Chapter 4

job specification

A list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) that an individual must have to perform a particular job.

job description

A list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities (TDRs) that a particular job entails.

job sharing

A work option in which two part-time employees carry out the tasks associated with a single job.

How does work flow design assist managers?

It helps them assess the tasks needed to make a product or a provide a service.

Divisions

Jobs that involve teamwork tend to require an organizational structure based on which of the following?

What is the standardized job analysis survey that contains questions about work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs?

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

What are some ways to simplify the mental demands of an employee's job? Check all that apply.

Provide clear instructions. Minimize information. Install adequate lighting.

Review the section on "Designing Jobs that motivate" in this exercise you will look at several practical methods of job design that attempt to achieve one or more of these characteristics

Roll over each item to read a scenario. Then drag each item to the associated job design option that would best address the issue

work flow design

The process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service is called

What is the purpose of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)?

To compile detailed descriptions of specific jobs

What is the purpose of the Fleishman Job Analysis System?

To determine what abilities are required to perform a specific job

True or false: To achieve high-quality performance, an organization needs to match job requirements and people by performing a job analysis.

True Organizations must understand and match job requirements and people if they want to achieve high-quality performance within the company.

Flextime

a scheduling policy in which full-time employees may choose starting and ending times within guidelines specified by the organization Tardiness: An office manager notices that several employees are regularly late to work. She learns that they have young children and the school's start times make it difficult to get to work on time. Sick days: Val's employees are frustrated because they need to use sick days for parent-teacher conferences and doctor appointments. Val doesn't like it wither but she is unsure how to handle it.

job

a set of related duties

Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ)

a standardized job analysis questionnaire containing 194 questions about work behaviors, work conditions, and job characteristics that apply to a wide variety of jobs

competency

an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform their work successfully

What process is considered the building block of human resource management?

analyzing jobs

Alysa thought it would be best to put Connor in charge of making decisions for the accounting team and Bethany in charge of making decisions for the marketing group. Which aspect of analyzing teamwork is Alysa using?

authority differentiation

What are the three standard ways used to measure teamwork?

authority differentiation skill differentiation temporal stability

Job Enlargement

broadening the types of tasks performed in a job Defect rate: Nick observes that the defect rate on his night production line keeps going up. His employees tell him that it is hard to stay focused doing the same thing over and over late at night. Boredom: Sam's staff is very loyal and productive, but they seem to be bored at work lately. No one has asked for more responsibility, but they must be kept engaged or production will suffer.

Which of the following are outputs?

car battery restaurant meal online banking

A job ______ is a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a particular job entails

description

One major trend in job analysis is related to which of the following?

determining which jobs are better suited for humans versus computers

Job Enrichment

empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to jobs Frustration: store policy requires that all refunds are authorized by a manger but this can be very frustrating for both cashiers and customers when checkout lines are long Performance appraisal: Bill directly supervises four people but it is his supervisor who actually prepares their performance appraisals. Bill feels this undercuts his authority with his staff.

Job Extension

enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks

job rotation

enlarging jobs by moving employees among several different jobs

The facilities manager at the warehouse requested that the height of the assembly line be raised by eight inches to make it more comfortable for the workers. Many of the workers had been complaining of back pain because the line was too low. This demonstrates the importance of ______ in the workplace.

ergonomics

True or false: Technology has reduced job demands and errors in all work situations.

false In some cases, technology has worsened this problem. Consider juggling a cell phone, typing, surfing the web all at the same time.

True or false: In general, analysts agree that in the near future, most human workers will be replaced by new technology such as artificial intelligence and robotics.

false Some analysts believe computers and robots augment rather than replace workers.

Which of the following is not a characteristic addressed by Hackman and Oldham's Job Characteristics Model?

frustration

The process of job analysis focuses on work tasks and outcomes, while competency models focus on

how people work

A single worker at the ice cream production plant used to fill the container, put the lid on the container, seal the container, and then place it in the packing box. Today the process is not as complex because the assembly line has been designed for two workers to get the job done at an even faster rate. Structuring the assembly line to maximize efficiency is an example of which of the following?

industrial engineering

To design jobs effectively, one must fully understand the job itself and

its place in a work unit's work flow process.

Fleishman Job Analysis System

job analysis technique that asks subject-matter experts to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job

Trevor's boss told him that he would now also be responsible for answering the phones and filing correspondence in addition to the tasks he already did. This provided Trevor with an even wider range of tasks and is an example of what?

job extension

The Jobs Characteristics Model was developed as a method to make jobs more

motivating

Work flow analysis identifies the products of any work unit. What are these products called?

outputs

Which human resources program does not require information gleaned from job analysis?

payroll administration

Outputs

products of any work unit, say, a department or a team. They may be tangible in the case of a restaurant meal or finished part. They may be intangible such as a building security or an answered question about employee benefits.

When creating a job description, a human resource manager should include TDRs, which stands for the tasks, duties, and ______ a particular job entails.

responsibilities

In analyzing teamwork, what is the term that describes the degree to which team members have specialized knowledge?

skill differentiation

Katrine knew the best person for the job would have a college degree in English and work experience in the marketing communications field. Katrine is describing a job

specification

Who does the Fleishman Job Analysis System use to evaluate a job in terms of the abilities required to perform the job?

subject matter experts

According to research, who may be the most accurate when reporting information about job tasks?

supervisors

If an organization's structure is based on function, workers

tend to have low authority. work alone on specialized tasks.

Job Design

the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that a given job requires

job analysis

the process of getting detailed information about jobs

position

the set of duties (job) performed by a particular person

Ergonomics

the study of interface between individuals psychology and the characteristics of the physical work environment

Industrial Engineering

the study of jobs to find the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency

What is the drawback of using information for analyzing jobs from people who currently hold that position?

they tend to exaggerate

What is one objective of broadening the types of tasks (known as enlargement) performed in a job?

to make jobs less repetitive

Telework

working arrangements in which employees enjoy flexibility in work hours and/or location Turnover:An account manager is quitting because her spouse found a new job in a different state. Her boss hates to lose her because she is an excellent contributor and does not mind the travel involved. Space issues: Usually most desks in Anna's office are empty while people are out on sales calls. But when it is time to prepare monthly reports the staff members are constantly bumping into one another.