1 job analysis, job design and quality of work life human resources management chapter 5

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JOB ANALYSIS, JOB DESIGN AND QUALITY OF

WORK LIFE

Human Resources Management

Chapter 5

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Objectives

• Explain what is meant by job analysis and job design.• Understand the uses of job analysis.• Describe the content of a job description and a job

specification.• Discuss the collection of job analysis data.• Explain the major methods of job analysis.• Discuss competency profiling.• Understand the major approaches to job design.• Discuss quality of work life, employee participation and

industrial democracy.

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Defining Job Analysis

• Obtaining information about jobs by determining their essential duties, tasks, responsibilities and requirements.

• Information includes: the end result, behaviours required to do the job, equipment that must be used to do the job, environmental factors relevant to performance, personal factors relevant to job performance.

• Including JOB DESCRIPTIONS, JOB SPECIFICATIONS and JOB DESIGN

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When do we need a job analysis?

• When a new job is created

• When a job is changed significantly as a result of new methods, procedures or technology

• A long period since the last job analysis was undertaken

• Disagreement between a supervisor and job holder on the work to be perform

• Increasing grievances regarding job content/working conditions

• Reorganization, restructuring or downsizing

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Job-oriented and Employee Oriented Approach

• Job-oriented: job content: task, duties and responsibilities

• Employee oriented: job requirement : human behaviour required to perform the job, including knowledge, skills, abilities. Only include relevant factors like aptitudes, abilities etc. but not details like sex, age marital status, ethnic background.

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Defining Job Analysis• Why does the job exist?• What physical and mental activities does the worker

undertake?• When is the job to be performed? • What qualifications are needed to perform the job?• What are the working conditions (i.e. temperature,

light, offensive fumes and noise) of the job?• What machinery or equipment is used in the job?• What constitutes successful performance?

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Reasons for Job Analysis

• Job description• Job specifications• Recruitment• Selection• Training and

development• Performance appraisal

• Job evaluations• Salary & benefits• Enterprise bargaining • Working conditions• Authority

relationships• Standards expected• Fringe benefits

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JOB ANALYSIS OBJECTIVEThe purpose of the job analysis

is to collect information for: job description selection

• job specification job design• HR planning recruitment

TYPE OF INFORMATIONTO BE COLLECTED• What is performed?• Where is it performed?• How is it performed?• Why is it performed?• When is it performed?

Sources of data• Job incumbent Records/files/manuals• Supervisor Plans and blueprints• Job analyst HR information systems• Experts

Methods of data collection• Observation Diaries/log• Interviews• Questionnaire• Critical incident report

Form of data analysis• Qualitative • Quantitative

Source: Asia Pacific Management Co Ltd. 2001

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Job Descriptions

• Identify job content, requirements and context• Provide a written summary of the duties and

responsibilities of the job• Help managers and employees understand what

the job is and how it is to be performed.

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Components of Job Descriptions• Job identification

– (Job title,department)

• Job summary– (objective of the position)

• Duties and responsibilities– (list of duties of responsibility)

• Relationships– (relationship with other

positions)

• Know-how – (knowledge, skills, experience)

• Problem solving– (environment:dynamic,

creative or unstable)

• Accountability – (Impact of job in terms of sales,

assets or payroll)

• Authority– (Decision making authority)

• Special circumstances – (Special/hazardous about job)

• Performance standards– (required standard

performance)

• Trade union/association

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Job Specification

• A written statement of the qualifications, skills, experience, ability and know-how a person needs to perform a given job successfully

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Data Collection Methods for job analysis

• Interviews

• Job analysis questionnaires

• Observation

• Diaries and logs

• Critical incidents

• Focus and consultative groups

• Combination

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Methods of Job analysis

1. Functional job analysis (FJA)• Use standardised statements and terminology to

describe nature of job and prepare job descriptions and specifications

2. Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ)• Use a structured questionnaire for quantitatively

assessing jobs.

3. Management position description questionnaire– Use a behaviourally oriented, structured

questionnaire to describe, compare, classify and evaluate management positions

4. Position classification inventory (PCI)• Use to classify occupations and assess person

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The Hay Guide Chart Profile Method

• Widely used in job evaluation, the Hay Guide Chart Profile Method is commercially available through Hay Group.

• Job content is analysed in terms of three major factors which are present to some degree in every job.– Know how => specialized knowledge, managerial skills,

human relations– Problem solving => environment and challenges– Accountability => answerability for actions, freedom to

act, job impact etc

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New Multi-method Approaches• Based on computer technology. Sophisticated quantitative

techniques are now coming into use. • Use multidimensional perspectives on the source of job

information, the type of data analysed and the response scale formats.

• Designed to concurrently support multiple HR applications.• They are structured questionnaires to be completed by

employees, supervisors and/or subject-matter experts.• They use computer-friendly computer systems which may

perform complex multivariate statistical procedures and provide graphical, quality reports for data interpretation.

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Evaluation of Job Analysis

Competency profilingCompetency profiling

• Job analysis method that focuses on the skills and behaviour needed to successfully perform a job.

• Specifically a competency ‘is an underlying characteristic of a person that leads to or causes superior or effective performance’.

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Competency Characteristics • Motives — what drives, directs and selects

behaviour towards certain actions or goals and away from others.

• Traits — physical characteristics and consistent responses to situations or information.

• Self-concept — a person’s attitudes, values or self-image.

• Knowledge — information a person has in specific content areas.

• Skill — the ability to perform a certain physical or mental task.

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The Behavioural Event Interview(BEI)

• BEI is a development of critical incident reporting. • It generates information about the job and what

the job holder thinks, feels and hopes to achieve in the job.

• Helps the HR manager identify and measure competencies such as achievement motivation and logical problem solving.

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Job Analysis and Equal Employment Opportunities (EEO)

• There should be no obvious or disguised violations of EEO requirements.

• Avoid listing lengthy experience requirements (for example, 10–15 years) unless no-one with less experience could satisfactorily perform the job.

• Job specifications and job descriptions should not be based on opinion without a proper job analysis being undertaken.

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Job Design

• Specification of the content of a job• The material and equipment required to do the job• The relation of the job to other jobs.

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Methods of Job Design

• Job specialisation• Job enlargement - horizontal• Job rotation• Job enrichment - vertical• Autonomous work teams• Compressed work week• Flexitime• Job sharing• Part - or fractional time• Telecommuting

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A) Job Specialization– Using standardized work procedures – Employees perform repetitive, precisely defined task– Usually used by industrial engineers and analystsAdv:

• Improve operating efficiencies through use of low-skill and low cost labour

• Minimum on-job-training• Easy control of production quantities• Fewer errors

Disadv:• Boredom and lack of challenge• Employees are restricted by the speed of assembly line• No end product• Limited social interaction• Employees have no decision making involvement

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Job Enlargement– Horizontal expansion of a job by adding similar level

responsibilities

– By adding multiple skilling, task varieties or increasing work interests

Job Rotation– Increase task variety by moving employees from one

task to another function/geography

– Typical in Japanese company

– Adv: higher satisfaction, develop general perspective, increase skills

– Disadv: increase training costs, lower productivity, disruption, lower specialty

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Job Enrichment

– Vertical expansion of a job by adding planning and decision making responsibilities

– Employees may have greater achievement, recognition, responsibility and personal growth and motivation

– By combing tasks, establishing client relationships, expanding jobs vertically (increase employees’ autonomy and control ability), and opening feedback channels

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Quality of Work Life

• Adequate remuneration

• Development of human capabilities

• Growth and security

• Constitutionalism

• Total life space

• Social relevance

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Quality Circles

• Quality circles usually consist of small groups of five to ten workers who meet on a regular basis.

• Meetings generally involve the group’s supervisor• The objective is to identify problems as a group,

process suggestions and examine alternatives for improving productivity, raising product and service quality, and increasing worker satisfaction.

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Employee Participation and Industrial Democracy

• Industrial democracy is often confused with the less emotive term ‘employee participation’.

• Industrial democracy and employee participation have been described as different aspects of the same concept.

• Industrial democracy implies at least the ‘redistribution of decision making power’.