Talking to Management about Job Analysis:It’s Not About You

Presented to:Job Analysis Class,

USFFebruary 27, 2003

Presented by:Joan Brannick, Ph.D.

About You

• Name• Previous work

experience• Research area• One

question/issue

About Me - Job Analysis Experience

•Undergrad/grad school

•Tampa Electric

•Naval Training System Center

•Eckerd Corporation

•Tampa Electric

•Cargill, Inc.

•CenturyTel

Today’s Topics

• Job Analysis Communication Issues

• I/O-Management Communication Issues

Specific Job Analysis Issues

Pre-Job Analysis Questions

• Who – wants it, uses it, does it, supervises it

• What – the problem(s), the issue(s)

• When – timeframe/deadlines

• Where – part of company/all of company

• How – the process, people, time, budget, etc.

• Why – the purpose, the solution

FAVORITE JOB ANALYSIS

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Keep in Mind . . .• Selection focused

• Tasks are a given

Interview Question #1

What 4-5 characteristics or skills does someone need to have to be

successful in this job? Why?

Interview Question #2

Tell me 3-4 adjectives that best describe this organization as a

place to work.

Interview Question #3

What are the 1-2 most common reasons people

voluntarily/involuntarily leave this job?

Interview Question #4

What is the number one expectation that people have about this

job/company that is not met?

Interview Question #5

We’ve covered a lot of ground in a short period of time. Is there anything else that you think is

important for me to know that we haven’t discussed already?

Lessons Learned

• Consider your audience.

• Partner with rather than preach to.

• Be prepared.

• Use the 80/20 rule in interviews.

• Begin with the end in mind.

I/O-Management Communication

Issues

Differences in Communication in Grad

School vs. Business

• Purpose

• Approach

• Language

Purpose of Communication in

Grad School vs. Business

• More similar than different

• Audience understands (it’s not about you)

• Audience thinks it is important (it’s not about you)

• Audience motivated to take action (it’s not about you)

Approach to Communication

Grad School Business/ManagementPersuasive/

informativePersuasive/informativeImpact-literature Impact-organization

Impact

• Impact – Contribution to the literature– New– Contribute to theory– Contribute to practice

• Impact – Organization– Quality– Quantity– Time– Cost

Approach to Communication

Grad School Business/ManagementInformative/

persuasivePersuasive/informativeImpact-literature Impact-organization

Individual/expert Collaborative/expertsProblem/process-

focusedSolution/outcome-focusedObjective/data Subjective/opinion

Objective vs. Subjective

No data without stories, no stories without data.

Professor of Sims Wyeth, Management Consultant

People want data, they remember stories.

Joan Brannick, Consultant/Author

Approach to Communication

Grad School Business/ManagementPersuasive/

informativePersuasive/informativeImpact-literature Impact-organization

Individual/expert Collaborative/expertsProblem-focused Solution-focused

Objective/data Subjective/opinion

Narrow/similar audience

Broad/diverse audienceWhat is proposed How it’s proposed

Language is Important

Language affects how people feel about themselves and about you:

•You are competent

•You are arrogant

•They want to help you

•They are stupid

Grad School/IOOB Speak

• Task Inventory• Functional Job

Analysis• Job Element Method• Taxonomy• PAQ• C-JAM• Attributes• Ipsative• Likert

Business/Management Speak

• Task listing• Performance

areas• Job description• Job classification• Job evaluation• Competencies• ADA• Essential

functions

Talking to management about job analysis is NOT

about this . . .

Talking to management IS about this . . .

• Know your audience.

• Will they understand your message?

• Will they think it’s important?

• Will they be motivated to take action?

QUESTIONS/CLOSING