BOLA: The Value of Job Analysis Techniques

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The Value of Job Analysis Techniques

Jobs are organisational components. Many organisational studies involve looking at job structures, relationships and behaviours associated with jobs. Job analysis techniques are useful for

the examination of work experience. Job roles can be defined in terms of

responsibilities,
accountability
communications networks
decision-making
their relationship to operational and information systems in use and
their hierarchical and team position within business systems and programmes
the learning and developmental opportunities they offer.
expectations, conflicts, ambiguities and tensions manifested.
relationships with policies, business imperatives and changes
contributions to work systems and information systems.

Discussion about job roles, perceptions about roles and role experience involves you in a learning conversation. The content, process and interpretation of the elements of the conversation may contribute to many lines of research.

Questions for Researchers using Job analysis Techniques.

Job Analysis in a Work Experience Project
When taking a work placement or secondment, it is useful to focus on a specific job(s) and study its structure, methods, processes, required abilities and behaviours and its relationships with other structures: its place in a network of jobs both external and internal, policies and procedures, departmental plans and programmes, its cultural milieu and management approach. Remember, the job of a city banker may be very dfifferent to a country banker. The same applies to a city police-officer compared to a motorway officer.
With the job at the centre - the analysis of work experience can fan out to explore these structures and how they interact (the behaviours and processes in the work-place).
Job Analysis as data-gathering
Jobs are experienced and often taken for granted. A job holders account of a job is valuable data but the subjectivity of such explanation must be understood and evaluated using more objective frameworks. Accurate, meaningful, verifiable data is required.

the role or tasks should not be artifically distorted by analysis.
dynamic properties of jobs can be missed when decomposing jobs or task into detailed sub-tasks or elements. We can lose sosing sight of the overall picture essential to job performance.
the subjective/personal aspects (feelings, perceptions, loyalties) of jobs are important but need to be differentiated from the job as a technical allocation of duties existing within organisational structures which may stress the logic of performance, responsibility and expertise etc.

Jobs are Dynamic Entities
Jobs are designed, experienced and lived in. They are interpreted and shaped both by management and importantly the person doing the job. They have to be learnt and they change - often quickly - requiring re-learning.
A record can be made (snapshot) of a role or task in time. Jobs can be considered historically as evolving phenomena. How and why has a job chnaged. What events and pressures brought this about and what is likely to affect the job in the foreseeable future?
The Job and the Job-holder
Efforts, skills input, methods used and results of ajob or task may vary depending on the characteristics of the job holder. "Ownership" of the job may identifiable in what a job holder says about the job or demonstrates as perceived or measured performance. Attitudes may range from total committment to more instrumental and restrictive positions.
The job exists within a firm and an occupational sector (e.g. a profession or skill group). These contexts may influence job-holders values and perceptions relating e.g. to what they feel their "entitlements" are, their reaction to types of managerial behaviour and their evaluation of threats and opportunities that may exist within the firm or externally. The reasons why someone approaches their job with enthusiasm or lack of it are worth examining.
Job/role Analysis Techniques
Pearn catalogues and evaluates a range of job analysis methods in his book "Job Analysis". He evaluates each method in terms of

whether the technique focuses on the job from a technical perspective (activities, functions, tasks, ergonomics) or aspects of the person doing it (skills, aptitudes, competences).
whether quantitative or qualitative data is generated.
the extent to which data gathering can be planned and structured. This may affect the depth and focus of the analysis and relationships between the analyst and subject.
how packaged the technique is. Pearn compares DIY methods with instruments which require training and can only be purchased from organisations which regulate the distribution and usage of the techniques
the level of expertise required of an analyst using the technique e.g. computing skills, statistical ability and the value of excessive sophistication.
whether the technique enables analysis at a distance or more direct and intimate appraisal e.g. observing or doing the job, meeting job-holders. This criterion is important in terms of how the objective-subjective problem is managed.
the validity and reliability of the technique for the purpose to which it is put.
whether the technique can detect less obvious, discretionary elements.

A fuller description of Pearn's criteria for evaluating various job analysis methods is available.

Developed and maintained by Chris Jarvis © for the BOLA Project