Unit 9

Job Design and Analysis

Meaning of Job: A job is the division of total work unit which is broken into work packages. It is the collection or
aggregation of small work units. The job involves special type of duties, responsibilities, knowledge and skills.
Generally job is a type of position in the organization such as section officer, accountant etc. It keeps on changing as per
the time, people, technology and environment.
According to McCormack, “A job is a group of positions which are identical with respect to their major or significant
tasks and sufficiently alike to justify their being covered by single analysis. There may be one or more persons employed
in a job”.

Meaning of Task: Task is a part of job. The job is divided into small work units, which are known as task. It is the
collection of activities that are directed towards the achievement of specific job objectives. It is basic element of work. It
is a logical and necessary step to be performed in a job duty.
According to Decenzo and Robbins, “A task is a distinct work activity carried out for a distinct purpose”.

Meaning of Position: Position is the set of duties, tasks, activities and elements to be performed by a single worker. It
refers to one or more duties performed by one person in an organization. Each employee has a distinct position rather
than a job in the organization.
According to McCormack, “A position consists of the tasks and duties for any individual. A position exists whether
occupied or vacant”.

Meaning of Occupation: Occupation is a group of common characteristics jobs. It is the grouping of similar jobs like
teachings, electricians, doctors, engineer and etc.
According to McCormack, “The term occupation usually refers to jobs of a general class, an across the board basis,
without regard to organizational line”.

Concept of Job Design: Job design is a process of determining specific tasks to be included in a job and performing the
specific job. It refers to organizing tasks, duties, and responsibilities into a productive unit of work to achieve
organizational goal. The jobs have to be designed systematically and scientifically to provide high level of productivity
and quality by reducing the operating cost, which improves the conditions of employee’s participation in the work. It
affects productivity, costs, quality and effectiveness of the organization by providing motivation and satisfaction to
employees. Poorly designed jobs lead to poor productivity, employee turnover, absenteeism, grievances and conflicts.
So it must change according to time, people and environment.
According to Decenzo and Robbins, “Job design is the way in which job tasks are organized into a unit of work”.
According to Byars and Rue, “Job design is the process of structuring work and designating the specific work activities of
an individual or group of individual to achieve certain organizational objectives”.
Benefits of Job Design
Job design plays vital role for organizational productivity and employee motivation at work. It is important for an
organization to perform the organizational activities in the most efficient and effective manner. The benefits of job
design are as follows:
1. Job satisfaction
2. Motivation
3. Selection of competent employee
4. Achievement of organizational goal
5. Quality of work life
6. Right man in the right place
7. Productivity growth
1. Job satisfaction: Job design provides the information about the tasks, methods, responsibilities and etc. that
makes the employee satisfy. All the informatics is available before the work that can provide right job to the
right person, which helps to increase job satisfaction o the employees.
2. Motivation: Job design makes the work more interesting and challenging to motivate employee for higher level
of performance. The challenging and interesting job provides better pay for the employees which inspire them
 for better job performance. Job design helps to motivate employees to increase organizational productivity and
employee satisfaction at work.
3. Selection of competent employees: Job design provides different information about employees for job analysis.
On the basis of the information, the job description and job specification are prepared, which helps to select
best candidate for the job. Job design helps to make job analysis for the selection of competent employees.
4. Achievement of organizational goals: Job design helps to make balance between individual needs or
organizational needs as well as it produces a proper match between them. Job design helps to arrange proper
allocation of tasks, duties and responsibilities to each employee. Because of the integration between individual
and organizational needs, the organizational goals can be achieved.
5. Quality of work life: Quality of work life is a relationship between employee and total working environment of
organization. Job design helps to improve the quality of work life by motivating them. By the good design of
work schedule leads to growing future in organization which ultimately leads to high motivation and positively
change.
6. Right man in the right place: Job design helps to provide right job to the right person in the right place that helps
to increase skill, knowledge, efficiency, capacity and etc. Job design considers individual differences of
employees in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities. These help to provide right job to right person.
7. Productivity growth: Job design provides job satisfaction to the employees, which helps to increase productivity
of organization. Productivity growth improves the production cost and quality, because of that the productivity
is also increased. The organizational productivity will be enhanced through efficient work performance.

Methods of Job Design

Job design methods seek how to design jobs, so generally the method of job design can be as follows:
1. Scientific Management Method
2. Socio-Technical Method
3. Behavioral Method
1. Scientific Management Method: The scientific management method is also known as classical method and
Engineering methods, which is influenced by F. W. Taylor. This method is based on the principles of scientific
management. It is done work simplification. The time and motion study are used to find one best way of doing
each component of the job.
Different methods are used under scientific management method, which are as follows:
a. Work Simplification: It is a process, where the job is simplified by breaking down the tasks of the jobs according
to organizational requirement. In this method firstly jobs are designed and then people are found to fit the job.
Work simplification promotes efficiency through specialization because the outcome of work
simplification is more specialization. The less trained and low paid employees are also can easily perform the
jobs in low cost.
But the results of over specialization the employees feel bore and they cannot be diversify.
b. Job Rotation Method: Job rotation is the process of motivating employees by moving them from one job to
another for a short period of time. It is done to develop a flexible workforce to fit a person in different jobs.
It helps to add different variety and reduce boredom by allowing performing a variety of tasks. It allows
employees to diversify their activities and offset the occurrence (situation) of boredom. The employees become
competent in several jobs because they can use different skills and abilities.
But it does not improve the jobs and the training costs are high as well as the job disruptions may be
created.
c. Job enrichment: Job enrichment requires that workers do increased planning and controlling of their work,
usually with less supervision and more self evaluation. Workers get greater autonomy in planning and
controlling their performance. This is one of the most useful job design techniques to motivate employees by
providing them the opportunity to work in depth in a job by allowing them to plan and control their work
themselves.
It provides feedback to correct performance and it increased the motivation and it satisfaction. It
reduces turnover and absenteeism.
But the training cost can be high and employees may refuse to accept enriched jobs with new responsibilities.
2. Socio- Technical Method: Socio- Technical method considers the job design of technical system and social
system. It is systems approach to job design. Scientific management method gives more emphasis to the
organizational goal then it emphasized to the involvement of employees. It includes an entire job situation along
with organizational and social factors while designing jobs. This approach leads to the development of self
managed work teams in an organization. This method is also called as situational method because it assesses the
technical requirements and social surroundings of the job. This approach merges the technical needs of the
organization with the social needs of the employees.
3. Behavioral Method: The job design, which is made on the basis of employee behavior, is known as behavioral
method of job design. This method is concerned with behavioral factors such as autonomy, variety, task identity,
task significance, feedback mechanism and etc. Different methods of behavioral method are as follows:
a. Job Characteristics Method: This method is formulated by Hackman and Oldham in 1975. It focuses on job
redesign, work structure, job enrichment and etc. to improve organizational productivity and quality of work life
of employees. This approach is based to alter a job’s character and create conditions of high work motivation,
satisfaction and performance by recognizing that people respond differently to the same job.
This method gives more emphasis to the employee’s psychology. The work done by employee must be
meaningful, the job satisfaction, motivation and job evaluation are affected by psychology.
b. Autonomous Team Method: The group is self directed and self managed to perform related or interdependent
tasks is known as autonomous team. They are a group of employees with widely defined jobs and
responsibilities to achieve specific goals. The group is free to decide on individual production methods, internal
leadership, recruitment and internal distribution of tasks. They solve problems, implement solutions and take
full responsibility for outcomes.
The autonomous work team achieves high productivity and quality. Supervision is a team responsibility so the
supervision cost is reduced.
If the team is formed by poor employees then it cannot be effective to achieve organizational goals.
c. Modified Work Schedules Methods: The designed jobs need to be modified frequently to adopt changing
organizational environment. Job modification is the process from which the organization can cope with changing
environment. It is the technique through which the working schedules, timing, work week and etc are
redesigned as per the convenience of the workers and changing environmental factors.
 Shorter work week
 Flex time
 Job sharing
 Home work
 Shorter work week: The shorter work week is designed to improve worker satisfaction and to improve
worker satisfaction and productivity by increasing employee enthusiasm and morale. If a person works
40 hours a week i.e. 5 days working 8 hours per day, but it is redesigned as 4 days adn10 hours per day.
Then it make shorter work week but equal working hours per week.
 Flex time: Flex time is a system where by employee’s contracts to work a specific number of hours a
week but they are free to vary the hours of work within certain limits. The employees take a contract of
performing certain level of output and they are free to choose their working days.
 Job sharing: Job sharing is designed to give flexibility to those people who cannot work full day. The job
is shared between two or more part time employees over a required hour of week.
 Home work: Home work is designed to provide work for those individuals who would otherwise be out
of the labour force. It allows to work within confines of their home. Especially this type of work includes
report writing, typing and other tasks related to information technology. They prefer to do such work at
home.
Job Analysis

Job Description: A job description is a written statement about job. It is profile of job which describes the contents,
environment and conditions of jobs. It provides information relating to activities and duties to be performed in a job. It
includes the job title, the duties to be performed, the distinguishing characteristics of the job and the authority and
responsibilities of the job holder. It differentiates one job from another by introducing unique characteristics of each job.
It is the summary of job requirements.
The contents of job description statement are as follows:
1. Job title: It explains the title of the job. It is the name of post where he must perform his job.
2. Job location: Job location refers to the name of the department where the job under consideration exists in the
organization.
3. Job summary: It tells about a brief history of job. It is a short paragraph, which explains what the job entails.
4. Duties: Duties refer to the task performed by an employee. It is needed to mention the task of employee for
devotion of performance.
5. Machines, tools and equipments: It includes the machines, tools and equipments used by any employee for the
performance of task.
6. Nature of supervision: This explains the kinds of supervision for the job requirement.
7. Working environment: The working environment is concerned with the actual work place, which defines the
working conditions.
8. Job hazards: Job hazards are obstacles that may arise during actual performance of the task.

Job Specification: Job specification is minimum requirement of employees to perform the job successfully. It identifies
the knowledge, skills, abilities needed to perform the task efficiently and effectively. It is a profile of human
characteristics needed for performing the job. It is an important tool in the selection process to keep the selector’s
attention on the list of qualifications necessary for an incumbent necessary for an incumbent to perform the task
successfully. It specifies the physical, psychological, social and behavioral characteristics of the incumbent. It is summary
of worker requirements.
The contents of job specification are as follows:
1. Educational requirement: Job specification statement lists the required level of education for each post. It helps
to determine the level of job.
2. Physical fitness and health: Physical fitness is a crucial aspect of good performance. The worker must be
physically and mentally fit.
3. Appearance: It is an outlook of the employee. The appearance must be attractive and good looking.
4. Mental and other abilities: The employee must be mentally fit to perform the desired task. Mental fitness is
related by abilities of employees like decision making and etc.
5. Experience: The required level of experience is needed for performance, so the experienced employee will be
preferable in comparison to the fresh candidate.
6. Others: Other qualities and abilities are also needed, which includes the special training, responsibility, special
knowledge and experience and etc.

Job Evaluation: The job evaluation determines the relative value of each job. It is widely used to determine the jobs in
the organization. It is related to the job done by employees, but does not related to jobholders. It specifies relative value
of each job to develop compensation package. The job description and job specification provide the information to
evaluate people for fixing the salary or wage of a particular job. There are different numbers of techniques used to
analyze jobs. The uses of techniques should be determined by the job analysis depending upon the nature of the jobs.
Some of the characteristics and importance of job evaluation are as follows:
1. It helps to rate the job: Job evaluation is a more rational and consistent technique which helps to determine and
fix the wages.
2. It helps to determine pay structure: It is a consistent and rational process of determining wage and salary
structure for various levels of jobs.
 3. It helps in brining harmonious relations between labour and management: It brings harmony and good labour
relation through eliminating wage inequalities within the organization.
4. It helps to minimize the cost of recruitment and selection: It helps to minimize the recruitment and selection
costs because it minimizes the turnover which must not need to select the employees.
5. It helps to determine the requirement of training and development: It identifies training and development
requirements by comparing the complexity and importance between various jobs.
6. It helps to minimize cost: It helps to increase productivity and rate of production, so per unit cost of output is
minimize.

Concept of Job Analysis

Job analysis is the systematic process of gathering and organizing the information relating to job description and job
specification. It is a systematic exploration of the activities within a job. It obtains information about jobs, which develop
job description and job specification and to conduct job evaluation. It is a basic technical procedure that is used to define
the duties, responsibilities and accountabilities of a job. It includes detailed description of tasks, determining the
relationship of the job to technology and to other jobs and examining the knowledge, qualifications or employment
standards accountabilities and other requirements. It defines about tasks involved in a job and qualifications needed to
accomplish the job in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities.
According to Decenzo and Robbins, “Job analysis provides information about jobs currently being done and the
knowledge, skills and abilities that individual need to perform the job adequately”.

According to Gary Dessler, “Job analysis is the procedure for determining the duties and skills requirements of a job and
the kind of person who should be hired for it”.

Purposes of Job Analysis

Job analysis obtains information about jobs and it uses the information to develop job descriptions and job specifications
and to conduct job evaluation. It helps to make organizational job design. It is the main source of inputs for HRP. The
main purposes of job analysis are as follows:
1. Develop job description
2. Develop job specification
3. Conduct job evaluation
4. Prepare HR plan
5. Prepare HR inventory
6. Performance appraisal development
1. Develop job description: Job description involves all the information related to job contents and job
characteristics. It is written record of the duties, responsibilities and requirements of particular jobs. It is a
statement describing the job in such terms as its title, location, duties, working conditions and etc. so to develop
the job description is one of the important purposes of job analysis.
2. Develop job specification: Job specification is a statement of the minimum acceptable human qualities necessary
to perform a job properly. It involves detail information of job holders such as education, experience, training,
judgment, physical skill and effort, communication skill and etc. It is a statement of human qualification
necessary to do job. So to develop job specification is one of the important purposes of job analysis.
3. Conduct job evaluation: Job evaluation is systematic process of determining the worth for the job in relation to
other jobs. It is a process of rewarding the job after it has been analyzed. Relative worth is determined mainly on
the basis of job description and job specification only. It is the process of analyzing and assessing the various
jobs systematically to ascertain their relative worth in an organization. Job analysis is used as or foundation for
job evaluation.
4. Prepare HR plan: HR plan is the process of systematic review of HR requirement in the organization. Job analysis
provides useful inputs for preparing and updating human resource inventory and HRIS. They both needed to
prepare HR plan. Job analysis also defines labour needs in concrete terms and co ordinates the activities of the
work force, and clearing divides duties and responsibilities.
5. Prepare HR inventory: HRP is one of most important elements in a successful HRM program. HRI must be
prepared for effective planning, which includes on inventory of the workers and skills already available within
organization and a comprehensive job analysis. The HRI provides crucial information for identifying current or
 future threats to the organizations ability to perform. It includes a list of names, education, training, prior
employment, current position, performance rating, salary level, language spoken, capabilities and specialized
skills, that is needed for job analysis.
6. Performance appraisal development: Performance evaluation is a system set up by the organization to regularly
and systematically evaluate employee performance. It is a process of identifying, measuring and managing
employee’s performance in order to enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. The information
collected by different types of job analysis techniques, which is useful to develop job standards and criteria with
a view to evaluating the performance of employees. Information received from job analysis is useful to design a
systematic performance evaluation program.

Sources of Job Analysis Information

The information is very useful to analyses the job. So the information can be collected from different sources, which are
as follows:
1. Employees
2. Supervisors
3. Experts
4. Specialists
5. Others

1. Employees: Employees are one of the most important sources of information for the organization. They can
provide information about organization, because they have working experience in that organization. Only that
employee can provide accurate information about organization for job analysis.
2. Supervisors: The working environment and work done by employees are deeply known by supervisor.
Supervisors deal with employees regularly and they can provide information about the job. So the supervisors
are also the source of information for job analysis.
3. Experts: The person can be expert by the experience of job analyzing in many organizations. They can get more
information from many organizations by working there. The experts can systematically record the activities
involved in a job. Experts are also involved in a job. Experts are also one of the main sources of information.
4. Specialists: The specialists also can provide information about the specialized subject. He provides more
information because of specialization of particular jobs. He has the knowledge of job analysis and he can provide
valuable information to the job analysis team.
5. Others: The other sources of information may be primary and secondary. Different types of primary and
secondary information are needed for job analysis. It includes the radio, television, press media and other
sources like blue prints of work areas, films of workers, manuals and etc.