Berman, Bowman, West, & Wart, Human Resource Management in Public Service, Sixth Edition
SAGE Publishing, 2020
Study Questions
Chapter 5: Position Management: Judicious Plan or Jigsaw Puzzle?
1. Why is position classification more “art” than “science?” (176)
2. What are three paradoxes of position classification? (175)
• The rational order conveyed by classification systems is generally overstated or a myth.
• Although formal methods of job analysis and job evaluation are often preached in
management texts and elsewhere, they are not always used in practice.
3. What are three fundamental personnel strategies? (176)
4. How does rank-in-job differ from rank-in-person? Examples? (177)
5. What is lateral entry? (192)
Entry from outside the organization without first completing a junior-level or entry position.
6. What is the Classification Act of 1923? (179)
7. What is the Classification Act of 1949? (179)
8. Why are the Classification Acts of 1923 and 1949 important? (179)
9. What are some excesses of position classification systems? (180)
10. What is broadbanding? (180)
11. What happened to Georgia’s civil service system? (180)
12. What is Job design? (181)
13. Why is job design important for managers at all levels? (182)
14. What is job specialization? (183)
15. What is process management? How is it different from process reengineering? (183)
16. What does job enlargement do? How can it raise job satisfaction among employees?
17. What is the purpose of employees going through Job rotation? (183)
18. What does Job enrichment attempt to do? (183)
19. What is job analysis? (184)
20. How can job analysis help management? (184)
21. What are four methods of collecting data? (184–185)
22. What kinds of archival data are helpful? (184)
23. What form do job analysis questionnaires take? What are the
advantages/disadvantages of each? (185)
24. What form do job analysis interviews take? (185)
25. In job analysis, what is learned from observation? (185)
26. When should formal job analyses be used? (185)
27. What is the distinction between job descriptions and position descriptions? (188)
28. Why is the job description language today more likely to distinguish between
essential and nonessential functions? (189)
29. What are the four categories covered in typical job descriptions? (189)
30. What do position classification systems enable managers to do? (190)
31. How do piecemeal personnel patterns differ from formal position classification
systems? (192)
32. Why is the distinction between formal and piecemeal systems important? (192)
33. What is meant by internal equity, external equity, and individual equity? (193)
34. What is job evaluation? (192)
35. What are benchmark jobs? (194)
36. How does job evaluation relate to internal equity? (193)
37. How does job evaluation relate to external equity? (194)
38. What is a whole job system? (196)
