Chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs Organizational need analysis chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs1

Organizational need analysis Typically prompted by a problem encountered – For example? Problem or opportunity? – what is a problem? – What is an opportunity? Org level Outcomes – Profit/ loss / stock fluctuation / market share – Why focus on these outcomes? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs2

Approaches to Org Need Analysis How can IO help with Org problems and Opportunities? Examples for people solutions? Approaches – Conference Nature of problem or opportunity What’s its history? What outcomes or consequences are expected? System wide or specific to sub unit? – Org assessment surveys Make them systematic and ongoing OAI Van de Ven & Ferry (1980) chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs3

General Approach to Need Analysis a managerial function to generate hypotheses What work outcomes are most in need of fixing? How widespread is the problem? What level of analysis is needed – Individual employee / unit / dept / company? What corrective actions are plausible? How effective have the options been before? – Is selection / performance the answer? – Identify key informants to interview chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs4

Job Analysis Duties and KSAOs Methods – Observation and Interviews What if the work behavior is not observable? – Functional Job Analysis (S. Fine) Functional Job Analysis (S. Fine) Data, People, Things Occupation, Job family, Duty, Task, Element – Critical Incidents (Flanagan 1954) Critical Incidents (Flanagan 1954) What are some jobs that lend themselves to CI JA? – JA Surveys chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs5

Task Inventory Development (E. McCormick ’59) Job oriented – What is done “bakes bread” and – Accomplishes - results bread loaf Worker oriented – Describes activity (behaviors)– “Pours ingredients” – >?when is a behavior a behavior? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs6

Task Inventory Development Using job experts (SMEs) Writing Items Item categories Response scales (usually Liker type) – Frequency / duration / criticality / importance Pilot Studies – Use “thinking aloud to capture Thoughts, ambiguities, unintended meanings chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs7

Inventory Research and Data Analysis Task Inventory Administration – may need to sample With large number of incumbents To endure reliability (and hence validity) – Caution – inflation may occur! Make sure the ratings are independent Grouping Task Statements to: – ID jobs, define criteria, infer predictors Linkage KSAOs to Activities (fig 2.2 p. 38) – How do you distinguish skills from abilities? – Or “job requirements?” chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs8

Caveats! 1. Different sources may yield different results – Are they seeing different parts of the job What are some examples where you would expect this? Must be reconciled 2. Using all the complex info is not necessary – Two to three predictors are usually sufficient 3. Job Descriptions usually reflect status quo 4. Can the job be done with different behaviors? – Give examples? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs9

Caveats (con’t) 5. JA is typically descriptive, not prescriptive – What does this mean? Give examples – How can observing high v. low performers help? 6. There is no “one best way” – find one that is optimal – What are some considerations? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs10

Ready to Use Methods Occupational Information Network O*Net Personality-Based JA (fig 2.3 p. 42) – Self-Descriptive Index (Guion et al.) Self-Descriptive Index 12 dimensions (based on IPIP Goldberg)IPIP – NEO Profiler (Costa, McRae, Kay, ‘95) Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) Direct Id of Required Attributes – Job Requirements Inventory (fig 5.2 p48) chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs11

Competency Modeling What is it really? (Sackett & Laczo, ‘03) – Assumes JA focuses only on tasks, not KSAO’S – Are there such things as organizational competencies? Should be required of all employees? What are some? chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs12

General Caveats JA is subjective Not every JA must be comprehensive Be prepared before conducting it chapter 2 Analyzing Orgs and Jobs13