knowledge

Compare and contrast knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) and tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) as they relate to different processes of job analysis. Your response should be at least 75 words in length. You are required to use at least your textbook as source material for your response. All sources used, including the textbook, must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations. No Wiki, dictionary.com or plagiarism. If cited to note where the citation came from.

are
‘he

rat

to

,)..,

rnt
,n’S

ust
dre

.tlv
/ay
ied
zed

.o1-r

,or

an
.nd
o\v
or

]C-

up
ly-
)et

.he

ses

rat
ese

ga-

re-
)ut

,ch
ess

tis
or-

cts
‘rds

rrt-

I t ! f’5 : i !

J i”: i-i tjr:. i l”] i*{l
”

: ::i i,

:

One way to see the significance of announce that, henceforth, that Source.’Based on Scott Gornall, “The
work design and job analysis is to space was the ldea Lab, where SuperfluousPosition.” EntrepreneulJuly
learn from what happens at com- employees could go to reflect on 2009, http://www.entrepreneur.com.
panies that fail to define jobs. An ideas. He drew up a flow chart to
anonymous employee of a muhi- explain the ldea Lab. He called , Q’uestions
media company told Entrepreneur monthly meetingsfor idea sharing. 1. Why might management be
magazinek Scott Gornall about an His colleagues, unimpressed, felt reluctant to prepare a formal
editor who was given a new job that he was disturbing their work job description for a position
title, “creative manager of contentj’ in order to justify his new respon- like ,,creative manager of
Unfortunately, the scope of that job sibilities, whatever they were. content,’? What are the pitfalls
was never specified or explained to Perhaps in principle, a creative of not doing so?
others in the company. manager of content would have ,2. What advice about the

The new creative manager met a real need for this publisher, position would you give to this
appointed himself to teach the but because the position and its company,s managers?
others how to be more creative. fit with the organization’s objec-
He placed some magazines in a tives were never clearly spelled
cubicle and called a meeting to out, the idea was wasted.

,!!,1.i1.r:,.:1*t_i{a*,:r,t-rJqa$fijaltai:iilr'{i$i:iit}1.:/,..|1j’i:q’ lriT,t4t1!1!B€-_in+!,fi,i.’1 {,..:j4

work is done by a human resource professional. A large company may have d cotrl.
pensarion managemenr department rhat includes job analysts (also called personnel
analysts). Organizations may also conrracr with firms that provide this service.

Job Descriptions
An essential part of job analysis is the creation of job descriptions. A job description Job Description
is a iist of the tasks, duties, and responsibihties (TDRs) thar a job entails. TDRs are Alistof the
observable actions. For example, a news photographer’s job requires the jobholder to tasks, duties, and
use a camera to take photographs. If you were to observe someone in that position responsibilities (TDRs)
for a day, you would almost ieriainly see some pictures being taken. When a manager that a particular job

attempts io evaluate job performance, it is moit important io have derailed inforria- entails’
tion about the work performed in the job (that is, the TDRs). This inforrnation makes
it possible to determine how well an individual is meeting each iob requirement.

A job description typically has the format shown in Figure 4.2. It includes the job
title, a brief description of the TDRs, and a list of the essential duties with detailed
specifications of the tasks involved in carrying out each dury. Although organizations
may modifi this format according to their patticular needs, all 1ob descriptions within
an organization should follow the same format. This helps rhe organization make con-
sistent decisions about such matters as pay and promotions. It also helps the organiza-
tion show that it rnakes human resource decisions fairly.

‘lfhenever
the organization creates a new job, it needs to prepare a job descrip-

tion, using a process such as the one detailed in the “HR How To” box on page 101.
Job descriptions should then be reviewed periodicaliy (say, once a year) and updated
if necessary. Performance appraisals can provide a good opportuniry for updating job
descriptions, as the employee and supervisor compare what rhe employee has been
doing against the details of the job description.

on
rts.

.he

—..&. _

99

Figure 4. ?

Sample lob DescriPtion

100 PART 1 The Human Resource Environment

TRAIN CREW/SERVICE AT UNION PACIFI

C

OVERVIEW
When you work on a Union Pacific train crew, you’re working at
the very heart of our railroad’ Moving trains. Driving trains.
Making sure our customers’freight gets delivered safely and on
time.

JOB DESCRIPTION

ln this entry-level position, you’ll start as a Switchperson or
Brakeperson, working as on-the-ground traffic control’ You
don’t need any previous railroad experience

;

we provide all
training. These jobs directly lead to becoming a Conductor and
a Locomotive Engineer, where you will have a rare oPPortunity
to work on board a moving locomotive. The Conductor is
responsible for the train, the freight and the crew. The
Locomotive Engineer actually oPerates the locomotive-

DUTIES

As a Switchperson or Brakeperson, you’ll learn to move trains
safely in the yards and over the road. You’ll be climbing ladders,
boarding freight cars, operating track switches, inspecting cars,
and using radio communications to control train movement’

MAJOR TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

You won’t work a standard 4O’hour work week. Train crews are
always on-call, even on weekends and holidays. You’ll travel

with our trains, sometimes spending a day or more away from
your home terminal.

Job Specificalion
A list of the knowledge,

skills, abilities. and
other characteristics
(KSAOs) that an
individual must have

to perform a particular
job.

SOURCE: Union paci{ic Web site, www-unionpacific.jobs/careers/explore/trainltrain-service.shtml, accessed

March

B,2010.

Organizations should give each newiy hired e[rpioyee a copy of his or her job

descriirion. This helps th! employee to understand rvhat is expected, but it shouldn’t
be pres.nted as limiting the employee’s commitment to quality and customer satisfac-

riol. Ideally, .,rrploy”.i wili want to go above and beyond the listed dr-rties r’r’hen the
sirr-ra[ion and their abilities cail for that. Many job descriptions include the phrase nrrd

other duties as requestedas a way to remind employees not to tell their supervisor, “But

that! nor part of my job.”

Job Specifications
$ilhereas the job description focuses on the activities involved iir carrying out a

job,

a job specifiiation look, at rlre quaiities or requirements rhe person performing the

lot *,-,it possess. It is a list of the knowledge, skills, abiliries, and other characteris-
tics (KSAOs) that an indir,idual must have to per{orm the job. Knowledge refers to

i”.t rnl or procedural information that is necessaty for successfulty performing a task’
Fo, .*”*pi”, this conrse is providing you rvith knowledge in horv to manage human
.”rorr.”r. A rkill is an in,liviiual’s level of proficiency at perforrning a particular task-
rhar is, the capability to perform it weii. !(/ith knorvledge and experience, you could

(

C

t
t

I

ll

Preparing a job description begins
with gathering information from
sources who can identifY the
details of performing a task-for
example, persons alreadY Per-
forming the job, the suPervisor
or team leader, or if the job is
neq managers who are creating
the new position. Other sources
of information may include the
company’s human resource files,
such as past job advertisements
and job descriptions, as well as
general sources of information
about similar jobs, such as O-NET
{ http ://o n I ine. o netcenter. org }.

Based on the information gath-
ered, the next step is to identifY
which activities are essential
duties of the iob, These include
mental and physical tasks, as well
as any particular methods and
equipment to be used in carrYing
out those tasks. When Possible,
these should be stated in terms
that are broad and goal oriented
enough for the Person in the

position to innovate and irnprove.
For example, “Developing and
implementing a system for order-
ing supplies efficiently” implies a
goal (efficiency) as well as a task.

From these sources, the writer
of the job description obtains
the important elements of the
description:

. Title of the iob-The title
should be descriptive and, if
appropriate, indicate the iob’s
level in the organization.

. Administrative informa’
tion about the iob-The iob
description may identifY a
division, department, suPervi-
sor’s title, date of the analYsis,
name of the analyst, and other
information for administer-
ing the company’s human
resource activities.

. Statement of the job’s
purpose-lhis should be brief
and describe the position in
broad terms.

e Essential duties of the job-
These should be listed in order
of irnportance to success-
ful performance and should
include details such as Physical
requirements (for examPle, the
amount of weight to be lifted)’
the persons with whom an
employee in this job interacts’
and the results to be accom-
plished.This section should
include every dutY that the job
analysis identified as essential.

. Additional responsibilities-
The job descriPtion may state
that the position requires
additional resPonsibilities as
requested bY the suPervisor.

Sourees: Small Business Administration,
“Writing Effective Job Descriptions,”
Small Business Planner, www.sba.gov/
smallbusinessplannerl, accessed March

10, 20’10; and “How to Write a Job
Analysis and Description,” Entrepreneur,
www.entrepreneur.com, accessed March

10,2010.

1

il

!-
t:
.ti

lr.
1e

.s-

trl
k.
1n

iJ

acquire skill ln the task of preparing job specification s. Ability , in contrast to skili, refers

to u *or” general enduring capability that an individual possesses. A person might
have the

“bility
ro cooperate with others or to rvrite ciearly and precisely. Finally, other

chmactenstlcs might be personality traits such as someone’s persistence or moti\/ation
to achieve. Some jobs also have legal requirements, such as licensing or certificatioll.
Figure 4.3 is a set of sarnple job specifications for the job description in Figure 4.2.

In deveioping job specifications, it is important to consider all of tl-re elernents
of KSAOs. As with writing a job description, the information can come ftom a
combination of people performing the job, people superyising or planning for the
job, and trained lob an^iysts. Most of the jobs in a grocery rvarehouse are physically
iaxing, so to describe positions at a Roanoke County, Virginia, distribution center’
Atlas Logistics ernphasizes KSAOs related to that challenge. Atlas needs ernployees
rvho are ,tror-rg enough to lift B0 pounds and who are rvilling to spend part of the day
rvorking in the freeze, a.e”.5

In contrast to nsks, duties, and responsibilities, KSAOs are characteristics of peo-

p1e and are not directly observabie. They are observable only when individuals are
ca.rying out the TDRs of the job-and afterrvard, if they can show the product of

141

102 PART ‘l The Human Resource Environment

[‘igure 4″3

Sample Job SPecifi catrons

tS4 Tell how to obtatn
information for a job

analYSis.

TRAIN CREW/SERVICE AT UNION PACIFIC

REOUIREMENTS

You must be at least 18 years old’ You must speak
and read

fngtbh t”*rse you’ll be asked to follow posted bulletins’
r.ollutionr, rule tooks’ timetables, switch lists’ etc’ You must

pu”t
”

t..aing comprehension test (see sample) to be

considered {or an interview’

JOB REOUIREMENTS
You must be able to use a computer keyboard’ and you must

O.
“Uf”

to count and compare numbers’ (You might’ for

“*”.p1.,
be asked to count the cars on a train during

t*it.iri”g.f You must be able to solve problems quickly and

react to-changing conditions on the job’

You must have strong vision and hearing, including the
ability

to: see and read hand signals from near and {ar; distinguish

;;;;”” colors; visually]udge the speed and distance of
movlng objects; see at nighq and recognize changes

in sounds’

You must also be physically strong: able to push’ pull’
lift.and,,

.”rru uo to 25 pounis frequently; up to 50 pounds occasionally;

“”a'”ot
o ag pounds infrequentiy’ You’ll need good.ba.lance

to

r.”*iJtfu ti”o on and off equipment and work {rom ladders to
;.”;#;il* turkr. And you must be able to walk’ sit’ stand
and stooP comfortablY.

You’ll be working outdoors in all weather conditions-including

,no* i.., rain, clld, and heat-and {requently at elevations
more than 12 {eet above the ground’

s0uRCE: Union Pacific web site, www.unionpacific
jobs/careers/explore/train/train-seruice shtml’ accessed

March

8,2010.

their labor. Thus, if someone applied for a
job as a news photographer, you could-not

simpiy look at rl,. i.a*6″”i Jl”r”r*i’r” whether he oishe can spot
and take effec-

tive photogruphr. Hor””,r”., y”” .””fa draw conclusions later about
the person’s skills

Uv i*f.i”g
“t

examples of his or her photographs’ .-
Accurate information about KSAOs is especially

important for making decj’sions

abotrtwhowillfillajob.Alnanagerattemptingtofillapositionneedsinformation
about the .h”r”cr..isJi;;ili;J “nd

about tf,e characi”ristics of each applicant’

Interr,iervsandselectiond”.i,io,.,,shouldther.eforefocusonKSAos.

Sources of Job lnformation
Information for analyzing an existing job often

comes from inctrmbents, that is, peo.

ple who currenrly h”li;fi;p;;iiit” i” the organization- Thev are a
logical source of

informarion because ,t’r”y u.” most acquaintedl”ith
the details of the job’ Incumbents

shoulcl be able to provide very accurate information’

A drar,r,back of .”iyil”g *l”rt .” t”cumbents’ information is thar
they may have

an incentive ,o .*”gi”‘i'”
-“f-‘”t

they do in order to appear more vaiuable to the

fi
:i
ii
i1:

rll
iil
i!
,f

:,

rii

:

orga
supF

antl
sors

of jc

ing
and
SOUT

ratil
I

for
Lalr
veh
den
Tht
reql
ove
eco
D.t
Net

I

use

styl
tiot
tasl

en(
ox
wh
iml
bet
Pie

u.l
in

Pt
Af
j”t
Po
qu
tic
orl

1
;