Interrelationships among jobs form the complex structures of the largest organizations; even small companies depend on each individual performing his or her job appropriately in order to accomplish the company's goals and objectives. This research examines methods for performing job analysis, considers job specifications and requirements, identifies key approaches to job design, and looks at job descriptions from both traditional and modern perspectives.
There are typically three different methods used in job analysis: task, behavioral and ability (Milkovich & Newman, 1996, p. 78). Task data focuses on the fundamental units of work with an emphasis on the purpose of each task. Task data must be developed for each job individually since the purpose behind each task varies from job to job. Thus a programmer might "consult with engineers to determine program specifications" in a task environment, but the engineer might "consult with programmers to develop specifications". In both cases, both the purpose and the task are specific to the job and cannot be substituted.
The behavioral approach to job analysis focuses on the behaviors which occur with in each job. The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) was developed for behavior based job analysis and uses generalized statements in seven different areas to describe individual jobs. In the case of the engineer and the programmer, the statement "nonroutine information exchange" could apply to both jobs.
The ability approach examines the various abilities required to complete the job. Some ability approaches use scales and descriptions such as "understands a lecture on space navigation" and "understands a hamburger commercial" to rank the ability for particular tasks. Such rankings can be used to quantify the ability required to complete a specific task and therefore accomplish a particular job.
Studies of job analysis have shown that the approach used can affect the natu...