MGMT340 CH 10
In the context of a successful fostering change strategy, which of the following should be emphasized while creating new labor-management partnerships? (Check all that apply.)
Acknowledging both labor and management goals Identifying the opportunities for mutual gain
What led to the trials with quality of working life (QWL) programs in the 1970s?
Concern over the issue of high dissatisfaction among workers
Match the types of employment relationship flexibility (in the left column) with their goals (in the right column). Instructions
Employment flexibility - It focuses on changing labor utilization through varying work hours or number of employees. Pay flexibility - It involves making wages responsive to variations in competitive pressures and organizational performance. Functional flexibility - It refers to the option of redeploying workers in response to customer or market demands. Procedural flexibility - It involves changes in methods of production, technology, and organization of work.
Match the types of employment relationship flexibility (in the left column) with their employee concerns (in the right column).
Employment flexibility - Potential for periods of unemployment Pay flexibility - Potential for managerial abuse Functional flexibility - Potential for replacing high-wage skilled employees with low-wage, unskilled employees Procedural flexibility - Lack of voice in the absence of employee unions
Identify the strategies used to overcome resistance to change that are compatible with the forcing change approach. (Check all that apply.)
Explicit and implicit coercion Negotiation and agreement Manipulation and co-optation
True or false: In its 1992 Electromation decision, the National Labor Relations Board ruled that nonunion committees are legal as long as they are not formed because of a union organizing drive.
False
True or false: Independent contractors working in the gig economy are covered by the National Labor Relations Act.
False
True or false: Labor states that strategic business partnership between a union and management in the sociotechnical systems approach enables the development of a power base independent of the company and strengthens the union to challenge management on a sustained basis.
False
True or false: Mass manufacturing methods based on scientific management and job control unionism are appropriate in unstable economic markets.
False
True or false: Outsourcing and subcontracting work increase opportunities for unionization.
False
What is the most significant challenge faced by a union that is part of a labor-management partnership?
Finding a way to be efficient business partners without compromising the interests of union members
Which of the following is a sign of inflexibility in the traditional model of job control unionism?
Focus on seniority rather than skills
Match the change strategies (in the left column) with their characteristics (in the right column).
Force change - Coercing labor unions and employees to embrace changes through hard bargaining Foster change - Attempting to build a more cooperative labor-management relationship through methods such as collective bargaining
In the context of high-performance work systems, which of the following are true of the sociotechnical systems approach? (Check all that apply.)
It allows teams to take decisions regarding job pacing, assignment of tasks, and quality control. It empowers work teams to manage their internal affairs without a supervisor.
In the context of high-production work systems, identify the true statements about lean production. (Check all that apply.)
It is also known as Toyotism or the Toyota production system. It lays emphasis on just-in-time inventories.
Identify a true statement about lean production as practiced in the United States.
It is centralized and management controls decision making.
Identify the true statements about job control unionism. (Check all that apply.)
It promotes the mass manufacturing requirements for steady and predictable production. It satisfies union leaders' needs for disputing managerial power without having to hold wildcat strikes.
What are the problems associated with fissured workplaces where organizations have outsourced operations they see as peripheral? (Check all that apply.)
It reduces promotion possibilities and training opportunities for nonregular employees. It generally leads to earnings and benefits reductions for the outsourced and subcontracted employees.
What is the significance of the 1992 Electromation decision of the National Labor Relations Board to the U.S. labor law?
It seeks to avoid employee representation plans that look like unions but really are not.
In the context of scientific management of work, what are the advantages of time standards anticipated by Frederick Winslow Taylor? (Check all that apply.)
It would promote high production. It would ensure better pay for employees. It would eliminate labor unrest.
A(n) _-_ _ is a formal initiative in which workers and union leaders participate in organizational decision making beyond the daily work-related decisions of employee empowerment and beyond the usual collective bargaining subjects.
LABOR MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP
The team-oriented, high performance work system known as _ _ is generally regarded as the Japanese approach to mass manufacturing.
LEAN PRODUCTION
In the context of high-performance work systems, identify the true statements about the criticisms of the American version of lean production. (Check all that apply.)
Labor raises questions about the extent of workers' involvement and empowerment. Critics argue that it places constant pressure on workers to eliminate inefficiencies.
Identify the strategies that place significant stress on the established labor relations practices that are based on job control unionism. (Check all that apply.)
Labor-management partnerships High-performance work systems
Match the strategies used to overcome resistance to change (in the left column) with their disadvantages (in the right column).
Manipulation and co-optation - It can lead to loss of cooperation if people feel that they are being exploited. Explicit and implicit coercion - It can lead to increased resistance if people feel intimidated or angered.
Match the strategies used to deal with resistance to change (in the left column) with their advantages (in the right column). Instructions
Manipulation and co-optation - It is swift and economical. Explicit and implicit coercion - It is fast and effective for short durations. Negotiation and agreement - It helps buy out resistance. Education and communication - It convinces people to become more cooperative. Participation and involvement - It increases people's commitment and facilitates the sharing of knowledge and skills.
Why is the traditional model of job control unionism antithetical to the forms of flexibility that are strongly emphasized by 21st-century business? (Check all that apply.)
Narrow job classifications restrict the deployment of workers to different tasks. Restrictive work rules limit procedural flexibility. Standardized wages do not allow wage flexibility and pay-for-performance. Seniority-based processes make it difficult to reward the best performers or lay off the worst performers.
Match the strategies to deal with resistance to change (in the left column) with the situations in which they are used (in the right column).
Negotiation and agreement - When resistance results from being placed in a very difficult position by the change Education and communication - When resistance occurs because of incorrect or incomplete information about the change Facilitation and support - When resistance arises from troubles of acclimatizing to the change
Forums for workers to make suggestions about how to improve productivity and quality through regular group meetings with supervisors are called
QUALITY CIRCLES
The sociotechnical systems approach is structured around _-_ _ teams, which consist of autonomous groups of employees who are responsible for a set of job tasks as well as routine maintenance tasks.
SELF DIRECTED WORK
From an industrial relations perspective, why are self-directed teams considered damaging?
Self-directed teams make it difficult for workers to understand the need for a union.
Which act was introduced in Congress in 1995 to modify Section 8(a)(2) to explicitly leave out labor-management committees that do not seek to negotiate collective bargaining agreements?
The Teamwork for Employees and Managers (TEAM) act
Identify a challenge presented by the gig economy for unionization.
The distributed nature of gig workers makes it difficult to achieve solidarity.
Which of the following is true of the arguments raised in favor of self-directed work teams under the sociotechnical systems approach?
The use of less detailed union contracts as compared to usual contracts fosters flexibility.
Which of the following is true of quality circles?
They are a common constituent of continuous improvement programs such as total quality management.
Identify the positive changes brought forward by labor management partnerships at various levels of the public sector. (Check all that apply.)
They have enhanced or retained customer service even while facing budgetary challenges. They have proactively addressed major changes in policies. They have established efficient operations.
In the context of challenges faced by unions in labor-management partnerships, identify the true statements about the responsibilities of union leaders. (Check all that apply.)
They must continue executing their traditional roles. They must allocate their time to assume new roles.
Identify the true statements about the causes for the breakdown of the mass production business model in the 1970s. (Check all that apply.)
While management continued its focus on monetary motivation for workers, it failed to consider intrinsic motivators. Unstable economic markets led to a decrease in the demand for mass manufactured goods. Routine job tasks led to boredom, alienation, and mental and physical fatigue among workers.
Self-directed teams are seen as way to _____.
democratize the workplace by giving workers authority and autonomy
Getting away from a firm's bargaining obligation by relocating operations to a nonunion site or by subcontracting work or decertifying the union characterizes the _____.
escape change strategy
A(n) _____ change strategy involves attempts to better the cooperative labor-management relationship through methods such as collective bargaining.
fostering
The system of job control unionism was widely practiced in the postwar U.S. industrial relations system because _____.
it fulfills the needs of both management and unions
Following the uproar against the Electromation decision of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Teamwork for Employees and Managers (TEAM) act was introduced in Congress in 1995 to modify Section 8(a)(2) of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The proposed TEAM act specifically sought to _____.
leave out labor-management committees that do not attempt to negotiate collective bargaining agreements
In the context of strategies to overcome resistance to change, though both negotiation and agreement and facilitation and support strategies are potentially expensive, they are different in that _____.
the latter strategy is more likely to be ineffective
In the context of various strategies used to overcome resistance to change, an advantage of the facilitation and support strategy is that it is _____.
useful for dealing with adjustment problems
