Work analysis seeks to breakdown the work behaviors that people do and the characteristics of
people who successfully perform the work and then to reassemble the information in a form that
has many uses in practice. The information can be used to specify job expectations establish
quality standards develop training programs document work processes and anticipate safety
risks among many other uses. This book is a practical guide to using the work analysis process
for improving performance in the workplace particularly with the emergence of knowledge work.
Work has undergone much change and the trend is towards increased complexity demanding
employees to use their cognitive abilities to a greater extent. Work analysis has often been
criticized for its historical focus on documenting simple observable and routine behaviors
performed by individuals involved in low-skilled production work. But it doesn't have to be so
as readers will discover. Indeed the demands of organizations and societies in the digital age
has placed greater emphasis on documenting the changing nature of work.This practical book
addresses the questions of how does one perform a work analysis? How can complex work be
documented? How can the information be used by organizations technical schools and government
agencies? Readers will find detailed descriptions of numerous work analysis techniques along
with case studies and example documents from actual organizational and national workforce
development situations. This book serves as a relatively comprehensive resource for human
resource development professionals in range of settings. The book should also be useful for
human resource managers line managers and supervisors and other professionals such as quality
and safety staff. Readers will value the information in the book based on the author's
extensive experience which is presented in a clear and concise approach.
