Effects of Using High- Versus Low-Performing Job Incumbents as Sources of Job-Analysis Information

We investigated the relation between incumbent performance level and job-analysis information using three different methods. Separate groups of high- and low-performing incumbents generated lists of tasks and of knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSAs) for the job of youth officer for a large metropolitan police force. These lists were virtually the same for all groups. In addition, those tasks and KSAs omitted by any of the groups were found to be unimportant in later ratings. Group differences in the ratings of the inventories on a number of scales as well as the ratings of the 18 cognitive Fleishman Ability Scales by the entire incumbent population (N = 179) and their supervisors (N = 9) were examined. The individual scales were factor analyzed, and discriminant analyses were applied to the factor scores to identify any differences in the ratings of high and low performers and supervisors. No differences were found. The limitations of this study are discussed.