Job Analysis and Design

After reading this chapter, you should be

able to:

► Understand the features and purpose of

a job analysis process.
► List the techniques of data collection.
► Differentiate between job description
and job specification.
 What is job analysis ?

Job analysis is a process of gathering relevant information about

various aspects of a job, including its content, context and the
job performer’s skill requirements.
 Features of job analysis
► Identification of tasks required to be performed.
► Defining the role, context, conditions, human behaviour, performance
standards and responsibilities.
► Establishing the job’s worth to an organization.

► Establishes job-relatedness.
 Features of job analysis (contd.)
► Assists in the resource management and strategy formulation.
► Developing a job profile for each job and acts.
► Identifying the appropriate job for each employee.
► Better understanding of the impact of environmental changes on
individual jobs.
► Identifying and removing unnecessary skills and other requirements for
a job.
► Job improvements through job reengineering and job enlargement.
Goals of job analysis
 Goals of job analysis (contd.)

► Job evaluation
► Job design and redesign
► Job classification
► Job description and job specification
► HR planning
 Goals of job analysis (contd.)

► Recruitment and selection

► Training and development
► Performance evaluation
► Wages and salary administration
► Safety and health
► Industrial relations
► Legal requirements
Job analysis process
Job analysis process (contd.)

► Determining the purpose of job analysis.

► Gathering background information about the job.
► Choosing representative jobs for analysis.
► Collecting relevant job information. Reviewing the information
gathered.
► Developing of job description and job specification.
Techniques of data collection
Types of questionnaires
 Job Description

Job description is a document that specifies the tasks, duties, and

responsibilities of the job and should certainly be relevant and accurate
— Clyde E. Witt
 Components of a job description
statement
► Job title
► Alternate title (if any)
► Job purpose (general purpose of the job)
► Code number (job identification number)
► Job holder title (title of the holder of this job.)
► Job location
► Job type (full-time/part-time)
► Department/office (where this job is located.)
► Reporting authority (job title to which this job should report)
► No. of staff under this post (number and name of the job titles to be controlled by
this job)
 Components of a job description
statement (contd.)
► Job summary (a brief description about the job)
► Job duties (day-to-day tasks to be performed)
► Authority limits
► Working conditions required
► Technical requirements
► kills required for the job (minimum skills and competencies required for
performing the job)
► Experience required for the job (minimum experience required for the
performance of the job)
► Special circumstances (information about night shifts, overtime,
extensive travelling, etc.)
► Special requirements (special tools and equipment requirements for
the job)
Job specification

Job specification is the process of inferring the human trait

requirements presumed to be necessary for successful job
performance.
— R. Harvey and M. Wilson
Broad titles in job specification
► Education and training
► Work experience
► Skills and competencies
► Physical strength and stamina
► Stress-coping ability
► Special needs
Pro forma job specification statement
► Position title (title and designation of the job holder in the job).
► Department/office (where the job holder would be posted).
► Educational qualifications and training requirements.
► Experience (minimum number of years of experience the candidate
must possess).
► Work-based skills and competencies required.
► Behavioural skills and talents required (skills necessary for team work,
effective leadership, diagnosing the problems, motivating oneself and
others, effective communication, etc.).
► Other attributes required (special qualities required for the performance
of this job).
Challenges affecting the effectiveness of
job analysis
► Employee’s anxiety
► Management attitude towards job analysis
► Undue importance to job holders
► Environmental influence
► Absence of follow-up action
 Job design

Job design is the process of determining the specific tasks to be

performed, the methods used in performing these tasks, and how the
job relates to other work in the organization.
— R. Wayne Mondy
 Environmental influence on job
design
► Ergonomics
► Characteristics of task structure
► Task assortment
► Level of autonomy and responsibility
► Practices
► Recognition and support
► Technological developments
► Strength of the union
► Corporate culture
► Working conditions
 Recent trends in job design
► E-commuting- E-commuting is a kind of work system in which the distance
barrier is overcome by means of telecommunication.
It allows the employees to perform their jobs without being present in office .

► Flexi-time work- In this method, employees enjoy the freedom to

choose their flexible starting and ending time of work within the
scheduled working hours of the firm.

The individual working hours are determined as per the convenience

of each employee.
Job enrichment

Job enrichment refers to the development of work

practices which challenge and motivate the employees
to perform better.
Strategies for job Design
 Self-managing teams
Self-managing teams have the overall responsibility for the
accomplishment of work or goal preparatory requirements for
self-managing teams
► Work mapping
► Determining the size of the team
► Leadership development
► Fixing the team norms
 Job Rotation
► Job rotation refers to moving employees from one job to another in a
predetermined way.

► It enables an employee to perform diverse roles and gain exposure to

the techniques and challenges of doing several jobs.
 Job Reengineering

Job reengineering is the process of streamlining jobs in the form of

combining a few jobs into one, redistributing the tasks among various
jobs and reallocation of resources.
 Job Reengineering process
► Job reengineering process involves
► Pattern breaking
► Realigning with corporate goals
► Abolition of power structure
► Work flow redesigning
► Enhancing IT applications
► Redefining titles and positions
► Establishing a learning organization
► Performance-based incentives and rewards
 Job Enlargement

► Job enlargement aims at making the job more attractive by

increasing the operations performed by a person in the job.
► It transforms the jobs to include more and/or different tasks.
► Enlargement is of two types and these are
► Horizontal enlargement
► Vertical enlargement
 Participative Management
► Participative management means allowing employees to play a greater
part in the decision-making process.

► It helps in improving the quality of work life, job enrichment, quality

circles, total quality management and empowerment.
 Peer performance review
► In this method, team members evaluate one another’s performance. Thus,
performance appraisal for employees becomes more personalized and is
conducted on a regular basis.
 High performance work design
Characteristics of high performance work system are:

► Presence of highly skilled, dynamic and loyal employees.

► Existence of flat, flexible and modern management.
► Capability to preserve the experienced and skilled employees for a
long time.
► Existence of harmonious industrial relations.
► Presence of full-fledged self-managed teams.
► Existence of supportive rather than autocratic style of leadership and
management.
► Payments system count on both team performance and individual
skills.