Work, Jobs, and Occupations A Critical Review of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (1980) / Chapter Skim
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6 PROCEDURES USED TO PRODUCE THE FOURTH EDITION DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES
6 PROCEDURES USED TO PRODUCE THE FOURTH EDITION DICTIONARY OF OCCUPATIONAL TITLES
Pages 114-147
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From page 114... ...
In the course of our analysis it became clear that the production of the DOT is seriously underdocumented. Because of the lack of published technical information or documentation of procedures, the description in this chapter draws heavily on information gathered during interviews with staff at the national office and at seven field centers (Arizona, California, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, New York, and Texas)
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From page 115... ...
Since publication of the third edition DOT in 1965, few, if any, modifications appear to have been made in the basic methodology of the occupational analysis program. SAMPLING FOR THE DOT Sampling for the fourth edition DOT was by no means straightforward.
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From page 116... ...
ASSIGNMENT OF INDUSTRIES TO FIELD CENTERS Shortly after the completion of the third edition DOT, industry assignments were made for the fourth edition. Most centers were assigned the same set of industries for which they were responsible in the third edition.
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From page 117... ...
Certain field centers appear to have had greater responsibility for industry coverage than others. California, for example, was assigned the largest number of industries and was solely responsible for 9 percent of the 232 industries in the fourth edition DOT industry designation.
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From page 118... ...
There are indications that field centers varied in the degree of supervision or direction given to analysts. Several centers instituted informal procedures whereby analysts submitted a general study design to the center supervisor or supervisory analyst before proceeding, but this was not required by the national office.
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From page 119... ...
The supervisor of one field center reported having the local Employment Service office set up the initial meeting between the analyst and company personnel. At most field centers, however, analysts contacted the appropri
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From page 120... ...
No clear picture emerged as to the type of company most likely to have refused. Analysts at two field centers reported that small companies were more likely to do so and attributed this to the independent, "get-off-my-back" style of many such firms and to their general antipathy toward government intervention of any sort.
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From page 121... ...
On the face sheet, analysts entered identifying information about the establishment (a unique control number assigned by the field center and a Standard Industrial Classification code) and names of products manufactured or services rendered.
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JOB ANALYSIS All of the information obtained for the staffing schedules, organization arrangements, and process flow charts was intended to assist analysts in identifying jobs for study and in keeping track of their progress as the establishment study proceeded. The Handbook (p.
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From page 125... ...
obtaining job descriptions, specifications, hiring requirements, and related data for certain jobs from associations, societies, and other similar organizations; or (3) interviewing workers, supervisors, and/or management in a place apart from the work site." In an effort to deal with this problem for clerical jobs, one field center developed a special questionnaire to ascertain job tasks and requirements.
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From page 126... ...
; and defined teens used in the schedule that could not be found in a standard dictionary. If a particular job could be converted to a third edition DOT code (treatment type C)
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From page 127... ...
071-3120-423 4. JOB SUMMARY: Answers inquiries and gives directions to customers, authorizes cashing of customers' checks, records and returns lost charge cards, sorts and reviews new credit applications, and requisitions supplies, working at Information Desk in department store Credit Office.
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From page 128... ...
Relation to Other Jobs and Workers Promotion : From this is an entry Job Transfers: From none Supervision Received CREDIT MANAGER Supervision Given none To CREDIT INTERVIEWER To none 13. Machines, Tools, Equipment, and Work Aids Impressing Device - Small Hand-operated device, of similar construction to stapler with a nonmoving base and a moveable upper arm (cont'd)
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From page 129... ...
(10%) Answers telephone calls from customers reporting lost or stolen charge cards and arranges details of cancellation of former card and replacement: Obtains all possible details from customer regarding lost or stolen card, and requests letter of confirmation.
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From page 130... ...
6. Sorts and records new credit applications daily: Separates regular Charge Account applications from Budget Accounts.
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From page 131... ...
are moved by a lever in the upper arm. Charge card is placed in a grove in the base, stand-up print facing up, and paper or bill positioned over card, then the upper arm is brought down and lever depressed to bring inked rollers over paper to make impress of card's print.
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From page 132... ...
Rating Worker Traits Another step in completing the job analysis schedule entailed rating jobs for the six types of worker traits discussed in chapter 2. In all, this involved assigning scores on 43 distinct factors, as shown in Table 6-2.
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From page 133... ...
Training times were determined by considering a variety of data collected during the on-site study: employer's hiring requirements, union specifications, workers' qualifications, types of work aids used (e.g., calculators, gauges, etc.) , and types of tasks performed (e.g., arithmetic calculations, writing, etc.~.
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The analyst indicated simply the presence or absence of physical demands 2 through 6 and environmental conditions 2 through 7. Strength was rated according to one of five levels to reflect sedentary, light, medium, heavy, or very heavy work.
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From page 138... ...
Source: Handbook for Analyzing Jobs (U.S. Department of Labor, 1972:233)
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From page 139... ...
COMPLETING AN ESTABLISHMENT STUDY After completing the establishment staffing schedule, organization and process flow charts, and job analysis schedules for each of the jobs being analyzed in the establishment, the analyst summarized the study in a narrative report. As its title implies, the narrative report is essentially descriptive.
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From page 140... ...
Evidently, this directive was variously interpreted by the field centers. Analysts at some field centers continued to produce job analysis schedules according to Handbook procedures, which require a complete study of the job being verified; others resorted to shortcuts, telephoning an establishment or trade association, for example, in order to verify descriptions of jobs being analyzed in other establishments or to confirm a third edition definition.
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From page 141... ...
DEFINITION WRITING FOR THE DOT The job analysis schedules produced from 1965 to 1976, intended for use in compiling the fourth edition, were filed in the North Carolina field center by third edition DOT code, along with all the other materials resulting from establishment studies. Definition writing was not an ongoing process, and fourth edition definitions were written during 1976, the year preceding publication.
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142 lo m o m o o o m m o On CC o , , , 1 o V, ' ' _ ,, ~ = ~ E c ._ .e 8 :~a sat 4 3 Go
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From page 143... ...
; copies of third edition definitions; and materials from trade associations, employers, or unions. An analysis of fourth edition source data, discussed in detail in chapter 7, reveals that the material available for each occupation varied greatly in both quantity (from zero to hundreds of job analysis schedules)
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From page 144... ...
In step 4, which involved writing the actual definition, analysts drew most heavily on information contained in the job summary and description of tasks on the job analysis schedule. If a third edition title could be used, it was, as was its definition, with modification as required.
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From page 145... ...
For example, if temperament factor J (JUDGMENT) was rated, some indication should appear in the definition that describes the nature of the judgment required." Definitions were sent to the North Carolina field center, where they were reviewed by teams of analysts selected by the national office from each of the field centers.
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From page 146... ...
Furthermore, by relying on the third edition, little effort seems to have been made to explore the possibility of developing new or better sampling strategies. Data are available on industries and establishments at the local and national levels, for example, that might have been exploited to assign industries to field centers more systematically and to aid in the selection of establishments at the regional level.
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From page 147... ...
Are the data valid and reliable? To what extent did variations in procedures across field centers and analysts introduce bias and lack of comparability into the resulting data?
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