Task dimensions job analysis

Part 2
Support Activities

Chapter 4:

Job Analysis and Rewards

McGraw-Hill Education

Copyright © 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education, All Rights Reserved.

Staffing Policies and Programs

Staffing System and Retention Management

Support Activities

Legal compliance

Planning

Job analysis

Core Staffing Activities

Recruitment: External, internal

Selection:
Measurement, external, internal

Employment:
Decision making, final match

Staffing Organizations Model

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Chapter Outline

Changing Nature of Jobs
Job Requirements Job Analysis
Job Requirements Matrix
Job Descriptions and Job Specifications
Collecting Job Requirements Information
Competency-Based Job Analysis
Nature of Competencies
Collecting Competency Information
Job Rewards
Types of Rewards
Employee Value Proposition
Collecting Job Rewards Information
Job Analysis for Teams
Legal Issues
Job Relatedness and Court Cases
Essential Job Functions
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Learning Objectives for This Chapter

Understand the rationale behind job analysis
Know the difference between a job description and job specification
Learn about methods for collecting job requirements
Understand why competency-based job analysis has grown in prominence
Learn about methods for collecting competencies
Recognize the types of rewards associated with jobs
Become familiar with the legal issues surrounding job analysis
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Discussion Questions for This Chapter

What is the purpose of each type of job analysis, and how can the three types described in this chapter be combined to produce an overall understanding of work in an organization?
How should task statements be written, and what sorts of problems might you encounter in asking a job incumbent to write these statements?
Would it be better to first identify task dimensions and then create specific task statements for each dimension, or should task statements be identified first and then used to create task dimensions?
What would you consider when trying to decide what criteria (e.g., percent time spent) to use for gathering indications about task importance?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using multiple methods of job analysis for a particular job? Multiple sources?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of identifying and using general competencies to guide staffing activities?
Referring to Exhibit 4.18, why do you think HR professionals were not able to very accurately predict the importance of many rewards to employees? What are the implications for creating the EVP?
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The Need for Job Analysis

The process of studying jobs in order to gather, analyze, synthesize, and report information about job requirements and rewards
Three main types
Job requirements
Competency-based
Job rewards
Exhibit 4.1 Comparison of Types of Job Analysis

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Job requirements Competency Job rewards
Method Collect information on activities performed on the job to assess needed KSAOs for each job Collect information on company strategy to determine KSAOs and behavioral capabilities across the organization Collect information from employees on preferences and outcomes of jobs
Process Collect data on tasks, duties, responsibilities from incumbents and supervisors, develop job requirements matrix Discuss strategy with executives, then review how each job fits with the overall goals Develop lists of potential rewards for a job and survey job incumbents and leaders
Staffing implications Documents task requirements for legal purposes, determines specific KSAOs for selection Links organizational strategy with planning process and determines broad KSAOs for selection Provides guidance for how to develop recruiting materials and retention strategies
Changing Nature of Jobs

Major sources of change
Jobs are constantly evolving
Need for greater flexibility
Team- based work
Employees need to go beyond “tasks and duties as written”
Implication
Job analyses must be able to adapt to these conditions
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Job Requirements Job Analysis: Overview

Definition
Process of studying jobs to gather, analyze, synthesize, and report information about job requirements
Two major forms
Job requirements
Specific KSAOs for the job
Competency based
General KSAOs for all applicants
Has different degrees of relevance to staffing activities
Support activity for staffing activities
Provides foundation for successful staffing systems
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Ex. 4.2: Job Requirements
Approach to Job Analysis

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Ex. 4.3 Job Requirements Matrix

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Task statements

Definition
objectively written descriptions of the behaviors or work activities engaged in by employees in order to perform the job
Each statement should include
What the employee does, using a specific action verb
To whom or what the employee does what he or she does, stating the object of the verb
What is produced, indicating the expected output of the verb
What equipment, materials, tools, or procedures, are used
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Task Dimensions

Definition
Involves grouping sets of task statements into dimensions, attaching a name to each dimension
Other terms -- “duties,” “accountability areas,” “responsibilities,” and “performance dimensions”
Characteristics
Creation is optional
Many different grouping procedures exist
Guideline - 4 to 8 dimensions
Grouping procedure should be acceptable to organizational members
Empirical validation against external criterion is not possible
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Importance of Tasks/Dimensions

Involves an objective assessment of importance
Two decisions
Decide on attribute to be assessed in terms of importance
Decide whether attribute will be measured in categorical or continuous terms
Ex. 4.4: Ways to Assess Task/Dimension Importance
Relative time spent
Percentage (%) time spent
Importance to overall performance
Need for new employee training
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KSAOs

What are KSAOs?
Knowledge
Exh. 4.6: Knowledges Contained in O*NET
Skill
Exh. 4.7: Skills Contained in O*NET
Ability
Exh. 4.8: Abilities Contained in O*NET
Other Characteristics
Exh. 4.9: Examples of Other Job Requirements
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Exhibit 4.9
Examples of Ways to Assess KSAO Importance

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Discussion questions

What is the purpose of each type of job analysis, and how can the three types described in this chapter be combined to produce an overall understanding of work in an organization?
How should task statements be written, and what sorts of problems might you encounter in asking a job incumbent to write these statements?
Would it be better to first identify task dimensions and then create specific task statements for each dimension, or should task statements be identified first and then used to create task dimensions?
What would you consider when trying to decide what criteria (e.g., percent time spent) to use for gathering indications about task importance?
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Job Descriptions and
Job Specifications

Job description
Describes tasks, task dimensions, importance of tasks / dimensions, and job context
Includes
Job family, job title, job summary
Task statements and dimensions
Importance indicators
Job context indicators
Date conducted
Job specifications
Describes KSAOs
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Collecting Job Requirements Information

Methods
Prior information
Observation
Interviews
Task questionnaire
Committee or task force
Sources to be used
Job analyst
Job incumbents
Supervisors
Subject matter experts
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Exhibit 4.13 Factors to Consider in Choosing Between Internal Staff or Consultants or Job Analysis

Exhibit 4.14 Example of Job Requirements Job Analysis Process

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Competency-Based Job Analysis

Nature of competencies
an underlying characteristic of an individual that contributes to job or role performance and to organizational success
Usage reflects a desire to:
connote job requirements that extend beyond the specific job itself
describe and measure the organization’s workforce in more general terms
as a way of increasing staffing flexibility in job assignments
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KSAOs or Competencies?

Similarities between competencies and KSAOs
Both reflect an underlying ability to perform a job
Differences between competencies and KSAOs
Competencies are much more general
May contribute to success on multiple jobs
Contribute not only to job performance but also to organizational success
Exh. 4.16: Examples of Competencies

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Organization Usage

Organizations are experimenting with
Developing competencies and competency models and
Using them as underpinnings of several HR applications
Three strategic HR reasons for doing competency modeling
Create awareness and understanding of need for change in business
Enhance skill levels of workforce
Improve teamwork and coordination
Emphasis -- Establishing general competencies
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The “Great Eight” Competencies

Leading: initiates action, gives direction
Supporting: shows respect, puts people first
Presenting: communicates and networks effectively
Analyzing: thinks clearly, applies expertise
Creating: thinks broadly, handles situations creatively
Organizing: plans ahead, follows rules
Adapting: responds to change, copes with setbacks
Performing: focuses on results, shows understanding of organization
Collecting Competency Information

Best practices
Establish mission and goals prior to determining competency requirements
General competencies should be important at all job levels
All competencies should have specific behavioral definitions, not just labels
Recent research suggests these methods are a rigorous and accurate as those based on job requirements
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Discussion Questions

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using multiple methods of job analysis for a particular job? Multiple sources?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of identifying and using general competencies to guide staffing activities?
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Job Rewards

Extrinsic rewards
external to the job itself
designed and granted to employees by the organization
pay, benefits, work schedule, advancement, job security
Intrinsic rewards
intangibles
experienced by employees as an outgrowth of doing the job
variety in work duties, autonomy, feedback, coworker and supervisor relations
Employee value proposition
the “package” or “bundle” of rewards provided to employees and to which employees respond by joining, performing, and remaining with the organization
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Job Rewards:
Collecting Information

Within the organization
Interviews with employees
Surveys with employees
Outside the organization
SHRM survey
Organizational practices
Ex. 4.16: Examples of Job Rewards Interview Questions

Rewards Offered
What are the most rewarding elements of your job? Consider both the work itself and the pay and benefits associated with your job.
Looking ahead, are there any changes you can think of that would make your job more rewarding?
Reward Magnitude
Describe the amount of potential for growth and development in your job.
Do you feel like the pay and benefits provided for your job are adequate for the work you do, and if not, what would you change?
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Ex. 4.16: Examples of Job Rewards Interview Questions

Reward Mix
If you could change the mix of rewards provided in your job, what would you add?
Of the rewards associated with your job, which two are the most important to you?
Reward Distinctiveness
Which rewards that you receive in your job are you most likely to tell others about?
Which of our rewards really stand out to you? To job applicants?
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Exhibit 4.17 Job Rewards Survey

Developing questions
Should cover material identified in interviews
Identify both extrinsic and intrinsic elements
Response options
Importance of each type of reward for workers
Extent to which each type of reward is provided on the job
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Legal Issues

Job relatedness and court cases
Recommendations -- Establishing job-related nature of staffing practices
Essential job functions
fundamental job duties of the employment position the individual with a disability holds or desires
the reason the position exists is to perform the function
a limited number of employees available among whom the performance of that job function can be distributed
the incumbent is hired for his or her expertise or ability to perform the particular function
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Recommendations: Establishing
Job-Related Nature of Staffing Practices

Job analysis must be performed and must be for the job for which the selection instrument is to be utilized
Analysis of job should be in writing
Job analysis should describe in detail the procedure used
Job data should be collected from a variety of current sources by knowledgeable job analysts
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Recommendations: Establishing
Job-Related Nature of Staffing Practices

Sample size should be large and representative of jobs for which selection instrument is used
Tasks, duties, and activities should be included in analysis
Most important tasks should be represented in selection devise
Competency levels of job performance for entry-level jobs should be specified
Knowledge, skills, and abilities should be specified, particularly if content validation model is followed
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Ethical Issues

Issue 1
It has been suggested that “ethical conduct” be formally incorporated as a general competency requirement for any job within the organization. Discuss the pros and cons of this suggestion.
Issue 2
Assume you are assisting in the conduct of job analysis as an HR department representative. You have encountered several managers who want to delete certain tasks and KSAOs from the formal job description having to do with employee safety, even though they clearly are job requirements. How should you handle this situation?