Deck 9: Positive Employee Attitudes and Behaviors

Question 1

The measurement of job satisfaction usually relies on self-report instruments because

A) workers are rarely honest about their job satisfaction.
B) direct observation requires more time and money.
C) attitudes and feelings cannot be directly observed.
D) workers under observation may change their response rates.

Answer 1

attitudes and feelings cannot be directly observed.

Question 2

Advantages of using questionnaires over face-to-face interviews include

A) the reduced time invested by researchers.
B) the maintenance of anonymity of responses.
C) the increased honesty of workers in their responses.
D) All of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

The major advantage of using standardized job satisfaction surveys is

A) they provide normative data with which to compare results.
B) they are cost-effective.
C) they allow researchers to investigate organizational factors that cause job satisfaction.
D) All of the above

Answer 3

All of the above

Question 4

Most instruments designed from the facet approach to job satisfaction measure satisfaction with such things as

A) personality characteristics of coworkers.
B) pay, working conditions, and relationships with supervisors and coworkers.
C) skill variety and task identity.
D) All of the above

Question 5

Difficulties with survey instruments include

A) response biases.
B) the outdating of survey instruments due to changes in technology and work roles.
C) they do not allow clarification or elaboration of responses.
D) All of the above

Question 6

The approach to job satisfaction that considers job satisfaction to be composed of feelings and attitudes about a number of different elements is called the

A) global approach.
B) facet approach.
C) component approach.
D) elemental approach.

Question 7

Which of the following most accurate describes relations between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment?

A) job satisfaction is unrelated to employee engagement
B) while job satisfaction is related to employee engagement, organizational commitment is not
C) all three involve positive feelings toward work and the work organization
D) job satisfaction is an "umbrella term" that includes employee engagement and organizational commitment
E) All of the above accurately describe relations between employee engagement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

Question 8

Meta-analyses have indicated that job satisfaction and job performance

A) are strongly positively related to each other.
B) are moderately positively related to each other.
C) are moderately negatively related to each other.
D) show no relationship to each other.

Question 9

Items on the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) ask workers to

A) tell stories in response to ambiguous pictures.
B) narratively discuss their general levels of job satisfaction.
C) critique their supervisors' managerial ability.
D) rate various job facets on levels of job satisfaction-dissatisfaction.

Question 10

The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) measures worker satisfaction with the following job facets:

A) the job itself, supervision, pay, coworkers, and level of achievement.
B) the job itself, supervision, pay, promotions, and coworkers.
C) ten facets of the job itself and ten facets related to interpersonal relationships on the job.
D) ten facets of the job itself and ten facets related to worker compensation.

Question 11

Job satisfaction is defined as

A) the positive feelings one has about one's job.
B) the negative feelings one has about one's job.
C) the positive and negative feelings one has about one's job.
D) the positive feelings workers have about compensation and supervision.

Question 12

One problem with both the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) is that

A) neither reliability nor validity has been established for either.
B) neither has been widely researched.
C) both are very difficult to administer.
D) None of the above

Question 13

The Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) asks workers to rate their levels of satisfaction-dissatisfaction with

A) five major job facets.
B) ten job facets.
C) twenty job facets.
D) over 100 job facets.

Question 14

The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) asks workers to rate their levels of satisfaction- dissatisfaction with

A) five job facets.
B) ten job facets.
C) twenty job facets.
D) over 100 job facets.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is true of employee engagement?

A) it is a psychological state
B) it is characterized by a feeling of vigor
C) it involves positive feelings toward work and the work organization
D) it is associated with positive outcomes for workers and organizations
E) All of the above are true of employee engagement.

Question 16

The most widely used standardized measure of job satisfaction is

A) the Job Satisfaction Index (JSI).
B) the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ).
C) the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
D) the Job In General scale (JIG).

Question 17

According to the Porter-Lawler model, an intervening variable between job satisfaction and job performance is

A) job-related rewards.
B) the age of the worker.
C) the type of work being performed.
D) the employee's perception of responsibility

Question 18

In-house measures of job satisfaction may be difficult to interpret because

A) they may not be reliable or valid.
B) there may not be standards with which to compare results.
C) most organizations do not employ professionals skilled in how to design questionnaires.
D) All of the above

Question 19

The relationship between job satisfaction and job performance may be somewhat weak because

A) it may not always be a direct relationship.
B) it may be moderated by a number of different variables.
C) it may depend upon the type of work being done by the employee.
D) All of the above

Question 20

The Porter-Lawler model of job satisfaction actually builds upon

A) the two-factor theory of motivation.
B) McClelland's achievement motivation theory.
C) the equity theory of motivation.
D) Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

Question 21

Voluntary turnover is costly to organizations because

A) firing employees may lead to expensive legal situations.
B) losing a valued employee leads to reduced organizational productivity.
C) laying off a large group of employees temporarily reduces productivity.
D) sometimes good workers are fired.

Question 22

One of the best predictors of employee turnover is

A) job satisfaction.
B) absenteeism.
C) organizational commitment.
D) motivation.

Question 23

Most organizations would like to eliminate

A) voluntary absenteeism.
B) involuntary absenteeism.
C) both voluntary and involuntary absenteeism.
D) neither type of absenteeism is amenable to organizational control.

Question 24

Organizational commitment is defined as

A) the positive and negative attitudes about one's job.
B) a worker's feelings and attitudes about the entire work organization.
C) the positive feelings one has about one's coworkers and supervisors.
D) the desire to leave the organization.

Question 25

Turnover is related to

A) job satisfaction.
B) organizational commitment.
C) both job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
D) neither job satisfaction nor organizational commitment.

Question 26

Turnover of employees who choose to leave their jobs because they are performing poorly may be classified as

A) functional involuntary turnover.
B) dysfunctional involuntary turnover.
C) functional voluntary turnover.
D) dysfunctional voluntary turnover.

Question 27

Research has indicated that voluntary turnover is influenced by

A) level of monetary compensation.
B) levels of work group conflict.
C) punitive managerial techniques.
D) workers' perceived lack of influence or power within the organization.

Question 28

Attempts to increase job satisfaction may involve

A) changes in pay structure.
B) changes in job structure.
C) benefit programs.
D) All of the above

Question 29

One way to operationalize voluntary and involuntary absenteeism involves using

A) absence frequency as a measure of involuntary absenteeism and absence length as a measure of voluntary absenteeism.
B) absence frequency as a measure of voluntary absenteeism and absence length as a measure of involuntary absenteeism.
C) medical bills to verify involuntary absenteeism.
D) no measurements of voluntary and involuntary absenteeism have been developed.

Question 30

Organizational commitment has been found to be positively correlated with

A) worker age.
B) worker education.
C) time on the job.
D) All of the above

Question 31

An example of voluntary absenteeism is missing work because of

A) illness.
B) jury duty.
C) running errands.
D) All of the above

Question 32

The relationship between job satisfaction and absenteeism is NOT very strong because

A) job satisfaction has no effect on employee attendance.
B) dissatisfied workers quit their jobs very quickly, and thus do not establish attendance records.
C) measurement problems cause voluntary and involuntary absenteeism to be lumped together in many studies.
D) None of the above

Question 33

In most cases, job satisfaction and organizational commitment have

A) a fairly high positive correlation.
B) a fairly low positive correlation.
C) a fairly low negative correlation.
D) no relationship.

Question 34

Organizational commitment tends to be affected by

A) individual differences in extroversion.
B) systems and technology variables.
C) the worker's perception of having a good chance of finding another job.
D) All of the above

Question 35

Meta-analyses have indicated that job satisfaction and absenteeism have a

A) high negative correlation.
B) low negative correlation.
C) low positive correlation.
D) correlation equal to zero.

Question 36

Meta-analyses have indicated that turnover is

A) not related to absenteeism.
B) related to voluntary but not involuntary absenteeism.
C) related to involuntary but not voluntary absenteeism.
D) related to both types of absenteeism.

Question 37

Both organizational commitment and job satisfaction are likely affected

A) only by pay and relationships with supervisors.
B) very strongly by previous work history.
C) by numerous factors related to the job.
D) by organizational citizenship behaviors.

Question 38

Organizational commitment has often been referred to as

A) organizational citizenship.
B) organizational enculturation.
C) company loyalty.
D) organizational acculturation.

Question 39

An example of involuntary turnover would be when an employee leaves a job

A) because he/she was fired or laid off.
B) because he/she found a better job.
C) because he/she takes an early retirement.
D) All of the above

Question 40

The most widely used organizational commitment measure is

A) the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ).
B) the Organizational Commitment and Loyalty Questionnaire (OCLQ).
C) the Job Descriptive Index (JDI).
D) no measures of organizational commitment have yet been developed.

Question 41

Studies have indicated that on-site child care programs

A) greatly reduce worker absenteeism, but have little effect on job satisfaction.
B) greatly reduce worker absenteeism and increase job satisfaction.
C) increase job satisfaction, but have mild effects on worker absenteeism.
D) do not affect job satisfaction or worker absenteeism.

Question 42

Perhaps the most common way for employers to increase workers' job satisfaction is through

A) pay-for-performance systems.
B) benefit programs.
C) profit sharing.
D) employee ownership.

Question 43

A disadvantage of flextime is that

A) it causes decreased employee satisfaction.
B) it causes a decreased sense of employee control.
C) it causes an increase in employee absenteeism.
D) it is not possible for all jobs.

Question 44

One reason that profit sharing plans may NOT be effective is that

A) it is difficult for employees to see how their individual performance affects the company's total output.
B) profit sharing always yields very small monetary amounts.
C) they have been found to decrease levels of worker output.
D) they are paid on a fixed ratio schedule.

Question 45

Raising the level of responsibility associated with a job is characteristic of

A) job enrichment.
B) job rotation.
C) job enlargement.
D) merit pay.

Question 46

Gainsharing is a compensation system which is based on

A) the number of products produced by a worker.
B) the number of years a worker is employed.
C) the worker's perceived motivation and effort.
D) the effective performance of work groups.

Question 47

Which benefit program has the potential of becoming one of the most popular and sought-after benefits?

A) Flexible working hours
B) Employee-sponsored child care
C) Retirement plans
D) Career development programs

Question 48

Job enlargement may be difficult to implement mainly because

A) workers may prefer job rotation.
B) to use job enlargement, workers must be paid on fixed ratio schedules.
C) workers may perceive the assignment of additional tasks negatively.
D) workers may not want to participate in the planning and evaluation of their activities.

Question 49

Frank works a schedule that consists of a 9-hour work day and a rotation of four days on (at work) and three days off. This is an example of

A) shift work.
B) a compressed work schedule.
C) flextime.
D) job rotation.

Question 50

In the same gingerbread factory, Gretel works from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. Monday through Thursday, while Hansel works from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M Tuesday through Friday. This is an example of

A) shift work.
B) a compressed work schedule.
C) flextime.
D) job rotation.

Question 51

Merit pay involves paying workers according to

A) how long they have been employed by the company.
B) how well they perform on the job.
C) how difficult their jobs are.
D) their level of education.

Question 52

Skill-based pay involves

A) paying workers according to their position in the organization.
B) paying workers according to their length of employment.
C) paying workers according to their knowledge and skills.
D) paying workers according to how much they learn in training programs.

Question 53

Which of the following strategies could be referred to as job enlargement?

A) promoting an employee to supervisor
B) changing the job assignment on a weekly basis
C) improving contact with coworkers
D) adding varied work tasks to the job

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a reason why organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) may be related to organizational effectiveness?

A) Workers who help new workers speed up the orientation and socialization process.
B) OCBs lead to a positive work environment and help in worker recruitment and retention.
C) OCB is associated with higher cooperation and less conflict between workers.
D) Workers who help each other need less managerial supervision.
E) All of the above are reasons why OCB may be related to organizational effectiveness.

Question 55

Proponents of the global approach to job satisfaction argue that this approach helps to indicate specific areas of dissatisfaction which can be targeted for improvement.

Question 56

Organizational citizenship behavior consists of

A) workers cooperating with each other to attain work goals.
B) organizations promoting unqualified workers.
C) organized positive competition between organizational work groups.
D) efforts by organizational members to promote the organization and its goals.

Question 57

Merit pay will increase job satisfaction according to

A) Herzberg's two-factor theory.
B) McClelland's achievement motivation theory.
C) the Porter-Lawler model.
D) None of the above

Question 58

One way to decrease job dissatisfaction that is caused by employee boredom is to

A) allow job rotation.
B) increase salary.
C) improve benefit programs.
D) job dissatisfaction is genetically-based and cannot be decreased.

Question 59

Benefit programs have come to represent about __________ of all money paid for employee compensation.

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 40%
D) 75%

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT a specific type of organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)?

A) self-development
B) sportsmanship
C) organizational devotion
D) civic virtue

Question 61

Involuntary absenteeism is beyond the control of the employee and the organization.

Question 62

Comparing scores from standardized job satisfaction measures that have been obtained from different groups of workers in different companies allows researchers to investigate the various organizational factors that cause job satisfaction and dissatisfaction.

Question 63

There is a negative correlation between age and voluntary absenteeism, and a positive
correlation between age and involuntary absenteeism.

Question 64

Organizational commitment is similar to job satisfaction, since both involve feelings about the work situation.

Question 65

Job satisfaction may be mediated by the perceptions of individual workers.

Question 66

Difficulties in performance assessment may influence the effectiveness of merit pay plans.

Question 67

Major changes in pay structure always lead to dramatic increases in job satisfaction.

Question 68

Compressed workweeks are schedules that decrease the number of hours worked per day.

Question 69

Research consistently indicates that job satisfaction leads to higher job performance.

Question 70

It is very difficult to distinguish voluntary from involuntary absenteeism.

Question 71

Job enrichment can be expensive to organizations due to the need for more highly skilled
and more highly trained workers.

Question 72

Satisfaction with one facet of a job, such as pay or supervision, may be related to job
performance, while satisfaction with other job facets may not be related to performance.

Question 73

Benefit programs are typically not costly to employers.

Question 74

The Job Descriptive Index (JDI) is the most widely used standardized measure of job
satisfaction.

Question 75

There are many difficulties involved in the measurement of job satisfaction.

Question 76

Workers who have been with the company longer are more predisposed to organizational citizenship behavior than are newly hired employees.

Question 77

Workers may have similar levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment because of a desire to avoid cognitive dissonance.

Question 78

Research has indicated that perceived fairness in rewards influences job satisfaction, and
perceived congruence between organizational values and actions influences organizational commitment.

Question 79

Voluntary absenteeism is not influenced by job satisfaction.

Question 80

Research has shown that the happy worker is always a productive worker.