Seven common factors used in job grading

Towers Watson, a global company with significant experience in higher education human resources, has developed a job grading tool based on seven factors common to all jobs. After all the job data is collected, the core project team and a group of managers from across campus will fit the necessary skills for each job into the following categories:

  • Functional knowledge — Knowledge of functional work and activities measured through a hierarchy of work extending from “tasks” to “full theory and practice in more than one discipline.”
  • Business expertise — Knowledge and expertise about the university, rather than about “technical expertise,” measured by established gradients of knowledge of the work unit to knowledge of the educational industry landscape.
  • Leadership — Leadership and guidance provided to others measured through the nature and breadth of the leadership.
  • Problem solving — Level of mental and analytical skills required to perform a particular role.
  • Nature of impact — The way the job impacts the university by measuring the associated responsibility. Works in tandem with the area of impact.
  • Area of impact — Area of impact that the job has on the university by measuring the specific organizational entities where the impact will be felt. Used in tandem with the nature of impact.
  • Interpersonal skills — Level and type of “people skills” that are normally required in order to perform the role.