed in web-based job descriptions like those listed
at www.jobdescription.com or O*Net online
(http://online.onetcenter.org).

• The Dictionary of Occupational Titles is also a useful source. The

Dictionary assigns ratings and letters to human requirement or traits
as follows: G (intelligence), V (verbal), N (numerical), P(perception),
Q (clerical perception), K (motor coordination), F (finger dexterity), M
(manual dexterity), E (eye-hand-foot coordination), and C (color
discrimination).

• Research Insight – One researcher found that regardless of the job,

the following are some examples of generic job-related behaviors:
industriousness; thoroughness, schedule flexibility, attendance, off-
task behavior (reverse), unruliness (reverse), theft (reverse), and
drug misuse (reverse).

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iii- Specifications Based on Statistical Analysis
• Basing job specifications on statistical analysis is more defensible,
but a more difficult approach than the judgmental approach.

• The aim of the statistical approach is to determine statistically the

relationship between 1) some predictor or human trait such as
height, intelligence, or finger dexterity, and 2) some indicator or
criterion of job effectiveness.

• The five steps in statistical analysis are: a) analyze the job and
decide how to measure job performance; b) select personal traits
like finger dexterity that you believe should predict successful
performance; c) test candidates for these traits; d) measure these
candidates’ subsequent job performance; and e) statistically analyze
the relationship between the human trait and job performance.

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V-Job Analysis in a ‘Jobless’ World

Job Design:
Specialization and
Efficiency?

Job Job Job

Enlargement Rotation Enrichment

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• The New Workforce: Global Job Analysis Applications. This
describes the Mercedes-Benz factory in Alabama. Job analysis
plays a key part in this plant and there are very few different job
descriptions or titles.

• From Specialized to Enlarged Jobs –

1. A “job” as we know it today is largely an outgrowth of the
industrial revolution’s emphasis on efficiency.

2. Job enlargement involves assigning workers additional same-

level activities, thus increasing the number of activities they perform.

3. Job rotation is systematically moving workers from one job to

another.

4. Job enrichment involves redesigning jobs in a way that

increases the opportunities for the worker to experience feelings of
responsibility, achievement, growth, and recognition.

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 Dejobbing the
Organization

Using Self- Reengineering

Flattening the
Managed Work Business
Organization
Teams Processes

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•Why Managers are De-jobbing Their Companies

• De-jobbing refers to broadening the responsibilities of the

company’s jobs, and encouraging employees not to limit
themselves to what’s on their job descriptions.

1. Flatter organizations with three or four levels of management are

becoming more prevalent than the traditional pyramid-shaped
organizations with seven or more layers of management.

2. Self-managed work teams, where tasks are organized around teams

and processes rather than around specialized functions, are being
used increasingly more by organizations

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