OB Chapter 6

What is the motivating potential score (MPS) for this job profile? Variety = 1; identity = 2; significance = 3; autonomy = 3; feedback = 5. A) 90 B) 28 C) 30 D) 45 E) 14

30

What is the motivating potential score (MPS) for a job in which all five core characteristics are scored "4" on the Job Diagnostic Survey? A) 48 B) 64 C) 96 D) 80 E) 20

64

Veronica doesn't feel responsible for the outcomes of her work. According to Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model, which core job characteristic is low? A) Task significance B) Skill variety C) Feedback D) Task identity E) Autonomy

Autonomy

Which job enrichment technique would prove most threatening to workers with poor social skills? A) Combining tasks B) Making feedback more direct C) Reducing supervision D) Establishing client relationships E) Reducing reliance on others

Establishing client relationships

Which of the following is both a core job characteristic and a necessary condition for goals to motivate performance? A) Feedback B) Context satisfaction C) Pay D) Identity E) Growth need strength

Feedback

An organization wishes to base pay on objective, measurable performance data, but the performance of individual workers cannot be isolated and measured. Which system should it adopt? A) Hourly pay B) Piece rate C) Gain sharing D) Merit pay E) Skill-based pay

Gain sharing

Which pay system is intentionally designed to motivate groups of employees rather than individual employees? A) Piece rate pay B) Gain sharing C) Goal setting D) Skill-based pay E) Merit pay

Gain sharing

Which system is specifically based on cost reduction? A) MBO B) Skill-based pay C) Goal setting D) Gain sharing E) Merit pay

Gain sharing

According to the Job Characteristics Model, what should be done to increase experienced responsibility for work outcomes? A) Increase skill variety B) Increase autonomy C) Reduce feedback D) Increase task significance E) Reduce task identity

Increase autonomy

Which of the following consequences is least likely to occur as a result of flex-time or a compressed workweek? A) Increased performance B) Worker acceptance of the system C) Increased satisfaction D) More time with family E) Decreased absenteeism

Increased performance

Establishing client relationships is an example of which motivational strategy? A) Goal setting B) Gain sharing C) Job sharing D) Flextime E) Job enrichment

Job enrichment

Very strict union rules about who does what work are most likely to pose a problem for installing which system? A) Scanlon plan B) Merit pay C) Flextime D) Job enrichment E) Gainsharing

Job enrichment

Ross's job is very low in feedback. According to Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model, which psychological state will be most affected by this low feedback? A) Experienced meaningfulness of the work B) Experienced autonomy C) Experienced identity of the work D) Experienced responsibility for work outcomes E) Knowledge of results of the work

Knowledge of results of the work

Which motivational technique is most closely associated with goal setting? A) Wage incentives B) Job sharing C) Flextime D) MBO E) Job enrichment

MBO

Which motivational strategy is most clearly associated with written agreements and paperwork? A) Compressed workweek B) Job enrichment C) Job sharing D) Management by Objectives E) Flextime

Management by Objectives

In Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model, which of the following is not a psychological state? A) Responsibility for outcomes B) Knowledge of results C) Significance of task D) Meaningfulness of work E) None of the above

Significance of task

A company is thinking about enriching a certain job. Which of the following factors would suggest that this strategy is incorrect? A) The current job has a very high Motivating Potential Score (MPS). B) The job knowledge and skills of the workers are very high. C) Context satisfaction among the workers is very high. D) Task significance is low. E) The workers have very high growth need strength.

The current job has a very high Motivating Potential Score (MPS).

What is task identity? A) The extent to which a job involves doing a complete piece of work, from beginning to end. B) The extent to which an individual can identify the core tasks of a job. C) The opportunity to do a variety of job activities using various skills and talents. D) The extent to which an individual identifies psychologically with his/her job. E) The impact that a job has on other people.

The extent to which a job involves doing a complete piece of work, from beginning to end.

What is job sharing? A) Two jobs are combined into one and shared by two people B) Two people help each other do their separate jobs C) Two people do the work of three people D) Two jobs are given to one individual E) Two people do one job

Two people do one job

Debbie's job is very broad, but it has almost no depth. She is most likely a(n) A) assembly line utility worker. B) quality control inspector. C) physician. D) manager. E) professor.

assembly line utility worker.

In terms of job design, satisfaction with __________ would not be an example of context satisfaction. A) pay B) workplace safety C) autonomy D) supervision E) company policy

autonomy

Where do the moderator variables in the Job Characteristics Model intervene? A) between job characteristics and the critical psychological states B) between job characteristics and growth need strength C) between job characteristics and outcomes D) between the critical psychological states and outcomes E) between job characteristics and the critical psychological states and between the critical psychological states and outcomes

between job characteristics and the critical psychological states and between the critical psychological states and outcomes

In general, we would not expect a high scope job to __________ than a low scope job. A) pay more B) involve more task variety C) have higher "motivating potential" D) have more job depth E) conform more closely to the principles of Scientific Management

conform more closely to the principles of Scientific Management

In a flex-time system, the period when all employees must be present at work is called A) flexband. B) compressed time. C) nonflex. D) core time. E) full force.

core time.

At Bell Canada, employees are eligible to participate in the company's __________ program. A) telework centre B) job sharing C) distributed work D) compressed workweek E) distant staffing

distributed work

If your company allows employees to work at their business office, a satellite office, and/or a home office, what kind of program do they have? A) telework centre program B) distributed work program C) alternative work office program D) telecommuting program E) flexible work program

distributed work program

Which of the following is most accurate about the importance of pay as a motivator? A) employees and managers underestimate the importance of pay as a motivator B) employees overestimate and managers underestimate the importance of pay as a motivator C) employees underestimate and managers overestimate the importance of pay as a motivator D) employees and managers overestimate the importance of pay as a motivator E) employees overestimate the importance of pay as a motivator

employees and managers underestimate the importance of pay as a motivator

In its most simple form, people who work under a compressed workweek work A) fewer days per week than normal. B) fewer hours per month than normal. C) less hours per day than normal. D) fewer hours per week than normal. E) less weeks per year than normal.

fewer days per week than normal.

The Scanlon Plan is a type of __________ system. A) piece rate pay B) job enrichment C) gain-sharing D) MBO E) skill-based

gain-sharing

Piece rate pay systems A) are most effective when applied to white-collar jobs. B) usually increase cooperation among workers on peripheral, nonproduction tasks (for example, keeping the shop clean). C) are especially useful when few objective performance criteria exist. D) generally lead to increased productivity unless restriction occurs. E) have generally been supported by unions.

generally lead to increased productivity unless restriction occurs.

Where does the Job Characteristics Model falter in its predictions? A) task identity and the critical psychological states B) growth need strength and knowledge and skill C) feedback and knowledge of results D) growth need strength and context satisfaction E) knowledge and skills and context satisfaction

growth need strength and context satisfaction

According to Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristic Model, employees should respond most favourably to job enrichment when growth need strength is __________ and satisfaction with job context factors is __________. A) moderate; low B) low; high C) low; low D) high; low E) high; high

high; high

Research on financial incentives and pay-for-performance plans have found that they: A) increase performance and lower turnover. B) lower performance and lower turnover. C) lower performance and increase turnover. D) increase performance but have no effect on turnover. E) have no effect on performance or turnover

increase performance and lower turnover.

As the size of the team __________, the relationship between any individual's productivity and his or her pay __________. A) increases; increases B) increases; becomes stable C) decreases; will approach zero D) decreases; decreases; E) increases; decreases

increases; decreases

If your job has been redesigned so that you are given more boring, fragmented, routine tasks to do, what has happened? A) job shrinkage B) job enrichment C) job enlargement D) job derichment E) job engorgement

job enlargement

The practices of Scientific Management seem LEAST compatible with A) piece rate pay. B) job enrichment. C) goal setting. D) high specialization. E) close supervision.

job enrichment.

The extent to which an individual identifies psychologically with his/her work and the importance of work to one's total self-image is known as A) job involvement. B) job enrichment. C) experienced meaningfulness. D) experienced responsibility for outcomes of the work. E) task significance.

job involvement.

Al's job is very broad, but it has almost no depth. Al has a(n) __________ job. A) enriched B) high-scope C) high autonomy D) high MPS E) low-scope

low-scope

A lump sum bonus is: A) a wage incentive that is awarded in a single payment and not built into base pay. B) merit pay that is awarded in a single payment and built into base pay. C) a wage incentive that is awarded in a single payment and built into base pay. D) is a payment that employees receive as part of the Scanlon plan. E) merit pay that is awarded in a single payment and not built into base pay.

merit pay that is awarded in a single payment and not built into base pay.

In a recent study in a unionized auto parts manufacturing plant, a Scanlon gainsharing program had a positive effect on: A) scrap and waste reduction B) labour required C) number of errors made by employees D) quality and quantity of parts E) number of suggestions provided by employees

number of suggestions provided by employees

The owner of Acme Manufacturing Company is thinking about introducing the Scanlon Plan. This plan will most likely have the greatest impact on his employees' A) working hours. B) pay. C) skill level. D) autonomy. E) job design.

pay.

One problem that may cause MBO to fail is that A) workers may become fatigued because of longer working days. B) the objectives are too specific. C) MBO may lead to problems in achieving adequate supervisory coverage. D) top management gets too involved in the MBO program. E) performance reviews may become an exercise in punishing employees.

performance reviews may become an exercise in punishing employees

Joe, Margaret, and Denise are coworkers. Joe produces five widgets and is paid $5. Margaret produces twenty widgets and is paid $20. Denise produces fifty widgets and is paid $50. These workers are being paid according to a(n)__________ pay plan. A) hourly B) Scanlon C) piece rate D) lump sum E) merit

piece rate

Restriction of productivity is a phenomenon associated with A) MBO. B) piece rate pay. C) merit pay. D) hourly pay. E) job enrichment.

piece rate pay

As discussed in the book, the rationale for removing the secrecy surrounding salaries is that A) they know salaries anyway, via the grapevine, but secrecy reduces confidence in the company. B) positive motivational consequences may occur if the pay system is well designed. C) we should be honest with employees, and this is a good place to start. D) a more open pay policy will expose the inadequacy of the merit system. E) consumers should understand that labour costs contribute greatly to retail prices.

positive motivational consequences may occur if the pay system is well designed.

Of the five core job characteristics, which ones have been found to be negatively and consistently related to absenteeism? A) task identity, task significance, and feedback B) skill variety, task identity, and autonomy C) skill variety, feedback, and autonomy D) skill variety, task significance, and autonomy E) skill variety, task identity, and task significance

skill variety, task identity, and autonomy

The degree to which a job has a substantial impact on the lives of other people, whether those people are in the immediate organization or in the world at large is called A) skill variety. B) task significance. C) feedback. D) autonomy. E) task identity.

task significance.

What is the most common compressed workweek system? A) the 4-50 system B) the 5-50 system C) the 4-40 system D) the 3-40 system E) the 5-40 system

the 4-40 system

Under a skill-based pay plan, people are paid according to A) how skillfully they can perform their main job function. B) their contribution to product or service quality. C) the number of tasks they know how to perform. D) their personal productivity. E) the goals which have been established through MBO.

the number of tasks they know how to perform.

Alice, a middle manager in an oil company, makes $35,000 a year. Her boss makes $41,000, her peers average $33,000, and her employees average $29,000. Alice doesn't know the pay of these coworkers, but we ask her to guess. Research suggests that she will say: A) the peers average $30,000. B) the employees average $28,000. C) the peers average $34,000. D) the boss makes $43,000. E) the boss makes $45,000

the peers average $34,000.

In a flex-time system, core time is: A) the amount of time an employee must work to acquire flextime privileges. B) the total amount of time per week that each employee must work. C) the time in excess of a normal work shift. D) the time of the day when all employees must be present at work. E) the time period within which employees are free to exercise flextime privileges.

the time of the day when all employees must be present at work.

"Core time" is A) a term associated with the compressed workweek. B) the overlap in shifts between two workers who are job sharing. C) the time frame over which goals are set in a Management by Objectives program. D) the time under which pay is calculated at a base rate rather than an overtime rate. E) the time when employees working under flex-time are all in the office.

the time when employees working under flex-time are all in the office.

A review of research on the compressed workweek concluded that: A) there is a positive effect on productivity B) there is a positive effect on absenteeism C) there is a positive effect on job satisfaction D) there is a positive effect on satisfaction with one's boss E) there is a positive effect on life satisfaction

there is a positive effect on job satisfaction

The systematic mis-estimates that managers make of the pay of others in their firm suggests that they will often: A) experience equity with regard to employees. B) experience equity with regard to peers. C) underestimate the value of a promotion. D) underestimate the pay of employees. E) overestimate the value of a promotion.

underestimate the value of a promotion.

Managers have a tendency to __________ the pay of their boss and __________ the pay of their employees. A) underestimate; underestimate B) correctly estimate; underestimate C) overestimate; overestimate D) underestimate; overestimate E) overestimate; underestimate

underestimate; overestimate

One reason why merit pay plans are employed with a much greater frequency than wage incentive plans is that A) white-collar workers particularly believe that performance should be an important determinant of pay. B) substantial evidence indicates that pay is directly related to performance under merit plans. C) blue-collar jobs more often offer objective performance criteria with which pay can be linked. D) merit pay plans that are actually in use are very effective. E) blue-collar workers tend to perceive a strong link between rewards and performance.

white-collar workers particularly believe that performance should be an important determinant of pay.

If you work for a company that has a distributed work program, what does this mean? A) your can arrive and leave work when you want within certain time periods B) you can work at a satellite office near your home C) you must work at home and telecommute D) you can either work at home and telecommute or work at the company's offices E) you can work at home, at a satellite office, or at the company's offices

you can work at home, at a satellite office, or at the company's offices

If your organization has just offered you the opportunity to work at a telework centre, what does this mean? A) you can spend part of the week working anywhere you want B) you can work at home and telecommute C) you can work anywhere you want all the time D) you can work out of an office located near your home E) you will no longer be able to have your own office

you can work out of an office located near your home

If your boss has given you a stretch assignment, what does this mean? A) you will have to get more accomplished in a shorter period of time B) you will have to share your job with another employee C) you will be working on a variety of tasks with new responsibilities D) you will be working on a new task for an extended period of time E) you have many more tasks to perform as part of your job

you will be working on a variety of tasks with new responsibilities

If your boss has decided to redesign your job using job enlargement, what does this mean? A) you will have more job breadth B) your will have more job scope C) you will have more job depth D) you will have more job breadth and less job depth E) you will have less job breadth and more job depth

you will have more job breadth