Module 10:Mindtap Assignment (Chapter 10)

Choose the span of control best suited for the situation. Interdependent work flows

narrow

Pooled interdependence exists when there are multiple parts that function___and then pool their output to reflect total organization or team performance.

independently

Which advantage would you cite if you were advising a company to group jobs by function?

Coordinating activities inside each department is easier.

As an experienced manager, you are mentoring Laila, a new manager. In your regularly scheduled one-on-one, Laila asks for some advice on delegation. Which of the following ideas do you share with Laila to help her understand delegation? 1. Delegation involves the assignment of responsibility, authority, and accountability. 2. Responsibility is assigned by the subordinate. 3. Accountability is only established if the manager assigns responsibility and the subordinate accepts it. 4. The first step in delegation is creating accountability.

1. Share 2. Do Not Share 3. Share 4. Do Not Share

Choose the span of control best suited for the situation. Task Specialization

Wide

The owner of the business where you work has asked you to assess whether restructuring the reporting relationships at the company would improve the ability of employees to meet the needs of customers. What do you recommend? Check all that apply.

A flatter structure should result in higher levels of employee morale and productivity. NOT RIGHT: A taller structure will decrease administrative costs. A taller structure will improve the speed at which decisions are implemented. A flatter structure will further centralize decision making.

To align the jobs at Ancestry with the company's strategy, you've decided that the genealogist job should be redesigned. You've also determined that taking the job characteristics approach to job design will yield the best results. Which step will you take to enhance how valued each employee feels he or she is?

Communicate the importance of the tasks performed to increase task significance.

Which advantage would you cite if you were advising a company to group jobs by type of customer?

Tailoring services to meet customer needs is easier.

Which form of departmentalization is best if the company seeks to minimize duplication of efforts?

Function

In your role as management consultant at Ancestry, you've been asked to develop a plan that will enable the organization to utilize job rotation in some job designs. What do you recommend as a necessary step?

Cross-train the employees on the other jobs that could fall in their rotation.

Which form of departmentalization is best if the company services both business clients and end consumers?

Customer

Some of the jobs mentioned in the article didn't even exist a dozen years ago, and new jobs are emerging every year. If you needed to incorporate such new roles into your organization, which basic building block would serve as your starting point?

Designing jobs

Consider the types of jobs typically found at a hospital. Identify which jobs are line positions and which ones are staff positions. Doctor Nurse Receptionist Accountant Janitor Security Guard

Doctor - line Nurse - line Receptionist - staff Accountant - staff Janitor - staff Security Guard - staff

Ancestry asks you if it could use job enlargement, which would enable the company to use fewer employees to accomplish the same tasks. Which reason do you give when you advise the company against job enlargement?

Employees may feel they should be paid more because they are doing more tasks.

In your recommendations to Ancestry, you suggest the company seek to enrich the jobs of the genealogists. Which of the following suggestions would result in job enrichment?

Genealogists like Crista could determine for themselves when the ancestral trail warranted the acquisition of additional data from external sources.

Which basic building block of structure would you use to build departments focused on specific products or clients?

Grouping jobs

To align the jobs at Ancestry with the company's strategy, you've decided that the genealogist job should be redesigned. You've also determined that taking the job characteristics approach to job design will yield the best results. Which step will you take to ensure that the employees feel their jobs are enriching?

Increase each employee's autonomy, so that they feel they have more control over how the work is performed.

Based on the breadth of tasks fulfilled by genealogists at Ancestry described in the article, which alternative to job specialization has likely been used in job design to overcome the problems associated with overly specialized jobs?

Job enlargement

Which form of departmentalization is best if the regions in which the company competes have unique environmental characteristics?

Location

Choose the span of control best suited for the situation. Heavy use of unskilled labor

Narrow

In your annual performance review, your supervisor suggested you delegate more tasks to the subordinates on your team. Consider the following scenario you experience as you try to delegate. You've just hired a new employee, Michelle, and she's eager to learn how things are done. Unfortunately, you've been pulled into several unexpected meetings. You ask Paul to spend the day training Michelle while you are in meetings. What benefits might Paul experience as a result of this delegation? Check all that apply.

Paul may feel a sense of esteem that you chose him as the best person to train Michelle. It's a professional development opportunity for Paul. Paul gains managerial experience training new employees. The authority granted to Paul may be perceived as job enrichment.

A typical criticism of highly specialized jobs is that the employees may become bored. Which concern should you warn Ancestry's managers about in the case of its staff of genealogists?

Perceived monotony

Which advantage would you cite if you were advising a company to group jobs by product?

Performance assessments are facilitated.

To align the jobs at Ancestry with the company's strategy, you've decided that the genealogist job should be redesigned. You've also determined that taking the job characteristics approach to job design will yield the best results. Which step will you take to influence the employees' perception of ownership of the final outcome of a family's ancestral research?

Publicize which genealogists were involved in which completed historical projects, so that the employees feel they identify with the total job.

At Ancestry, even in a job as seemingly specialized as that of genealogist, the component parts of the job are quite varied. If Ancestry asked you to advise the company on restructuring job design, how would you explain a recommendation for further specialization?

When workers perform small, simple tasks, they become very proficient at each task.

Choose the span of control best suited for the situation. Highly competent managers

Wide

In what direction does work flow in an organization characterized by sequential interdependence?

Work flows in only one direction

The type of sports team that best exemplifies reciprocal interdependence is the __ because the team members are actively passing and receiving and adjusting their work based on the actions of others.

basketball team