Aubyn Hill
THE JOB description is such an accepted and inherent part of the business landscape that to question its relevance and efficacy is almost like questioning motherhood. Young people, old people, and many in between simply accept that there must be a job description and would, and do, put up strong arguments in defence of the document - without giving a thought as to whether or not it is the best method to deal with the business objective it is supposed to address.
JD: A REALLY LIMITING DOCUMENT
The job description is a really limiting document. It puts a perimeter fence around initiative. It not only limits initiative and innovation, it actually robs the employee that "owns" the job description of real empowerment to go beyond the bounds of the duties written on the document. It also curtails the use of all the full brain power to which the company is entitled by virtue of its contract with the employee.
Experience shows that the job description tends to encourage the employee to perform at a level that will meet the requirements of the job description - and no more. Over time, the job description leads to a measure of mediocrity and under performance, because anything that is not on the employee's job description becomes "not my job, thank you". The "thank you" statement is optional and rare.
There is a much better way to empower employees and remove the limits of the job description. I have found that having one job description for all employees, from the CEO to the guard of the building, is very effective. The one that I have used states simply:
"I, as an employee of the company, will do whatever it takes to make the company successful, within the laws and culture of the country."
But how can this simple job description apply to everybody in the company, you will ask? Rather than give each employee a limiting document in the form of a job description, I developed with my managers the Desk Performance Instruction (DPI) which outlines the activities that will take place at a specific desk or function within a division or a department. The DPI is not owned by anyone, but when an employee moves to a particular desk or function the instructions to perform that activity meet the person. Using a DPI system allows the company to cross-train many employees in different activities. Cross-training is vitally important in a globalizing world where employees must multi-task and be trained across many functions and disciplines in order to increase their personal worth and their value to the companies and customers they serve.
The Desk Performance Instruction is responsive to the market place in a manner which the job description can never be. The job description is "owned" by the employee and any change usually involves substantial discussion with the employee and sometimes with his or her union. The DPI changes as the requirements of the market change. The functional activity has to respond to those market changes in order to satisfy customers with the product or service that is being produced by the company. Given that the functional activity that the DPI covers has to be responsive to the market, each employee is therefore empowered to initiate the change at the functional level. In any event the supervisor is very watchful of the market place to ensure that the DPI reflects the latest needs of the company and its customers. With cross-training, employees can be moved from one desk or function to another without succumbing to the temptation to say "it's not my job" - especially with the "I will do anything?" job description to which each person will subscribe.
MANAGERS - NOT HR - ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DPIS
The company that uses the DPI makes this document the focus of the functional activities within its divisions or departments or the smaller sections within divisions. This means that functional managers are responsible for the preparation and changes to the DPIs. Managers will have to shoulder the responsibility of putting the necessary technical aspects of the job content and combine them with the regulatory requirements, if any, to make sure the DPIs are absolutely relevant and up to date. The HR executives will play a vital role in ensuring that the DPIs follow the broad and specific requirements of the laws of the country in which the company is domiciled. However, it is line managers and supervisors, who must initiate the DPIs and keep them current.
EMPLOYEE ACCEPTANCE
There is no doubt that when the DPI system is introduced there will be discussion and sometimes objections about moving from the job description as we know it to the DPI arrangement. My experience has been that once the DPIs are well written and explained and the proper arrangements within divisions and the sections of a company are put in place, employees very soon come to accept and express a great preference for the DPI over the job description. They find that the DPI allows them to gain more knowledge at different functional activities much faster. Employees also relish the empowerment that comes with helping to amend the DPI or change it completely, when the market place changes and the functional activity of the company has to change to match it. Once the DPI becomes fully functional and is supported by senior management, employees accept its empowering and teaching qualities and quickly leave behind the limiting and initiative stifling document known as the job description.
Aubyn Hill is managing partner of Corporate Strategies Limited, a restructuring and financial advisory firm. Respond to: writerhill@gmail.com
