Chapter 4: Job Analysis and Job Design

Employee Team

a group of employees working together toward a common purpose, in which members have complimentary skills, members' work is mutually independent, and the group has discretion over tasks performed.

Functional Job Analysis(FJA)

a job analysis approach that utilizes an inventory of the various types of work activities

Critical Incident Method

a job analysis method by which important job tasks are identified for job success.

Job Characteristics Model

a job design theory that purports that three psychological states (experiencing meaningfulness of the work performed, responsibility for work outcomes, and knowledge of the results of the work performed) of a job holder result in improved work performance, internal motivation, and lower absenteeism and turnover.

Job Crafting

a naturally occurring phenomenon whereby employees mold their tasks to fir their individual strengths, passions, and motives better.

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

a questionnaire identifying approximately 200 different tasks that, by means of a five-point scale; seeks to determine the degree to which different tasks are involved in performing a job.

Telecommuting

use of personal computers, network, and other communications technology to do work in the home that is traditionally done in the work place.

Industrial Engineering

a field of study concerned with analyzing work methods and establishing time standards.

Employee Engagement

a situation in which workers are enthusiastic and immersed in their work to the degree that it improves the performance of their companies.

Job Specification

a statement of the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities of a person who is to perform a job needs.

Job Description

a statement of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job to be performed.

Job Sharing

an arrangement whereby two part-time employees perform a job that otherwise would be held by one full-time employee.

Task-Inventory Analysis

an organization-specific list of tasks and their descriptions used as a basis to identify components of jobs.

Job Design

an outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations in order to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction.

Job Enrichment

enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks and duties to make the work more rewarding or satisfying.

Flextime

flexible working hours that permit employees the option of choosing daily starting and quitting times, provided that they work a set number of hours per day or week.

Employee Empowerment

granting employees to power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do.

Dejobbing

refers to a process of structuring organizations not around jobs, but around projects that are constantly changing.

Virtual Teams

teams that utilize telecommunications technology to link team members who are geographically disbursed - often world wide across cultures and across time zones.

Job Enlargement

the process of adding a greater variety of tasks to a job.

Job Analysis

the process of obtaining information about jobs by determining their duties, tasks, or activities.

Ergonomics

the process of studying and designing equipment and systems that are easy and efficient for employees to use.

Job Rotation

the process whereby employees rotate in and out of different jobs.