Job Analysis in Defining Roles and Responsibilities within an Organization

Lets discuss job analysis techniques.

Each job has a fixed title established on the basis of standard specializations. Each job is different from other job, but a job may embrace many positions.

According to Jones and Dakota, job analysis is the process of getting information about jobs, including what the worker does, how they do it, why they do it, required skills, education and training, relationship to other jobs, physical demands, and environmental conditions.

 

Flippo defines job analysis as the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job. The immediate products of job analysis are job descriptions and job specifications.

A job refers to as a sum total of tasks, duties and responsibilities assigned to individual employees. It may be defined as the division of total work into different positions. Job analysis is defined as the analysis of job related activities within the organization.

It gathers and evaluates the information related to the jobs. It is basically performed upon ongoing jobs only which contains job contents and the skills required to perform the definite task. It encompasses a prescribed study of jobs which is vital in determining the nature of jobs in the organization.

It also gathers the information concerning to job description and job specification. It describes the minimum job requirements required in terms of skills, efforts, responsibilities and working conditions to do a particular job.

As per Johns and Dikotis, job analysis is the process of getting information about jobs specially what the worker does, how he gets it done, why he does it, required skill, education and training, relationship to other jobs, physical demands and environmental conditions.

 

As per Flippo, job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job.

The immediate product of this analysis are job description and job specification. As per Delioder, a job is a collection or aggregation of tasks, duties and responsibilities which as a whole is regarded as a regular assignment to individual employees and which is different from other assignments.

After studying this module and all the definitions given by these thinkers, we shall be able to first know the concept and meaning of job analysis. Secondly, we can learn the purpose, process and techniques of job analysis. And finally, we can evaluate the difference between job description and job specification.

We start with determining the objectives of job analysis. As is clear from the above definition that job analysis is a process which defines the duties and skill required to do a particular job. Henceforth, it specifies the activities and accountability the job requires.

Following are the main objectives of job analysis. First, job description. Job description refers to a job profile which defines the contents and conditions required to do a particular job and is prepared on the basis of data collected through job analysis.

It defines the activities and duties to be performed in a specific job. It helps in differentiating one job from another job by presenting distinctive characteristic of each job. The second is job specification.

Job specification comprises the information relating to the skills and abilities required to perform a particular job. It also states the minimum acceptable qualifications that are required to perform the given duty effectively. It identifies the knowledge, abilities and skills required to do the task efficiently.

The third objective is concerned with the evaluation of the job. This process provides information which is necessary for assessing the worthiness of jobs. Job analysis helps for the evaluation of actual performance against the pre-set standard and highlight if any deviations exist.

Additionally, it helps to establish the value of jobs in a hierarchical order which permits to compare different jobs. After the job evaluation, the next objective of job analysis is work simplification. Job analysis provides the information related to job which makes job very simple.

Work simplification refers to dividing the job into small parts which help in improving job performance. The next objective of job analysis is to setting of standards. Standard means results or performance expected from a particular job.

Job analysis helps in establishing the information about the standard of each job. Then finally, the last objective of job analysis is to support towards personnel activities. Job analysis provides help to various personnel activities like recruitment, selection, training and development, performance appraisal, etc.

 Advantages of job analysis

Job analysis has many advantages. The very first is it helps in recruitment and selection.

It provides information relating to role, responsibilities, knowledge, skills required to perform a particular job. It also helps in hiring right people on the right job. Job analysis helps the personnel manager in recruiting and selecting right people on the right job.

The second advantage related with job analysis that it helps in determining the scope of training. Job analysis provides information on inputs required for an employee to progress from one stage to another which can be utilized to design training and development programs to prepare employee for promotion and higher responsibilities. The next advantage of job analysis is that it helps in job evaluation.

The information gathered through job analysis can be utilized for the purpose of evaluating of the job, which in turn is used to classify the different jobs. For compensation to be equitable, accurate assessment of the job requirement has to be made. The fourth benefit of job analysis is that it helps in eliminating the distortion of chain of command.

Job analysis helps in avoiding the overlapping of authority-responsibility relationship to eliminate the distortion of chain of command. The next advantage of job analysis is that it helps in sketching compensation plans. Since compensation is commensurate with duties and responsibilities of a job, job analysis can be utilized for sketching out the compensation structure.

It also helps in performance appraisal. It is the next objective of job analysis. Job analysis also helps to commence performance appraisal effectually in the organization.

It helps in comparing the employee’s performance with the predetermined standards, which further helps in taking relevant decisions. The next advantage of job analysis is that it helps in maintaining good industrial relations. Job analysis helps in developing healthy relations between management and trade union.

It also helps to resolve disputes and grievances. The last but not the least benefit of job analysis is that it helps in ensuring safety. Job analysis highlights unhealthy and hazardous environment and conditions in various jobs which help management in developing measures to ensure health and safety of the employees.

Now we are going to discuss the process of job analysis. Job analysis is a process of collecting information relating to various facets of the job. It also analyzes the information related with job description and job specification.

Following are the steps involved in job analysis process.

• The first is collection of the information. This is the first step under which necessary information relating to various aspects of job is gathered through different methods like interview, questionnaire, observation, critical incidents, etc.
• The second step of this process is that review of the information. After collecting the necessary information, it is reviewed to design organizational charts, job making a program of job description and specification, making different types of processes and guidebooks. This help in a comprehensive assessment of the job.
• The third step in the process is selection of the job position to be analyzed. It is a complex and costly affair to analyze all jobs. Therefore, only a sample of job is selected for detailed analysis.

The job analyst examines which organization managers or employees need job analysis. The next process of job analysis is analysis of the job. After selecting a job to be analyzed, the job analyst collects the necessary information related to be selected the job.

The data and information is obtained through questionnaire, observation or interviews, etc. The information like requisite employee behavior, working condition, traits and qualities and various other dimensions of the job is collected and then carefully analyzed by the job analyst. The next step of this process is developing the job description.

After collecting the relevant information, a job description schedule is developed which is the written statement which defines the noticeable characteristics of job along with duties and degree of risk involved. The next step is developing job specification. After developing a job description, a job specification is prepared which is the detailed specification statement showing minimum acceptable requirements for doing each job.

It precises the personnel qualities, traits, skills and knowledge required to perform a particular task. It also mentions the physical and psychological attributes required to do a particular job. Now immediately question here arises what are the techniques of job analysis? How we can do the job analysis? So, although there are various methods of collecting job analysis information, but selecting the one or a combination of more than one method rest on the requirements and desires of the organization.

Choosing a suitable method also depends on the structure of the organization, hierarchical levels, responsibilities and duties involved in the job etc. Thus, before implementing any method, all advantages and disadvantages should be scrutinized properly.

Job Analysis Techniques are discussed as under.

 

The first is observation method. Under this method, a job analyst notices an employee and records his performance, fulfilled and unfulfilled responsibilities and duties, skills and his mental-emotional ability. Though it appears one of the easiest method of analyzing a specific job, but it is one of the most difficult because different people think differently and make their conclusions in different manner.

Therefore, this process may contain personal biasness and may not yield genuine results. This problem can be escaped through proper training of job analysis. This method contains three techniques, direct observation, work method analysis and critical incident technique.

The first method consists of direct observation and recording of behavior of an employee in different circumstances. The second method i.e. work method analysis involves the study of time and motion and is particularly used for factory workers. The third method i.e. critical incident technique is about recognizing the work behaviors that result in the performance.

The first method is the observation method and after that we have the second method is interview method. Interview method emphasizes that an employee is interviewed so that he can share his working styles, particular skills and techniques while performing his job and anxieties and doubts about his career. This method helps the interviewer to know what precisely an employee thinks about his or her own job and responsibilities involved in the process.

It involves analysis of job by employee himself. In order to produce authentic and accurate feedback or gather genuine data, interview questions should be cautiously decided. The third method is questionnaire method.

This method is used to get the questionnaires filled from the employees. Though this method also suffers from personal biases, a great care should be taken while outlining questions. In order to collect true information, management should efficiently communicate to the employees that data collected will be used for their own good.

It is very vital to ensure them that the information collected won’t be used against them in any other manner. If it is done improperly, it will be an absolute wastage of time and money. After these three methods i.e. observation method, interview method and then we have the questionnaire method, now we move on to the fourth technique of collecting data about job analysis i.e. maintaining diaries.

It can at times be helpful to ask employees to complete a diary that specifies their assignments and doings. Although useful as a remote data collection tool, but sometimes it can be difficult to analyze the information mentioned in the diary.

The next method to collect the data for job analysis is the job analyst performs the job.

A much unstructured technique where the analyst tries to perform the job as a means of finding the key demands that the role makes upon the employees without getting other people involved. Now we are going to discuss about job description. Job description is based on the information obtained through job analysis.

It clearly recognize and spell out the responsibilities of a particular job. It also comprises information about working conditions, tools and equipments to be used by a prospective worker and hazards involved in it, knowledge and skills required and its relationship with other positions. Job description is a broad, general and written statement of a particular job based on the information obtained through job analysis.

It generally includes duties, responsibilities, scope and working conditions of a job along the job title and the designation of the person. Job description commonly forms the basis of job specification. Then we discuss the contents of job description.

Job description is a written statement of the duties, responsibilities and organizational relationship that are required for the particular behavior of the employee on a particular job. Thus, job description contains the following information.

1. Job identification – date, job, title, department, division, code number, job position, etc.
2. Job summary – contents of the job like tasks and activities to be done.
3. Job duties and responsibilities – general duties, major duties, responsibilities, etc.
4. Working conditions – physical environment like noise, fumes, dust, etc.
5. Machines, tools and equipment – like material, machines, equipment required.
6. Supervision – this consists of extent of supervision required, designations of superiors and subordinates.
7. Last is relation to other jobs – jobs above and below the current job and its relation with them.

Now, we are going to discuss purpose of job description. The main objective of job description is to gather job related data in order to advertise for a specific job. It helps in attracting, pursuing, recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right job.

Important purposes of job description are

• Job description tries to determine what needs to be carried out on a specific job. It explains what employees are supposed to do if shortlisted for that particular job.
• Secondly, it gives a clear cut idea to the recruiting staff that what kind of candidate is required by the particular department to do a specific task.
• it also spells out who will report to whom and who will perform the work. Now, we are going to discuss job specification. Job specification is a written statement of educational qualification, qualities, level of experience, physical, emotional, technical and communication skills which are required to do a particular job.

It also highlights the responsibilities involved in the job and other uncommon sensory demands. It also comprises about general health, mental health, intelligence, aptitude, memory, judgment, leadership skills, adaptability, values and ethics, manners and creativity etc. required to perform the job.

A job specification is also known as employee specification. In short, it is a statement which states the minimum acceptable human qualities which are required to perform a job. Now, we are going to discuss the purpose of job specification.

Job specification helps the candidates in analyzing whether they are eligible to apply for a particular vacant job or not. It also helps the recruiting teams to understand what level of qualifications, qualities and set of features should be present in a candidate to make him eligible for the vacant job. Job specification gives a comprehensive information about any job containing job responsibilities, preferred technical and physical skills, conversational ability etc.

Job specification helps in selecting the most suitable candidate for a specific job. Then we have contents of job specification.

1. Physical Specification Physical specification includes qualification or capacities that differ from job to job. It includes physical features such as height, weight, vision, health, age, capacity to operate machines, tools, equipment etc.

2. Mental Specification Mental specification includes ability to do arithmetical calculations, interpret data, capability to plan, reading skills, scientific aptitudes, judgment, ability to think, general intelligence and memory etc.
3. Emotional and Social Specification These traits are more significant to fill the positions of the managers, supervisors and foremen.

 

These comprise emotional stability, flexibility, social adaptability etc. The next content is Behavioral Specification. Behavioral specification plays significant role in choosing the candidates for higher level jobs in the organization.

This specification describes the acts of managers rather than the traits. It includes judgments, research, imagination, maturity, trial of conciliation, self-reliance, governance etc. Now we are going to discuss the difference between job description and job specification.

Job description and job specification are the two fundamental parts of job analysis. They both describe a job fully and provide guidance to both employer and employee in the whole process of recruitment and selection. Both are tremendously significant for creating a right fit between a job and the talent, in evaluating the performance and in analyzing training needs and in computing the worth of a particular job.

While many people use the term job description and job specification interchangeably, there is difference between the two terms. Some of the differences are as follows.

1. Job description is the summary of the duties, responsibilities and other features of the job, while job specification is a statement of qualities required in the person for handling the job.

Former measures the job and later measures the individual handling the job.

2. Job description tells what should be done when selected for a particular job, while job specification tells what qualities one must have to do that particular job. These two can be differentiated on the basis of meaning.

The meaning of job description is that it is a written statement of the contents of the job, whereas job specification is a statement of the minimum qualities required to do a particular job. These can be differentiated on the basis of purpose. The purpose of job description is to identify and describe a job, whereas the purpose of job specification is to define the qualities required and aid in recruiting, selection, training, etc.

These two can be differentiated on the basis of their nature. The nature of job description says it measures the job, whereas the nature of job specification says that it measures the individual who perform the job. After discussing all these things, now we are going to make the summary of what we have learned so far.

Firstly, we have discussed the meaning of job analysis that is job analysis is the process of studying and collecting information relating to the operations and responsibilities of a specific job. The immediate products of this analysis are job description and job specification.

The second point we have discussed so far is job analysis helps in preparing job description and job specification statements.

Then we have discussed the various techniques of job analysis. These are interview method, observation method, questionnaire method and maintaining diaries.

The next we have discussed that job description is a broad, general and written statement of a particular job based on the information obtained through job analysis.

It generally includes duties, responsibilities, scope and working conditions of a job along with the job’s title and the designation of the person. Then we have discussed job specification. Job specification is a statement which states the minimum acceptable human qualities which are required to do a particular job.

Then we have discussed that job description and job specification are the two fundamental parts of job analysis. Then we have seen that many people use the terms job description and job specification interchangeably, but there is a quite huge difference between the two terms.