JOB ANALYSIS AND HIRING DECISIONS AT

OVANIA CHEMICAL
C O M PA N Y B AC K G R O U N D

Ovania Chemical Corporation is a specialty chemicals producer. Its

core product is polyethylene terephthalate (PET) thermoplastic
resins, which are used mainly to make containers and packages for
bottled water, soft drinks, foods, and pharmaceuticals. Ovania is one
of the smaller chemical producers but has competed successfully in
its niche. In recent years, technological advances have shaken up
the industry, and like other firms in it, Ovania is modernizing its
facilities. Not surprisingly, the company has had to redesign its
employees jobs as a result. In fact, in the past three years those
jobs have changed drastically. Following is an example, from
Ovanias Boucherville plant.
S Y S T E M A NA LY Z E R

Because chemical production is such a complex process, workers are

needed who can monitor all of the individual steps and procedures
simultaneously. This is what system analyzers do. It is one of the
most prestigious no managerial jobs in the entire plant, and its
importance is likely to grow.
The position was once classified as semiskilled (i.e., maintenance
technician); however, with automation, the requirements for the job
are expanding dramatically. A system analyzer will soon have to
know pneumatics, hydraulics, information technology, programming,
and electrical wiring. Ovania has estimated that within two years, a
system analyzers tasks, duties, and responsibilities will have
changed by over 70 percent. The three men who currently hold the
position admit that they will soon be unable to perform their duties
adequately. For these reasons, the decision has been made to recruit
three new people for the position.
J O B A N A LY SI S A N D N E W P O S I TI O N A NA LY S I S

The manager of Ovanias Boucherville plant, Pierre Landry, the HR

manager, Emily Bouchard, and two senior engineers, Jeet Singh and
David Parizeau, formed a selection committee. With the help of two
consultants, they have just completed a job analysis for the changed
position of system analyzer. They have had to project into the future
regarding the specific requirements of the job, but feel that their
conclusions are quite justifiable. Figure 3A lists the major
performance dimensions of the job; it also indicates the specific
tasks that will be characteristic of each dimension.
The selection committee has drawn from this list of tasks to
arrive at a set of personal qualities that system analyzers will need.
These qualities include the twelve abilities shown in Figure 3B.
Beside each ability are numbers corresponding to the tasks to which
it is related (see Figure 3A). The abilities marked with an asterisk (*)
are considered by the committee to be critical. Any applicant not

scoring well on each of the critical dimensions will be considered

unqualified for the job.
A N T I C I PAT E D S E L E C TI O N P R O C E S S

The committee hopes to acquire new blood for the redesigned

system analyzer job; this will entail recruiting outside the
organization for the best talent available. Yet as a matter of policy,
management is strongly committed to promoting from within. After
careful deliberation, the committee has decided to recruit both
inside and outside Ovania for the new position. It has also decided to
encourage the current system analyzers in particular to reapply for
the job.
Because the changes in the position will not be in place for two
more years, the committee is being very careful not to include in the
selection battery any skills or knowledge that could reasonably be
trained within that two-year period. Only aptitude or ability factors
have been incorporated into the selection process; achievement
tests have not been.
In a private session, some of the committee members admit
candidly that they seriously doubt whether any women or minority
members currently in the relevant labour market have the
credentials to compete for the position. The three system analyzers
presently employed are white males. However, because Ovania
Chemical has a rather unenviable history of employment
discrimination charges, the decision has been made to do no
unnecessary prescreening of applicants qualifications, previous
experience, and so on. It is hoped that this strategy will encourage
minorities and women to apply for the new positions, whatever their
past employment history.
There is some concern that Ovania will be accused of prejudice if
women or members of minority groups are hired for the jobs. Word
through the grapevine is that many do not consider these people
suitable for such a prestigious position. Moreover, several comments
have been heard that a woman would not get down into the
treatment tanks to check gauge readings. All of these factors, taken
together, are making for a very sensitive selection process. Ovanias
managers, however, are committed to making the procedures and
decisions fair and objective.
The job is posted, and fifty-six employees apply for the new
position of system analyzer. Twenty-one are women; fifteen belong
to visible minorities. Only two of the three current system analyzers
have reapplied for the new position. The company had decided that
a total score of 800 on the twelve tests would be the cutoff score for
an applicant to be seriously considered for the position. This criterion
has resulted in a pool of twenty primary candidates (see Figure 3C).
Note that although each of the aptitude tests has been published,
standardized (100 points possible for each test), and validated on
other jobs, there are no normative or validity data for the specific job
of system analyzer. This means that the test battery can be
defended solely on the basis of content validity. The selection
committee is having a difficult time arriving at a method for
combining the multiple predictors to reach the final cutoff scores.

Questions
1.

How would you go about conducting a job analysis for a job that
does not yet exist?

2.

Do you think the abilities chosen for selection are content valid?
What other kinds of predictors might be generally useful for
employee selection?

3.

What reasons did the selection committee have for selecting only
those factors which could not be acquired through a two-year
training program?