We will now explore how these evaluation requirements are met using this method.
1) Job Understanding
The basic information on the facts of the job is obtained by means of a job description. Job descriptions must meet the company’s requirements of clarity, comprehensives and consistency with other descriptions. The job holder and his or her immediate boss should have discussed and agreed a final version. This information is supplemented by the knowledge and understanding of the organization and how it works supplied by the Evaluation Committee. Through discussion each Committee member can then develop a common understanding of what a job involves before making judgments about its size.
1) Job Understanding
The basic information on the facts of the job is obtained by means of a job description. Job descriptions must meet the company’s requirements of clarity, comprehensives and consistency with other descriptions. The job holder and his or her immediate boss should have discussed and agreed a final version. This information is supplemented by the knowledge and understanding of the organization and how it works supplied by the Evaluation Committee. Through discussion each Committee member can then develop a common understanding of what a job involves before making judgments about its size.
2) Judgments
Evaluation is concerned with making judgments and in order to maximize the objectivity of these judgments, disciplines are built into the evaluation process. These are :
Systematic Framework : This is provided by the Guide Charts so that for each judgment to be made there is a definition of the levels to be selected. Thus discussion focuses upon matching information on job content with these definitions. This provides a basis for the discussion rather than relying upon strong personalities to sway the judgment.
Multiple Judgments : The evaluation process makes use of a committee. This enables individuals bias to be neutralized by the presence of others who will require individuals to substantiate their judgments.
Evaluation is concerned with making judgments and in order to maximize the objectivity of these judgments, disciplines are built into the evaluation process. These are :
Systematic Framework : This is provided by the Guide Charts so that for each judgment to be made there is a definition of the levels to be selected. Thus discussion focuses upon matching information on job content with these definitions. This provides a basis for the discussion rather than relying upon strong personalities to sway the judgment.
Multiple Judgments : The evaluation process makes use of a committee. This enables individuals bias to be neutralized by the presence of others who will require individuals to substantiate their judgments.
Consensus : The aim is always to achieve a consensus view on the evaluation. This means that there is no facility for averaging or voting, but rather the different views of the committee members are exposed and explored and individuals required to substantiate their views. Discussion then continues until all views have been explored and the judgment which is recorded is that .
Criteria for Assessing Job Content
It is very difficult to compare jobs in total in order to assess their size, particularly if the jobs are very different. Therefore a number of common criteria are required to enable these comparisons to be made. The criteria used in the method follows from extensive study of common elements found in all jobs and are based on what results the job is required to achieve and what job-holders are required to bring to their jobs.
Criteria for Assessing Job Content
It is very difficult to compare jobs in total in order to assess their size, particularly if the jobs are very different. Therefore a number of common criteria are required to enable these comparisons to be made. The criteria used in the method follows from extensive study of common elements found in all jobs and are based on what results the job is required to achieve and what job-holders are required to bring to their jobs.
4) Scale of Measurement
While a simple ranking order establishes a ‘pecking order’ the use of a points scale
provides :
- a result which is instantly and widely recognizable.
- the establishment of distances between jobs
- the ability to make comparisons with jobs in other organizations using the same evaluation method.
The actual numbers used in the Guide Charts are chosen to give conveniently sized numbers which do not require fractions and do not give numbers in millions. All organizations using the method use the same numbering pattern.
While a simple ranking order establishes a ‘pecking order’ the use of a points scale
provides :
- a result which is instantly and widely recognizable.
- the establishment of distances between jobs
- the ability to make comparisons with jobs in other organizations using the same evaluation method.
The actual numbers used in the Guide Charts are chosen to give conveniently sized numbers which do not require fractions and do not give numbers in millions. All organizations using the method use the same numbering pattern.
5) Cross Checks on the Evaluations
Because evaluation is not scientific, it is necessary to provide checks on the consistency of the evaluation results. These may be necessary :
* between different functions
* overtime as the evaluation proceeds
* between different committees where more than one evaluation
committee is involved in evaluating jobs within the organization.
* between different functions
* overtime as the evaluation proceeds
* between different committees where more than one evaluation
committee is involved in evaluating jobs within the organization.
The method of job evaluation contains two separate and independent checks on the evaluations :
(i) Profile Check
This is a check on the technical soundness of each evaluation as it is carried out. It is based upon the fact that the nature of jobs within organizations varies. Some jobs are much more about Know-How and Problem-solving, such as research jobs and backroom jobs, while others are much more about Accountability, the results and actions oriented jobs, which are the ‘line’ jobs. Others will fall between these extremes – namely the ‘staff’ jobs. The ‘Profile’ check looks at the relationship between the Know-How, Problem-Solving and Accountability elements of the evaluation.
With a little practice, evaluation committee members become very adept at assessing the sort of ‘profile’ different jobs will show and this becomes a very powerful evaluation check. How this works is considered in more detail later.
(ii) Overall Review
Once a number of jobs have been evaluated they are ranked in descending order of job size,
and the resulting hierarchy examined. If the relationships do not appear to be consistent or to
make sense the evaluations are re-examined. Reviews should be an on-going process.
The Guide Charts are written so that the definitions of the elements cover jobs in a wide variety of functions and organizations. They therefore have to be interpreted sensitively within the context of jobs in your company. The following section explains how the definitions apply, but real understanding can only be obtained by experience in evaluating jobs with the company.
Once a number of jobs have been evaluated they are ranked in descending order of job size,
and the resulting hierarchy examined. If the relationships do not appear to be consistent or to
make sense the evaluations are re-examined. Reviews should be an on-going process.
The Guide Charts are written so that the definitions of the elements cover jobs in a wide variety of functions and organizations. They therefore have to be interpreted sensitively within the context of jobs in your company. The following section explains how the definitions apply, but real understanding can only be obtained by experience in evaluating jobs with the company.
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