In Google’s engineering department,
there was one role that people didn’t really appreciate.
Google is a company built by engineers, for engineers –
and these engineers were very skeptical about the value of management.
So, to test if the company really needed engineering managers,
it conducted a job analysis to see what value
these managers brought to the company –
assuming they added any value at all!
As part of this job analysis,
employee survey data was analyzed,
interviews were conducted,
and performance reviews were reviewed.
It turned out that managers were indeed important
for the company, and not just to approve expense reports.
Great managers developed and motivated their direct reports,
communicated the strategy, helped employees prioritize projects,
facilitated collaboration, aligned processes with company goals,
and eliminated roadblocks.
Based on this data, Google was able
to identify eight behaviors shared by high-scoring managers.
Now this information had a huge impact.
Not only was Google able to prove that great managers
made the company more successful.
Using these eight behaviors, the people team
at Google was able to better select future managers
and it was able to train low-scoring managers
in the behaviors that were key to being successful.
This is a great example of how a job analysis
can be used to make a tangible impact
on the results of the company.
My name is Erik van Vulpen and in this HR deep dive,
you will learn what a job analysis is,
the common techniques to conduct a job analysis,
and how the job analysis is changing.
All of this will help you make better people decisions,
and help drive results for your organization.
Let’s dive in – but before we do, smash the like button,
subscribe, and activate the notification bell!
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So what is job analysis, and what is it used for? Job analysis is the process of gathering,
examining, and interpreting information about the content, context, and human requirements
of a job. It essentially examines what makes up the job, and what are the outcomes of the job.
Once a job analysis has been conducted, it impacts various aspects of human resource management.
It can be used to create job descriptions, develop a more effective selection process,
create more equitable compensation by understanding what the job is about,
and it can be used to define performance outcomes for a role.
It can also be used to implement training and development programs. At Google, they developed
a feedback tool that allowed team members to rate their manager on the eight behaviors that defined
managerial success. Google had a culture of excellence, so low-scoring managers were
usually :( ashamed of their scores and were very motivated to improve their performance.
So what’s HR’s role in the job analysis? The HR professional or the organization development
(or OD) team runs the job analysis process. OD is often a subset of the HR department.
The HR or OD professional running the job analysis is both the orchestrator
and the analyst. They choose the job analysis method and gather details about the job tasks,
skills, and conditions. In this process, they work together with the employees who
are doing the job and with the manager, who is often involved in the data collection.
This data is then analyzed to create a precise job description, which shapes recruitment,
training, compensation, and performance management strategies. This means that
the job analysis is the basis of almost everything we do in HR.
Now that you know the importance of the job analysis, let's dive into the main
components that we’re trying to uncover during the analysis. We’re trying to uncover four things.
1. What you’re doing in the job – these are the job tasks. 2. What you need to do the job – these
are the required knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics, also known as KSAOs. 3. The
conditions in which you’ll do the job – these are your working conditions. 4. And what makes
you successful in the job – these are the performance criteria. Understanding these
four components will help you run a faster job analysis. Let's dive into each of these.
But before I do, I have a favor to ask you. 83% of the people watching
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Back to the four components of the job analysis – the first one being job
tasks. Job tasks are the specific day-to-day activities and responsibilities that make up
a job. Examples of job tasks for Google's engineering managers may include coaching,
leading team meetings, managing a budget, and supporting career development.
Next, we have KSAOs, which stands for Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and Other characteristics.
These are the attributes an employee needs to be successful in their role. Knowledge
refers to the information and expertise needed, while Skills are the competencies
an employee must have for specific job tasks. Abilities are talents like empathy,
numerical and analytical abilities, and creativity. The last category,
other characteristics, includes other work-related attributes that contribute to job performance,
like the culture fit, work values, leadership potential, or resilience.
The third component, working conditions, encompass the physical, social, and psychological
aspects of a role, including office setup, hazards, travel, and teamwork expectations.
These conditions can affect employee satisfaction, performance, and safety.
Last, performance criteria are the standards used to evaluate an employee's success in the
job role. As roles are constantly changing, performance criteria become an increasingly
important part of the job analysis. These criteria inform performance appraisals,
promotion decisions, succession planning, and other employment decisions. It's
important to establish clear, measurable, and achievable performance criteria (together with
the people in the role) to ensure fair evaluation and support employee growth.
By incorporating these four components into your job analysis,
you'll be well-equipped to create a comprehensive and accurate representation of any job role,
setting the stage for effective talent management strategies. Now before we examine how job analysis
will change in the future, let’s look at the techniques used to conduct a job analysis.
Job analysis techniques
The most common job analysis technique is a combination of interviews and observations.
Interviews involve speaking with the people doing the job, supervisors,
or other experts to gather insights on job tasks, KSAOs, and other elements. Observations
involve observing the worker over a couple of days to get a better understanding of their
work. This is often done by HR or the direct manager as they work alongside the employee.
For a very thorough analysis, you can also use questionnaires, which help you collect data in a
more structured way. An example is the Position Analysis Questionnaire, where people working in
the role fill out their tasks, managerial duties, and required KSAOs for the role. Alternatively,
you can ask employees to keep a job diary, where they self-report their tasks and activities.
Job Analysis in the Future: 2 Big Changes
Job analysis is one of those techniques that has been around for over a hundred years. It
can be traced back to the scientific management movement in the early 20th century. At that time,
millions of untrained people were moving from farms to urban centers with little experience
working in large organizations. Back then, people became the job,
meaning that they needed to change and adapt to do the job as efficiently as possible.
Today, the workforce is dominated by service workers who bring their authentic selves to
work. Instead of people becoming the job, the job now becomes the person doing it.
Take the engineering managers at Google. You can be an introverted manager who is very successful
in connecting with people one-on-one, or you may be a very extroverted and inspirational
manager who is great at motivating the team in the daily standups and other team meetings. Both may
be great at motivating others, but their style is different. That’s how the person shapes the job.
This means that the modern job analysis will be less prescriptive as there is more freedom for
the employee to give their own interpretation to their role. That’s why the job analysis will focus
on performance criteria, and not so much on rigid task definitions and detailed job descriptions.
Another change in modern job analysis is a focus on transferable skills. As individual tasks may be
automated or replaced by AI, the transferable skills necessary to achieve the outcomes of
the job become more important. Transferable skills are the abilities that are valuable
across roles, including critical thinking, leadership, communication, and adaptability.
These become key in adapting and excelling in the job, even when the tasks of the job change.
That’s why modern job analysis emphasizes job outcomes and transferable skills.
So, today you’ve learned that job analysis is still a critical part of the HR professional’s
toolbox as it helps organizations create accurate job descriptions,
develop effective talent management strategies, and adapt to the ever-changing world of work.
By understanding its importance, components, techniques, and how it is developing, you'll be
well-equipped to conduct a successful job analysis that sets the stage for a thriving workforce.
If you want to learn more about job analysis, check out our talent management or organizational
development certificate programs where you’ll learn a lot more about this and related topics:
the links are in the video description. Now before you go, smash that like button if you
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