A manufacturing firm aims to become a high-performance work system. To do this, a survey team asks employees for comments and suggestions on how they can improve the firm. Some of the newest hires say they feel left out of decision-making processes, while some of the experienced employees say their objections towards the firm switching to cheaper manufacturing equipment went unheard. Which condition would help the firm strengthen the formation of its high-performance work system?
A) The newest employees should be encouraged to focus on their tasks rather than being involved in improving work methods.
B) The management should allow experienced employees to participate in planning changes in equipment, layout, and work methods.
C) The new employees should be left out of planning changes because they are not accustomed to the firm's way of doing things yet.
D) The firm should hire a third party to gain an outsider's assessment on what needs to be done.
E) The survey team should ignore the employee comments and push for the changes they would like to see instead.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Allowing experienced employees to participate in planning changes would show that the firm values their input and ideas. This would help to strengthen the formation of a high-performance work system as it encourages employee engagement and empowerment. Ignoring employee comments or excluding new employees from the planning process would not address the issues raised and could potentially lead to further dissatisfaction and disengagement among employees. Hiring a third party may provide valuable insights, but it is important to also involve employees in the planning process.

A Manufacturing Firm Aims to Become a High-Performance Work System