Traditional Job Analysis
Traditional Job Analysis
Traditional Job Analysis
1. Introduction
Generation of jobs and examination of work content is as old as human work itself. Since people had lived upon hunting and fishing, they utilized experience acquired in the course of centuries and modified their behaviour with the aim to improve it continually. The process became more and more complicated when the intensity of tasks was higher and coordination of activities of more people was needed to execute them. In spite of all social, political, economic, cultural and demographic changes, which happened during the long human history, the basic situation of a man has not changed. He still executes tasks under the supervision of another man and his activity is connected with the performance of other employees. Depth division of labour due to the consequences of the industrial revolution (establishment of factories, inventions of machines, introduction of mechanization, gradual mutual inter-connection of working activities, introduction of scientific management and later interest in human relations) made managers to consider employees performance, analyse their work, determine work content and later describe and specify jobs. In 1960s a group of scientists and corporate consultants in the USA proved that traditional approaches to jobs generation may lead to the results, which are in a conflict with company goals (Chiavenato, 2002, p. 295). Based on their statements new approaches to definition of newly generated and redesign of existing jobs started to be applied. One of them process management starts to be utilized also in human resources management. The subject of this article is to present application of process management approach at job analysis. The application is being done in a form of case study and its comparison with a traditional way of job analysis execution.
is to form actual, compact and meaningful picture about job. Schematic illustration of job analysis traditional approach is presented in the Figure 1.
WHAT?
Analysed job
WHO?
Requests for auditors
WHERE FROM?
Information sources
HOW?
Methods of information gathering and processing
WHEN?
Time schedule and periodicity
When traditional approach to job analysis is applied it is possible to divide its process into four basic phases, i.e. analysis planning, preparation, execution and assessment. a) Planning period At the beginning it is necessary to determine the purpose and main goals of analysis in relation to the results which are expected by the subject who ordered it (mostly top management). Based on defined goals top management decides about execution of personnel audit by internal employees or external consultancy company. When analysts are selected their first task is to get informed with all important information about the company and its strategic intentions. It is important to analyse actual situation in terms of relevant facts from local and international environment, from the point of view of organizational structure, mission, company culture, main goals and strategies. At the same time by means of situational analysis expectations of a client are defined and goals of audit are determined. Analysts process assumptions of job analysis execution to a form of schedule in which they specify the reasons of job analysis initiation. The plan is submitted to top management for reviewing. Jobs that are to be the object of analysis are determined. Consequently organizational structure to which based on a defined hierarchical level, belonging to organizational unit and relations of superiority and subordination individual jobs are integrated. Integration of a job to organizational structure means to define a level of hierarchy, authority, responsibility and area of activity. An important step is methods and specific factors selection which will be applied and considered during analysis. In general more methods of analysis are selected since it is probable that jobs are of similar character and have similar characteristics. The methods which bring more advantages or less disadvantages respecting jobs which are to be analysed are chosen. Selection of specific factors is based on criteria of universality and discrimination. b) Preparation period In this phase responsible people, schemes and working materials are determined. At the beginning analysts of jobs who form a working team have to be trained. The analysts
initiate a meeting with line managers and specialists where they introduce reasons of job analysis execution, ask them to participate, discuss the plan of execution and supposed methods of data acquisition. The outputs of meeting enable to compile the definitive plan of job analysis and prepare details for data acquisition. One of the last steps of the preparation period is to inform about execution of job analysis of all the employees whose jobs are to its object. Before the execution itself it is a must to take a check-out step of analysis after which the control of procedure will be carried out and critical places in proposed process of execution will be discussed. c) Execution period After a check-out step execution of planned job analysis in a full content based on definitive agreed plan follows. Data acquisition itself is carried out directly in an organization. According to its size, specific features, extent of analysis, number of participating analysts it takes several days or weeks. The most important moment of the whole process presents for analysts getting trust of jobs holders and ensure their co-operation since analysts in this phase get maximum amount of information. Basic condition of successfully executed analysis is a real and professional internal communication. Top management has to make corresponding measures to lay fears of employees concerning analysis. In the phase of execution the analysts examine activities, tasks, responsibilities and competencies of jobs which are being analysed. Acquired data may be completed by actual directional situation of an organization (managerial and organizational structure, decision processes, total system of responsibility and competencies, company culture and so on, including requests on jobs, resulting from a new strategy, goals and company roles). After finishing the phase of data acquisition analysts come to an analytical phase, which is a key and from the time point of view the most demanding part of the process. Analysts work out and present objective and detailed analysis of an actual state taking into consideration strategic and practical recommendations concerning their execution. In this phase they review defined objects (jobs, human resources) due to specified aspects, through the most modern analytical and diagnostic methods. The output of job analysis is processing of information concerning particular job into a version of complex picture covering all the aspects of a job (work content, duties, responsibilities, contacts, factors of work environment, norms and criteria of working performance assessment, requests imposed on an employee, etc.). In traditional approach basic outputs of jobs analysis which catch this picture are description and specification of a job. Description of a job is systematic and detailed list of information which provides summary data about a job. It contains a list of working activities which are being carried out by an employee in the organization. Job generated in an organizational structure has a defined responsibility for activities, in case of need this responsibility completed or in a different way modified. Specification of job is derived from description of job and expresses sum of requests imposed on an employee and abilities required to perform work. Based on comparison of required state with the state which exists own assessment of total professional ability of jobs holders including their strengths and weaknesses, possibilities for development, or relocation and resulting suggestions and recommendations follow. d) Assessment period Based on acquired and recorded data and information analysis the analysts define measures which must be introduced into practice so that a required level of working performance is achieved. They process proposals of recommendations in a form of evaluative report, which contains synthesis of results, identified provisions, definition of measurements, level of costs for
their execution, priority of execution, potential consequences and contradictions. Official termination of the process of analysis is carried out after assessment which is connected with presentation of results of findings with recommendations and final negotiation with the employees who are being reviewed and top management and after execution of all the activities determined in the plan. Job analysis makes sense only in the case if their conclusions and recommendations are put into practice. Based on analysts recommendations top management carries out their implementation.
Activity Attributes Activity owner Activity input Activity output Internal supplier Internal customer Activity workplace
Process Attributes Process owner Process structure Process input Process output External supplier External customer
Activity
Process
Integral Attributes
Costs
Value Aded
Time
Productivity
Quality
Knowledge
Innovation
Every author presents his/her own classification of places for measurement and performance assessment. So their systematization which should contain all aspects of company processes efficiency is due. By means of analysis process attributes were determined and they were divided to the attributes in relation to the process as an aggregate of more activities and which cannot be related to process activities, then attributes of activity which are related to any process activity and cannot be related to a level of more activities or a process and integral attributes which are related to activity and through their aggregation we come to a process level. The attributes are provided in the Table 1. Table 1: Process attributes systematization
Process attributes
process owner process structure process input process output external supplier external customer -
Activity attributes
activity owner activity input activity output internal supplier internal customer activity workplace -
Integral attributes
costs added value time productivity quality knowledge innovation
Number of process attributes included to process model depends on requests concerning management system. Some organizations define to activities a numerous set of attributes (cost to activity, activity duration, activity owner, inputs, outputs, information flows, qualitative criteria concerning activity and other). To analyze jobs by means of process approach application it is enough to form a process model by sources process analysis. This process model of an organization presents the basic structure of management system which must be obeyed then by all the employees. Process model contains basic management elements (Zvadsk, 2004, p. 73):
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- organizational structure, - list of working positions in an organization, - list of processes which are executed in an organization and classified into main and support ones, - list of managerial positions and their responsibilities for processes, - chronological list of activities required to execute a particular process, - assignment of individual jobs to activities. Three organization norms rules of organization, competence regulations and working processes form outputs of process model for organization management. The purpose of rules of organization due to the process model is determination of superiority and subordination relations, specification of individual working posts, specification of general working positions and assignment of activities to managerial and general working positions. There are activities in an organization which are common for all or a group of selected employees. That is the reason why there are fictional working positions in the process model which represent a selected group of employees whom these activities concern, e.g. head of a unit without specification which particular unit within the frame of organizational structure. The purpose of competence regulations is determination of responsibilities and competencies of particular working positions for performance and execution of individual activities due to main and support processes. Working processes due to process model present chronological process of activities which must be executed in a particular process with the aim to achieve required process output. Working process displayed graphically in a form of sequence chart presents the process statically. In cases when sequence of activities in a process cannot be met or it is necessary to realize changes in the process it may be done only in a directed way.
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x0Y00 Abc
Alphabetical process name Serial number of main of support process in higher level organizational unit (section) Alphabetical identification attribute identifying hierarchical process level (H main process/P support process) Alphabetical-numerical double-attribute identifying organizational unit owning particular process
d) Individual consultations and common workshops Formulation of individual discussions schedule followed the processing of the list of main and support processes. Each process was given a particular process owner. Individual appointments were arranged between processes owners and executors of process analysis. The subject of these individual appointments was detailed description of executed processes. In connection to individual discussions and information which were acquired individual processes were modelled and gradually the process model of actual state was formed. All the interested parties participated in common workshops. Process model was presented there and then discussion about the model occurred. If relevant suggestions were given they were included into process model. The analysis took three months during which 14 departments within four units were analyzed. The process model which contained 40 identified processes, 21 main and 19 support company processes was determined. e) Analysis of employees responsibilities and competencies Source analysis requires creation of jobs before the analysis of company processes. The base for jobs database formulation were information obtained from the personnel department. Important is data consistence especially in names of jobs which are stated in labour contracts, organizational structure, organization norms and QPR database. For all the jobs the system of alpha-numerical coding was determined (Figure 5).
x0-00
Numerical ident. attribute identifying hierarchy and specification of job (00 controlled level / 01-99 controlled level serial number) Alphabetically-numerical double attribute of organizational unit to which job is integrated
After processing the process model in a form of a process chart which contained inputs, outputs and information flows the system of activities coding was determined. The rate of process analysis depends on its goal. If source process analysis is executed the process is modelled with such punctuality that each activity is allocated responsibility for its execution. Next criteria concerning the rate of punctuality is input-output transformation, i.e. if the input is being changed through activity it is necessary to record the activity. After creation of organization process model human resources from determined job database are allocated
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to individual activities. In this way aggregate of relations between one job and aggregate of company activities is formed. Every element of management system which is a part of the process model should have its own identification towards the level of individual activities as it is given in Figure 6.
x0Y00.00 Abc
Alphabetical activity name Serial number of activity in particular process Alphabetically-numerical process code core
System of activities coding results from processes identification where the sequence number of particular activity of the process is seen as its code. The principle of process model determination in the organization where one of the outputs is the competence order is mostly based on objectively oriented modelling. The approaches to such organization modelling result from different standards and company processes notifications. In our case we utilized application program equipment QPR ProcessGuide which did not request to know the principles of objective modelling and focused especially on relation between job and aggregate of activities which belong to it. Allocation is possible also in case of technical devices in this case study attention was paid to human resources. Job was given the following parameters: a) source name job due to the catalogue of jobs, b) available quantity of employees at particular job , c) costing due to selected unit, d) organizational unit where the source (employee) belongs, e) participation of an employee in the group of sources. For technical devices the same parameters were defined as for human resources. The difference exists in case of consumed material description where the parameters of the following things are stated: a) name of material, b) available quantity, c) cost on material unit, d) available warehouse space for selected material kind, e) activating limit for material order, f) size of one order, g) cost and time of order. Companies have two possibilities in case of sources allocation. When expenses of human resources are defined it is possible to include also overheads to the costs. Overhead charge is calculated as a ratio of a sum of determined costs to the number of selected employees multiplied by one hundred. But this approach is not the objective plan of overheads due to activities. The second and in the case of the company that we examine the better approach is allocation of all kinds of sources to individual activities human resources, technical advices and material. Such definition becomes the base for budgeting of costs according to activities. At human resources it is possible to take into consideration employees fluctuation. It means that
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disposable quantity at particular job may be decreased by a rate of seriousness of executed activities. f) Formation of organization competence order Collection of relations between one job and company activities enables generation of a detailed list of activities which are supposed to be carried out by an employee or what authorities in the organization an employee has (decision activities). We provide the example in Figure 7.
p4H03-1.2 Customer invoice issuing p4H03-1.3 Booking of issued customer invoices p4H03-1.4 Sending of issued invoice to customer p4H03-3.1 Booking of created cash vouchers accounting amount p4H03-4.1 Printing of bank statement from internet-banking p4H03-4.2 Coding of individual operation in bank statement from internet-banking p4H03-4.3 Booking of bank statements from internet-banking p4H03-4.4 Check of balances in bank statement form bank p4H06-1.3 Acquisition of external financing offer p4H06-2.4 Cash-flow plan development p4H06-2.5 Cash-flow distribution p4H06-2.7 Creation of orders to pay company obligations/debts p4H06-2.8 Execution of charging orders p4H06-3.1 Cash deposit to booking-office p4H06-3.2 Issuing of cash voucher receipt p4H06-3.3 Sending of issued cash voucher receipts to bookkeeping p4H06-3.4 Processing of requests for cash p4H06-3.5 Issuing of cost cash voucher p4H06-3.6 Cash payment based on cost cash voucher p4H06-3.7 Sending of issued cost cash vouchers to bookkeeping process p4H06-4.1 Luncheon vouchers ordering p4H06-4.2 Luncheon vouchers receiving p4H06-4.3 Luncheon vouchers registration p4H06-4.4 Luncheon vouchers release to company employees p4H06-4.5 Development of configuration for bookkeeping of luncheon vouchers consumption p4H06-4.6 Development of configuration for payroll deductions for issued luncheon vouchers p4H06-5.1 Issuing of electronic orders to pay company obligations/debts p4H06-5.2 Execution of charging orders to pay company obligations/debts through internetbanking p4H06-5.3 Printing of charging orders to pay company obligations/debts
In the figure we may identify the object 1-04 Officer of financial accounting department who presents a job. It results from the object name and identification that it belongs to the organizational unit p1 Department of financial accounting and it is the fourth job in this department. By means of process analysis 29 activities were identified for this job. This simple
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approach based on relations between the objects of model is a base for responsibilities and authorities determination in an organization. It is possible to apply it both ex-post and ex-ante.
5. Final comparison of main attributes of traditional and process approach to job analysis
Each approach to working position analysis traditional or process has its own advantages and disadvantages. Traditional meritorious approach is from the point of view of human resource management more complex because it brings the view concerning job in a form of its description and specification of requirements on working position holder. The process approach is on the other hand more objective from the point of view of activities which are supposed to be carried out at a particular job. Its advantage is that a process model which may become the base for the future management system requirements is established in the organization. Based on a detailed activities description it is possible to determine working procedures, after assignment of direct cost on an activity also costs on activity may be simply calculated. Both approaches may be combined in a company but consistence in outputs from both approaches must exist. Table 2 brings comparison of main attributes of individual approaches. Description of a job as one of the fundamental outputs of job analysis usually has a form of an order, which an employee gets when he starts working. It is relatively nonflexible, because it precisely defines what a holder of job has to perform. In practice it leads to unwillingness of employees to carry out tasks and take responsibilities which are not particularly embodied in job description on them. Due to its non-flexibility resulting from irregular actualization it provides employees space to reject execution of an order. In continually increasing rate practice supports transfer from description and specifications of jobs to roles which are played by employees at particular job. Many experts recommend analyze at first roles and roles profiles than a job. Introduction of process approach and consequent development of competence model and competence order which definitively determines responsibilities and authorities of people included to individual processes in organization with the emphasis on customer satisfaction enable this reality. The results of the research carried out at Faculty of Economics of Matej Bel University in Bansk Bystrica in 2009 on sample of 312 Slovak organizations proves that job analysis which is basic personnel process is in practice realized only by about 47,8 %. In the process of job analysis they utilize especially functional analysis (51%) which characterizes working tasks in relation to information, things and people. Conventional analysis which is based on acquisition of information by means of a directed interview applies 41.6% organizations. Quantitative analysis (structured questionnaires PAQ, MPDQ) is applied in 6.3% organizations. One percent of the monitored organizations utilize also other methods of analysis. We can state that Slovak organizations apply job analysis systems mostly based on traditional approach. But some of them which introduced process management into practice utilize its advantages and priorities also in this working process.
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Traditional approach
- economic - on job tasks - on personality of job holder - job content - characteristics of job holder - internal analysts - specialized external analysts - methods of work change - redesign of job - development of job holder - employees - communication - know-how - questionnaire - observation - individual discussion - gives orders and is a leader - job description - job specification - classic text editor -
Process approach
knowledge on customer processes and flows context of job in process competences and responsibilities specialized external analysts focus on target customers arrangement of working processes increase of value provided to them employees and customers solidarity, alliance own leadership creative thinking individual discussions common workshops
Analysis executors
Way of higher efficiency achievement Subjects participation in decisions making Employees motivational factors
Manager function
couch and cases manager competent model competent order specialized interactive software support high
- medium high
Acknowledgement The article originated as a part of the project OPV-2009/1.2/01-SORO Increase of quality management and education in UMB conditions. References: [1] ARMSTRONG, M.: zen lidskch zdroj. Praha. Grada Publishing. 2007, 789 p. ISBN 987-80-247-1407-3 [2] DVOKOV, Z.: Slovnk pojmu k zen lidskch zdroju. Praha. C. H. BECK. 2004, 157 p. ISBN 80-7179-468-4
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[3]
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GYURK BABEOV, Z., HOLKOV, A., VAOV, J.: Uplatnenie personalistickch ukazovateov v praxi (CD ROM). Trnava. VIVAEDUCA. 2007, 65 p. ISBN 978-80969827-0-7 CHIAVENATO, I.: Administracin de recursos humanos. Santafe de Bogota. McGrawHill. 2003, 699 p. ISBN 958-41-0037-8 CHOVAN, P.: Procesn prstup k riadeniu firmy ako sas riadenia firmy. In: Proceedings of 7th international scientific conference Svetov de kvality. ilina. MASM. 2000, pp. 51-56. ISBN 80-85348-48-9 KOUBEK, J.: zen lidskch zdroj. Zklady modern personalistiky. Praha. Management Press. 2002, 367 p. ISBN 80-7261-033-3 LEE, G. R., DALE, G. B.: Business Process Management: A Review and Evaluation. In: Business Process Management Journal. 1998, Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 214-225. ISSN 1463-7154 MACCARRONE, P.: Activity Based Management and the Product Development Process. In: European Journal of Innovation Management. 1998, Vol. 1, No. 3, pp. 148-156. ISSN 1460-1060 ROBSON, M., ULLAH, P.: Praktick pruka podnikovho reengineeringu. Praha. Management Press. 1998. 178 p. ISBN 80-85943-64-6 SAKL, P., PODSKAN, A.: Strategick manament. Bratislava. Slovensk technick univerzita. 2004, 256 p. ISBN 80-227-2153-0 SLVIK, .: Riadenie zmien. Bratislava. Ekonm. 2000, 146 p. ISBN 80-225-1194-3 TRUNEEK, J.: Systmy podnikovho zen ve spolenosti znalost. Praha. Edin oddlen VE. 1999, 184 p. ISBN 80-7079-083-0 ROVE PERSONLNEJ PRCE NA SLOVENSKU (individulny vskumn projekt EF UMB). 2009. VETRKOV, M.: Analza pracovnch miest (2. kapitola). In: GALAJDOV, V. at al.: Rozvoj udskch zdrojov I. Zvolen. Technical University in Zvolen. 2007, pp. 37-60. ISBN 978-80-228-1830-8 ZAIRI, M., SINCLAIR, D.: Effective Process Management through Performance Measurement Part II: Benchmarking Total Quality Based Performance Measurement for Best Practice. In: Business Process Management Journal. 1995, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 8-72. ISSN 1463-7154 ZVADSK, J.: Meranie a hodnotenie vkonnosti podnikovch procesov. In: Kvalita. 2004, Vol. 12, No. 3, pp. 10-12. ISSN 1335-9231 ZVADSK, J.: Riadenie vkonnosti podnikovch procesov. Bansk Bystrica. EF UMB OZE. 2005, 120 p. ISBN 80-8083-077-0 ZIMERMANOV, K.: Vybran problmy odmeovania zamestnancov v malch a strednch podnikoch. In: Procesn riadenie. 2008, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 30-33. ISSN 13368689. Ing. Zuzana ZVADSK Institute of Managerial Aystems in Poprad Faculty of Economics Matej Bel University Francisciho 910/8 058 01 Poprad Slovak Republic e-mail: [email protected]
Address of authors: Ing.Veronika Kuchrov MAKAYOV, PhD. Instute of Managerial Systems in Poprad Faculty of Economics Matej Bel University Francisciho 910/8 058 01 Poprad Slovak Republic e-mail: [email protected]
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PhDr. Mria SIROTIAKOV, PhD. Institute of Managerial Systems in Poprad Faculty of Economics Matej Bel University Francisciho 910/8 058 01 Poprad Slovak Republic e-mail: [email protected]
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