Abstract

The author suggests that job descriptions generally lack the reality of operating terms and ignore two important characteristics of industrial jobs, interdependence and the definition of discretion in performing the assigned task. Generally, a job description has an inventory of tasks for which the position-holder has primary responsibility. It also contains information about who supervises whom and the numbers or types of subordinates, etc. In this kind of analysis there are several misconceptions. To incorporate the missing essentials in the analysis of roles, the author helped develop a method termed Role Analysis Technique. A job in its dynamic form is seen as comprising its rationale, its prescribed and discretionary content, and mutual expectations with other roles in the role space. An illustration of the technique has been provided in this article. This technique helps to develop procedures and reporting systems from the data available in role analyses. It makes it is easier to determine what might be redundant data and where unnecessary duplication needs to be avoided.