When we analyse a job description for our clients, we first identify the amount of time spent completing each duty and responsibility in a given week. By analysing the activity and behaviour required for its successful completion, we determine the amount of time spent dealing with the various human factors. We can then determine the dominant human factors that are present in the position. This helps us to match the right candidate.
We rarely discover the manager and the subordinate seeing the position in the same light.
For example when we ask a manager and a subordinate to list the jobs duties and prioritize them in order of importance, we discover that they would not agree in most cases. As often as teh managers and subordinates disagree on what the top 1 to 3 priorities are, they also differ many times on their perceptions of the behaviour required to be successful in a position.
The behaviour required to be successful in many jobs or occupations is so critical that in many cases it has led to family problems, drinking problems, heart attack, high blood pressure, and divorce. It is basically like putting “square people in round holes”! The combination of our Behavioural Style Analysis of the Candidate and the Work Environment allows us to analyse not only what behaviour the person brings to the job, but the behaviour required to be successful in that job. This system allows us to analyze both the behaviour of the person and the behaviour required by the job. It also the person decided whether or not he or she is willing to pay the price for success.
When a person is hired to do a job that requires the same behaviours that they bring to the job, several things happen.
One, they can immediately focus energy on completion of the job itself.
Two, they will enjoy doing the job because of the natural match-up with their instinctive behaviour.
By contract, those people who bring different behaviour to the job than what the job demands must first focus energy on adjusting their behaviour to the job. After expanding this energy to bring about the behavioural change, they can then use what energy is left to perform the duties of the job. Some jobs can be so stressful in forcing you to be something you’re not, there is little energy left for the completion of the job.
An example of this type of conflict would be a person who is very aggressive and out-going, has a tremendous sense of urgency, and likes to follow his own rules and regulations who is placed in a position that requires attaining high quality, following many rules, following the system to perfection, and starting and finishing one activity at a time. The person described would be under stress in the completion of his required tasks and would only stay with the job if he could not find another one which met his natural behavioural instincts.
Anytime two people have different perceptions of the same job, the result will be a poor evaluation or substandard performance.
For example: several years ago, a manager giving a performance evaluation to a subordinate made the parting comment, “You’d better shape up or you will be fired!” The subordinate responded, “What do I have to do shape up?” The manager responded with, “All I know is that you’d better shape up or you will be fired!”
This example is an indication that many managers lack the skills to assist their employees in meeting the behavioural demands of the job. This particular position was a certified one and the person had met all the educational qualifications for the job, but by the manager’s perception was not meeting the behavioural qualifications of the job.
Comments
