JOB DEFINITION & JOB ANALYSIS PRACTICES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE UNITED STATES
This research examines job analysis practices in Latin America and the United States. The findings of this research are presented in the following topical areas: (1) the scope and content of job definition and job analysis, (2) current trends in job definition and job analysis, (3) drivers of trends in job definition and job analysis, (4) implications of trends in job definition and job analysis, and (5) strategy options associated with trends in job definition and job analysis.
The Scope and Content of Job Definition and Job Analysis
A "job" is the aggregate of all potential work assignments associated with a functional position (Tersine 303). Job design should enable a worker to perform all potential work assignments efficiently. Jobs may be classified within the contexts of (1) required physical effort, (2) required physical skills, (3) required intelligence and mental skills, (4) level of responsibility, and (5) physical conditions of the work.
Job design establishes the role of a worker in a production system. Job design on both the economic and the non-economic needs of an organization. Job design is an outcome of the combination of Job content and work methods (Tersine 303). Job content describes what it is that must be accomplished, while work methods specify how a work should perform the tasks required in the performance of the job.
Job content is a product of the division of labor and job enrichment (Tersine 304). The division of labor within an organization creates job specialization by "segregating tasks into fewer and fewer jobs" (Tersine 304). The division of labor, thus, makes it possible for an organization to staff many jobs with lower-skilled workers. Within the context of the division of labor, jobs may be structured in relation to (1) specialization, (2) standardization, (3) discretion, and (4) expertise (Tersine 304...