Introduction APPLICATION OF JOB ANALYSIS AS A HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT TOOL
IN STATE CORPORATIONS
Background
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
The Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI)
Kenya Forestry Research Institute was established in 1986 through an act of parliament under the
science and technology Act, Chapter 250. The mandate of KEFRI is to conduct research in forestry, to
liaise with other organizations and institutions of higher learning in training and on matters of forestry
research, to coordinate with other research bodies within and outside Kenya carrying out similar
research, document and disseminate research findings. Research efforts have been directed towards
solving problems related to increasing scarcity of wood products and related services, reduced
agricultural production due to declining soil fertility due to soil erosion, decline in rainfall due to
destruction of catchments and environmental degradation especially in dry areas.
Due to diverse research activities, the institute collaborates with various other institutions in the field of
forestry research. These include the Forest Department (FD), International Centre for Research in
Agroforestry (ICRAF), International Union for Conservation and Nature (IUCN), National Museums of
Kenya (NMK), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Moi University, Kenya plant inspection
service (KEPHIS) and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) among others. The Mission statement is to contribute
towards enhancing the social and economic welfare of Kenyans by conducting user-oriented research in
forestry, generating and disseminating technologies needed to improve the development, management
and conservation of forest and allied natural resources.
The Objectives include, to identify management and research problems and opportunities that would
guide in formulating forestry research programs, to advice and facilitate production of high quality seeds
for 6 establishing forests and trees which are productive and adopt better to local conditions, to
increase productivity of plantations through improved knowledge of species adaptability, spacing,
weeding, nutrition, pruning, thinning and harvesting, to improve knowledge on natural forests in order
to ensure their sustainable management and to maintain their genetic diversity, to improve knowledge
on woodlands in order to ensure there sustained management and conservation on biological diversity,
to improve knowledge on farm forestry and to enable the forestry extension services to support and
build local initiatives in farm forestry and tree management by the farming communities, to develop and
improve knowledge on utilization of wood and non-wood forest products, to monitor and develop
control methods for pest, diseases and fire in collaboration with other interested parties in plantations,
natural forests and farms, in order to minimize damage, to strengthen research capacity through
training and by improving linkages with other research institutions and to generate, document and
disseminate scientific information.
The KEFRI Organization structure has various levels of operation and management. The top level
comprises of the KEFRI Board of management which is responsible for research and management
policies. The Director, who is responsible for the overall operation of KEFRI, assisted by two Deputy
Directors; one responsible for research and development (R&D) and the other for finance and
administration (F&A). The deputy Director (R &D) oversees five core research programs and
coordination of projects implementation, Networks and dissemination of research results.
The Deputy Director (F&A) coordinates all matters pertaining to human resources, finance, supplies,
administration and physical planning. The Corporate and Public relations (C&PR) and 7 the Internal Audit
units are under the Director’s office. KEFRI has 951 staff consisting of research scientists, technologist,
foresters, administrators and other support staff (KEFRI Strategic Plan, 2005- 2010).
Statement of the problem
Job analysis is an important human resource management tool as its products of job description and job
specification help the employees to understand their duties and responsibilities well, at the same time
the skills required to perform the duties will be clearly outlined. On the other hand conducting job
analysis helps the organization to clearly design the organizational structure. This implies that through
job study the organization is able to defined positions, hire suitable staff to fill the positions, design
proper workflows, establish reporting relationships, identify physical work environment, and assist in
identifying training needs, deployment of staff among other uses of job analysis. State corporation were
created in the early 1960s to help create wealth and to improve the standards of living of Kenyans.
These Corporations have received as much good praise in the immediate post-independence period as
potential instruments of national, economic and social development as they have received bad press
from the 1990’s.
They have been criticized not only on the basis of their record of performance but also for the
notoriously inefficiency. Specific problems associated with state/public corporations include; poor
economic performance, overstaffing, inefficiency, incompetent staff, poor organizational structures and
mismanagement. It is also true that state corporations are victims of circumstances beyond their
control. Organizational survival and social responsibility take 8 an upper hand rather than profitability,
efficient service delivery, sustainability and growth which should be the first priority of the top
management (Kangoro, 1998).
KEFRI as one of the state corporations established to undertake research in forestry is not except from
some of the above shortcomings. It has a large workforce of between Nine hundred and one thousand
staff, with varying levels of academic and professional qualifications carrying out duties/tasks ranging
from highly skilled to none skilled labor. However, in the recent past, a good number of highly skilled
staff has left the organization for various reasons including poor remuneration, lack of timely upward
mobility; lack of recognition of achievement, among others a review on research program and
Management (Price water House coopers, 1997, June).
In relation to the above outlined shortcomings, there is little or no literature available to the knowledge
of the researcher on local studies relating to the application of job analysis in state corporations KEFRI
inclusive, despite the importance associated to this human resource management tool which
contributes greatly to the achievement of organizational objectives /mandate. The need to fill this gap is
the primary purpose for the development of this study. This research also aims at answering the
question, if the past findings on job analysis are relevant and applicable to state corporations
Objective of the study
The objective of this study is to determine the extent to which job analysis is applied as a human
resource management tool in KEFRI in pursuant of the achievement of her set targets.
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
Job analysis as a human resource management technique was developed around 1900 and became one
of the tools with which managers understood and directed organizations. Early writers on job analysis
like Gulick, Urwick, and Taylor focused their writing on Fayol’s principles on the purpose of the job. But
this early interest in job analysis disappeared as the human relations movement focused on other issues.
It was not until the 1960s that psychologists and other behavioral scientists rediscovered jobs as a focus
of study in organizations. All work organizations can be thought of as networks of jobs. These Networks
may be relatively rigid or flexible, depending on the extent to which the boundaries between jobs are
adapted to meet changing conditions. Jobs are fundamental to organizations.
They are the principal vehicles for the allocation of tasks, duties and roles to the various personnel
employed by the organization (Burns & Stalker, 1961). The dominant rationale for job design has been
the need to achieve optimum output. This is the rationale of scientific management in which human
work and effort is seen in terms of its relationship to machines and the systems created for them (Taylor
& Davis, 1979). An organization with the greatest long-term interest in job analysis has been the United
States Department of Labor (DOL). The United States Employment Service (USES) of the DOL's Training
and Employment Administration has developed job analysis procedures and instruments over many
years. These procedures probably represent the strongest single influence on job analysis practice in the
United States.
The DOL's Guide for analyzing jobs and handbook for analyzing jobs show the development of job
analysis procedures over almost 50 years (U.S Government printing office,1946). The Department 2 of
Labor (DOL) has led in the development of what is often called the conventional approach to job analysis
(U.S. Department of labor, 1972).
Human resource management
The root of people management and therefore of human resource management (HRM) lie deep in the
past. Just as the tasks that have to be done in modern organizations are allocated to different jobs and
the people who perform those jobs, human in ancient societies divided work between themselves.
Social customs on the other hand determined separate roles and tasks for male and female. The sub
division of work was done so that specific tasks or jobs are allocated to individuals deemed most
suitable on the basis of skill, experience or cultural traditions (Graham and Bennett, 1998; Cole, 1991)
The modern view of HRM first gained prominence in 1981 with its introduction on the prestigious MBA
course at Harvard Business School. The reasons why HRM have attracted attention particularly from
senior managers in the recent years from a strategic viewpoint has been identified as; HRM offers a
broader range of solutions for complex organizational problems, it ensures that an organization’s people
are considered as well as its financial and technological resources when objectives are set or capabilities
assessed. It forces the explicit consideration of the individuals who implement and comprise the
strategy and two-way links are encouraged between the formulation of strategy and its human resource
implications. HRM has further been defined as …the element of managerial work which is concerned
with acquiring, developing and dispensing with the efforts, skills and capabilities of an organization’s
workforce and maintaining organizational relationships within which these human resources can be 3
utilized to enable the organization to continue into the future within the social, political and economic
context in which it exists (Wayne, 1991) According to Nzuve (1997) organizations vary both in size and
structure.
The Human resource functions are universal though they may be performed differently by different
people in the organization. There are however activities that can be found in almost all HR departments
in various organizations. The following is a summary of HR functions: job analysis and design where the
employee’s skills, abilities and motives to perform the job are matched to the job’s requirements;
recruitment and selection as employees contribute to a great degree, the effectiveness of an
organization. Without a high-quality labor force, an organization is destined to have mediocre
performance; Training and Development is another HR function which is very important to organization,
in that, the growth of an organization is closely related to the development of its human resources. It is
during the appraisal process that employees become aware of any performance deficiencies they may
have and are informed of what they must do to improve their performance and thus become
promotable. Compensation is a technique for evaluating the financial worth of the job and other issues
pertaining to the design of pay systems are handled by HR managers. A newer area of concern to both
managers and employees today is Health and Safety due to accidents, injuries and medical expenses
caused by occupational diseases. Labor relations, labor unions exert a powerful influence on employers
and help shape the HR policies and programs for union employees (McCormick, 1979).
Job Analysis
Job analysis generally refers to an analytical process involving gathering, analyzing, sorting and re-
assembling facts into whatever consistent format chosen. These facts about a job are obtained from
jobholders, colleagues or team mates and the job holder’s managers. It is not a matter of obtaining
opinions or making judgments. What goes into the job description should be what actually happens and
not what anybody would like to think happens or what they feel people should like to make it happen.
Thus judgmental statements such as “carries out the highly skilled work of …” are avoided. It is the
process of defining the work, activities, tasks, products, or processes performed by or produced by an
employee(s). Organizational analysis of a job is to determine the responsibilities inherent in the position
as well as the qualifications needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Job analysis is essential when recruiting
in order to locate an individual having the requisite capabilities and education (Biddle, 1978; Bemis,
1983). The various fundamental principles concerning jobs and the process of analyzing them have been
identified as: all jobs can be analyzed and recorded, job analysis can enhance communication, the
process can be clear enough so that employees and employers can understand and contribute to the
process, the process can be designed so that all major human resource decisions can be based on the
resulting data. Skill, knowledge and ability can be defined in operational terms, job analysis based on
observable behaviors and work products contributes to efficient human resources management and
nearly everything that needs to be written to explain the activities of a job is already written (Kearney,
Thomas and Kuhn, 1972).
