chapter 6

Which of the following is an advantage of using a functional design for organizational structure? a. Key positions can be staffed with experts. b. It promotes organizational focus. c. The performance of each division is measured independently. d. It is difficult to integrate activities across diverse operations.

Key positions can be staffed with experts.

According to the five basic characteristics of an ideal bureaucracy, why should the organization develop a consistent set of rules? a. To ensure that task performance is uniform b. To maintain an appropriate social distance between managers and subordinates c. To ensure that each position is filled by an expert d. To protect employees from arbitrary dismissal

a

Atmir has grouped members of his organization into functional departments, such as marketing and production. Which type of organizational design is Atmir using? a. U-form b. H-form c. M-form d. Multiple-command structure

a

Avec wants to use a job design approach that allows workers to become very proficient at each task, that reduces transfer time between tasks, and that makes it easy for someone else to step in when a worker is absent or resigns. Which approach to job design will provide those benefits to Avec? a. Specialization b. Rotation c. Enrichment d. Enlargement

a

Azim's organization is a highly adaptable, with little or no formal structure. The company is able to respond to continually evolving customer expectations by using temporary workers, outsourcing, and leasing facilities when needed. What does Azim use to maximize the company's ability to adapt to its changing environment? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

a

Marah's organization consists of an in-house project management staff and an online network of industry professionals. Based on this, she is able to conduct business in the United States, Europe, and the entire Asia-Pacific region. Marah is an example of _____. a. a virtual organization b. a matrix design c. an M-form design d. a U-form design

a

Payal runs the shipping department and has broken down jobs to include reviewing, packaging, labeling, and dispatching products. The shipping department structures job tasks into small, simple activities. Each employee has become very proficient at his or her assigned tasks, and transfer time between tasks is an average of only 15 seconds. Which approach to running the shipping department does Payal use? a. Specialization b. Enrichment c. Job characteristics d. Enlargement

a

Rabeya runs a consulting firm that works almost exclusively on project-type assignments. Which type of approach to organization should Rabeya use that would allow her to utilize the right people with the right skill set on each project? a. Team b. H-form c. Learning d. Hybrid

a

Raj uses a functional organization design in his organization. Recently, an opportunity to expand his business was presented. Raj formed a temporary group to review this opportunity and see how it might fit in with the current goals of the organization. Which type of organization design did Raj switch to? a. Hybrid b. Matrix c. M-form d. Conglomerate

a

Raul owns a small organization and, as CEO, is very active in overseeing all aspects of the company. He meets regularly with his managers from key departments such as production, HR, and marketing to coordinate all departments. Which form of organization design does Raul use? a. Functional b. H-form c. Matrix d. Hybrid

a

What are the goals for most learning organizations? a. Continuous improvement b. Minimal structure c. Rapid change in direction d. Increasing flexibility for strategic purposes

a

What organization design is characterized by a very small staff and administrative headquarters facility? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

a

Which approach to job design takes into account the work system and employee preferences by considering the core dimensions of skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback? a. Job characteristics b. Chain of command c. Delegation d. Enrichment

a

Which of the following attempts to increase both the number of tasks a worker does and the control the worker has over the job? a. Job enrichment b. Job enlargement c. Job rotation d. Job specialization

a

Which of the following is a characteristic of the ideal bureaucracy? a. A hierarchy of positions b. Flexible rules c. Informal office relations d. Arbitrary dismissal

a

Which of the following is a disadvantage of using a matrix design? a. Uncertain reporting relationships b. Less coordination of task-related activities c. Lack of freedom in decision making d. Lack of delegation

a

Which of the following is an advantage of the matrix design? a. It allows for effective processing of large amounts of information. b. Employees may be uncertain about reporting relationships. c. Some managers see the matrix design as a form of anarchy. d. Groups take longer to make decisions and may be dominated by one individual.

a

Which of the following is the clear and distinct line of authority among the positions in an organization? a. Chain of command b. Authority c. Delegation d. Departmentalization

a

Which organization design is characterized by a temporary workforce with people entering and leaving as needed? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

a

Which type of organization might have three related divisions and one unrelated division and uses a design that is a cross between an M-form and an H-form? a. Hybrid b. Divisional c. Conglomerate d. Functional

a

Which type of organizational design is essentially a holding company that results from unrelated diversification? a. Conglomerate b. Functional c. Divisional d. Matrix

a

A furniture company assembles parts to make dining room sets in five standard configurations. This is done by creating basic pieces and combining them in different ways. This company uses which type of technology? a. Unit b. Mass-production c. Small-batch d. Continuous-process

b

A mechanistic organization operates in which type of environment? a. Uncertain b. Stable c. Unpredictable d. Rapidly changing

b

According to experts, the optimal design for any given organization depends on _____. a. a distinct division of labor b. situational factors c. the environment d. core technology

b

Anke started a small business importing items and selling them online. In time, her business grew quite large, and she now has a warehouse and several employees working for her. Anke has decided she now needs to formalize the authority structure. The type of organizational model Anke needs to establish for her firm is _____. a. delegation b. a bureaucracy c. sequential interdependence d. decentralization

b

As a software development company, Ozlem's firm continuously trains employees in the most recent hardware and software technologies. This allows them to maximize the company's ability to adapt to its changing environment. Which type of organization does Ozlem run? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

b

At a car rental agency, reservations have to provide greeters with information about how many cars are being rented and returned each day and at what time. The maintenance staff responsible for cleaning and fueling the cars, as well as performing other routine maintenance, need to know which cars to prepare and when. If any of these groups does not do its jobs properly, the others will be affected. This is an example of _____ . a. sequential interdependence b. reciprocal interdependence c. structural coordination d. electronic coordination

b

Bay Bottle Company's product line has been manufactured and perfected using a precision glass edge grinding system. This is the most important conversion process and is Bay Bottle Company's _____ . a. unit technology b. core technology c. small-batch technology d. continuous-process technology

b

Because employees report to both a functional superior and a project manager, matrix design results from a strategy of _____. a. unrelated diversification b. a multiple-command structure c. related diversification d. an H-form design

b

In an attempt to reduce the level of job dissatisfaction, which alternative to job specialization increases the total number of tasks workers perform without increasing worker control over the job? a. Enrichment b. Enlargement c. Rotation d. Characteristics

b

In which type of organizational design are team members likely to be highly motivated and committed to the organization since they assume a major role in decision making? a. Divisional b. Matrix c. Conglomerate d. Functional

b

In which way are large organizations fundamentally different from small organizations? a. There are fewer organization design issues. b. They tend to have a higher level of job specialization. c. They tend to rely more on core technologies. d. They tend to have a greater degree of centralization.

b

It is easier for management to delegate day-to-day operations and focus on issues such as long-range planning in a matrix design because of the advantage of _____. a. centralization b. decentralization c. flexible reporting relationships d. improved group decision making

b

Jin is the warehouse manager at a bottling company. Employees are on a four-week schedule during which each employee spends one week loading trucks, another week unloading trucks, a week verifying invoices, and a week pulling inventory from storage. Which approach to job design is Jin using? a. Specialization b. Rotation c. Enrichment d. Centralization

b

Lupita wants to streamline her invoicing processes and approval methods by establishing a systematic process. When designing this formalized system of authority, what should Lupita do? a. Encourage autonomous practices. b. Determine one best way of doing things. c. Encourage social interactions between managers and subordinates. d. Promote flexibility in guidelines.

b

Mechanistic and organizational design are both aspects of which basic situational factor? a. Technology b. Environment c. Organizational size d. Organizational life cycle

b

Merrill Lynch allows clients to view statements, make payments, and conduct stock trades, all online. Additionally, clients can read about market trends and other activities in the stock market. Which type of process do they use to transform information into a format that clients can use? a. Differentiation b. Technology c. Decentralization d. Integration

b

Raphael is the human resource manager at a large bottle manufacturing company. Ten years ago, when the business moved to its current location, the company structured operations by grouping together jobs that involved the same or similar activities. What type of departmentalization structure is this? a. Product b. Functional c. Customer d. Location

b

The best examples of bureaucracies today include _____. a. small businesses b. government agencies c. family-owned retail stores d. online businesses

b

The conglomerate design used by an organization made up of a set of unrelated businesses is also called the _____ . a. U-form design b. H-form design c. hybrid design d. matrix design

b

The second stage of the organizational life cycle is _____. a. a period of stability, eventually evolving into decline b. characterized by the growth of a firm's resources c. a period of gradual growth evolving into stability d. followed immediately by the stage of maturity.

b

Which of the following is one of the biggest advantages of using an M-form approach to organization design? a. Ability to integrate activities b. Shared resources between divisions c. Objective evaluation of each business unit d. Strong use of centralization for all activities

b

Which of the following is the process of systematically retaining power and authority in the hands of higher-level management? a. Decentralization b. Centralization c. Coordination d. Pooled interdependence

b

Which type of organization uses rules, specialized jobs, and centralized authority to structure activities in predictable ways? a. Organic b. Mechanistic c. Continuous-process d. Situational

b

Zereth has set up her organization based on product departmentalization. What is the advantage of this approach? a. Use of skilled specialist to deal with unique issues b. Objective assessment of product groups c. Rapid response to changes in the environment d. Improved coordinating activities inside each department

b

A bureaucracy is a model of organizational design based on _____. a. activities flowing both ways between units b. the output of one unit becoming the input for another c. a legitimate and formal system of authority d. units operating with little interaction

c

A learning organization is concerned with _____. a. educating the public b. providing consistent rules and regulations for employees c. the personal development of all its employees d. promoting employee specialization

c

As his company has grown, Geert finds that he can no longer manage everything. He is now working to group jobs together in some way that makes sense for the workers and managers. What is Geert trying to establish? a. Decentralization b. Centralization c. Departmentalization d. Work teams

c

Assistant editors at Lenmark Publishing are automatically promoted to associate editors after one year of service and editors at the two-year mark. This suggests that _____. a. Lenmark is a bureaucracy because it has a hierarchy of positions b. Lenmark is not a true bureaucracy because it does not have a hierarchy of positions c. Lenmark is not a true bureaucracy since employees are promoted based on time served d. Lenmark is a bureaucracy since employees are promoted based on consistent rules

c

Aviva tries to assign her employees new and challenging tasks as often as practical to enhance their opportunities for growth and enhancement. Which approach to job design does Aviva use? a. Specialization b. Rotation c. Enrichment d. Centralization

c

Ben's Beef Barn takes one order at a time and custom grills burgers or steaks to the customer's specifications. Ben's Beef Barn uses which type of technology? a. Large-batch b. Mass-production c. Small-batch d. Continuous-process

c

Conglomerate organizational design _____. a. has the advantage of simplicity associated with holding similar businesses b. is also known as a unitary, or U-form, approach c. has each business operated by a general manager in charge of its profits or losses d. is based on multiple businesses in related areas

c

Cypress Semiconductor refuses to allow the organization to grow so large that people cannot float from project to project and so that the company has no functional hierarchy. This is an example of a _____. a. virtual organization b. learning organization c. team organization d. compartmentalized organization

c

In which type of organization might there be a lot of employees but little or no underlying functional hierarchy? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

c

Pallavi has created a successful company based on her ability to identify new opportunities in the markets her company serves. She almost exclusively uses fluid groups of employees to tackle emerging issues in lieu of a functional hierarchy, which has helped the organization achieve a very high level of adaptability. Which type of organization does Pallavi's company use to maximize the company's responsiveness to changes in the external environment? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

c

Ramkumar supplies parts to a variety of customers and is in a very stable environment. He has various subunits in his organization, but they all work together in a coordinated fashion to get parts to the customer. Which dimension of the organization is Ramkumar using? a. Differentiation b. The organic environment c. Integration d. Situational view

c

Span of management indicates _____. a. how much of their workload managers assign to others b. who has legitimate power in the organization c. the number of people who report to a particular manager d. the retention of power by higher-level managers

c

Teresita structures her company activities in predictable ways and uses rules, specialized jobs, and centralized authority. Which type of process does Teresita use in her organization? a. Decentralized b. Continuous-process c. Mechanistic d. Organic

c

The bureaucratic model of organization has its roots in Weber's studies of _____. a. contingency theory b. the human relations movement c. organization design d. situational theory

c

The divisional design results from a strategy of _____. a. unrelated diversification b. a multiple-command structure c. related diversification d. an H-form design

c

The divisional design, which is based on multiple businesses in related areas operating within a larger organizational framework, is also called _____. a. U-form b. matrix c. M-form d. hybrid

c

To enhance the speed and effectiveness of decision making, Kaia is restructuring her company's activities around related diversification. She plans to allow some of the work to be decentralized, while other aspects will be centralized. Which type of organizational structure is Kaia designing? a. U-form b. H-form c. M-form d. Hybrid

c

When might a matrix design be most effective for an organization? a. When the organization uses a flat chain of command b. When there are ample resources that do not need to be shared c. When there is pressure from the environment d. When information is quick and easy to process

c

Which dimension of the job characteristics approach deals with the perceived importance of the task? a. Skill variety b. Task identity c. Task significance d. Autonomy

c

Which of the following is a characteristic of the ideal bureaucracy as put forth by Weber? a. Work conducted in a personal way b. Flexible rules to meet people's needs c. Appropriate social distance maintained d. Arbitrary dismissal

c

Which of the following is an advantage of adopting a bureaucratic organizational approach? a. Flexibility to make rule changes b. Advancement based on length of employment c. Prevention of favoritism d. Close social ties between managers and their subordinates

c

Which of the following is often neglected in a bureaucracy such as a university? a. Steps to go through and forms to fill out for admission b. Rules and regulations c. Human and social processes d. Procedures for submitting a degree plan and filing for graduation

c

Which organization design is characterized by units splitting into smaller units if they become too large? a. Virtual b. Learning c. Team d. Functional

c

A virtual organization _____. a. has a highly hierarchical, formal structure b. requires a large staff c. has a rigid, unchanging structure d. exists only in response to its needs

d

According to Weber, how should positions in organizations be filled in an ideal bureaucracy? a. Based on the willingness of employees to do what it takes to get the job done b. Based on teamwork c. Based on the flexibility of the task d. Based on expertise

d

According to Weber, the bureaucratic form of organization is _____. a. logical, personal, and flexible b. personal, rational, and flexible c. personal, flexible, and efficient d. logical, rational, and efficient

d

AgriCorp takes corn and transforms it into corn syrup, corn oil, and ethanol. This company uses which type of technology? a. Unit b. Mass-production c. Small-batch d. Continuous-process

d

Differentiation is the degree to which _____. a. the organization is stable b. activities are structured in a predictable way c. various subunits must work together in a coordinated fashion d. the organization is broken down into subunits

d

Dream Destinations is an international business operating in over 20 countries. It began as a regional hotel chain and then expanded into travel and vacation planning services. To be able to process large amounts of information and respond to diverse consumer expectations in different cultures, Dream Destinations has a decentralized, multiple-command structure. Which type of organizational design would a company such as Dream Destinations use? a. Functional b. Conglomerate c. Divisional d. Matrix

d

Email, a tool that makes it easier for people to communicate with each other, is a type of _____ . a. sequential interdependence b. reciprocal interdependence c. structural coordination d. digital coordination

d

Hua added additional tasks to the work performed by each employee in an effort to make their jobs more interesting. While he saw some advantages to the new strategy, he also faced disadvantages, as training costs increased and the unions asked for pay increases since the workers were doing more tasks. Which type of job development did Hua implement? a. Specialization b. Enrichment c. Characteristics d. Enlargement

d

In a team organization, _____. a. all business is conducted online b. the focus is on continuously upgrading employee skills c. there is underlying functional hierarchy d. people float from project to project

d

In which type of core technology is a product manufactured in assembly-line fashion by combining component parts into another part or finished product. a. Small-batch b. Unit c. Continuous-process d. Large-batch

d

Organic organizations are _____. a. similar to bureaucracies b. structured in predictable ways c. found in stable environments d. very informal

d

To enhance the speed and effectiveness of decision making, Paramita is restructuring the organization around product lines. She wants each product line to act as its own profit and loss center and managers to make decisions on how to modify these lines. Paramita is using pooled interdependence for these groups. These groups will _____. a. provide input for each other in a sequence b. control decision making at the highest level c. coordinate activities that will be shared between the divisions d. have very few linkages between the divisions

d

What is delegation? a. Power that has been legitimized by the organization b. The process of systematically retaining power and authority in the hands of higher-level managers c. The process of systematically spreading power and authority to middle- and lower-level managers d. The process by which a manager assigns a portion of his or her total workload to others

d

When Ugar opened his accounting firm, he faced a great deal of uncertainty. Over the years, Ugar developed a specialization in auditing, and his business environment stabilized. Ugar's firm is now the largest of its kind in the state of Nebraska. At which stage in the organizational life cycle is Ugar's accounting firm? a. Birth b. Youth c. Midlife d. Maturity

d

Which dimension of the job characteristics approach deals with the degree of control the worker has over how the work is performed? a. Skill variety b. Task identity c. Task significance d. Autonomy

d

Which of the following is an advantage of having a bureaucratic organization? a. Improved social processes b. Flexibility c. Service orientation d. Improved efficiency

d

Which type of organizational design has the advantages of enhancing flexibility and giving employees considerable opportunities to learn new skills? a. Functional b. Divisional c. Conglomerate d. Matrix

d

Which of the following is a characteristic of organic organizations? a. High fluidity b. Stable environments c. Centralized authority d. Specialized jobs

s