Job Analysis and Work Design
Job analysis is the foundation for effective people management, providing structured insight into what each role requires in terms of tasks, capabilities, and performance outcomes. This page explains how job analysis goes beyond traditional job descriptions to support competency models, development planning, and strategic workforce capability.
Job Analysis - little used
It has become fashionable to regard job or position descriptions as less important than a set of core competencies or standard operating procedures. The reasons given are that people will be inflexible, only doing what is specified, that jobs change frequently and people know what is expected of them without a job description. In my experience the real reason is that managers and HR find it too hard to write quality job descriptions.
So in many organisations job analysis is also neglected.
Job analysis should be a fundamental HR practice. Often it is neglected.
In order to drive performance effectively it is imperative to understand how work is divided in the organization. Over time as organizations expand, work activity can become mis-aIigned with the organization’s purpose and mission, more and more inefficiencies are inadvertently introduced .
In a fast changing competetive environment senior management need to constantly review and realign work. Without structured in depth information on all job roles, work activities and the requisite capabilities they are effectively blind.
In most organizations this information is hidden in unstructured and outdated documents with minimal and often inaccurate information.
How to conduct a high level work design review
Why do Job Analysis?
Job or Work Analysis is the foundation of all People/Talent Management activities. If we do not define the work a person is hired to do we cannot analyse competency requirements, set appropriate compensation, objectively evaluate candidates or potential successors, develop effective training programmes or provide for future scenarios.
Job analysis is the first step in creating a job description.
Vital tool for Strategic People & Capability Management
Job analysis provides the structured role clarity that is needed to ensure efficiency of work. When you have properly structured job role information you can use reporting and analytics to identify overlaps, duplications and omissions in terms of work areas or tasks needed to meet organizational objectives.
The role and capability architecture provides the framework for showcasing career pathways and identifying the learning resources needed for onboarding and for closing skills gaps.
Complete and clear role profiles are the benchmarks against which you evaluate new hires internally and externally as well as succession nominees.
Of course this is not a one time exercise, it is not static data. As your organization changes in all its aspects it must be continually updated.
None of this is possible without the right tools and supporting platform. That is why so many organizations still struggle with incomplete, fragmented and incorrect or misleading information.
Steps in Job Analysis?
The process of listing the activities involved in a role, and analysing their context, scope, complexity, frequency and impact, as well as the knowledge and skills required for success. It is obvious that this information is vital for human capital decisions.
What sort of information is required?
- Information on use of equipment or tools
- Information on use of data
- Information on interpersonal interactions
- Information on organizational context
Who will provide the information?
- Job incumbents
- Supervisor
- Team members
- Experts in a particular activity
- Other Colleagues
- Customers
What process is used?
- Interviews
- Task logs
- Observations
- Questionnaires and checklists
- Critical incidents analysis
Use the output of job analysis to create effective Job Descriptions and Capability Requirement Profiles.
Are your Job/Position Descriptions working for you?