Human Resource & Organizational Development

A useful starting question is: “What must this person do, and what evidence would show that they can do it?” Keep that question in view as you examine each role.

From Role Purpose to Observable Competencies

Role - a defined area of work held by one person or position within an organization. A role is broader than a list of duties. For example, “Learning and Development Coordinator” describes a role that supports the planning, delivery, and review of learning activities.

Role purpose - a short statement explaining why the role exists and the value it provides. A strong purpose statement names the main contribution, not every activity. “To coordinate reliable staff training that meets operational and compliance needs” is more useful than “To help with training.”

Task - a specific activity performed as part of the role. “Schedule a workshop,” “update the attendance register,” and “send evaluation forms” are tasks. Tasks should use clear action verbs and describe work that can be observed.

Responsibility - an area of work for which the role holder is answerable. A responsibility may include several tasks. “Maintain accurate training records” could involve entering attendance, checking completion data, correcting errors, and preparing reports.

Output - the result produced by the work. Outputs make expectations easier to assess. A training coordinator’s outputs might include a published monthly schedule, complete attendance records, and a quarterly evaluation summary.

Competency - the knowledge, skill, ability, behavior, or other characteristic needed to perform work effectively. Competencies should be linked to real tasks. “Communication” is too broad by itself; “writes clear participant instructions and confirms changes with facilitators” is more specific and observable.

Knowledge concerns information a person needs, such as the organization’s learning policy or a data-protection requirement. Skill concerns learned proficiency, such as using a learning-management system or preparing a report. Ability concerns capacity to perform a type of activity, such as organizing several deadlines. Behavior concerns how the work is carried out, such as responding accurately and respectfully to participant questions.

A job analysis normally examines five connected questions:

1. Why does the role exist? 2. What are the main responsibilities? 3. What tasks and outputs belong to each responsibility? 4. Which competencies are needed for those tasks? 5. Which requirements are essential, and which can be developed after appointment?

The fifth question matters particularly when writing selection criteria. A requirement should be included only when it is genuinely connected to performance. If a role requires the coordinator to produce a monthly attendance report, competence with spreadsheets may be essential. Requiring advanced statistical analysis would be excessive unless the role also interprets complex evaluation data.

Several information sources can support the analysis. Interviews with current role holders reveal how work is actually performed. Supervisors clarify priorities, standards, and decision boundaries. Observation is useful when tasks are visible and repeated. Work diaries show how time is distributed, although they may overrepresent unusual busy periods. Existing documents, such as procedures, service standards, training calendars, and performance measures, provide further evidence.

A short structured interview can ask:

• What are the three most important results this role must deliver? - Which tasks take the most time during a normal month? - What decisions can the role holder make without approval? - What errors would create the greatest risk or delay? - What separates a strong performer from an average performer?

Use more than one source where possible. A current employee may describe informal tasks that are not in the old job description, while a manager may emphasize future priorities. Comparing both views helps distinguish essential work from temporary or personal arrangements.

Competency mapping is strongest when competencies are written as behaviors. Compare “teamwork” with “shares schedule changes with facilitators at least two working days before delivery.” The second statement gives a selection panel something it can assess through an interview question, work sample, or reference check.

It is also helpful to classify requirements:

| Requirement type | Example for a training coordinator | Suitable evidence | |---|---|---| | Essential task capability | Can schedule 12 sessions across four locations | Scheduling exercise | | Technical knowledge | Understands attendance and completion rules | Structured interview | | Behavioral competency | Communicates changes clearly and promptly | Written exercise or interview | | Qualification | Certificate required by internal policy | Document check | | Developable capability | Familiarity with the organization’s learning system | Induction plan and practical test |

Avoid turning every desirable quality into a mandatory requirement. Essential criteria should be limited to what is needed at entry. A competency can be important without being fully developed on the first day if training, supervision, and time are available.

The final analysis should show a clear chain: role purpose leads to responsibilities; responsibilities contain tasks; tasks produce outputs; outputs require competencies; competencies become fair selection criteria. Ask yourself whether each criterion can be connected to a real task and assessed through evidence. If not, revise it before it enters the job description.

Worked Example: Mapping a Training Coordinator Role

A community health organization is creating a full-time Training Coordinator role. The organization delivers 24 staff workshops each quarter across two sites. Attendance records are often incomplete, and schedule changes are communicated late. The manager wants a job description that addresses these problems without demanding unnecessary qualifications.

1. State the role purpose. The analysis begins with one sentence: “To coordinate accurate, timely staff training across two sites and maintain reliable participation records.” This purpose identifies the contribution: dependable training operations and accurate records.

2. Identify the major responsibilities. Interviews with the manager and an administrative assistant produce four responsibilities: - Maintain the quarterly training schedule. - Coordinate facilitators, rooms, materials, and participant communication. - Record attendance and completion information. - Provide basic reports on delivery and participation.

3. Break responsibilities into tasks and outputs. The scheduling responsibility includes collecting facilitator availability, placing 24 workshops on the quarterly calendar, checking room capacity, and publishing changes. Its main output is an approved schedule issued at least 10 working days before the quarter begins. The communication responsibility includes sending joining instructions, confirming changes, and responding to participant queries within one working day. Its output is clear and timely information for participants and facilitators. The records responsibility includes checking sign-in sheets, entering attendance within two working days, and resolving missing information with facilitators. Its output is a complete record for each workshop. The reporting responsibility includes calculating attendance rates and preparing a short quarterly summary for the manager.

4. Separate essential from developable requirements. The role requires the person to manage several deadlines, use spreadsheets confidently, write clear emails, and check details accurately. The organization’s learning-management system can be taught during the first month, so prior experience with that specific system is not essential. A formal degree is also not necessary because the work can be demonstrated through relevant coordination experience and a practical exercise.

5. Map tasks to competencies.

| Task | Required competency | Observable evidence | |---|---|---| | Place 24 workshops across two sites | Planning and prioritization | Produces a workable schedule with no room conflicts | | Send joining instructions | Clear written communication | Writes accurate instructions with dates, locations, and actions | | Update attendance records | Attention to detail and data handling | Enters information accurately and identifies missing data | | Resolve schedule changes | Problem solving and stakeholder communication | Explains options and confirms the agreed change | | Prepare quarterly figures | Basic spreadsheet skill | Calculates attendance rates and presents a clear summary |

6. Write selection criteria from the map. The criteria now describe evidence rather than vague impressions. Essential criteria are: - Experience coordinating multiple activities, events, or schedules. - Ability to use spreadsheets for accurate data entry and basic calculations. - Ability to write clear operational messages. - Evidence of checking details and following up incomplete information. - Ability to manage changing priorities while meeting deadlines.

A desirable criterion is experience with a learning-management system. It is desirable because the system can be learned, while accurate coordination and communication are needed immediately.

7. Create a practical selection exercise. Candidates receive a short schedule containing 12 workshops, two room conflicts, one facilitator absence, and three incomplete attendance records. They have 30 minutes to identify the problems, propose changes, and draft a message to affected participants. This exercise directly tests the work rather than relying only on general interview claims.

8. Check the job description for accuracy and fairness. The final description includes the role purpose, four responsibilities, key outputs, reporting relationship, essential criteria, desirable criteria, and working conditions. It does not include “must be energetic,” “excellent personality,” or an unnecessary degree requirement because those statements are difficult to define and do not directly describe the work.

Final result: the role is defined by four responsibilities, five essential selection criteria, one developable system skill, and a work sample that tests scheduling, communication, and record accuracy.

The example shows why job analysis should come before recruitment wording. The organization did not begin with a preferred candidate profile. It began with service problems, examined the work, and built criteria that could be assessed. When a selection criterion cannot be traced back to a task or output, it deserves careful questioning.

Practice Questions and Answer Key

1. A job description says that a “Programme Assistant supports events and works well with people.” What information is missing? Hint: Look for the role purpose, specific tasks, outputs, and observable behaviors.

2. A role includes preparing a weekly staffing rota for 18 employees. Which competencies might be essential, and what evidence could assess them? Hint: Connect the task to planning, accuracy, software use, and communication.

3. A manager wants to require a university degree for a role whose main tasks are entering records, answering routine questions, and scheduling appointments. How should the requirement be tested? Hint: Ask whether the degree is necessary for the outputs or whether a work sample would provide better evidence.

4. A current employee spends 40% of one month helping with a special project, although that project is not part of the continuing role. Should it automatically appear in the job description? Hint: Distinguish regular essential responsibilities from temporary duties.

5. Write one observable competency for a role responsible for handling customer complaints. Hint: Describe the behavior, not just “customer service” or “communication.”

Answer Key

Question 1: It needs a purpose statement, defined responsibilities, measurable outputs, and behaviors such as responding within a stated time or preparing specified materials.

Question 2: Planning and prioritization, accurate data handling, and clear communication may be essential. A scheduling exercise can assess them directly.

Question 3: The degree should not be included automatically. If the work can be performed without it, use relevant experience, a records exercise, and a scheduling or communication task instead.

Question 4: Include it only if the project work is becoming a regular or essential part of the role. Otherwise, record it separately as a temporary assignment.

Question 5: An acceptable example is: “Records the complaint accurately, explains the next step clearly, and confirms a response date within one working day.”

Accurate job descriptions begin with disciplined observation of work. When roles, tasks, outputs, and competencies are connected, recruitment becomes clearer and development planning becomes more practical. The strongest selection criteria do not describe an ideal personality; they show what effective performance looks like.

End of chapter one. 4 more chapters and about 10,028 words in the full book.