Week 3 (Job Analysis)

7/28/2019 Week 3 (Job Analysis)

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JOB ANALYSIS(a.k.a. Competency Modeling)

WEEK 3



“Although JA is an essential feature of almost every activityengaged in by HR, the subject is treated in textbooks in amanner which suggests that any fool can do it and thus it is atask which can be delegated to the lowest level technician.

This is quite contradictory to the position taken ... in the EEOCSelection Guidelines .”

“When I first started back in the sixties, JA was a very lonelyarea to work in. Over the years, it has not been very popular relative to some of the more glamorous activities in HR, …and does not seem to hold a strong attraction for students. Inshort, job analysis might be characterized as the RodneyDangerfield of HR: it doesn’t get a lot of respect.”



ImportanceDifficult to overstate its importance, because itunderscores almost every other HR functionAlso relevant to Legal Issues

Job relevance/business necessity“Essential” job functions per ADA

Confusion of terminologyJob Descriptions vs. Job Specifications

Job descriptions: the tasks/duties that comprise a jobtask and activities in the process of job.Teacher hasto perform a lecture

But also is used to refer to the written summary of a jobJob specifications: the KSAOs required to performthose tasks/duties

“Competencies”Teacher must have the knowledge of thesubject-

O- stands for Other charactersistics like teacher must have patience, stamina etc.



MethodsReviewing Existing Documents- O net

Observing Job PerformanceParticipating in Job TasksSME Panels- Subject Matter Experts,these aresupervisors and incumbents.it is a panel.Recording work activities in a log/diaryInterviewingQuestionnaires/SurveysMost JAs use more than one method

Courts pay attention to comprehensivenessDocumentation very important!why?

Sources: Incumbents vs. Supervisors vs. Job Analysts



Methods1. Reviewing Existing Documents

E.g., position descriptions; training/employee manuals; previous JAs; O*NETO*NET: www.doleta.gov/programs/onet/

www.online.onetcenter.org

2. Observing Job PerformanceProcedureTake notes about what Ee does while workingUse prepared checklistAsk probing questionsUse recording devices (e.g., cameras, physiological)

Include representative sample of job behaviors-

Be unobtrusive while observing

http://www.doleta.gov/programs/onet/

http://www.online.onetcenter.org/

http://www.online.onetcenter.org/

http://www.doleta.gov/programs/onet/



Methods(continued)

3. Participating in Job Tasks4. SME Panels

“Manageable” number (10 -12)Involve panel early and often“Critical incidents”

5. Recording work activities in a log/diary



Methods(continued)

6. InterviewingRequires ability to

ListenPut people at easeDirect conversationAsk questions to probe for add’l job -relevant info

Flow of interviewMake introductions; describe purpose of JA; answer interviewees’ questions; use preliminary task list asstarting point



Methods(continued)

6. Interviewing (continued)Questions

question should be related to purpose of analysis

wording should be clear and unambiguousquestion should not “lead” the respondent; should notimply that a specific answer is desiredquestion should not be “loaded” (social desirability)

shouldn’t ask for knowledge or info the intervieweedoesn’t have no personal or intimate material that the intervieweemight resent



Methods(continued)

7. Questionnaires/SurveysCustomized it is not specific for the job, vs. off-the-shelf is already there like PICTypical sections

Cover page; introduction; background information; task section and directions; KSAO section and directions



JA Survey Instruments(Off-the-shelf)

Fleishman Job Analysis Survey (F-JAS)Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

reading level is higher 189 items; 5 rating scales; worker-orientedwww.paq.com

Job Element Inventory (JEI)Lower reading level than PAQOnly 1 rating scale (relative time spent)

http://www.paq.com/

http://www.paq.com/



Off-the-shelf JA Instruments(continued)

Performance Improvement Characteristics(PIC)

48 items that assess the importance (for successful

job performance) of 7 personality characteristicsAdjustmentAmbitionSociabilityLikeabilityPrudenceIntellectance; open mindedness, new experiences

School Success



Choosing JA Methods, Instruments,and Respondents

What is the purpose of the JA?E.g., job classification, selection/placement,

performance appraisal, job evaluation, job design,disability accommodation, training/development

What is its scope? (e.g., all jobs? Just one?)Technical soundness

Reliability, validity (e.g., www.paq.com )

Legal defensibilityPracticality -Most reduced-effort JA methods have failed

the quality (and legal) test.

http://www.paq.com/

http://www.paq.com/



Quality of Respondent DataSampling?

Random vs. Stratified vs. ScroungeShould be demographically representative of incumbent

population (for legal reasons)Select varying experience (i.e., tenure) levels (becauseexperience affects responses)

How many?If N > 100, sample 10-20%If 10 < N < 100, sample 50%“Rule of three”

Assessing quality of respondents’ data Low agreement? If responses do not match with each other “Carelessness index” it is not related to just to assesswhether the respondents are careful or not.Repeat items



A JOB DESCRIPTION

All job descriptions within an organizationshould follow the same format

Newly hired Ees should be given a copy of their job description



JA in the FutureChanging nature of jobs

Shift from task-based to process-based work Unbundling tasks into broader chunks of work thatchange over time — whatever is clerical is now the

job, before it was that do typing etc.Flextime, job sharing

Implications for JAWill task-based descriptors remain the norm?Will job specifications supersede job descriptions?Shift from describing jobs to describing roles?