The experiences that I have encountered in the workplace have made
me put a lot of thought into the responsibilities of an office manager. While my passion is in the field of
psychology if I had to choose another field I would consider a position where I
would be responsible for overseeing the functions of an organization which is
an office manager for many organizations.
The responsibilities of an office manager varies depending on the type
of business and the services offered, however for the most part the office
manager is primarily responsible for making sure the organization functions
properly ensuring that other employees function “effectively and efficiently”
(Best Job Interview, 2014). In this
paper I will conduct a job analysis on an office manager position using the
person-oriented approach as well as the position analysis questionnaire and
discuss how it could be used within an organization, evaluate the reliability
and validity of my job analysis, evaluate different performance appraisal
methods that could be used for the position of office manager and explain the various
benefits and vulnerabilities of each performance appraisal.
Job analysis is an important part of Industrial-Organizational
psychology it “is a method for describing jobs and/or the human attributes
necessary to perform them” (Spector, 2012 p.54). Analyzing a job consist of
determining what task make up the job and their level of importance as well as
what knowledge, skills and abilities are needed to complete those task
successfully. The results from a job
analysis are intended to be used for an array of employee management decisions such
as promotions; however those results are especially important in employee
selection during the hiring process.
A person-oriented job analysis is a good analysis for the position
of office manager because it “provides a description of the characteristics or
KSAOs necessary for a person to successfully perform a particular job”
(Spector, 2012 p.57). An individual’s
abilities, knowledge, skills and personality that are necessary to perform the
function of a job are known as KSAOs.
Office managers are professionals who are responsible for making sure
that the operations within the office run efficiently therefore many organizations
require that an individual possess the knowledge and skills equivalent to
handling the responsibilities as office manager.
Earning a degree in business administration is a requirement for
many organizations seeking an individual for the position of office manager,
however there are some organizations that just may require an individual to
have a high school diploma with office experience. “A degree in business administration offers
courses in accounting, business writing, customer service, communications,
business ethics, business practices, computer applications and other subjects
that relate to office administration” (Education Portal, 2014). The courses offered in business
administration allow an individual to gain knowledge in areas that will cover
the majority of responsibilities that this position entails such as developing
and putting into effect office policies, handling complaints and inquires made
my customers or employees, ensuring that health and safety polices are up to
date and being followed as well as other issues and concerns in relation to
functions of the organization.
Individuals seeking a position as office manager must have organizational,
negotiation and motivational skills as well as common sense. The individual must possess the ability to
observe the work that is performed by staff to ensure that it is successfully
completed on time. The responsibilities
of an office manager are very complex creating a high level of stress therefore
the individual must be able to handle stress well and be proficient at the
delegation of responsibilities to the staff and meeting company deadlines. Knowledge of computer software and strong
communication skills are essential qualifications that an office manager should
possess because their responsibilities involve writing presentations,
memorandums and proposals for the organization.
The supervision of other employees involves an individual to be a good
verbal communicator along with the ability to interact with people with
different backgrounds professionally.
According to the Journal of Applied Psychology “The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) is a structured job
analysis questionnaire composed of worker-oriented job elements” (Ash &
Edgell, 1975). Any job can be analyzed
with the Position Analysis Questionnaire because it covers plenty of questions
that deal with the job requirements and elements. Particular elements that are covered in the
position analysis questionnaire consist of questions relating to the input of
information, mental processes, the output of work, relationships with others,
physical and social environment along with the pace and structure of the
job. The results from the Position
Analysis Questionnaire could be beneficial to an organization seeking to fill
the position for office manager because it would give input from the
organizations employees about their expectations for certain positions allowing
a decision to be made based upon the needs of the employees.
A job analysis for office manager could be used in an organization
by assessing the abilities, knowledge and skills of an individual in relation
to the functions of the organization. Pre-employment
screenings are common is assessing an individual’s abilities, knowledge and
skills because it assists the hiring manager in evaluating the individual more
in depth after evaluating their background and experience. Job analysis for the position of office
manager is also beneficial for an organization seeking to promote someone in
house for the position because the organization already have a pretty good idea
of the individual’s abilities but they may have to evaluate their knowledge,
skills, emotional intelligence and personality to see if they possess the
characteristic to oversee employees. The
good thing about promotions within the organization is that the individual
already has the knowledge of how the organization is run so it eliminates the
process of educating someone on the organization.
The information obtained from a job analysis is solely dependent
upon information retrieved from individuals whom either are performing the job
or observing individuals that are performing the job. The reliability and
validity of the analysis is important because the judgment of others can
sometimes be flawed. The job analysis of
an office manager is reliable based upon the findings when analyzing the
abilities, knowledge and skills of an individual in comparison to what the
majority of organizations require. The
validity of the analysis of an office manager is supported by the observations
made by individuals conducting the analysis along with the employees performing
the functions of the job.
The results that are developed from a job analysis can help
develop a performance appraisal system for an office manager because it can
help establish the starting salary, salary increases and annual bonuses. In most cases the starting salary is based on
the individual’s prior experience and the results from the psychological
testing administered during the hiring process.
The responsibility of the office manager is to ensure that the company’s
goals are being met and salary increases as well as annual bonuses are
contingent upon those goals being met. More money always inspires an individual
to want to do more and better in their position, however in many organizations
the office manager responsibilities may consist of them cutting cost for the
company to maintain the bottom line that may have an adverse effect on other employees.
In conclusion, I chose to analyze the job of office manager
because so many organizations rely on the office manager to run
successfully. Office managers require
certain knowledge, skills and personality to be effective in their position
that is why a business administration degree is needed for most
organizations. A degree in business
administration provides an individual with the educational background needed,
however it is experience in an office setting that will allow them to excel in
their position. Previous experience will
help determine an individual’s starting salary as an office manager but their
performance will determine their salary increases as well as annual
bonuses.
Ash, R. A., & Edgell, S. L. (1975). A note on the
readability on the position analysis questionnaire (PAQ). Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(6), 765-766.
doi:10.1037/0021-9010.60.6.765
Best Job Interview. (2014). Office Manager Job
Description. Retrieved from http://www.best-job-interview.com/office-manager-job-description.html
Education Portal. (2014). Office Manager Skills and Job
Requirements. Retrieved from
http://education-portal.com/office_manager_skills.html
Morgeson, F. P. (2007). Job Analysis. Encyclopedia of Industrial and Organizational
Psychology, 1(1), 377-380.
Spector, P. E. (2012). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice
(6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley
No comments:
Post a Comment