GREAT ZIMBABWE UNIVERSITY

Department of Psychology and Human Resources

Name : Masanganise Tawedzera .T

Reg No : M113060 (Conventional)

Programme : Human Resource Management (4:2)

Course : Employee Resourcing (HHRM 402)

Lecturer : Mr. Mapira

Due Date : 26 March 2015

Question : The assumption upon job analysis no longer holds

Water discuss Job analysis rests on the heart of many or all human resources

practices `making it a vital component in the management activity

of every organization. However with shorter product life cycle,

rapid technological innovations, increased competition and the

ever changing in nature of the business structure, it’s laid down

assumptions is becoming questionable in today’s dynamic work

environments. The methods used by traditional job analysis are

simply not applicable to many new and emerging jobs. Various

individuals and critics look at job analysis as an obstacle to

organizational success.

Harvey (1991) defines job analysis as a process designed to

collect information about jobs and as one of the fundamental

aspects of personnel psychology. He further explains it as a

foundation upon which almost every human resource management

component is built, including selection,

compensation .performance appraisal and training program

development .despite the open evidence of human fallibility in

other judgmental process, many have overlooked and followed the

implicit assumption that job analysis information is accurate

without actually examining its proposition in relation to the

nature of business today.

Sanchez (1994) emphasizes on the need to shift from job analysis

to work analysis. This is to create an atmosphere that harbors a

change in the purpose of job analysis. With aid of this view it

implies that the assumption of job analysis no longer holds

water. In the above view transforming job analysis to work

analysis is a bid to try and curb the somewhat fading

significance of job analysis as an aiding component for

organizational or business viability.

The shorter product life cycle that is rampant in most of today’s

business explains why the usefulness of job analysis lost its

potency. This is because analyzing jobs calls for jobs that are

more stable in nature (Shipmann, 2000) The process demands a lot

of time that capitulates various aspects such as human capital

required ,the specification and description to mention but a

few . The volatility of today’s business discredits job analysis.

In Zimbabwean business concepts, looking at the nature of

business that comprises of small to medium enterprises the

exactitude demanded by job analysis is not reached. With such

environment it is indeed difficult to analyze a job that is

changing phase in the next 72 hours.

Rapid technological innovations (Stewart and Carson, 1997). Today

business is characterized by fluctuations in terms of technology.

Recently Chibuku Beer Company acquired a new plant that packs,

fills alcohol into containers. This meant that the analysis of

jobs done earlier this year lost its significance owing to the

need to retrench. Job analysis in this atmosphere is invaluable.

There is need to consistently upgrade every business activity, to

keep up with the trends of the global village. The changes,

challenges the stability required during job analysis .Thus the

need to do away with traditional job analysis becomes essential.

In these shoes the assumption upon job analysis no longer holds

water is true.

The changing nature of organizational structure. In today’s

business the volume of operation and investment pressures means

that business structures are constantly adjusted, owing to

economic propositions and the dire need for expansion (Morgan and

Smith 1996). In such conditions job analysis loses its

credibility. In a current affair Telecel lost its license which

forced it to be acquired by different investors. This meant that

its structure had to change. Analyzing jobs in changing

organizational structure is difficult this takes off the weight

of job analysis and leaves one wondering whether the assumption

upon job analysis still holds water.

One of the basic assumptions of traditional job analysis is that

individuals, jobs and the match between them are stable over time

(Sanchez, 1994). This assumption meant that specification of the

tasks to be performed, and the knowledge, skills and abilities

required for job performance are for a job that already exists,

or existed in the past. This assumption meant that jobs are

stable over time. This stability was related to mass-production

processes, lengthy product cycles, large market shares and stiff

competition that explain the state of the organization in the

last ten years. In addition to the assumption of stability,

traditional job analysis also assumes that the job in question

exists, and that you can actually observe employees performing

related tasks, or get job-related information through other

sources such as surveys. More so, traditional job analysis

practices and methods were affected by the work of Frederick

Taylor and the mass-production approach initiated by the

scientific management movement (Ash, 1988; Sanchez, 1994). Jobs

were classified into multiple task later on assigned to workers

and became set standards.

Job analysis largely relies on standardization hence it focuses

on the job instead of interrelated job activities and work based

on teams. The increasing use of teams in organizations further

questions the utility of the job analysis. (Stewart and Carson,

1997) assert that jobs are comprised of positions not people

hence the need to separate people from the jobs. The failure of

job analysis to tally with modern work system such as team

development exposes its loop holes and questions its credibility.

Companies such as Econet promote marketing teams to aid

efficiency. With the standardizing nature of job analysis it

openly shows why it fails to be significant to the business world

today.

The truth on the ground is that jobs are changing hastily and it

calls for a higher degree of flexibility. The more they change,

the lesser we need gathering data that will need to be collected

repeatedly in the future. Job analysis consequences last only as

long as the current job configurations exist (Mahesh and

Hartman,2005).This means that job analysis practices are lacking

in the need to enhance nature of work, such as decreased

specialization and shifting or shared work activities. The value

of job analysis in such stance is less visible. The rapid

response system by Fawcett’s security means that security guards

no longer need to be exactly at the gates of the neighborhood.

This shift largely affected the analysis of jobs, description and

opened doors for retrenching extra staff. This complicates the

significance of job analysis.

After such findings arguing against the credibility of job

analysis, it is indeed fair to merit job analysis apart from its

flaws. Even though the process and its assumptions proved not to

be holding in today’s business. Job analysis always remains a

vital component in the management of business and relates human

capital to the ground business activities or tasks. Job analysis

is a sound business practice that can improve communication,

accommodate change and contribute to improved human resource

management. It is unethical to leave out the concept of analyzing

jobs especially in the modern day where competition has become

the norm (Morgan and Smith, 1996).

Job analysis is still a useful tool in today’s business, though

having lost most of its significance owing to its obsolescence.

Most organizations thrive using it. It aids recruitment,

selection, training and developing which are vital elements in

most organization. Above all it enables organizations to forecast

human capital welfare and stay linked to the competition on the

labour market. Job analysis still holds hidden significance as a

plethora of organization still implement its statutory in a bid

to fuel organization effectiveness (Stewart and Carson ,1997).

Job analysis is useful when it provides information that informs

organizational transition and effectiveness of the work system.

Job analysis may be most useful in a work world that does not

include jobs, because the information it provides enables an

effective way of management and monitoring work activities. Job

analysis information is the basement that is valuable to erect

new platform of work processes and create synergy. This despised

mechanism can bring about excellent change if only its attributes

are revamped for the benefit of the prevailing business

atmosphere (Stewart and Carson, 1997).

It is by no means clear and in support of many, that job analysis

is a propeller to the organizational human capital. The demerits

of this phenomenon cannot entirely take away its contribution to

the modern day state of most of the organizations today. Job

analysis is only an old wine that requires a new wine skin. It

helps top management in devising strategic plans for jobs. It

facilitates interim job insights for middle management whilst

enabling tactical planning. It also brings awareness to the lower

class foreman and shop flow workers in operational planning

(Shipmann, 2000).

_________________________________________________________________

____

Top management (strategic job analysis)

Middle management

(tactical job analysis)

Shop floor (operational)

_________________________________________________________________

_______

Job analysis in a nutshell is a powerful mechanism that is in

need for transformation. The deterioration of its significance is

a story outside while its reality from the inside. Even though it

is infested with justified negativities it is still a pillar for

almost three quarters of most businesses in the world. Yes it no

longer holds water but at least the holding shell is there and

only needs fixing.

Reference

Ash R. (1988) Job analysis in the world of work. The jobAnalysis Handbook/or Business pub. New York

Harvey R.J (2001) Job Analysis, Handbook of industrial andorganizational psychology (2nd ed., Vol. 2, : ConsultingPsychologists Press. California

Mahesh .E, Hartman .P (2005) Job analysis a practical handbook,Pearson, London

 Morgan .J, Smith K. (1996) Staffing the new workplace. Chicago.IL: CCH Incorporated, Chicago

Sanchez .J (1994)From documentation to innovation: Reshaping jobanalysis to meet emerging business needs. Human ResourceManagement Review. California

Shipmann. J (2000), The practice of competency modeling.Personnel Psychology. London

Stewart, G. L., & Carson, K. P. (1997), Moving beyond themechanistic model: An alternative approach to staffing forcontemporary organizations. Human Resource Management Review. NewYork