A Practical Guide to Job Analysis

290 Pages·2009·3.772 MB·English

by  Erich P. Prien, Leonard D. Goodstein, Jeanette Goodstein, Louis G. Gamble Jr

Essential resources for training and HR professionals Essential resources for training and HR professionals
PRAISE FOR A Practical Guide to Job Analysis
“The wisdom and years of experience of these icons in the fi eld of industrial-organiza-
tional psychology is readily apparent on every page. This is a book that everyone who
works in human resources needs to have on their desk.”
A
[GARY LATHAM, PH.D.] secretary of state professor, Organizational Effectiveness,
A
Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto G
P P R A C T I C A L
“Despite its essential quality, job analysis has been the neglected stepchild of the HR UR
world. This book changes all of that by providing the rationale, the tools, and the con- IA
DC
text for conceptualizing and implementing the best of job analysis practice.”
ET G U I D E
[ROGER A. MYERS PH.D.] ABPP, Richard March Hoe Professor (emeritus), I
Teachers College, Columbia University TC
OA
“Prien, Goodstein, Goodstein, and Gamble have produced a practical, experience-based L
to
book describing a foundational HR activity. It has already become a part of my refer-
J
ence library.” O
J
[JEFFERY S. SCHIPPMANN, PH.D.] senior vice president, human resources and chief
O B
B
talent offi cer, Balfour Beatty Construction

A
ERICH P. PRIEN, Ph.D., is an industrial/organizational psychologist specializing N
in the development, standardization, and application of psychological tests. He is the
founder and president of Performance Management Press. A A
N A LY S I S
LEONARD D. GOODSTEIN, Ph.D., is a consulting psychologist specializing L
personality assessment. He is a principal with Professional Assessment Service and
Y
Solutions.
S
JEANETTE GOODSTEIN, Ph.D., is an organizational consultant and writer
specializing in working with governmental and non-profi t organizations. She is the co- I
author of the award-winning Who’s Driving Your Bus and Applied Strategic Planning: S
The Consultant’s Tool Kit.
E R I C H P. P R I E N
LOUIS G. GAMBLE, JR., Ed. D., is a consultant and entrepreneur specializing in
the application of information technology to organizational change. He is a principal PRIEN
with Inclusive Marketing Consultants, LLC.
GOODSTEIN L E O N A R D D . G O O D S T E I N
GOODSTEIN
GAMBLE J E A N E T T E G O O D S T E I N
Discover more at
www.pfeiffer.com
L O U I S G . G A M B L E , J R .

About This Book
Why is this book important?
A competent job analysis is the foundation of all other human resource
functions. If we do not understand the nature of the job to be done, we
cannot select appropriate candidates for that job, assess their worth in the
job market, develop appropriate training and development programs, mentor
them, or adequately carry out any of the multitudinous HR functions. It all
must begin with a proper job analysis, a task for which this book provides a
comprehensiveguide.
What can you expect from this book?
Thisbookprovidesthereaderwithacontextforunderstandingtheimportance
ofdoingaproperjobanalysistogetherwithastep-by-stepguidetoconducting
suchananalysis.Oneuniqueelementofthisguideisaseriesofeighttemplates
that provide the basis for conducting job analyses for eight different levels
of job families, from the entry-level to the senior manager/executive. HR
professionalsorlinemanagerscanreadilyusethesetemplateswithconfidence
thattheyhavethenecessarytoolsaswellastheunderstandingofthecontext
ofthisprocess.
How is this book organized?
Beginningwithtwochaptersonthecontextandimportanceofdoingacompe-
tentjobanalysis,thebookprovidesguidestospecifyingtheworkactivitiesof
tasksthatmakeupthejob,identifyingthecompetenciesnecessarytosuccess-
fullyperformthatjob,spellingouttheuniquecharacteristicsoftheworkplace
inwhichthejobwillbeperformed,andfinally,specifyingtheperformancelevel
atwhichthisjobneedstobeexecuted.Thetemplatesorinstrumentsnecessary
to complete each of the elements of a thorough job analysis are provided in
an appendix and on a website (www.pfeiffer.com/go/LeonardGoodstein). This
providesaconvenientwaythattheyeasilycanbecustomizedforuseindoing
ajobanalysis.

Ourreadersareinvitedtoviewanddownloadthetemplates
andinstrumentsfrom the appendices ofthis book. The
materials can becustomizedfor usein doing ajob analysis.
The materials are available FREEwith the purchase of this
book at www.pfeiffer.com/go/LeonardGoodstein.
A Practical
Guide to
Job Analysis
Erich P. Prien,
Leonard D. Goodstein,
Jeanette Goodstein,
and Louis G. Gamble, Jr.
Copyright2009byJohnWiley&Sons,Inc.Allrightsreserved.
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LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Apracticalguidetojobanalysis/ErichP.Prien...[etal.].
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-470-43444-4(cloth)
1.Jobanalysis.I.Prien,ErichP.,
HF5549.5.J6P732009
658.3’06-dc22
2008051523
AcquiringEditor:MatthewDavis EditorialAssistant:LindsayMorton
DirectorofDevelopment:KathleenDolanDavies ManufacturingSupervisor:BeckyMorgan
ProductionEditor:DawnKilgore
Editor:RebeccaTaff
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Printing 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface xi
1. AnIntroduction toJob Analysis 1
WhyDoWeAnalyzeJobs?
TheHiringProcess
TheHumanCapitalLifeCycle
JobAnalysis
Recruitment
Screening
FinalSelection
JobOrientation
TrainingandDevelopment
2. What IsaJob Analysis? 11
DefiningJobAnalysis
ApplicationsofJobAnalyses
Recruitment
CandidateSelection
EmployeeTrainingandDevelopment
PerformanceManagement
OrganizationalManagementandPlanning
LitigationProtection
ElementsofaJobAnalysis
WorkActivity(WA)
Knowledge,Skills,andAbility(KSA)
LevelsofJobPerformance
WorkplaceCharacteristics
vii
viii CONTENTS
3. How toConductaJobAnalysis 27
MethodsofJobAnalysis
Self-Reports
DirectObservations
Interviews
DocumentReviews
QuestionnairesandSurveys
CaveatsandCautions
ChangesOverTime
LowAccuracy
LackofStability
4. TheJob Analysis Templates 39
TheDevelopmentoftheTemplates
EightTemplatesforJobAnalysis
Entry-LevelJobAnalysisTemplate(AppendixB)
ProductionOperationsJobAnalysisTemplate
(AppendixC)
ClericalJobAnalysisTemplate(AppendixD)
SalesandSalesManagementJobAnalysisTemplate
(AppendixE)
Clerical/AdministrativeServicesJobAnalysis
Template(AppendixF)
ProfessionalAdministrativeJobAnalysisTemplate
(AppendixG)
Supervisory/First-LineManagerJobAnalysisTemplate
(AppendixH)
SeniorManagement/ExecutiveJobAnalysisTemplate
(AppendixI)
UsingtheTemplates
CompletingtheSummaryForms
SummaryofWorkActivityImportanceRatings
5. TheWorkplace Characteristics Profile 53
OrganizationalCultureandClimate
OrganizationalCulture
OrganizationalClimate