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Strategic Staffing Third Edition

Chapter 4

Strategic Job

Analysis and

Competency

Modeling

Learning Objectives

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain why job analysis can be strategic.

• Describe different types of job analyses, and what they

are used for.

• Define “job description” and “person specification” and

describe how they are used.

• Describe the advantages and disadvantages of different

job analysis methods.

• Describe how to plan a job analysis.

• Describe how to conduct a job analysis.

Job Analysis

Definition: a systematic process of identifying and describing the important aspects of a job and the characteristics workers need to perform the job well

Job analyses are used for multiple purposes, including:

• Determining job entry requirements

• Developing a company’s strategic recruiting plan

• Selecting individuals for employment

• Developing employee training plans

• Designing compensation systems

• Developing performance evaluation measures

Job analyses also help group jobs into job families or groupings of jobs that either call for similar worker characteristics or contain parallel work tasks

Job Families

Table 4-1 Grouping Jobs into Job Families

Job Family Examples of Jobs Within Job Family

Personnel Recruiters Recruiter

Executive Recruiter

Human Resources Specialist

Employment Coordinator

Secretaries Secretary

Clerk Typist

Department Secretary

Administrative Support Assistant

Chemical Engineers Project Engineer

Chemical Engineer

Engineering Scientist

Scientist

Job Analysis for Staffing

A job analysis that produces a valid selection system

identifies worker characteristics that:

• Distinguish superior from average and unacceptable

workers;

• Are not easily learned on the job; and

• Exist to at least a moderate extent in the applicant pool.

Future-oriented job analysis: job analysis technique

for analyzing new jobs or analyzing how jobs will look

in the future

Job-Worker Match

Legal Requirements

To meet legal requirements, a job analysis must:

• Be valid and identify the worker knowledge, skills,

abilities, and other characteristics necessary to perform

the job and differentiate superior from barely acceptable

workers

• Be in writing and relevant to the particular job in question

• Be derived from multiple sources

Practical Reasons to do a Job

Analysis

Table 4-2 The Practical Reasons for Doing a Job Analysis

• It links the staffing process to the firm’s business strategy and to what the firm needs in

terms of the position in the future.

• It helps HR personnel write an accurate description of the job’s requirements and duties for

the purposes of advertising and recruiting for an open position.

• It enables HR personnel to write an accurate description of the type of person the

organization wants to recruit.

• It aids in the identification of the best selection methods that should be used to fill a position.

• It clarifies how to present the job’s rewards to candidates in the most appealing way to

match their needs and interests.

• It helps to identify what to change in the current staffing system for a job.

• It provides a foundation to determine the best way to combine a job candidate’s scores on

multiple assessment methods to compute a total score for comparison with the scores of

the other candidates.

• It assists potential recruits when they are making up their minds about whether to apply

based on their perceived fit with an interest in the requirements and responsibilities of the

position.

Job Description

A written description of the duties and responsibilities associated with the job itself.

Job descriptions usually include:

• The size and type of organization

• The department and job title

• The salary range

• Position grade or level

• To whom the employee reports and for whom the employee is responsible

• Brief summary of the main duties and responsibilities of the job

• Brief summary of the occasional duties and responsibilities of the job

• Any special equipment used on the job

• Any special working conditions (e.g. shift or weekend work, foreign travel, etc.)

• Purpose and frequency of contact with others

• The statement, “Other duties as assigned” to accommodate job changes and special projects

Person Specification

• Person specification: summarizes the characteristics

of someone able to perform the job well

• Essential criteria: job candidate characteristics that

are critical to adequate performance of a new hire

• Desirable criteria: job candidate criteria that may

enhance the new hire’s job success, but that are not

essential to adequate job performance

Outcomes of Job Analysis

Job Analysis Methods

Must be:

• Reliable, or replicable

– A reliable job analysis procedure will produce the same

results when it 1) is applied to the same job by a different

job specialist; 2) when a different group of job experts is

used; and 3) when it is done at a different time.

• Valid, or accurately measure what it was intended to

measure

– A valid job analysis accurately captures the target job.

Job Analysis Techniques

• Critical incidents technique: identifies behaviors extremely effective or extremely ineffective behaviors by documenting critical incidents that have occurred on the job

• Job elements method: uses expert brainstorming sessions to identify the characteristics of successful workers

• Structured interview technique: subject matter experts provide information about the job verbally in structured interviews

• Task inventory approach: job experts generate a list of 50- 200 tasks that are grouped in categories reflecting major work functions that are then evaluated on dimensions relevant for selection

• Structured Questionnaires: involves using a list of preplanned questions designed to analyze a job (e.g., the Position Analysis Questionnaire or PAQ)

Planning Job Analyses (1 of 2)

Job analyses should be performed in such a way as to

meet the professional and legal guidelines that have

been published in the Uniform Guidelines on Employee

Selection Procedures

Planning Job Analyses (2 of 2)

• Determine time and resources necessary and available

• Collect background information about the company, its culture and business strategy, the job, and the job’s contribution to strategy execution and competitive advantage

– O*NET - Occupational Information Network (https://www.onetonline.org/)

• Identify job experts

• Identify appropriate job analysis technique(s) to use

https://www.onetonline.org/

Job Analysis Steps

Table 4-5 The Eleven Steps in Performing a Typical Job Analysis

1. Get the support of top managers and ensure that all managers support the job

analysis effort

2. Thoroughly communicate the purpose of the job analysis to all participants and

ensure they are diligent about completing the tasks objectively

3. Collect background information and analyze how the job contributes to the

execution of the firm’s business strategy

4. Generate the task statements

5. Generate the KSAOs

6. Form the job duty and task groupings

7. Link the KSAOs back to the job duties

8. Collect critical incidents

9. Weight the job duties

10. Construct a job requirements matrix

11. Write the job description and person specification

Task Statements

Table 4-6 Task Statement Examples

What?

(action verb) To Whom/What? How? Why?

Writes Advertising copy Using Microsoft

Word

For placement in

newspaper and magazine

advertisements

Mows Lawn area Using rider and

push mowers

To maintain appearance of

company grounds

Supervises Assistant store

Managers

In person and using

surveillance

cameras

To ensure compliance with

company policies

Compares Unit expenses with

Budget

Using basic math

Computations

To ensure budgetary

Compliance

Drives Fuel truck

containing gasoline

to work sites

Following all safety

procedures

To refuel construction

vehicles

Job Duties

Table 4-9 Group Task Statements into a Job Duty

For the job of: University Professor

Job Duty: Classroom Instruction

Task Statements:

a. Prepare course syllabus using Microsoft Word to inform

students of instructor’s expectations and grading criteria,

provide a reading schedule, and summarize course goals

b. Prepare lectures in advance using appropriate software and

media to communicate the course material to students

c. Lecture students verbally to accurately communicate the

course materials in an engaging way

Weighting Job Duties (1 of 2)

Table 4-10 Weighting Job Duties by Their Importance and the Relative Time

Spent on Each

In the left column, record a number of points between 1 and 100 that reflects the

importance of the particular task category to the overall performance of an

administrative assistant. The total number of points distributed over the job duties

should equal 100. In the right column, indicate what percentage of time is spent

on the activities like those represented by the three job duties. Again, the total

number of points distributed across the job duties should equal 100.

Relative

Importance Job Duty Relative Time Spent (%)

45 1. Database Administration.

Maintaining and developing

databases and spreadsheets,

including collecting and entering

information. Using databases and

spreadsheets to obtain summaries

and answer questions.

Weighting Job Duties (2 of 2)

Table 4-10 Weighting Job Duties by Their Importance and the Relative Time

Spent on Each

Relative

Importance Job Duty Relative Time Spent (%)

35 2. Clerical. General clerical

activities including answering

phone, filing, handling mail, and

duplicating.

20 3. Staff Administration. Record

keeping and handling payroll

duties, including auditing and

resolving discrepancies.

Maintaining unit personnel files.

100 *Total must equal 100 100

Job Requirements Matrix (1 of 2) Table 4-11 A Job Requirements Matrix for a Project Manager

Characteristics of the Job Characteristics of the Worker

Job Duty Tasks

Relative

Importance

of Job Duty

(%)

Relative

Time

Spent

(%)

Competency or

KSAO

Importance of KSAO

or Competency to

Task Performance

(1 = Low, 10 = High)

(E = Essential)

Project

Management

1. Develop and

implement plans,

schedules, and

responsibility charts

to ensure

adherence to the

project’s timeline

2. Report the project’s

progress and results

to superiors

35 20 1. Ability to

develop plans

and schedules

2. Time

management

skills

3. Knowledge of

project

management

reporting

software

8.2

9.1 E

7.6

Job Requirements Matrix (2 of 2) Table 4-11 A Job Requirements Matrix for a Project Manager

Characteristics of the Job Characteristics of the Worker

Job Duty Tasks

Relative

Importance

of Job Duty

(%)

Relative

Time

Spent

(%)

Competency or

KSAO

Importance of KSAO

or Competency to

Task Performance

(1 = Low, 10 = High)

(E = Essential)

Supervision 1. Schedule and track

team members’

work assignments

to ensure

appropriate

progress

2. Acquire the

resources the team

needs to function

35 30 1. Ability to work

with diverse

people

2. Ability to

delegate

3. Negotiation

skills

4. Prioritization

skills

5. Leadership

ability

5.9

7.6

8.3

8.9 E

7.4

Customer

Service

1. Research and

understand

customers’ needs

and take actions to

ensure their needs

are met

30 50 1. Communication

skills

2. Listening skills

3. Empathy

8.1

8.8 E

7.9

Competency Modeling

• Definition: a job analysis method that identifies the necessary worker competencies for high performance

• Competencies: more broadly defined components of a successful worker’s repertoire of behavior needed to do a job well

• Because competencies are linked to the organization’s business goals, strategy, and values, a person specification resulting from a job description can enhance hiring quality and strategy execution

• A competency-based job description: – Enhances a manager’s flexibility in assigning work

– Lengthens the life of a job description

– Can allow firms to group jobs requiring similar competencies under a single job description

Competencies Related to Specific Job

Environments Table 4-13 Competencies Related to Specific Job Environments

Competency Required Job Examples

Adaptability: The ability to effectively manage change,

delays, or unexpected Events

Complex, dynamic jobs (the job of the CEO

and research & development jobs)

Communication: Includes choosing the appropriate

communication medium, presenting verbal and written

information clearly and concisely, listening, and giving and

receiving feedback

Jobs involving interpersonal interaction

(most jobs)

Leadership: Building motivation and a sense of shared

purpose in others

Jobs requiring the supervision or influencing

of others (managerial jobs and jobs in team

settings)

Emotional Intelligence: The ability to control one’s emotions,

read the emotions of others, and relate to others

Jobs requiring interpersonal interaction,

negotiation, and influence (sales, customer

service, and managerial jobs)

Problem Solving: Acquiring, analyzing, and integrating

information from relevant sources to make timely and

appropriate decisions

Jobs requiring analyzing and

troubleshooting (customer service,

maintenance, and product design jobs)

Creativity: The ability to come up with novel ideas and

insights

Jobs requiring original and unique ideas

and insights (marketing executive, interior

designer, and graphic artist jobs)

Job Rewards Analysis (1 of 2)

Job rewards analysis: identifies the intrinsic and

extrinsic rewards of a job

• Analyzes the intrinsic rewards that are non-monetary and

derived from the work itself and the firm’s culture

– Including the satisfaction of meeting personal goals, great

coworkers, continuous learning, and doing meaningful work.

• Analyzes the extrinsic rewards that have monetary value

– Including base pay, bonuses, and benefits.

The combination of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards are a

job’s total rewards

Job Rewards Analysis (2 of 2)

Employee value proposition (EVP): the intrinsic and

extrinsic rewards an employee receives by working for a

particular employer in return for their job performance

Communicating your EVP:

• First determine exactly what attracts job candidates, and

why employees enjoy their work.

• Then craft a message to clearly state what makes your

company the obvious choice over the competition.

3 Criteria for Employee Value

Propositions

1. Magnitude refers to a reward package that is neither too small nor too large in economic terms. • Spending too much on rewards can negatively impact the firm’s

financial stability, and hurt investor relations.

2. Mix refers to the composition of the reward package matching the needs and preferences of applicants or employees. • Offering stock options that vest in five years to a young, mobile

workforce, or free daycare to an older workforce is not consistent with workers’ needs and preferences.

3. Distinctiveness refers to the uniqueness of the total reward package. • Rewards with no special appeal and that do not set the organization

apart as distinctive do not present a compelling value proposition.

Job Reward Dimensions

Amount refers to how much of it is received.

• how much pay, what level of task variety

Differential is how consistent the reward is across different

employees.

• all employees receive the same number of vacation days, but merit

bonuses range from 2% to 15% of base pay

Stability is how reliable the reward is.

• Is the reward the same all of the time, or does it change (e.g., does it

vary based on organizational performance or business requirements?)

Job Rewards Matrix (1 of 2) Table 4-14 The Job Rewards Matrix for a Purchasing Manager’s Position

Reward Reward Amount Differential Stability

To Whom

the Reward

Might Appeal

1. Competitive

base salary

$32,000/year

Average

$30,000–

36,000/year

Changes based on

market conditions

and firm performance

Most workers

2. Benefits Comprehensive

health and dental

insurance,

401(k), 10

personal days/

Year

None—all

workers receive

the same

benefits

package

Stable Most workers

3. Performance

based pay

4 percent

average

Ranges from 0

to 15 Percent

Can change based

on firm’s performance

Workers who

value making and

being rewarded for

Individual

contributions

Job Rewards Matrix (2 of 2) Table 4-14 The Job Rewards Matrix for a Purchasing Manager’s Position

Reward Reward Amount Differential Stability

To Whom

the Reward

Might Appeal

4. Promotion

opportunities

Average person

is promoted

within three years

Can be as early

as 18 months;

some never get

promoted

Varies depending on

the manager’s

performance and

company’s needs

Workers who

desire career

advancement

5. Having

individual

responsibility

for tasks

Above average Based on skills

and job

performance

Fairly stable Workers who

value making

individual

contributions

6. Doing

different

tasks every

day

Above average Fairly

consistent

across

employees

Fairly stable Workers seeking

skill development

Discussion Questions (1 of 2)

Why do you think some organizations choose to not perform

job analyses given their benefits? What could be done to

increase their willingness to analyze jobs?

How can job analysis make staffing more strategic?

How do you personally evaluate different job opportunities

and decide which to pursue?

Discussion Questions (2 of 2)

If supervisors and job incumbents disagreed about the relative importance and weights of various job duties, how would you reconcile their conflicting opinions? For example, if a supervisor emphasized the technical aspects of a customer service representative’s job and the representatives emphasized the interpersonal aspects of listening to customers and understanding their problems, what would you do?

Some jobs change so rapidly that companies do not feel doing a job analysis is worthwhile because by the time one is done, it’s already outdated. What advice would you give such a company to help them take advantage of the benefits a job analysis has to offer without wasting unnecessary time and resources doing a traditional job analysis?

Develop Your Skills Exercise

• Working in a group of 3-4 people, do a job rewards analysis on the job one of your group members holds (or has held). Use the questionnaire in this chapter’s Develop Your Skills feature as part of your analysis.

• Summarize your analysis in a job rewards matrix.

• Then apply the results and describe the type of potential job applicant to which each reward might appeal.

Opening Vignette Exercise

The opening vignette describes MITRE’s effort to develop a competency model for its sytems engineers. As explained in the vignette, systems engineering is a broad discipline requiring a variety of knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. Performing a job analysis or developing a competency model for this type of job requires using different methods than would doing the same for a more static, lower- skilled job such as a cashier or mail sorter.

Your assignment for this exercise is to describe how you would conduct a job analysis or create a competency model differently for these two types of jobs. How would the process differ? Would you use different sources of information?

Case Study (1 of 3)

Imagine that you are the recruiting manager for RTMM Inc., a software

development company. You have had trouble persuading top candidates

to join your firm because it is not yet well known. You have attracted a

sufficient number of qualified candidates, but too many of them are

turning down your job offers and accepting opportunities with your

competitors.

Based on your conversations with job candidates, you think that the key

to increasing your job offer acceptance rate is to enhance candidates’

understanding of the company and its value proposition. To thoroughly

identify the benefits of the job and of working for RTMM, you conducted

focus groups with your current software engineers to learn what they

valued about their jobs and about the company. This is the job rewards

matrix you created through these focus groups:

Case Study (2 of 3) Reward Amount Differential Stability

Annual bonus $18,000 average $0 to $40,000 depending

on company and individual

performance

Availability is based on

company performance

401(k) 9 percent of

base salary

Same for all workers after

one year of service

Stable

Development

opportunities

Depends on the

project and skills

used

Differs by need and by job

performance level

Company annually

invests at least $3,000

per employee in its

formal training program

Promotion

opportunities

Promotion rate

averages three

years

Minimum of two years

required for promotion; 50

percent are never promoted

Varies according to

company needs and

individual performance

Autonomy Above average Based on skills and job

performance

Stable

Task variety Above average Same for all employees Stable

Fun culture Above average Same for all employees Stable

Case Study (3 of 3)

Your assignment is to identify the types of people who might be attracted

to this opportunity, and to write a one page letter to a hypothetical job

offer recipient named Keisha Jackson, persuading her to accept your

previously extended, competitive job offer.

Chern’s Case Study

a) Using O*Net and other sources of data, create a job requirements

matrix.

b) For each competency or KSAO, decide if it should be used to hire or

plan to develop.

c) Estimate how important each characteristic is relative to the others as

well as the relative time spent on each job duty.

d) Create a job rewards matrix.

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