Chapter 4 - Job Analysis and Work Design

Question 1

Job

Answer 1

a group of related activities and duties

Question 2

Position

Answer 2

the different duties and responsibilities performed by only one employee

Question 3

Job family

Answer 3

a group of individual jobs with similar characteristics

Question 4

Strategic HRP

Answer 4

information on jobs is used to examine a company’s organizational structure and strategically position it for the future

Question 5

Recruitment

Answer 5

before can find a capable employee for an organization, recruiters need to know the job specifications for the position they need to fill

Question 6

Job specification

Answer 6

a statement of the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities of the person who is to perform the job - establish the qualifications required of applicants

Question 7

Selection

Answer 7

use the job description to select employees and orient them to job

Question 8

Job description

Answer 8

a statement of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed

Question 9

Training and development

Answer 9

any discrepancies between the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other factors demonstrated by a jobholder and the requirements contained in the description and specification for that job provide clues to training needs

Question 10

Performance appraisal -

Answer 10

evaluating the performance of the person who holds the job - the results of performance appraisal may reveal, that certain requirements established for a job are not completely valid

Question 11

Compensation management -

Answer 11

the worth is based on what the job demands of an employee in terms of skills, effort, and responsibility, as well as the conditions and hazards under which the work is performed

Question 12

Legal compliance -

Answer 12

a systematic collection of job data ensures that a job’s duties match its job description. If the criteria used to hire and evaluate employees are vague and not job related, employers are more likely to find themselves being accused of discrimination

Question 13

Workflow analysis -

Answer 13

helps a firm to determine the best process, types, and mix of jobs, and how they should ideally be organized to execute the firm’s mission

Question 14

Job analysis

Answer 14

the process of obtaining information about jobs by determining the duties, tasks, or activities of jobs

Hr managers use this data to develop job description and job specifications
Purpose is to improve the organizational performance and productivity

Question 15

Gathering job information

Answer 15

• interviews
• questionare
• observation
• diaries

Question 16

Interviews

Answer 16

ask questions about the job under review

Question 17

Questionnaires

Answer 17

the job analyst may circulate carefully prepared questionnaires to be filled out individually by the job holder and the manager - used to obtain data

Question 18

Observation

Answer 18

the job analyst may learn about the jobs by observing and recoding on a standardized form of the activities of job holders

Question 19

Diaries

Answer 19

jobholders may be asked to keep a diary of their work activities during an entire workcycle

Question 20

Controlling the accuracy of job information

Answer 20

care must be taken to ensure that all important facts are included - a job analyst should be alert for employees who tend to exaggerate the difficulties of their jobs to inflate their egos and their paycheques

Question 21

NOC

Answer 21

National Occupational Classification - compile, analyze, and communicate information about occupations, this information can be used for employment equity, HR planning, and occupational supply-and-demand forecasts and analyses

Question 22

Approaches to job analysis
Position analysis questionnaire (PAQ

Answer 22

a questionnaire covering 194 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale, seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a particular job

Background information must be analyzed, followed by observations about the job and interviews with the job holders to assess job content

Six areas: extent of use, importance to this job, amount of time, possibility of occurrence, applicability, and item-spedicifc scales

Question 23

Critical incident method -

Answer 23

a job anaylsis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success

Question 24

Task inventory analysis -

Answer 24

an organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs

Question 25

Functional job analysis (FJA) -

Answer 25

uses an inventory of the various types of work activities that can constitute any job

Basic activities called worker functions are used to describe what workers do regarding “information, people, and things” as part of this system

Question 26

Competency based analysis

Answer 26

traditional approach that assumes a static job environment in which jobs remain relatively stable apart form incubents who might hold these jobs -
looks at the responsibilities and activities of jobs and worker competencies necessary to accomplush them - interpersonal, communication skills, decision-making ability

Jobs can be defined in terms of tasks, duties, processes, and skills necessary for job success

Question 27

Job Descriptions

Answer 27

A written description of a job and the types of duties it includes
Contain three parts: job title, job identification, and job duties

Question 28

Job title -

Answer 28

important for psychological importance - provide a status to the employee

Title should include some indication of what the duties of the job entail

Indicate the relative level occupied by its holder in the organizational hierarchy

Question 29

Job identification

Answer 29

includes items such as the departmental location of the job, the person to whom the jobholder reports, and the data the job description was last revised

Question 30

Job duties, or essential functions -

Answer 30

arranged in order of importance, should indicate the weight, or value of each duty, stress the resposnsibilites all the duties entail and the results they are to accomplish, indicate the tools and equipment used by the employee in performing the job

Question 31

Job specification

Answer 31

if not prepared as a septerate document - usually at the end of job description

The skill required to perform the job
Education or experience, specialized training, personal traits or abilities, and manual dextarities

The physical demands the job places on the employee performing it
How much walking, standing, reaching, lifting, or talking must be done, or the physical work environment

Also should include interpersonal skills or key competencies necessary for job success - multitasking, conflict resolution

Question 32

Job design

Answer 32

an outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations to enhance organizational efficiency and employee job satisfaction,

Question 33

4 comments of job design

Answer 33

The organizational objectives the job was created to fulfill

Behavioral concerns that influence an employee’s job satisfaction

Industrial engineering considerations, including the ways to make the job more technologically efficiency

Ergonomic concerns, including workers’ physical and mental capabilities

Question 34

Motivational Considerations

Answer 34

• job enrichment
• job characteristics model

Question 35

Job enrichment -

Answer 35

enhancing a job by adding meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying

Increasing level of difficulty, allowing employees to retain more authority over work outcomes, providing job performance reportsm assigning new tasksthat require additional training and growth

Five factors for enriching jobs - achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance of the whole job

Question 36

Job characteristics model -

Answer 36

a job design theory that purports that three psychological states of a jobholder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover

Question 37

5 characteristics

Answer 37

• skill variety
• task identity
• task significane
• autonomy
• feedback

Question 38

Skill variety -

Answer 38

the degree to which a job entials a variety of different activities, which demand the use of a number of different skills and talents by the jobholder

Question 39

Task identity

Answer 39

the degree to which the job requires completion of a whole and identifiable pierce or work, that is doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome

Question 40

Task significance -

Answer 40

the degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives or work of other people, whether in the immediate organization or in the external environment

Question 41

Autonomy

Answer 41

the degree to which the job provides substantial freedom, independence, and discretion to the individual in scheduling the work and in determining the procedures to be used in carrying it out

Question 42

Feedback

Answer 42

• the degree to which carrying out the work activities requuried by the job results in the individual being given direct and clear information about the effectiveness of their performance

Question 43

Employee empowerment -

Answer 43

granting employees power to initte change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do

Question 44

Job crafting

Answer 44

a naturally occurring phenomenon whereby employees mould their tasks to fit their individual strengths, passions, and motives better

Question 45

Industrial Engineering Considerations

Answer 45

A field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards

Study of work cycles to determine if any elements can be modified, combined, rearranged, or eliminated to reduce the time needed to complete the cycle - improving efficiency and simplifying work methods

Question 46

Ergonomic Considerations

Answer 46

Ergonomics - an interdisciplinary approach to designing equipment and systems that can be easily and efficiently used by human beings

Question 47

Job carving -

Answer 47

entails crafting, adapting, or tailoring a job to support an individual job to support an individual with a disability and concurrently adress the needs of an employer

Question 48

Employee Involvment Groups

Answer 48

Groups of employees who meet to resolve problems or offer suggestions for organizational improvement

Question 49

Employee teams

Answer 49

n employee contribution technique whereby work functions are structured for groups rather than for individuals and team members are given discretion in matters traditionally considered management prerogatives

such as process improvements, product or service development, and individual work assignments

Question 50

Synergy

Answer 50

occurs when the interaction and outcome of team members are greater than the sum of their individual efforts

Question 51

Psychological safety

Answer 51

where team memebers are willing to take risks because they feel safe, where they could voice their opinions, and ask judgment free questions

Question 52

Flexible Work Schedules

Answer 52

Not a true part of job design because job tasks and responsibilities are not changed

Question 53

Compressed work

Answer 53

number of work days are shorter by increasing the number of hours worked per day.

They may implement this because or the recruitment and retention of employees, constraining time encourages quality time, reduced job stress, improved work life balance, increased work productivity

Question 54

Flextime

Answer 54

Permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times provided that they work a set number of hours per day or per week

Question 55

job sharing -

Answer 55

the arrangement whereby 2 part time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee

Question 56

Telecommuting

Answer 56

the use of personal computers, networks, and other communications technology to do the work that is traditionally done in the workplace - virtual office