Job Analysis and Modern Organizations Staffing - Coursework Example

Job Analysis and Modern Organizations Staffing Student’s Name Subject Professor University/Institution Location Date The modern organizations are ever changing due to various factors such as modernized policies, restructured worldwide market as well as more varied and elastic employment arrangement. Inevitably, all these factors have significant implication for any organization, and the entire human resource management (Hough & Oswald 2000). The embryonic nature of the 21st business environment necessitates high caliber staff. Staffs contribute expertise and labor and are mainly hired to execute duties which are packaged into a job. In other words, employers rely on staffs to get work done. As such, for any organization to remain relevant in the modern era marketplace, obtaining staff adapt, cope, and perform effectively amidst numerous modern organizational changes, is fundamental (Stone 2005). Analysts have proven that the best method of obtaining best staff for modern and rapidly changing organization is through job analysis. Job analysis is key elements surrounding the human resource practice, making it a significantly essential management activity in any organization. With increasingly evident competition, shorter life cycles of products, advancing technological innovations, and the inconsistent nature of organizational structures necessitates an appropriate job analysis. An appropriately done job analysis causes organizational success (Spector 2000). From this perspective, methodologies of traditional job analysis may not be applicable for many and new emerging jobs. As such, getting the best staff for modern and rapidly changing organization as well necessitate modern job analysis methodologies and applications. This paper seeks to outline the role of job analysis in obtaining best staff for modern and rapidly changing organizations. It defines job analysis, outlines job analysis process, exemplifies modern organizations phenomenon, and the impact of job analysis on modern and rapidly changing organizations` management (Spector 2000). Numerous researches exclusively defined job analysis (Cornelissen, 2009). From a human resource management perspective, Singh, 2008 defines job analysis as the diverse activities linked with determination of the responsibilities, duties and tasks done by the incumbents. This analysis identifies a worker`s needed requirements such as skills, knowledge, abilities and any other related quality that an employee must have to adeauately perform the job. In regard to compensation system determination, job analysis is the systematic procedure of collecting information used to make judgment in regard to remunerations and service provisions depending on nature of job (Cornelissen 2009). In the perspective of staffing, Heneman and Judge, 2003 termed job analysis as the process of studying the specific job in order to collect, analyse, blend, and give information regarding the job conditions and rewards. Simply put, Job analysis is the formal practice undertaken in an organization to produce inclusive and information of the job, in regard to tasks, responsibilities, skills, qualifications and abilities of a staff required to successfully perform it (Singh 2008). This means that through job analysis, the best fitted for staff for the job is awarded the position. Some analysts have questioned the applicability of job analysis, in modern and rapidly changing organizations of the 21st century due to their modern nature. However, numerous researches have been carried out and proven job analysis is indeed applicable in modern organizations. It can adapt and incorporate methods that enable modern organizations get the best staff for their changing needs. Generally, an innovative job analysis method is efficient, rapid, and reliable for modern and ever changing organizations (Hinton & Biderma 2005). Staffing in traditional organization relied on traditional job analysis approaches, which were considered laborious and time consuming. Job analysis focused on particular job discriptors and staff characteristics. The methods included interviews on behavioral event, work assessment, and observations among other methods. The process also relied on job incumbents as well as supervisors. Traditionally, job analysis aimed at providing information about responsibilities and activities to ensure the person entitled to it perform particular manner (Singh 2008). Looking at modern job analysis, it is competency based. It is used to get most competent person for a particular job. It leans towards attributes needed by tasks and organizations, instead of the tasks themselves. Moreover, modern job analysis involves describing future work. Analysts in modern job analysis involves customer, work designers, technical experts among other in the analytical process. In reality, staffing in modern organization through job analysis still involves the traditional methods such as interviews, questionnaires, or observations. However, the manner in which these tools are used is changed (Singh 2008). However, regardless of the method used in modern job analysis, its importance to any business is the most important. According to Rehman 2009, job analysis provides a platform and a foundation to the HR decision making purposes in regard to an organizations staff. That is, it contributes to selection and the hiring of staff, performance evaluation, compensation, projections of workforce, training employees and development, job design, labor force reduction or increase decisions. Job analysis contribution to overall selection and recruitment is exclusively significant. It captures the elasticity, multiplicity nature of work and interdependency. This in turn, ensures the efficiency and soundness of the staffing process (Gary 2003). Job analysis is also fundamental in providing required information that enlightens on organization change or work effectiveness, effective designs, facilitating handling of complex issues and management of processes of work. Thus, accurate and competent job analysis ensures great facilities for diverse organizational activities (Stone 2005). Likewise, job analysis matches the employees to organization`s culture through operationalising and presenting a structure for organizations culture, and esstintial employee characteristics that’s is right for the culture. In view of the above, a well planned and implemented job analysis offers an organization a roadmap for selecting paramount employees withing as well as outiside the firm. Sanchez and Levine, 2000 observes that the impact of job analysis on organization performance and productivity is evident through sound staffing and HR activities. This implies that job analysis is the foundation of all HR practices by acting as an essential management practice that leads to development of competitive advantage. Furthermore, being a prime recruitment tool, job analysis ensures the right person in the right job. This means effective and efficient performance of employees, renders best organizational performance. Through job analyses, priorities are identified boosting how productive a worker is in the job, leading to the success of the organization. Still, job analysis leads to recognition best staff to uses specific resources to enable the organization thrive in their production, hence, remaining relevant in the marketplace (Spector 2000). Moreover, job analysis provides vital job linked information for identifying tasks and responsibilities of a specific job, risks associated with it, knowledge and abilities needed to perform the job effectively, augmenting the organizations productivity. Appropriate hiring practices and training facilitated through job analysis, boosts performance and productivity (Spector 2000). On the other hand, job analysis has negative aspects. Firstly, job analysis is time consuming. Being the biggest limitation is overwhelming especially when changes in jobs are frequented. Secondly, job analysis is characterized great involvement of human efforts (Safdar 2010). With differences in jobs, it means separate collection and recording of different customized information. Thirdly, job analysis may not have appropriate skills. This means a sheer wastage of organizations resources. Authentic data is as well not guaranteed. Job analysis may engross personal biasness. This acts as a major obstacle in obtaining accurate and genuine data. Moreover, data source is particularly small. The sample size is relatively small and not very standardized considering the information is only collected from a few individuals. Finally, mental capacities cannot be observed directly. Bearing in mind that people act differently in various situations, mental abilities general standards cannot be set (Jenner 2004). Job analysis is valid only when it is able to remain abreast with the dynamic requirements of an organization (Spector 2000). That is, it is proficient enough to get best human resources to work in modern organization. In this case, obtaining best staff is enabled by engaging best job analysis methods and design approaches. Modern organizations have shifted from technical and static system to dynamitic ones. Likewise, the characteristics of best staff required for these modern organizations are changed as well (Safdar et al 2010). As such, job analysis process engaged must yield to these demands. According to Safdar et al, 2010 the best method and approaches of job analysis in modern organizations is based on three steps; data collection, preparing and validating Job, and application step. Data collection is the most vital stage which must be associated with applications and objectives of job analysis. Frequently, interview, questionnaires, and observations are the most used method of collecting data. People with better knowledge of the job are interviewed, fill up written questionnaire from prearranged questions, and finally, through observations of work activities and understanding staff situations. For best staff, analysts engage several of these approaches and methods (Sanchez & Levine 2000). After collecting sufficient data, the second phase of job analysis is preparing and validating job descriptions along its format. A typical format of job description constitutes job identity, responsibilities, summary, duties, tasks, working relationships, qualifications and competencies needed, and each part is filled up with the collected data. Validations of the job description are then done after high level of analysts’ judgment. According Hough and Oswald, 2000 problems associated with job analsysis arise from job desritpion and not the entire procedure of job analysis. Therefore, this stage must be handled with a lot of care and soundness. The final phase of job analysis is application. Each job description is applicable at a different function of the HRM. For instance, a recruitment and selection purpose, a certain standard is required different from one applicable in the case of compensation function (Sanchez & Levine 2000). Technically, job analysis methodologies or approaches for modern organization may be subdivided into two areas: work and worker oriented. Work oriented analysis focuses mainly on work related tasks, while worker related technique looks at human behaviors engaged in work activities. According Hough and Oswald, 2000 worker oriented technique seems of greater essence, consindering the modern, rapidly changing and dynamic enviroment. This because it provides the business`s flexibility needs, as well as focusing more on tasks and qualities, abilities and skills of workers. From this perspective, best staff are obtained through job analsysis. Compared to inflexible and steady working atmosphere of traditional organizations, modern and rapidly changing organizations are flexible , competitive, less hierarchical or more broken organizational structure chains , dynamic, multidimensional, technological, social, worldwide changes and political influenced (Schilling & Werr 2009; Carrasco 2009).Thus, a modern organization is an extra organic structure as it constitues involvement of employees, authority distribution as per skills and ablities, fewer bounderies and rules. Their designs are drawn from numerous fields to ensure dynamics in communication and merge organizational and individual solutions into a interconnected whole. Modern organizations are highly networking and collaboratin through theory of boundryless organization. This means that the context and design of job analsysis must align to characteristics. Modern and rapidly changing organizations have been classfied in five fundamental constituents namely; flat, networked, diverse, flexible and global (Schatten & Zugaj 2011). In this regard, job analysis is vital in obtaining the best staff fro each of these constituents. Flat organization are modern organizations depicted in the context of control and and is flat due to few hierachial heights. A single manager is assigned control of a large number of employees. Therefore, job analysis is essential in providing very competent employees who can maximize performance under minimal supervison to ensure survival of the company (Schatten & Zugaj 2011). The second type of modern business is flexible organization. It has the ability to adapt and adjust effectively to new changes and demands, particulary in hypercompetitave and vibrant markets (Bonabeau 2001). Decentralization is applicable, and delegation of decision are applicable here. In such a case, the organization requires best staff for this type of enviroment. With this understanding, engaging an effective job analysis ensures organizations success (Schatten & Zugaj 2011). . Another major organization that needs job analysis in the modern world is networked organization. This constitutes of intra and interim networks. Schatten and Zugaj, 2011 asserts that the distinction between two is mainly through communication in intra-firm employees degree of communication is departmentally, divisionally and inter-functionally unlike interim. As a result, inventive and innovative answers for the hanging demands of the marketplace are provided. Generally, organizations are establishing organizational partnerships such as strategic associations; mutual ventures among other arrangements to enable them profit through reduced cost of transaction, and still maintain their independence. This implies job analysis that can help in getting most excellent staff to work in such dynamic networked organization and ensure effectiveness is essential (Schatten & Zugaj 2011. Fouthly, diverse organization is another type of modern organization. According to Safdar et al, 2010 diversity in organizations is evident in age, gender, attitudes, experiences, backgraunds and generational differences. Staff with an understanding of others diversity are the best staff to work in a diverse organization. These staff must be willing to cope with others` political, legal, cultural, social and other varying enviroments the organization functions in (Jenner 2004). For that reason a good job analysis to obtain staff for a diverse organization is imperative. This considering the need for an organization to draw proficiency from a diverse background to ensure its competative advantage, achieving best staff for a diverse organization is essential (Safdar et al 2010). Finally, modern global organization has established worldwide links (Schatten & Zugaj 2011). In this type of modern organization, local happenings are shaped by events taking place thousands of miles away, and happenings from other far corners of the globe must be shaped by local happenings. The impact is evident in processes of decision making, communication, investments, teams for the work, and capital flow. In global organizations, competations is against both local and global competitors. Employees with capability to facilitate both domstic and international markets are the best to work in this enviroment. Job analysis is thus necessary to get best staff, fit for this type of modern organization (Safdar et al 2010). Considering this work and organizational context, staffs to work in modern and rapidly changing organization must be those who are flexible, dynamic, self-selected, open to learn, empowered, handle difficult tasks, manage and able and ready to repsond to changing command of the job (Hinton & Biderma 2005). Accordingly they should have good interpersonal and communal skills to accommodate team work. Best job analysis for best characteristics for specific jobs must align employees with organizational objectives (Sanchez & Levine 2000).Sanchez and Levine, 2000, posits that job analysis is vital for acquiring best staff through recruitment process, but its even more needed in maintaining their competitiveness during the course of the work. This is achiveable through the following processes. Firstly, job analysis validates measuring tools for best staff hiring. The soundness of tools used in measuring and discovering characteristics of hired staffs is strenghtened. As long as the measuring tools are valid, then, job and work specifications and descriptions for getting paramount staff is valid (Sanchez & Levine 2000). Moreover, job analysis opens an opportuinity to train and retain existing best staff. Training existing staff for personal and proffesion development are identified through job analysis. Acquiring best staff in modern organanization is not not only about matching their characteristics with the organization`s need, rather, once they are in place withing the organization, their continued competence highly depends on training and education provided to them (Schatten & Zugaj 2011; Stone 2005; Singh 2008). Proper training with modern organization is essential for proper adjustment of skills and information, and for versatility to organizational changes. In actual fact, job analysis identify training needs, competence and handiness that requires advancement and development (Singh 2008) Moreover, analysis will help identify predict skills required for futre organizan`s responsibilities. Additionally, job analysis ensure both organization and its staff dtermine educationalc and training needs for planning proffesional growth. As well, job analysis provides a platform for strengthening legality of training methods, when essential characteristics are matched with trainings to deliver best result possible amidst rapid advancing technology. As a consequence, job analysis in staff training for rapidly changing and modern organization is important (Singh 2008). Furthermore, job analysis aids in evaluation of existing staff current perfomance. This offers a platform for enhancing employees performance. Having hired, positioned correctly, trained and educated the employees, evaluation is then needed to measure the perfomce quality (Singh 2008). Evaluation is mainly a clear principle or standard governing accomplishment of tasks and jobs. Latest information regarding adequate standards of perfoming the job, and used in assesing quality of work done by employees are provided through job analysis. Hence, an evaluation process runs smoothly should duties and standards be clearly stated through job analysis. Evaluations through job analsysis manifests areas of training needs and plans, resulting to staffs personal and proffessional improvement. What is more, evaluation present a means for reassinging staff jobs they excel in (Heneman & Judge 2003; Stone 2005). In regard to evaluation of employees for compensation purposes through job analysis is vital. Rapidly changing and modern organizations oftenly get high caliber staff should their compensation packages are competative, are proportional to employees responsibilities and qualifications. Through job analysis, information for this decision accomplishment is given (Heneman & Judge 2003; Stone 2005). . Finally, data required to bring in conducive working enviroment for motivating the staff to perform well is obtained through job analysis. Having obtained bests, and organization is demands to motivate them to ensure they are at their best for job. Only stimulating working atmospheres will keep best, flexibale and talented staff in an organization (Hinton & Biderman 2005). From this perspective, job analysis is fundament for scheming, redesigning , motivating jobs that promote team work, challenge, empowerment and reposnibility, in this manner , staffs are retained and also at their optimal level of perfomance (Heneman & Judge 2003; Stone 2005). Job analysis is also vital for other HRM activities related to staffing process (Jenner 2004). Job description and specifications, which is based on job analysis determines and impacts various others HR activities. These specification and descriptions ensures best staff for an organization The four major HR activities or functions supported by job analysis include training, career planning, employee selection, and performance appraisal. To begin with, employee selection is employed by HR to discover the most qualified person for the job. Using information obtained through job analysis, the HR proper selection is ensured. This means that the information gives knowledge to the HR necessary for any task and skills performances selection. Secondly, job analysis aligns well with the HR activity of training. Training is necessary in ensuring employees perform jobs to the best of their capacities. In essence, training is for employees are vital and HR ought to ensure these programs are provided (Carrasco 2009; Jenner 2004). Another important function of HR is performance appraisal, which by use of job analysis employees’ behaviors are evaluated to find out which actions can lead to effectual performance and which cannot. Through this HR function rewards and reprimands for unproductive performance occur. Finally, career planning is another HR activity that greatly benefit from job analysis. This activity involves HR matching employment desire and worker skills with the right job in the organization. This ensures the employee is satisfied, thrives and is happy, and in turn the organization remains competent in the marketplace (Singh 2008). Conclusively, numerous literatures have proven the vital role of job analysis in gaining the best staff for modern and rapidly changing organizations. Despite the initial fears of it inapplicability in staffing modern organizations, researchers have affirmed the relevance of modern types of job analysis. This paper has given various definitions of job analysis, emphasizing the definition in regard to staffing for organizations. In the perspective of staffing, analysts have defined ob analysis as the process of studying the specific job in order to collect, analyse, blend, and give information regarding the job conditions and rewards and necessary staffing. The implication here is that job analysis is indeed applicable in staffing modern organization. The best and main job analysis process constitutes of three mains steps including data collection, preparing and validating job descriptions, and thirdly, application. Job analysis methodologies may be subdivided into two areas: work and worker oriented. Work oriented analysis focuses mainly on work related tasks, while worker related technique looks at human behaviors engaged in work activities. Modern organizations are expressed as flexible , aggressive, with more broken organizational structure chains , dynamic, multidimensional, technological, social, worldwide changes and political influenced, and with fewer boundaries. These are easily summarized through the five key components of modern organizations namely; flat, networked, diverse, flexible and global. Moreover, job analysis in vital for modern and rapidly changing organizations management. This management is facilitated through recruitment and selection of employees, positioning employees correctly, training and education staff for best performance, evaluation of employees perfomance, and finally for staff motivation to ensure they remain optimal in perfomance. Above and beyond, job analysis is essential for staffing modern and rapidly changing organization. A valid and adequate job analysis will not only give the organization a competitive advantage in the current market place, but also guarantee it survival in the future through competent staff. In general, job analysis is significant and essential, and ought to be emphasized. References Bonabeau, E 2001, Swarm Intelligence – A Whole New Way to Think About Business. Harvard : Harvard Business Review, Harvard University . Carrasco, G. G 2009, Exploring The Multi-Scale Structure of Printing Paper--A Review of Modern Technology. Journal of Microscopy Vol, 234, Issue, 3. , 211-242. Cornelissen, T 2009, The Interaction of Job Satisfaction, Job Search, and Job Changes: An Empirical Investigation with German Panel Data. Journal of Happiness Studies Vol 10, Issue 3 , 367-384. Gary, D 2003, Human Resource Management, 9th edition. . Beijin: Prentice Hall. Heneman, H. G., & Judge, J 2003, Staffing Organizations. Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. 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