JOB ANALYSIS and HR PLANNING ________________________ Dr. Teal McAteer-Early Michael G. DeGroote School of Business McMaster University Week 2

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JOB ANALYSIS andHR PLANNING____________________
____Dr. Teal McAteer-EarlyMichael G. DeGroote
School of BusinessMcMaster UniversityWeek 2
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What is a job?

• Job
• Group of related activities and duties
• Made up of tasks
• Tasks
• Basic elements of jobs
• what gets done

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What is Job Analysis?

• Job analysis (JA) systematically collects,
  evaluates, and organizes information about jobs
• JA identifies behaviours, knowledge, skills, and
  abilities (KSAs) that are critical to a job

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What is the purpose of JA?

• JA lays the foundation for HRM systems
• Selection
• Selection system developed to assess key KSAs
• Ensures that it is job-related
• Training
• Gaps in KSAs of new hires represent training
  needs
• Performance Appraisal
• Job analysis establishes performance standards

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What is the purpose of JA?

• Compensation
• Relative worth of jobs measured via job
  evaluation
• JA helps you to select the right ee, evaluate the
  ee fairly, compensate, and train the appropriate
  skills to the appropriate ees
• JA also ensures your system is legally defensible
  and perceived as fair (procedural justice)

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 1 Preparation for job analysis
• Familiarization with the organization and its
  jobs
• Determine the uses of the JA information
  (selection, training?)
• Identify what jobs need to be analyzed
• Critical to success of the organization
• Difficult to learn
• New technology

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 2 Collection of JA information
• Source of Job Data
• Job incumbents, supervisors, subordinates,
  customers
• Existing job descriptions
• Manuals, publications
• National Occupational Classification

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 2 Collection of JA information
• Data collection instrument design
• Gather information systematically
• Often involves questionnaire, checklist
• Use same questionnaire for similar jobs
• Different jobs may require different instrument
• Information gathered
• Status, key duties/tasks, KSAs, working
  conditions, performance standards

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 2 Collection of JA information
• Data collection method
• Face-to-face interviews
• Questionnaires
• Employee log/diary
• Observation
• Combination of above
• No best approach
• Trade-offs re accuracy, time, and cost

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Existing JA Methods

• Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)
• Functional Job Analysis (FJA)
• Critical Incident Technique (CIT)

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Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

• McCormick (1972)
• Developed because of criticism that JA relied on
  observation not quantifiable
• Detailed questionnaire (194 tasks)
• Determines extent to which each task is
  applicable to target job
• Using a 5-point scale

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Functional Job Analysis (FJA)

• Fine Wiley (1971)
• Focuses on task statements
• Task statements include
• What? - What gets done (the action/behaviour)
• To whom or what? - The object of the action
• Why? - Purpose of the action
• How? - What facilitates the action?

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Functional Job Analysis

• Tasks are rated on scales reflecting varying
  degrees of involvement with Things, Data, and
  People as well as math, language, etc.
  requirements
• Each scale is arranged hierarchically
• E.g., People scale ranges from taking
  instructions to leadership

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Critical Incident Technique

• Flanagan (1949)
• Identifies behaviours that indicate success or
  failure on the job
• Effective vs ineffective behaviours
• Critical Incidents include
• Context - in which the incident occurred
• Behaviour - exactly what the individual did that
  was effective or ineffective
• Consequences - of the behaviour and whether or
  not consequences were in the employees control

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Developing Critical Incidents

• Interview with people familiar with the job
• E.g., supervisors, subordinates, customers
• Ask them to describe specific incidents of
  effective / ineffective behaviour by incumbents
  of target job
• Incident context What led up to the incident
  (background)? What was the situation?
• Behaviour What exactly did the person do that
  was effective / ineffective?
• Consequence - What was the outcome of the
  behaviour?

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Using Critical Incidents

• Critical incidents are collected
• Critical incidents that are similar in context
  are grouped into a behavioural item
• 2 critical incidents
• Rewarding employees for good performance
• Publicly praising for good performance
• Could be grouped into a behavioural item
  Praise/reward subordinates for effective
  performance

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Using Critical Incidents

• Similar behavioural items are grouped into a
  meaningful behavioural criterion
• 2 behavioural items
• Praise/reward employees
• Counselling, giving advice to subordinates
• Combine to form the behavioural criterion
  Interactions with subordinates
• These form basis of selection system (e.g.,
  interview), performance appraisal instrument, etc.

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 3 Uses of JA information
• Job descriptionsTask requirements
• Statement that explains duties working
  conditions, etc. of a job
• Job specificationsPerson requirements
• Statement of what a job demands of the incumbent
• E.g., knowledge, skills, abilities (KSAs) and
  other characteristics required to perform job

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Steps in Job Analysis Process

• Phase 3 Uses of JA information
• Performance standards
• What is expected of workers
• JA may provide performance standards for job
  where performance is readily quantified,
  measurable, etc.
• May need to be augmented e.g., participative
  goal-setting
• All of these uses form foundation for various HRM
  systems

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In-Class Exercise

• In groups, develop critical incidents for
  university instructors
• Generate at least
• 3 incidents of effective behaviour and
• 3 incidents of ineffective behaviour

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Critical Incident Technique

• Think about instructors you have had over the
  last 12 months
• Without telling me the name, think of someone who
  has been (in)effective in the role of instructor.
  
• Think of a specific incident that you saw occur
  that made you think they were (in)effective
• What were the circumstances surrounding the
  incident? What was the situation?
• What exactly did they do that was (in)effective?
• Make sure you are describing observable behaviour
• What were the consequences of the behaviour?
  Were the consequences due to the persons
  behaviour?

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Human Resource Planning

• HR Planning systematically forecasts an
  organizations future demand for and supply of
  employees and matches supply with demand.
• Involves
• -Forecasting demand
• -Forecasting supply
• -Addressing labour shortages and surpluses

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HR Demand and Supply

• Forecasting Demand
• External
• Socio-political
• Competition
• Organizational
• Organizational strategy
• Sales forecast
• Workforce
• Retirements, resignations, terminations

• Forecasting Supply
• External
• Labour market analysis
• Demographics
• Internal
• HR audit/Current employees KSAs
• Succession planning replacement charts

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Strategic Issues re HR Planning

• Must know organizations short and long- term
  goals
• Different organizational strategies require
  different human resource plans
• Human resource planning facilitates proactive
  response to environmental and legal challenges

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Strategic Issues re HR Planning

• 4. An organizations tactical plans must be
  aligned with HR plans
• 5. Alignment between organizational and HR plans
  provides basis for timely and effective
  recruitment and selection.