HR (CH4)

A factory manufacturing line was slow to produce products and was failing to meet quotas. The manager recommendation was to do a time-and-motion study. This is a strong first step.

true

Due to technological changes in the nature of work and global competition, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) has been replaced by the Occupational Information Network (O*NET).

true

Linda was hired almost 20 years ago. Since then, she has moved around in the company and taken on additional responsibilities. A job analysis would have identified the error here.

true

Micromanagement affects a team's autonomy.

true

More and more people use computers to do their work today. As a result, spelling, grammar, and math basic skills are decreasing.

true

The motivational approach views attitudinal variables and behavioral variables as the most important outcomes of job design.

true

Job evaluation is the process of getting information about how well each employee is performing in order to reward those who are effective and improve the performance of those who are ineffective.

false

Knowledge is an individual's level of proficiency at performing a particular task.

false

In a large, multinational company, several of the tasks are split out across several states and countries. Each location has a specific component of the overall product. An employee survey recently revealed that employees had a weak conceptualization of the company's overall mission. This company has a

functional structure

Which of the following questions should be addressed right after the inputs required for production have been established?

What tasks are required in the production of the output?

Work-flow design is the process of

analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product.

In a company where units are given autonomy to work independently, but are now asked to work together, the units may become territorial and refuse to share ideas for fear of being eliminated. This functional structure will produce which drawback?

cascading effect of errors

All decisions for the coffee chain Traded Beans are made by the founder and chief executive officer. This company has a _____ decision-making structure.

centralized

Which of the following led to problems for McDonald's when it began offering the McWrap product?

complex work process

Which of the following is likely to happen when a private equity group hires an efficiency expert?

decreasing movements that create no value

Units that are a part of the _____ structure act almost as separate, self-sufficient, semi-autonomous organizations.

divisional

Every time a newer version of a product is released, cannibalization of the previous product is likely to happen. For example, when a new iPhone is released, the older versions become obsolete and no longer supported. This self-cannibalization occurs in ________ structures.

divisional structure

All efficiency-producing changes result in dissatisfying work, and all changes that promote satisfaction create inevitable inefficiencies.

false

Centralization is the degree to which work units are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of workflow.

false

Daihi created a job posting with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to perform the job. He will get qualified candidates to apply.

false

The Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) covers only the work context, leaving out the inputs, outputs, and processes involved in the job.

false

The perceptual-motor approach generally increases the job's cognitive demands.

false

The perceptual-motor approach to job design has its roots in classical industrial engineering.

false

Unlike the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT), the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) relies on fixed job titles and narrow task descriptions.

false

Work-flow design is the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, and it is performed after allocating and assigning these tasks to a particular job category or person.

false

Divisional structures are more appropriate than functional structures when

flexible responsivness is require

The tasks performed as a part of job analysis

have a passive, information-gathering orientation.

Jamal, an efficiency expert, proposes the "just-in-time" inventory method to Liza, the CEO of Neptune Inc. If Liza is to accept the proposal, which of the following changes is he most likely to implement in Neptune Inc.?

he is likely to introduce processes that support lean production

The final stage in work-flow analysis is to identify the work _____ in the development of the work unit's product. Multip

inputs

How does lean production differ from "batch work" methods?

it has fewer employees who are well trained

Which of the following is true of how job design and job analysis have functioned in the past?

job designed has focused on making existing jobs more motivating

Jeff was recently hired as a new manager. He is looking for the ________ to see the relationships between individuals and units.

organization structure

Which stage in a work-unit activity analysis focuses on the product, information, or service provided?

output

Which of the following is the primary role of an efficiency expert?

removing every bit of waste in production operation

When there is a single point of failure, companies can correct the problem by having

team member share work when any members become overloaded

Functional structures are more appropriate than divisional structures when

the oraganization compete on costs

Divisional structures tend to be more flexible and innovative because of

their work-flow focus

One component of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) examines how employees interact with colleagues.

true

Recently a state agency completed a project in which a talent inventory was done for everyone's job. As a result, a gap analysis could show areas for the company to focus on with rehires. Job descriptions were also updated. This process is known as job analysis.

true

The final stage in work-flow analysis is to identify the inputs used in the development of a work unit's product.

true

James, a manager at Brown & Brown (B&B) Inc., a publisher of academic books, is tasked with identifying the various pieces of work required to edit, typeset, and publish a fictional book prior to allocating and assigning them to his subordinates. Which of the following processes is James expected to perform?

work-flow design

_____ provides a longitudinal overview of the dynamic relationships by which inputs are converted into outputs.

work-flow design

When team members on Kami's unit craft their professional goals for the new year, she is expecting at least one goal to be tied to the unit's goals. How will she measure the individuals' performance based on this link?

Individual accountability of behavior should be a critical indicator of performance.

Which of the following best explains outcome interdependence in relation to teams?

The level to which the reward for task accomplishment is shared among the team members Correct

Divisional structures are most appropriate in stable and predictable environments.

false

Due to their work-flow focus and proximity to a homogeneous consumer base, divisional structures tend to be less flexible and innovative.

false

Feng shui can be an argument to examine the ergonomics of an employee's workstation.

false

For teams to be effective, it is essential that the level of task interdependence is greater than the level of outcome interdependence.

false

Functional structures help support organizations that compete on differentiation or innovation, because flexible responsiveness is central to making this strategy work.

false

If an organization decides to compete on costs, and hires low-cost labor, it needs to have a decentralized structure to enable autonomy in decision-making by the workers.

false