MGMT 2100: CH 9: Designing Adaptive Organizations

Which organization type creates a disadvantage involving increased time to manage multiple relationships to achieve set performance outcomes? a. Virtual b. Internal c. Focused d. Modular

a

Which type of business experiences decreased financial costs associated with outsourced noncore business operations? a. Virtual b. Modular c. Internal d. Focused

b

Which type of collective achievement requires work to be completed in steps that lead to other parts of the organization's workflow? a. Reciprocal b. Sequential c. Task d. Pooled

b

Automobile manufacturers use assembly lines to produce vehicles. Assembly lines are examples of: a. sequential interdependence. b. reciprocal interdependence. c. pooled interdependence.

a

Which of the following would be considered true about modular organizations? Check all that apply. 1. They allow companies to strengthen their competitive advantage. 2. They allow for more control over key business activities when they are outsourced. 3. They can consist of suppliers, specialists, or consultants. 4. They are more expensive to run than traditional organizations.

3

Banks are good examples of ______ because each location operates independently, but contributes to the common good of the organization. a. pooled interdependence b. sequential interdependence c. reciprocal interdependence

a

What structure is created when a company organizes its teams of specialists based on their deep knowledge and experience in a business area? a. Functional b. Customer c. Product d. Geographic

a

A job's _________________ describes ways that work itself can inspire an individual rather than the use of extrinsic rewards.

internal motivation

A _________________ interdependence refers to different units working together to achieve task completion.

reciprocal

A company's ___________________ of intraorganizational processes involves fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes.

reengineering

Airlines utilize _____ because there is constant communication and back-and-forth between gate agents, ticket agents, baggage handlers, pilots, and mechanics. a. reciprocal interdependence b. sequential interdependence c. pooled interdependence

a

What type of company possesses a network structure in which companies collectively solve problems that are vital to the business? a. Virtual b. Modular c. Internal d. Focused

a

Which type of structure is created when a company organizes activities in a hybrid design using two or more forms? a. Matrix b. Customer c. Product d. Geographic

a

A disadvantage of which type of organization includes the loss of control of value-adding, noncore business activities? a. Virtual b. Modular c. Simple d. Complex

b

If a company hires teams with deep knowledge and expertise from design to distribution, which type of structure is created? a. Functional b. Product c. Matrix d. Customer

b

If a company possesses a structure in which core business activities are performed by the company and all noncore business activities are outsourced, which organization is created? a. Internal b. Modular c. Focused d. Virtual

b

What collective action refers to each business unit's contribution required to achieve organizational success? a. Empowerment b. Pooled c. Task d. Sequential

b

What problem might the CEO expect if the company switches to a customer structure? a. Geographic locations of customers will increase effectiveness of marketing. b. The company may increase costs through duplication of resources. c. Product information will not be communicated to customers effectively.

b

What problem might the CEO expect if the company switches to a virtual network structure? a. Resources might be duplicated across divisions of the company. b. Employees may feel less loyalty to the reorganized company. c. Decisions will be made at the top of the organization, creating delays.

b

An advantage of a _______________ organization includes the flexibility to coordinate relationships through broker agreements.

virtual

An advantage of a(n) __________ organization is the flexibility to respond to emerging customer needs through network relationships.

virtual

Al's Autos is a thriving car dealership. As CEO, Al oversees the managers of three departments: sales, service, and parts. Employees are specialized and grouped according to their expertise. Here is the organizational chart showing the structure or departmentalization for Al's Autos: Which of the following characteristics would you expect Al's Autos to have? Check all that apply. 1. Employees receive extensive training in specific areas, leading to the development of in-depth expertise. 2. Decision making in this company is centralized, with the CEO ultimately responsible for problem solving. 3. There is extensive communication between employees in different departments of this company. 4. Employee specialization leads to increased efficiency.

1, 2, 4

Which of the following would be considered true about virtual organizations? Check all that apply. 1. It is easy to control the quality of work completed by network companies. 2. They should, in theory, provide better products and services. 3. They are fast and flexible. 4. They are a permanent network of companies that work together.

2, 3

Which of the following are true after you delegate the status report to Beatrice? Check all that apply. 1. You should guide Beatrice through each step of the assignment to serve as a mentor. 2. You should help Beatrice with the status report, to the extent you have time. 3. Beatrice will have full responsibility for the assignment. 4. Beatrice must have authority over the resources and personnel needed to complete the status report.

3, 4

The student who knows almost immediately how well he or she did on a test is high on this dimension, but the employee who hasn't talked to his or her boss for a year is probably low.

Feedback

A baker who designs, bakes, and frosts her own cakes is high on this dimension, but the assembly line worker who installs door handles all day is low

Task identity

What term refers to the number of activities involved in a particular job? a. Skill variety b. Autonomy c. Task significance d. Task identity

a

What term describes the amount of information a worker receives about their job performance on a task? a. Skill variety b. Feedback c. Task identity d. Autonomy

b

Which type of decision making occurs when individuals in an organization are empowered? a. Centralization b. Standardization c. Decentralization d. Delegation

c

Which type of organization increases efficiency of task performance through noncore business partnerships? a. Simple b. Virtual c. Modular d. Complex

c

Which type of activity involves increasing the number and variety of tasks that a worker performs in a position? a. Job enrichment b. Job rotation c. Job specialization d. Job enlargement

d

Management at Work As the charge nurse at American Hospital, you are responsible for assigning nurses to their tasks every day. There are six tasks that must be done for the hospital to run efficiently, and these tasks require two levels of skills. At the lower skill level, nurses must bathe, turn, and feed patients. At the higher level, nurses can modify treatments, plan patient care, and order tests. You have decided to ask each nurse to assume responsibility for tasks at both levels of work. Your plan is to give each nurse complete responsibility for his or her own job. The nurses will make their own decisions about how to do their work, and they will be able to order the supplies they need. You can see an illustration of this assignment in the following figure. These employee assignments show a job design strategy of_______________ . What can you expect as a result of your job design strategy? Check all that apply. 1. Increased job challenge 2. Increased long-term employee satisfaction 3. Increased job variety 4. Increased worker autonomy

enrichment 1, 2, 3, 4

Al's Autos is a thriving car dealership. As CEO, Al oversees the managers of three departments: sales, service, and parts. Employees are specialized and grouped according to their expertise. Here is the organizational chart showing the structure or departmentalization for Al's Autos: Al's Autos has a ________ structure.

functional

A company's __________________ processes refer to the external collection of activities that transform inputs into outputs and create customer value.

interorganizational

A company's____________________ processes are the internal collective activities involved in the strategic operations of a company from inputs to outputs through transformation that adds value to customers.

intraorganizational

The ___________________ identifies ways a job can be designed to motivate a worker and achieve positive outcomes.

job characteristics model

A_____________ is created when a company organizes jobs based on the number, type, and differentiation of tasks a worker performs.

job design

Suppose you are a manager at an advertising agency who is eager to utilize Covey's advice about delegation. Today, you need to work on a presentation for a potential new client. This requires delegating a routine status report about an ongoing advertising campaign to Beatrice. You make sure that Beatrice has sufficient _________________ to prepare the status report.

responsibility

You have decided to assign each nurse to a particular job level. Nurses will do one job for a week and then move to another job within their level. You can see an illustration of this assignment by clicking "Job Assignment" in the following figure. These employee assignments show a job design strategy of__________ . What can you expect as a result of your job design strategy? Check all that apply. 1. Increased flexibility when scheduling jobs 2. Increased long-term employee satisfaction 3. An initial increase in employee stimulation 4. Increased worker autonomy

rotation 1, 3

If a company strictly defines its processes based on unchanging roles, what type of structure does it have? a. Mechanistic design b. Pooled interdependence c. Empowerment d. Organic design

a

If a manager assigns responsibility for a task to a subordinate who is then able to command those who are under the authority of the manager, what takes place? a. Delegation b. Centralization c. Decentralization d. Standardization

a

The CEO of C & J Construction is considering moving to a virtual network structure. What would be the best reason to make such a move? a. To focus on the core competencies of the organization and outsource less mission-critical tasks b. To create deeper reserves of skills within the organization c. To create economies of scale

a

The CEO of GardenGrow is considering moving to a customer structure. What would be the best reason to make such a move? a. To specialize and adapt their products and services to customer needs b. To hire highly qualified specialists focused on product design c. To efficiently manage large and complex organizational tasks

a

What term refers to the ability to make decisions and act on organizational priorities? a. Authority b. Delegation c. Centralization d. Standardization

a