While this might not seem be be worth considering, Steve does raise a very interesting point.
The worst part: it makes the person an object. Once we do that, we no longer see them as someone with the same kinds of needs, wants, frailties, talents, and humanity as ourselvesThere's another drawback of thinking about roles and titles only. One can start to do it about oneself too. Therein lies the big problem.
One treats others as one treats oneself. And vice versa. Objectifying yourself is the worst thing you could do to yourself. Do you really want to tie your self image to an external anchor that gets decided by others and is tangible only in a visiting card?
Yes we HR people spend lots of time comparing job titles across organizations and job descriptions. That's because organizations like to ensure that people feel equity with others. However, don't let comparative equity be the only way you derive self meaning.
It's indeed a tough balancing act for HR to define employees within titles and job codes while recognizing that each individual is unique. But it's also not just HR's responsibility to make employees feel valued and unique, it is also the team manager's role to help his or her direct reports and colleagues define the right career path and help them along the way.
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