Chapter 10 Flexibility, Empowerment, and Partnership

A significant problem for the union involved in the Saturn experiment in self-directed work teams was establishing and maintaining its credibility as an advocate for the employees.

True

For labor-management partnerships to be effective, they must be perceived by employees as a way for their interests to be represented and deliver tangible benefits such as better working conditions.

True

In Saturn's self-directed work teams, teams of 6-15 union employees were empowered to make business decisions about business planning, technology, pricing, and new product development.

True

Nonunion representation plans that give employees control over the structure and function of committees are more likely to be considered legal under the NLRA than plans that do not.

True

The mass manufacturing/job control unionism model that worked so well in the postwar era began to fail in the 1970s largely due to instability in economic markets.

True

When a unionized company decides to relocate its operations to a nonunion site as a way of dealing with competitive pressures, it is called an "escape" strategy.

True

Because the union contract at Saturn empowered teams to make numerous decisions, provisions describing __________________ were not necessary. A. Management rights B. Union rights C. Seniority rules D. Grievance procedures

A

Easily shifting workers into different jobs in response to changing customer demands and production needs is the goal of ____________________. A. Functional flexibility B. Flexible employment C. Pay flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

A

Flexibility in the workplace can create: A. A sense of alienation where there is no sense of connection or loyalty between the employer and employee. B. Greater competitiveness and profitability. C. A deep bond between the employee and employer D. Both a and b

A

A fostering change strategy requires all of the following except: A. Integrative bargaining over specific terms and conditions of employment B. Distributive bargaining over specific terms and conditions of employment C. Attitudinal structuring to improve the labor-management relationship D. Threats of relocation and plant closure

D

Corporate strategies to allow for greater employee voice in decision-making rarely work in unionized settings because of traditional job control unionism.

False

The importance of grievance arbitration as a method of settling labor disputes was notformalized until the 1970s.

False

What is job control unionism and how does it address the problems associated with management practices stemming from scientific management?

Job control unionism seeks to protect workers against managerial abuse by tightly controlling the rewards and allocation of jobs through rules and procedures laid out in a union contract. It seeks eliminate managerial subjectivity and favoritism in decision-making criteria and replace it with a more objective criterion; namely, seniority. Detailed work rules govern how work is performed, allocated, and rewarded; how promotions and job assignments will be determined;and how disciplinary may be meted (and on what bases). More broadly, job control unionism seeks to explicitly limit or modify excessive managerial authority that was present under a typical scientific management approach so as to retain control over important workplace decisions.

What is meant by labor-management partnerships and what challenges do they pose for unions?

Labor-management partnerships are formal initiatives in which workers and union leaders participate in organizational decision making beyond the daily work-related decisions of employee empowerment and collective bargaining. In this model, employees and their union representatives become full partners in running a business. To be successful, union leaders need to develop new skills to effectively guide partnership programs and make wise business decisions. They must continue to fulfill the traditional role of worker representative at the same time be cognizant of the business implications. They must acquire new knowledge and education on business matters and become more innovative and creative in solving workplace problems.

In 1992, the NLRB issued a decision in the Electromation case that: A. Ruled employee committees formed by management for the purpose of understanding employee concerns over wages, hours, and working conditions violated Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA. B. Established that a company appointed employee committee was not necessarily illegal just because it talked to management about wages, hours, and working conditions. C. Ruled that any employee committee formed by management was illegal because it served to keep unions out. D. All of the above.

A

In 2009, Mercury Marine, an outboard motor manufacturer, threatened to close their plant in Fond du Lac, WI and move to a nonunionized location in Oklahoma. This threat caused the union workers to vote to accept a contract with major concessions, including a 30% decrease in pay for newly hired workers and workers returning from layoff. This strategycould best be described as a: A. forcing strategy B. fostering strategy C. escape strategy D. acceptance strategy

A

At the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, the role of the union was envisioned as: A. Largely restricted to interpreting the union contract B. A full participant in business decision-making C. Management's "puppet" D. Challenger of management's authority

B

Initial attempts at employee involvement programs were generally unsuccessful because: A. Employees turned out to be rather ignorant of their own jobs and how what they did fit into the "big picture" for the company B. They did not change the underlying structure of standardized, routinized work organization C. They did not change the degree of involvement employees had in decision making D. Changing working conditions to make them more humane turned out to have little to no impact on employee job satisfaction and work quality

B

Relocating to a nonunion site (e.g., in the south or in another country), by subcontracting or by working toward union decertification is a change strategy for unionized companies known as: A. Fostering B. Escape C. Forcing D. Avoiding

B

Systems of mutually-supporting human resources practices that combine flexibility with employee involvement in decision making are called ____________________. A. quality circles B. high-performance work systems C. self-directed work teams D. functional employee initiatives

B

Under Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA representation plans in which employees provide ideas to management through brainstorming and information-sharing sessions are considered legal because: A. They aren't actual "committees" B. It is clear to employees that management is just collecting information - not negotiating with them C. Management is giving employees a chance to give their input D. All of the above

B

The major criticism of the sociotechnical system in place at Saturn of Tennessee is: A. It is too complicated to administer. B. It allows unions to develop such a strong power base independent of management that companies find themselves implementing policies that are good for employees but not for the shareholder. C. This form of business partnership has the union "selling out" to management because unions that are concerned with making a profit for the company cannot fully look out for employee interests. D. Unions are not adept at offering business advice and playing a role in developing company strategy, making production decisions, etc.

C

Which of the following employee involvement mechanisms is likely to be considered illegal under Section 8(a)(2) of the NLRA? A. Ones in which employees provide ideas to management or where information-sharing sessions are held to share information with employees. B. Plans in which employees have final decision-making authority, like self-directed work teams or grievance committees. C. Plans in which employees are appointed by management to speak on behalf of all other employees in matters affecting them. D. Plans that are primarily concerned with issues of quality and productivity.

C

High performance work practices have been linked to: A. Higher employee satisfaction B. Higher employee stress C. Higher employee commitment D. All of the above

D

Joint industrial councils have been shown to: A. Be wholly ineffective at bringing employee voice to management decision-making. B. Weaken management's decision rights C. Create harmony between management and the employees D. Give workers voice over a broader range of issues than if they were unionized.

D

Quality circles are: A. A frequent component of continuous improvement programs. B. A way for workers to make suggestions about how to improve productivity and quality. C. Not intended to change the underlying structure of work. D. All of the above.

D

The American version of "lean production" has been called: A. Taylorism B. Cooperative management C. Quality circles D. Management by stress

D

What are some of the concerns the labor movement has for workers regarding nonunion representation plans versus unions? A. While it looks like a bilateral mechanism to employees, the formation, structure, nature, and continued existence of the plan is actually unilaterally controlled by management B. Managers can parify the workers by occasionally giving the representation plan a "victory"without truly granting the employees any power C. There is also the potential for management to convey subtle and not-so-subtle antiunion messages D. All of the above

D

Strategies to overcome resistance to change that are most consistent with a fostering change strategy include: A. Integrative bargaining B. Education and communication C. Participation and involvement D. Facilitation and support E. All of the above

E

What is meant by the "escape, force, or foster change" strategies as ways to move toward a model of employee empowerment? Describe each strategy and discuss the challenges in fostering change

Managers in unionized business can try to reduce labor costs, achieve greater flexibility, and redesign jobs to empower employees by using escape, force, or foster change strategies. An escape strategy would be to move operations to a new location, one that is more amenable to an employee empowerment strategy, subcontract work, or decertify the union. A forcing strategy would involve pressuring the union to make contractual changes through hard bargaining (concession bargaining) that reduce labor costs and provide greater flexibility. Finally, a fostering strategy would seek to create a more cooperative labor-management relationship through education, integrative bargaining, trust-building and development of newlabor-management partnerships based on mutual gain

As the Director of HR at a unionized Midwestern precision auto parts manufacturing plant, you have been asked by the new CEO to examine the current mass production process and make suggestions for improving efficiency and accuracy of the products. The CEO is open to any an all suggestions that you might have for doing this and has indicated that she is a strong believer in employee participation. You have determined that there is a great deal of untapped potential in the knowledge, skills, and abilities of your current workforce and would like to generate greater employee participation and involvement in the company as a way to utilize this talent. Discuss the various types of employee involvement programs and make a decision as to which you will recommend to the CEO.

Many companies have tried quality of work life programs to provide a forum for workers to make suggests about improving working conditions. However, I need involvement beyond quality of work life. I need to improve the quality and efficiency of the plant. I could consider quality circles to provide a forum for workers to make suggestions about how to improve productivity and quality through regular group meetings with supervisors. However, quality circles do not change the underlying production process so I am skeptical that these will make a significant difference. Gainsharing programs reward worker suggestions for cost reduction and efficiency improvements but I am looking for something a little more extensive than this because I want to address quality as well. Self-directed work teams change underlying work processes and give employees responsibility for a full range of job tasks, maintenance and even personnel decisions. High performance work systems combine flexibility with employee involvement in decision making. I know from the research that these programs can positively influence employee satisfaction, esteem, and commitment may be achieved. On the other hand, research has linked the use of quality circles, work teams, and job rotation to higher levels of stress and cumulative trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel. Finally, I have the option of labor-management partnerships that would involve both the union and workers in organizational decision making that goes beyond daily work-related decisions. Kaiser-Permanente has been successful with this type of program. Transforming the workplace in this manner appeals to me but I also know it will be extremely difficult to implement without the full support of my CEO and the union. However, I believe it is the best option and so I decide to present labor-management partnership in my proposal to the CEO.

Summarize Canada's experience with nonunion employee representation plans. How have these plans affected the Canadian labor movement?

Nonunion employee representation plans are legal in Canada. The joint councils have equal numbers of management and employee representatives and the employee representatives are elected every two years. Local councils meet monthly to discuss local workplace issues; local councils also send delegates to a district-level joint industrial council that discusses issues affecting multiple work sites. The councils are weaker than unions. The dark side to these councils is that they have been effective in preventing unionization. The upside is that employees have voice into decision-making. The threat of unionization provides an incentive for management to ensure that the workers see gains from the councils

What are the problems associated with nonunion committees designed to provide an outlet for employee participation?

One key concern associated with nonunion committees is that they will not be true representatives of employees' interests. Because management often takes control over the structure and composition of these committees, they may be more likely to act on behalf of the organization than the workers. Further, the presence of nonunion committees may squelch the need, desire, or ability for more independent representation to flourish. The committees can be used as a way to manipulate employees and give them a false sense of voice in the workplace.

Explain how scientific management principles have influenced the nature of labor-management relations in the U.S.

Scientific management principles drove much of the mass manufacturing industry in the 20th century. These practices stress standardization, specialization, and efficiency achieved through time and motion studies. Key to the scientific management approach is the notion that engineers and managers, equipped with stop watches, video cameras, and calculators, can determine the most efficient way to do a job better than workers themselves can. The result was to "deskill" the workplace, making employees interchangeable, like parts to a machine. Workers were motivated through pay, rather than intrinsic rewards of the job. Worker input was not valued and supervisors were clearly "superior" in their roles. Employees were left feeling degraded, alienated, and bored by their jobs. These patterns of behavior have added to the adversarial relationship between management and labor in the U.S.

Describe the various kinds of employee empowerment/involvement programs that have been implemented since the 1970s. How effective have these program been?

Since the 1970s, several types of employee involvement programs have arisen. Quality circles provide a forum for workers to make suggestions about how to improve productivity and quality through regular group meetings with supervisors. High performance work systems combine flexibility with employee involvement in decision making. Quality of work life programs provide a forum for workers to make suggests about improving working conditions.Gainsharing programs reward worker suggestions for cost reduction and efficiency improvements. Self-directed work teams change the mass production mentality to one where employees are responsible for a full range of job tasks, maintenance and even personnel decisions. Research has linked the use of quality circles, work teams, and job rotation to higher levels of stress and cumulative trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel. On the other hand, employee satisfaction, esteem, and commitment may be achieved

Summarize the efforts at the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee to forge a new relationship between management and labor by using self-directed work teams. Why do you think the Saturn experiment failed?

The Spring Hill Saturn plan was an experiment in the use of self-directed work teams in auto-manufacturing, a traditional job control unionism stronghold. Saturn embraced team-based production and comanaged decision making at Saturn with the UAW. A series of formal join labor-management committees, called decision rings, were empowered with authority over extensive issues. The UAW was recognized as a legitimate stakeholder and participant in business decisions about technology, suppliers, pricing, etc. In 2003 the Spring Hill workers voted to return to the UAW master contract with General Motors and in 2009 General Motors sold the Saturn brand. In part the experiment failed due to factors outside the control of the parties but resistance to change from the traditional model of union representation and concerns over whether the union was "selling out" were certainly factors contributing to the plant's demise

Implementing a new strategy for labor-management relations is difficult. What challenges does an organization that wants to make a change face and what are some of the strategies it might use to overcome resistance?

The key challenge that organizations face when making a change to a new labor-management strategy is resistance to change. Making change involves communication, building new competencies, establishing supportive policies and procedures, and motivating appropriate behaviors. To address resistance to change, the organization has several options. If it attempts to force change, it can use a variety of tactics including integrative and distributive bargaining, manipulation and co-optation, and explicit or implicit coercion. Second, it can foster change using education and communication, participation and involvement, and/or facilitation and support

What criteria does a nonunion employee committee or representation plan need to meet to be considered legal under the NLRA?

To be considered legal under the NLRA, a nonunion employee committee must a) not give the illusion of being bilateral when they are, in fact, unilateral. Plans that are obviously one way are legal. Second, the committee must be made up of employees speaking for themselves, not on behalf of a larger group of employees. Third, nonunion plans that are primarily concerned with business issues such as quality and productivity, which lie outside the NLRA's scope, are generally held to be legal. Finally, employer domination is not allowed so employee latitude in controlling structure and function will increase the likelihood that the plan is acceptable.

Describe the four types of flexibility that are emphasized by businesses today. What are the employee concerns associated with each type of flexibility?

Traditional job control unionism conflicts with the need for greater flexibility in several ways.First, standardized wages tied to jobs rather than merit and ability-to-pay prevent wage flexibility and pay-for-performance. Detailed systems of narrow job classifications are a barrier to functional flexibility because it is difficult to reassign workers to different tasks in response to shifts in market demand. Restrictive work rules similarly limit functional flexibility and may also restrict employment flexibility through the use of part-time or temporary workers, subcontracting, or layoffs. Seniority-based procedures make it difficult to transfer and promote workers on the basis of skills and merit. Extensive bumping rights make frequent changes in deploying labor cumbersome. Lengthy contracts make it hard to achieve flexibility because changes cannot be made easily during the life of the contract. Reliance on past precedence in grievance decisions makes it hard to change processes and innovate. Finally, job control unionism encourages, rather than discourages, sharp divisions between labor and management that inhibit collaboration and decision-making based on shared common interests.

Evaluate the following statement: Due to changes in the environment of business and labor relations since the early 1970s, U.S. business can no longer afford to rely on traditional mass manufacturing methods of management. How has the environment changed and what challenges do these changes pose for the future?

Up until around 1974, U.S. manufacturers dominated both the U.S. and world economies. Monopoly profits in the hands of a few large firms were used to support generous wages and benefits in union contracts. Union workers enjoyed an increasing standard of living. With the advent of globalization, however, competition in domestic and international markets increasedand employers found their profit margins shrinking. This, in turn, put downward pressure on wages and benefits as well as pressure on jobs. Traditional mass manufacturing methods were not nimble enough to change to a much more diversified in consumer market that valued quality and differentiation over standardization and low price. Today's companies need greater flexibility, higher quality, as well as an ability to maintain lower costs. U.S. firms can no longer compete with low way countries in providing low cost, cheap, standardized products and are turning to higher quality, innovative products which are not amenable to a mass production environment. Hence, work organization in the U.S. must also adapt

Job control unionism seeks to protect workers against managerial abuse by setting objective standards for everything from wages to work allocation.

True

Job control unionism served the needs of management in a mass manufacturing environment by increasing the stability and predictability of production.

True

Under the NLRA, nonunion employee representation plans where there is give and take between management and workers are likely to be legal while those where management is clearly in control are likely to be considered illegal.

False

When management seeks to create a cooperative labor-management relationship in response to competitive pressures, it is known as a "co-opting strategy."

False

Quality of working life programs were implemented largely to deal with problems associated with: A. Job control unionism B. Worker dissatisfaction C. Management favoritism and bias D. Poor communication between management and labor

B

At the time scientific management was introduced to U. S. manufacturing craft unions were: A. Excited about the possibility of higher wages that would come from greater efficiency. B. Concerned about lost productivity due to such a radical change in work processes. C. Excited about having someone pay attention to what they were doing. D. Concerned about losing autonomy and dignity in their jobs.

D

Detailed systems of narrow job classifications and precise job descriptions are most likely to threaten: A. Employment B. Procedural flexibility C. Pay flexibility D. Functional flexibility

D

The key management practices that drove job control unionism included all of the following except: A. Management insistence on maintaining sole authority over traditional management practices B. Narrow job classifications C. Minimal employee input into decision making D. Restrictive systems of reward based on job seniority

D

Scientific management forms of work organization are being replaced with: A. Flatter, team-oriented work structures B. Protections for management rights C. Assembly line production processes D. Increased specialization of work

A

Scientific management is typically associated with all of the following except: A. An organizational structure that is flat, with little differentiation between job levels. B. Protections for management rights. C. Assembly line production processes. D. Increased specialization of work.

A

The underlying principle of quality of working life programs was that: A. If working conditions were more humane, job satisfaction and product quality would increase B. If product quality were improved, people would feel better about their jobs C. If work life were improved, workers' lives would be better D. All of the above

A

Which of the following is not a characteristic of scientific management principles? A. Using time and motion studies B. Breaking jobs down into their simplest tasks C. Calculating the quickest way to complete a task D. Getting employee

D

____________________ procedures make it difficult to transfer and promote workers around on the basis of skills and merit. A. Union-mandated B. Management rights C. Lean production D. Seniority-based

D

Flexibility and innovation in workplace processes are enhanced by the traditional model of job control unionism that allows new contracts to be negotiated every 1-3 years.

False

In the Electromation decision (1992) the NLRB ruled that the company's committees were considered legitimate labor organizations under the NLRA because they had unilateral control over wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment.

False

In today's competitive, highly technology-driven economy, there is little risk to employees in increasing workplace flexibility but there is a lot to be gained.

False

Job control unionism and business flexibility go hand-in-hand.

False

Labor advocates embrace nonunion representation plans as another means of giving workers control over what happens in the workplace.

False

Like the U.S., other industrialized countries such as Germany and Japan have recently begun to recognize the importance of worker involvement in business decision-making.

False

Quality circles, gainsharing programs, and other types of joint labor-management committees focus largely on changing the way work has been organized under scientific management principles.

False

Skill-based pay, quality circle and other forms of innovation aimed at improving worker involvement in business have largely failed in unionized settings.

False

The Kaiser Permanente Labor-Management Partnership was unsuccessful in changing the underlying working relationship between the Kaiser management and the union representing its employees.

False

The Saturn experiment in Spring Hill, Tennessee, was largely successful.

False

The Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, is an example of the successful implementation of self-directed work teams in a traditional scientific management-based industry

False

The TEAM Act was introduced in Congress to explicitly outlaw labor-management committees that do not seek to negotiate collective bargaining agreements.

False

The goal of job control unionism is to replace managerial subjectivity and favoritism with decision making by union representatives.

False

The push for greater flexibility and employee participation in the workplace is very compatible with traditional union goals.

False

Though there were few benefits for management, system of job control unionism became widespread in the postwar era primarily because it met the needs of unions and workers.

False

Total quality management programs are an example of reengineering attempts to improve the efficiency of the workplace.

False

Under job control unionism, wages are tied to individuals rather than to jobs.

False

Under scientific management principles, workers become better at their jobs through cross-training to increase workforce flexibility.

False

Unions are uniformly opposed to moving away from job control unionism because of the risks associated with greater flexibility.

False

Wage flexibility and incentive plans are made easier when organizations have standardized wages tied to jobs and independent of a company's ability to pay.

False

Whether high performance work practices result in improvements in company profitability is in part a function of how extensively they are incorporated into the organization: the greater their use, the greater the profits.

False

A forcing strategy is one in which the union and employees are pressured to accept the changes management wishes to implement in response to competitive pressures.

True

In a fostering change approach, management should provide the union with full information, training, and opportunities to participate in the design and implementation of change.

True

In some ways, workers have greater voice when it comes to traditional management rights issues under Canadian joint industrial councils than they do with collective bargaining.

True

In the 20th century, the primary method for organizing and managing work was scientific management.

True

In the 21st century, the hierarchical structures of organizations stemming from scientific management are being replaced with flatter organizational structures and flexible specialization.

True

In the union movement, there are some who argue that there is no role for unions as strategic partners with business. They believe unions should be in the business of protecting workers and attempts to "partner" with management will inevitably result in "selling out" workers.

True

Lean production emphasizes just-in-time deliveries, smooth flow of materials, teamwork and continuous process improvement.

True

Managerial insistence on retaining the right to make business decisions such as location and production technology without interference from employees or unions was formalized in the 1940s.

True

Nonunion representation plans that are primarily concerned with issues such as quality and productivity are outside the domain of the NLRA and are legal.

True

One of the problems with introducing greater flexibility in the workplace is that flexibility often raises important risks or concerns for workers and unions.

True

One reason the self-directed work team approach used at the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee was not successful was that union leaders were reluctant to change from the traditional job control unionism model to one that required more flexibility and uncertainty..

True

Quality of working life programs introduced in the 1970s were largely designed to address problems with worker fatigue, boredom, and alienation that were associated with mass production.

True

Quality of working life programs were largely unsuccessful because they could not change the underlying structure of work organized around scientific management principles.

True

Reengineering is distinguished from continuous improvement in that it focuses on large, one-time improvements in business processes, rather than small, incremental steps toward improvement.

True

The 1970s saw an increase in confrontations between management and labor due to worker dissatisfaction with repetitive and narrowly defined jobs as well as work line speedupsand confrontational discipline.

True

The Clinton labor-management partnerships were shown to be effective in creating better labor-management relations, reducing workplace disputes, and improving performance.

True

The TEAM Act is intended to make it easier for employers to design and implement employee involvement programs.

True

The adversarial "us" against "them" mentality that often plagues employment relations today can be attributed, in part, to principles of scientific management on Taylorism.

True

When managers emphasize cooperation, unions often interpret this as a push for unions and workers to quietly go along with management-driven initiatives.

True

All of the following are criticisms of scientific management principles except: A.Unnecessary training costs B. Competition between workers C. Work pace speed ups D. Alienation and boredom

A

Detailed systems of narrow job classifications that restrict employees from doing work outside their specific job description are a barrier to: A. Functional flexibility B. Procedural flexibility C. Pay flexibility D. Employment flexibility

A

Job control unionism seeks to achieve all of the following except: A. Increase employee participation and decrease managerial control B. To replace management manipulation of piece rates with wages based on job content C. To ensure promotions and layoffs are based on seniority rather than managerial judgment D. To decrease arbitrary decisions through legalistic, contractual rules

A

Management practices that routinize and standardize work, often using time and motion studies to break the job down into its smallest tasks, are known as: A. Scientific management B. Job control unionism C. Fordism D. Total quality management

A

The business environment prior to 1974 was "friendly" to companies using scientific management and mass manufacturing methods because: A. U.S. manufacturers dominated the world economy. B. A large number of firms controlled most of the profits in a single industry. C. Education levels were significantly higher than they are today. D. All of the above.

A. U.S. manufacturers dominated the world economy.

A system to protect workers against managerial abuse by dictating rewards and job allocation through detailed work rules, seniority rights, and/or a contract is known as: A. Business unionism B. Job control unionism C. An implicit psychological contract D. A collective bargaining contract

B

In the post World War II era, U. S. unions have sought: A. To gain unilateral control over managerial decisions in the workplace. B. To limit or restrict management authority over things that affect workders directly. C. To limit all managerial control, in cluding decisions on strategy and market competition D. To limit employee input into the operations of business

B

In today's global market, U.S. companies using traditional mass manufacturing methods are: A. More efficient and highly competitive B. No longer competitive C. As competitive as other methods of production D. Rebounding and becoming more competitive again

B. No longer competitive

Job control unionism became an acceptable model for the U.S. because it: A. Supported mass manufacturing requirements for stable production. B. Made the workplace more predictable C. Gave unions a way to challenge management decisions without resorting to strikes. D. All of the above

D

A corporate culture of constant change and small improvements is known as: A. Job control unionism B. Scientific management C. Continuous process improvement D. Functional specialization

C

An example of a continuous process strategy that use statistical methods to measure defects and guide continuous improvement is: A. Kaizen B. Scientific management C. Total quality management D. Reengineering

C

Which of the following is not a key change in the business environment since the 1970s: A. Greater demand for high-quality goods and services B. More highly educated workers C. Greater stability in consumer tastes and preferences D. Increased sophistication of technology

C. Greater stability in consumer tastes and preferences

The dominant paradigm of work structure in the U.S. for much of the 20th century was: A. Self-directed work teams B. Employee involvement programs C. Scientific management D. Processes from the Kaizan philosophy

C. Scientific management

Most, sometimes all, aspects of the contract that exists between an employer and an employee is unwritten, sometimes never even explicitly discussed. Employees work hard for an employer and engage in certain actions or behaviors because they perceive that they will berewarded (or punished), rather than because of any written rule or expectation. This unwritten contract is known as the: A. Perceptual contract B. Explicit contract C. Social contract D. Psychological contract

D

Taylorism failed in the 1970's because: A. Companies could sell massive quantities of mass produced, identical products. B. Companies could not react quickly enough to changing consumer needs. C. Simple, repetitive jobs created boredom and alienation along with mental and physical fatigue resulting in higher turnover, absenteeism, etc. D. Both b and c.

D

A formal initiative in which workers and union leaders are full business partners in organizational decision making is called a "social partnership" or "social compact."

False

American lean production practices are similar to those used in Japan in that decision-making is decentralized to give workers a greater say in what ultimately gets decided.

False

Calls for increased levels of employee empowerment in the modern workplace neglect the reality that the U.S. workforce is less educated, on average, than the workforce of the 1940s-1970s.

False

Taylor's vision of scientific management as a "win-win" for unions and management has largely proven to be true.

False

Although the Saturn plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee was organized using self-directed work teams, it also maintained some traditional U.S. labor practices such as grievance procedures.

True

As early as the 1940's, unionists argued that because workers perform their job tasks over and over they often have good ideas for improving productivity, increasing quality, and lowering costs. They predicted that management's failure to capitalize on this would ultimately restrict flexibility and have a negative impact on efficiency.

True

Employee involvement plans in which employees speak for themselves as individuals, not as representatives of their co-workers, do not violate U.S. labor law.

True

Employee representation through nonunion committees can be used to suppress unionization and squelch "real" employee voice.

True

Fordism was a specialized case of applying scientific management principles to assembly line production.

True

High performance work systems are mutually supporting human resource practices that combine flexibility with employee involvement.

True

The research suggests that labor-management partnerships are generally good for employers and employees but not for unions.

False

The research is clear: high performance work systems such as quality circles, job rotation, teams, and total quality management decrease absenteeism and turnover and increase company profits.

False

Which of the following does not characterize the nature of competition for U.S. companies in today's economy: A. Emphasis on high quality good and services that respond quickly to changes in consumer tastes B. Capitalize on narrowly defined, routine jobs as a way to hold down labor costs so they are comparable to low wage countries C. Need for greater levels of employee involvement that can capitalize on higher education levels D. Short-term, market-driven employment relationships where the employee is more closely tied to their job/occupation than to the company they work for

B. Capitalize on narrowly defined, routine jobs as a way to hold down labor costs so they are comparable to low wage countries

Changing labor utilization through varying work hours or number of employees is the goal of ____________________. A. pay flexibility B. functional flexibility C. employment flexibility D. procedural flexibility

C

In response to calls for greater pay flexibility: A. Unions have refused to budge from a seniority based pay system. B. Management has worked to stifle creativity in pay design. C. Unions have agreed to more flexible pay systems like merit, bonuses, and skill-based pay. D. The government has passed laws aimed at protecting and employers right to design pay plans without union interference.

C

Scientific management forms of work organization are being replaced with flatter, team-oriented work structures that serve ____________________ and employee involvement rather than mass manufacturing. A. union demands B. increased productivity C. flexible specialization D. extrinsic motivators

C

The ability to shift workers to different tasks and functions in response to business needs is called: A. Employment flexibility B. Pay flexibility C. Functional flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

C

The four types of flexibility needed by businesses include all of the following except: A. Employment flexibility B. Pay flexibility C. Community flexibility D. Procedural flexibility

C

The key goal of job control unionism is to: A. Replace management decision-making with worker control B. Increase the union's role in subjective decision-making C. Remove management subjectivity from decision-making D. Replace detailed work rules with more flexible decision making processes

C

Until the 1970s, scientific management and job control unionism proved to be fairly: A. Detrimental to the U.S. economy. B. Ineffective at stopping strikes. C. Complementary systems that operated well together. D. Effective at increasing managerial control over the workplace decisions.

C

Work specialization increases efficiency in all of the following ways except by: A. Allowing workers to become really good at their job tasks B. Making training easier C. Keeping employees engaged and focused on their jobs D. Improving efficiency through routines and patterns

C

__________ is a feature of job control unionism that threatens ___________________. A. Standardized wages tied to jobs; functional flexibility B. Detailed systems of narrow job classifications; employment flexibility C. Detailed, lengthy, legalistic union contracts; procedural flexibility D. Restrictive work rules; wage flexibility

C