Question 1

Which of the following ideas is most associated with the work of FW Taylor in the early twentieth century?&#10;A) Hierarchy of needs&#10;B) Time and motion studies&#10;C) Bureaucracy&#10;D) Japanisation

Accepted Answer

FW Taylor is most known for his work on time and motion studies, which analyzed and improved efficiency in the workplace by breaking down tasks into smaller components and then optimizing them for maximum productivity. This approach became known as Taylorism and had a significant impact on industrial management during the early twentieth century.

Question 2

What is being described here? An approach to staffing which makes use of alternatives to traditional, permanent employment through the use of short-term contracts.&#10;A) Financial flexibility&#10;B) Functional flexibility&#10;C) Temporal flexibility&#10;D) Numerical flexibility

Accepted Answer

Numerical flexibility is an approach to staffing which uses short-term contracts instead of traditional permanent employment. It allows organizations to adjust their workforce size as needed and is often referred to as "flexible staffing."

Question 3

Which of these following trends is NOT a driver of increased interest in flexible working?&#10;A) Population ageing&#10;B) Women's participation in the workforce&#10;C) Delayering&#10;D) Technological advances

Accepted Answer

Delayering refers to the process of reducing the number of management layers in an organization, which is not directly related to flexible working. The other options - population ageing, women's participation in the workforce, and technological advances - are all drivers of increased interest in flexible working.

Question 4

What is being described here? A situation in which managers of business units are given agreed budgets and targets, having freedom to manage provided they submit regular reports, meet agreed targets and comply with budgetary expectations.

A) High formality
B) Low formality
C) Differentiation
D) Decentralisation

Accepted Answer

The situation described is a form of decentralisation, where managers of business units are given the freedom to manage within agreed budgets and targets, as long as they submit regular reports, meet targets, and comply with budgetary expectations. This suggests a lower level of formality and potentially some level of differentiation between the business units.

Question 5

What is being described here? An approach to organisation design which involves setting up long-term contractual arrangements with suppliers and which tends to blur organisational boundaries.&#10;A) Network organisations&#10;B) Matrix organisations&#10;C) Entrepreneurial organisations&#10;D) Bureaucratic organisations

Accepted Answer

This description fits the concept of network organizations, which rely on long-term relationships and partnerships with suppliers and stakeholders to achieve their objectives. This approach blurs traditional organizational boundaries and emphasizes collaboration and flexibility over rigid hierarchies.

Question 6

What is being described here? An approach to staffing which moves away from the 9-5, 40 hour week through the use of part-time contracts and flexible working hours.&#10;A) Financial flexibility&#10;B) Functional flexibility&#10;C) Temporal flexibility&#10;D) Numerical flexibility

Accepted Answer

Temporal flexibility refers to the ability of workers to vary the number of hours they work and the times they work during a day or week. This approach involves the use of part-time contracts and flexible working hours, which move away from the traditional 9-5, 40 hour week.

Deck 6: Organisational Agility and Flexibility