Rob Perkins
9-4811-2268
November 28, 2005
Psychology 461
Term Paper
Job Analysis
In obtaining a job analysis for a football referee, I chose to use a work-oriented method. The principle of work-orientation is to understand the job in terms of the outcomes and the activities used to achieve those outcomes (http://changingminds.org/disciplines/hr/job_analysis/job_analysis.htm, 2005). Three of the more popular ways of pursuing a work-oriented method are: process analysis, observation, and self-reports. I chose to use a work-oriented method over a worker-oriented method because all referees perform the same duties, so in essence if one observes one referee, he is almost certain to see the same job done by another referee. However, in the case of professional officials, the parameters they are assessed upon are much more strict than any other football official. Furthermore, as a result of collecting data from many different officials, we can better understand the best and most efficient way to officiate a football game.
A process analysis can be done by starting with higher-level processes and decomposing the hierarchy of the tasks. For each process, one should consider the outputs created and the inputs that are required. For example, if a referee sees a penalty, he will throw a yellow flag; that is the input. The yardage assessed after the penalty has occurred is the output. The referee put in his knowledge of the game of football, and as a result made the correct call.
The most challenging duty of a football referee is to understand the rules of the game and be able to apply and assess these rules properly. I have watched countless hours of football, both live and on television, and I know what a holding penalty is, but I have no id ...