JOB  ANALYSIS

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dependent,  and  passive;  in  fact,  anything  but  what  he  was
expected  to  become.  This  common  and  well-recognized
instance  helps  to  illustrate  what  is  meant  by  the  statement
that  personal  qualities  such  as  have  been  enumerated
here  are  abstract  and  can  not  be  used  in  describing  jobs.
Different  jobs  have  very  specific  and  characteristic  differences, ­
  and  it  is  impossible  to  describe  them  except
in  terms  of  qualities  that  are  equally  specific  and  concrete. ­
  It  is  quite  apparent  that  the  personal  qualities  of  a
worker  also  are  not  general  and  abstract,  but  are  particular ­
  and  very  closely  tied  up  with  the  specific  characteristics ­
  of  a  particular  job.  In  the  instance  just  described, ­
  the  man  did  not  manifest  the  expected  qualities
for  the  job  at  which  he  was  placed,  but  it  is  quite  likely
that  he  would  have  manifested  those  qualities  if  he  had
been  assigned  to  the  particular  kind  of  job  for  which  his
abilities  fitted  him.
Another  way  of  making  clear  the  abstract  and  general
nature  of  the  personal  qualities  is  to  say  that  they  can  not
be  accurately  gauged  or  measured  except  in  terms  of  some
concrete  job  activity.  How  is  it  possible  to  measure
patience?  or  attention  and  application?  or  mental  acuity?
or  industry?  or  loyalty?  or  initiative?  or  any  one  of  the
many  qualities  previously  named  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact  they
can  not  be  measured  when  stated  abstractly.  All  that  can
be  said  is  that  an  individual  either  has  or  does  not  have
certain  of  these  qualities.  No  fine  distinctions  are  possible
except,  perhaps,  the  distinctions  between  good,  bad,  and
indifferent.  However,  the  day  has  gone  by  when  it  is
possible  to  describe  people  or  jobs  in  terms  of  “yes”  or
“no”.  Even  if  it  were  possible  to  say  whether  an  applicant ­
  had  or  did  not  have  certain  qualities,  such  a  decision
Would  fall  far  short  of  the  requirements  of  the  present