Lecture 4: The Analysis and Design of Work & Competency

Modelling

How will the company compete? (i.e., cost/ differentiation/.etc) - Strategy

Implementation:
The way this strategy will be carried out in the activities of organizational members.
Thus, designing organization structures and jobs must evolve from the
organization’s competitive
Strategy
Strategy implementation concerns the managerial exercise of putting a freshly
chosen strategy into action.
It deals with the managerial exercise of supervising the ongoing pursuit of strategy,
making it work, improving the competence with which it is executed and showing
measurable progress in achieving the targeted results.
Strategic implementation is concerned with translating a strategic decision into
action, which presupposes that the decision itself (i.e., the strategic choice) was
made with some thought being given to feasibility and acceptability.
The allocation of resources to new courses of action will need to be undertaken, and
there may be a need for adapting the organization’s structure to handle new
activities as well as training personnel and devising appropriate systems.

• Work- Flow Analysis and Organization Structure

Work-flow design is a process of analysing tasks necessary for production of a
product or service, prior to assigning tasks to a particular job category or person.
After thoroughly understanding the work-flow design, we can make decisions
regarding how to initially bundle various task into discrete job that can be executed
by a single person.

Organization structure
Refers to the relatively stable and formal network of vertical and horizontal
interconnections among jobs that constitute the organization. After understanding
how job relates to different levels and functional areas, we can make informed
decisions on how to design or improve jobs to benefit the entire organization.
Work-flow analysis is useful in providing a means for managers to understand all
tasks required to produce a high-quality product and the skills necessary to perform
those tasks
Work-flow analysis includes analysing:
 work outputs
 work processes
 work inputs

1. Work output is the result of work carried out by people using equipment or
service over a certain unit of time. Identifying an output or set of outputs is
not sufficient. Once these outputs have been identified, it is necessary to
specify standards for the quantity and quality of these outputs. Once the
output of the work has been identified, it is possible to examine the work
processes used to generate the output.

2. Work processes are the activities that members of a work unit engage in to
produce a given output. Process consist of operating procedures and these
procedures includes all the task that must be performed in the production of
the output.
Tasks are usually broken down into those performed by each person in the work
unit. Work maybe assigned to individual or a team. Team-based design is becoming
increasingly popular in contemporary organizations.
It is essential that the level of task interdependence (how much they must
cooperate) matches the level of outcome interdependence (how much they share
the reward for the task accomplishment) for the team to be effective.
3. The final stage in workflow analysis is to identify the inputs used in the
development of the work unit’s product. These inputs can be broken down
into the raw materials, equipment and human skills needed to perform the
task

Organization structure provides a cross- sectional overview of the static

relationship between individuals and units that create outputs.
Two dimensions of structure are:
 Centralization refers to the degree to which decision-making authority
resides at the top of the organizational chart as opposed to being distributed
throughout lower levels.
  Departmentalization refers to the degree to the degree to which work units
are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of workflow. It also
refers to the formal structure of the organization, composed of various
departments and managerial positions and their relationships with each
other.

Two common configurations of organization structure tend to emerge in an

organization:

The fact is that almost every human resource management

program requires some type of information that is gleaned from
job analysis:
JOB ANALYSIS is a systematic investigation of task, duties and responsibilities of a
job and the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities of the person needs to perform
the job adequately. It is important for organizations to understand and match job
requirements and people to achieve high quality performance.
Job Analyst- People who collects information about job content, how the job is
done and the personal requirements needed to do the job successfully.
Because job analysis provides a deeper understanding of the behavioural
requirements of the job, it plays a vital role in the defines of employment practices.
Following are the main importance and uses of job analysis:
Job redesign is an effort where job responsibilities and tasks are reviewed, and
possibly re-allocated among staff, to improve output. Redesigning jobs can lead to
improvements in both productivity and in job satisfaction.
Human resource planning is the process of making sure there's adequate staffing
(enough number of employees you have), and that employees are qualified to meet
the needs of the company. It requires accurate information about the levels of skills
required in various job to ensure that enough individuals are available in the
organization to meet the HR needs of strategic plan.
Selection identifies the most qualified applicants for employment. It is necessary to
determine the task that will be performed by the individual hired and the
knowledge, skills and abilities the individual must have to perform the job
effectively.
Training is the process of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee for
doing a particular job. It involves the development of skills that are usually
necessary to perform a specific job.
Performance appraisal is a regular review of an employee's job performance and
overall contribution to a company. Through job analysis, the organization can
identify the behaviours and results that distinguish effective performance from
ineffective performance.
Career Planning entails matching an individual’s skills and aspirations with
opportunities that are or may become available in the organizations. This allows HR
to guide individuals into jobs in which they will succeed and be satisfied.
Job Evaluation is a systematic way of determining the value/worth of a job in
relation to other jobs in an organization. It tries to make a systematic comparison
between jobs to assess their relative worth for the purpose of establishing a rational
pay structure

Components of Job Analysis

1. Job Content describes the duties and responsibilities of the job in a manner
that can range from global to a very detailed description of tasks and
procedural steps

2. Job Requirement identify the formal qualification, knowledge, skills,

abilities and personal characteristics that employees need to perform the
content of the job in a particular situation or context

3. Job context refers to situational and supporting information about a

particular job. Its purpose, where it fits within the organization, scope data,
availability of guidelines, the potential consequences of error, the amount of
closeness of supervision, work setting and cultural, physical and working
conditions.
HR use job analysis as a tool to ensure that the employees give their maximum
output and fulfill the objectives related to a job.
They can lay down guidelines and frameworks which would help them recruit the
most apt person, ensure they have the right skills and monitor their roles,
responsibilities & output. Job analysis helps HR managers to decide the salaries,
incentives & other benefits in accordance with the job title, position, location etc.

Similarly, job analysis is important for employees and prospective candidates as

they get a thorough understanding of what is required from them.
Employees have a clear picture on their deliverables, the wages, workplace
environment, benefits etc. A candidate while applying can easily identify the best
job for their which suits their skills, training, previous experience, areas of interest
etc. Thus, job analysis is a critical component for both the managers as well as
employees in maximizing the output for the company.
Person Specifications: A person specification details the knowledge, skills and
experience that a post holder will need to have, and to what level they will need to
have them, in order to fulfil the key duties and responsibilities outlined in the job
description.

Competency definition
A competency framework is a model that broadly describes performance excellence
within an organization.
Such a framework usually includes several competencies that are applied to
multiple occupational roles within the organization
Competency frameworks are used throughout the United Nations system, as well as
in many government and private sector organizations.

What are the components of the framework?

The Agency’s competency framework includes core values, and core and functional
competencies. The definitions of these components are as follows:
Core values are principles that influence people’s actions and the choices they
make. They are ethical standards that are based on the standards of conduct for the
international civil service and are to be upheld by all staff.
Core competencies provide the foundation of the framework, describing
behaviours to be displayed by all staff members. They are defined by occupational
roles for a given job.
Functional competencies are defined by duties and responsibilities assumed by
staff members for a given job. Based on the job complexity and level of
responsibility, and the seniority of the occupational role, an average of three to five
functional competencies are assigned to a given job.
Given the varied nature of its work, the Agency could adopt numerous core and
functional competencies; however, following a thorough analysis of all scientific and
administrative fi elds of work, it was decided to restrict the number to four core
competencies and eleven functional competencies.
The results of this analysis revealed that many competencies are shared across
many positions and that a more standardized approach would ensure more effective
and efficient human resources management