Job Analysis

Job Analysis
Job analysis is the process of determining the nature or content of a job by
collecting and organizing information relevant to the job. A complete job
analysis contains information relating to the following five factors, plus any
others deemed appropriate to fully describe the nature of the job: (1) work
products what the job seeks to accomplish; (2) necessary worker activities or
behaviors required by the job; (3) equipment used; (4) factors in the work
environment; and (5) personal characteristics required to do the job, such as
typing speed, physical strength, or interest in working with children.

The personal requirements of a job are referred to as job specifications.
Job specifications are the human requirements deemed necessary for
minimally acceptable performance on the job. Job specifications can include
skills, abilities, education level, experience, interests, personality traits, or
other physical characteristics.

METHODS OF JOB ANALYSIS

Job analysis methods can be categorized into four basic types: (1) observation
methods; (2) interview techniques; (3) questionnaires, including job inventories
or checklists.

Observation Methods
Observation of work activities and worker behaviors is a method of job
analysis which can be used independently or in combination with other
methods of job analysis. Three methods of job analysis based on observation
are: (1) direct observation; (2) work methods analysis, including time and
motion study and micro-motion analysis; and (3) the critical incident technique.
Though they employ the same method, these methods differ in terms of who
does the observing, what is observed, and how it is observed.

Direct observation. Using direct observation, a person conducting the
analysis simply observes employees in the performance of their duties,
recording observations as they are made. The observer either takes general

notes or works from a form which has structured categories for comment.
Everything is observed: what the worker accomplishes, what equipment is
used, what the work environment is like, and any other factors relevant to the
job.

Direct observation methods have certain natural limitations for job analysis
purposes. First, they cannot capture the mental aspects of jobs, such as
decision making or planning, since mental processes are not observable.
Second, observation methods can provide little information relating to personal
requirements for various jobs because this kind of information is also not
readily observable. Thus, observation methods provide little information on
which to base job specifications.

Work methods analysis. A sophisticated observation method, work methods
analysis is used to describe manual and repetitive production jobs, such as
factory or assembly-line jobs. These methods are used by industrial engineers
to determine standard rates of production which are used to set pay rates.
Two types of work methods analysis are time and motion study and micro-
motion analysis. In time and motion studies, an industrial engineer observes
and records each activity of a worker, using a stopwatch to note the time it
takes to perform separate elements of the job. Micro-motion analysis uses a
movie camera to record worker activities. Films are analyzed to discover
acceptable ways of accomplishing tasks and to set standards relating to how
long certain tasks should take. Such data are especially useful for developing
training programs and setting pay rates.

Critical incident technique. The critical incident technique involves
observation and recording of examples of particularly effective or ineffective
behaviors. Behaviors are judged to be "effective" or "ineffective" in terms of
results produced by the behavior.

The following information should be recorded for each "critical incident" of
behavior: (1) what led up to the incident and the situation in which it occurred;
(2) exactly what the employee did that was particularly effective or ineffective;

(3) the perceived consequences or results of the behavior; and (4) a judgment
as to the degree of control an employee had over the results his or her
behavior produced (to what degree should the employee be held responsible
for what resulted?).

The critical incident method differs from direct observation and work methods
analysis in that observations of behavior are not recorded as the behavior
occurs, but only after the behavior has been judged to be either particularly
effective or ineffective in terms of results produced. This means that a person
using the critical incident method must describe a behavior in retrospect, or
after the fact, rather than as the activity unfolds. Accurate recording of past
observations is more difficult than recording the behaviors as they occur.

Interview Techniques
Interview techniques involve discussions between job analysts (or other
interviewers) and job occupants or experts. Interviews held on a one-to-one
basis are called individual interviews. Interviews with groups of two or more
job occupants are called group interviews. Job analysis data from individual
and group interviews with employees are often supplemented by information
from supervisors of employees whose jobs are analyzed. Job analysis
interviews can also be held with a small panel of experts, such as supervisors
or long-time employees who are very familiar with the job. Interviews of this
type are called technical conferences. The end product of a technical
conference is a job description that reflects a consensus of the experts'
thinking.

Interviews can be unstructured, with questions and areas of discussion
unspecified, or they can be more highly structured, spelling out each point for
discussion. Using a structured format increases the likelihood that all aspects
of a job will be covered in an interview. Further, using a more structured format
enables collection of comparable data from all persons interviewed, making
information classification easier.

Observation and interview techniques of job analysis are often used in

combination or in developing more sophisticated methods of job analysis.

Questionnaires
Questionnaires can be filled out by employees on an individual basis or by job
analysts for a group of employees. Questionnaires vary in the degree to which
they are structured. Relatively unstructured questionnaires ask questions that
are open-ended, or seek an unspecified answer. Examples of open-ended
questionnaire items are as follows:

1. Describe the duties of your job.
2. Describe your daily routine.
3. What skills do you feel are essential to the performance of your duties?

CHECKLIST FOR JOB ANALYSIS FORMS DESIGN

[Instructions: Use this checklist to evaluate existing data-gathering forms or to
design a new one. Your form should ask appropriate questions in each of the
eight areas listed below. The subheadings under each area suggest specific
questions that might be asked.]

JOB IDENTITY
Job title
Department
Location or facility
Number of incumbents

WORK PERFORMED
What duties/responsibilities are performed
How they are performed
Why they are performed
Frequency and scope of specific duties

KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED
Areas of knowledge

General disciplines
Specialized expertise
Formal education (how much)
Experience (how long)

SKILLS REQUIRED
Mental (computational, analytical, abstract, etc.)
Physical (visual, dexterity, etc.)
Interpersonal (selling, counseling, supervising, etc.)

PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Exertion; availability of support equipment
Motion
Environment; heat, cold, humidity, noise
Hazards
Exposure to unpleasant conditions

SPECIAL DEMANDS
Work hours
Travel
Isolation

SOURCES OF WORKERS FOR THIS JOB
From other jobs (identify)
Job posting
Apprenticeship programs (how long)
Other companies; what type of work
Hands-on training

ACCOUNTABILITY
Equipment value
Assets
Budgets and expenditures
Outside relations

Job Analysis

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Job Analysis (20)

More from dimplenift (13)

Job Analysis