Friday 13 April 2012

APPROACHES TO JOB ANALYSIS AND CHANGING NATURE OF WORK


 Approaches to Job Analysis
Two main approaches to job analysis are as under.

1.       1. The Engineering Approach
This approach is based on the work of German sociologist Max Webber who form the basis of system of bureaucracy and the  F.W. Taylor who is considered  as the father  of Scientific management.  According to this approach jobs are designed in such a way that there is clear and strict division of work which enables workers to specialize in a particular task and thus become more productive. However problem with this approach is that workers soon get bored with doing similar jobs and become demotivated.

2.       2. The Human Relation Approach
According to this approach human beings get fed up with doing similar jobs (as mentioned above in Engineering approach) therefore jobs should be designed based on job enlargement, rotation and enrichment thus helping employees to increase their skills as well as avoiding the de-motivation and boredom problem.
By job enlargement it means adding more work and responsibility in to existing job, job rotation means moving a person from one position to another or from one location to another to increase their knowledge and skills while job enrichment means re-designing job which give employees more autonomy and responsibility. 

Job Analysis and changing nature of Work and Organizations
Job analysis is becoming more and more difficult and partially absolute in modern organization. This is because of the following reasons.

  • Downsizing is a way forward for many organizations. When an organization downsizes its workforce, more and more work is diverted to the rest of the staff thus making job analysis and job design irrelevant.
  • Flatter Hierarchy; more and more organization are delegating their work to the lower level of organization and removing unnecessary managerial layers which is making the process of job design more difficult.
  • Self-Managed work teams; previously job design was used to assign work to the workers, however now many organization such as Toyota, Microsoft have introduced the concept of self-managed teams.  These are the teams who decide themselves about their leader, their processes, their timing and objectives. Now because of self-managed teams job design becomes irrelevant because work is not needed to assign to such teams as they decide themselves about their work.
  • Re-Engineering; many organizations are involved in business process re-engineering such as Just in Time Inventory (JIT). As organizations are re-engineering their work, there is less need for job design because jobs are changing along with re-engineering so there is less need for job design.

THE PROCESS OF JOB ANALYSIS AND METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION


The Process of Job Analysis:
The Process of Job Analysis include the following four stages. Their details are as under.

Stage 1 Collection of background Information
In this stage HR Manager or Job analysis specialist plan for data collection, decides about data collection techniques, its usage, available organizational charts and process charts and any previous job descriptions and specifications. Often such information is available in organization and thus forms the basis for conducting a fresh job analysis. 
The Process of Job Analysis by Tahir 2012
Stage 2 Selection of a sample unit
In most cases there are many employees in organization who are carrying out same or relatively similar jobs. Therefore it is wise to select a sample size which will make job analysis easier and more cost efficient
Stage 3 Collection of job analysis data
After reviewing the background information and other relevant data in stage 1& 2, stage 3 involves collection of real data about jobs. This data can provide useful insight about job and include information such as required knowledge, skills, behavior, personality, machinery and physical skills and other interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. After collecting such information it is wise to recheck this information with workers and their immediate supervisors which will help to eliminate any errors in data.

Key Parties in Job Analysis and Data Collection by Tahir 2012
Stage 4 Developing a Job Description and Job Specification
Based on the information collected via Stage 1, 2 and 3, the person who is carrying out job analysis is able to develop job description and job specification.
As mentioned above job description is about writing key responsibilities, authority, working conditions and other information which are relevant and important. Job Specification is more about individual who will be suitable to fill such jobs such as their personal qualification, experience, knowledge, traits, personality and so on.

Methods of Data Collection:
There are different methods of collecting important information about job and individuals. Some of the most commonly used methods are as under.
1.       The Interview
Interviews are most common and easiest method of job related data collection. In Interviews you directly ask the workers who are performing that job or similar job either individually or collectively. These interviews can also include the input of worker’s supervisors. 


They can give a good picture of job since workers are the expert of their work or area and they know exactly what the job entails, what is its location, what are the key duties, responsibilities, authorities, problems, limitations, risks, hazards and also suggestions for improvements.

1.       The Questionnaire
Questionnaire can be used to collect job related information either in a structured or highly unstructured way. In Structured questionnaire similar type of questions are asked from many individuals and their answers are then calculated and based on average you can figure out about specific job. 
Similarly in unstructured questionnaires individuals have choice to say anything about job and thus the data you get is richer and qualitative in nature. 

1.       Direct Observation
Direct observation is also a useful method of job analysis data. It is useful because it provide a direct understanding of what the individual do in their daily job, what are the key tasks, what are the limitations, problems, hazards, risks, duties, responsibilities, supervisors, reporting and communication channel and so on. 
Direct observation can also be facilitated by CCTV (Closed circuit television) or other means of technology.



JOB ANALYSIS


Job Analysis:
Job analysis is an investigation of the requirement for a particular job and characteristics and requirement related to those people who will perform these jobs or tasks.

Job Analysis by Tahir 2012
Job Description
Job description includes a particular job’s  key duties, authority, communication and reporting mechanism and working conditions in which a particular job occurs or being performed.

Job Specification
Job specification focuses on individuals who fill different jobs in an organization. It provide details about what type and level of  education, knowledge, skills, attitudes, personality and background required to  fill a particular job.


Objectives / Importance of Job Analysis
Importance of job analysis can be explained by the following points.
 Basis for HR Planning:
Job analysis forms basis for Human resource planning. In Human Resource planning the qualitative and quantitative requirements of human resource are calculated based on organizational requirements. Job analysis supplements HR planning by providing useful data about different types of jobs, their individual requirements and type of people needed to fill such jobs.  Without proper job analysis, human resource planning will be meaningless statistics with no use of it. 

Basis for Recruitment and Selection:
Job analysis helps recruitment and selection function by providing useful input about jobs and the type of candidate to fill such jobs. Without job analysis organization might end up recruiting wrong people for wrong jobs or may have no idea about how different jobs are linked together and how work is accomplished in organization. 

Importance of Job Analysis by Tahir 2012
Basis for Compensation:
Job analysis guide organization about how to select salary/pay related issues. It identifies relative worth of each job and thus helps compensation specialist or Human resource manager to assign right pay or grades to each job category. Without having a proper job analysis organization might end up paying too much or paying too little for different jobs thus creating a sense of unfairness among employees and loss of motivation and productivity.

Input to Training Function:
Job analysis provides detail information about what type of knowledge, skills, abilities, behavior needed to perform a specific job. Thus it provides input in to training needs analysis (TNA) function. It enables Training function to identify training needs for newly recruited staff as well as for old staff.  It also helps to determine level, type and quantity of training. 

Use for Managing and Judging Performance:
Job analysis form basis for Performance Management by providing basic criteria to judge employee’s performance and setting future targets. It helps to identify any performance gap between desired and actual performance and thus guides management to take necessary action to correct any performance issues.


Writing a Job Description:
Job Description provides information about a particular job. It can include the following
1.       Job Identification
It is mostly a first section just like an opening statement which mentions job title as well as key information such as location, organization name and status. It helps readers to quickly identify and scrutinize jobs which match with their individual circumstances.

2.       Job Summary
It is the summary of whole job description. It helps readers to identify in minimum time that whether he / she is suitable for this particular job or not. 

3.       Relationships
This section explains the relationship of a particular job with other jobs. It also mentions whom the job holder will be reporting, who will be the coworkers and whom the jobholder will supervise. This section also mentions any external stakeholders with whom the job holder will interact with.

4.       Responsibilities and Duties
It is the most important section or essence of job description. It describes the job holder’s key responsibilities, duties and area of authority. It explains the key work or function which job holder have to perform.  This section also include the job timing, shift pattern if any and the length of contract and the status of job such as permanent or temporary basis.

5.       Performance Criteria
Some job description includes performance criteria which mention the expected criteria for judging performance in the future. It can include qualitative terms such as maintaining interpersonal relations, teamwork, or quantitative terms such as dollar amount of sales and number of units to be sold during a particular time.

6.       Working Conditions
Some job description also include working conditions such as industry or factory environment,  International location, difficulties which can effect job holder’s health or capabilities to perform job and so on.  Finally the salary, taxation and other benefits are also mentioned in this section.


Writing a Job Specification
Job specification is about type of person/people required to fill a particular position. Mostly job specification includes the following;
1.       Education
Mostly in Services sector jobs, Education is an important feature of job specification. Mostly the required education for a particular position or job is based on common understanding.  E.g.  For an accountant jobs you need a degree in Accountancy and for the post of a manager you might need an MBA degree.
2.       Experience
Almost every employer wants experienced employees except for entry level or Fresh graduate positions. Experience become more important in manufacturing related jobs. In this section required general experience or experience of particular role is mentioned along with desired industry or sector in which experience is gained.
3.       Job- Related Behavior
It is been widely researched and confirmed in HR literature that to perform a job successfully you not only needs right education and experience but also needs required job related behaviors such as risk-taking, creativity, taking initiatives, hardworking, punctuality, compliance with policies, detail orientation and being highly social and interactive.  The presence or absence of such behavior can affect the performance of an individual for a particular job, therefore most job specification now clearly mention such job related behavior.