Question 1

Which of the following statements is false?

Accepted Answer

Mass-production technical processes often involve repetitive, simple tasks that are not highly motivating, contrary to what option A suggests. The other options correctly describe aspects of manufacturing technologies and job design.

Question 2

Which of the following types of managers will likely increase the autonomy in a subordinate's job?

Accepted Answer

Managers who decentralize decision making are more likely to increase autonomy in a subordinate's job because decentralization involves delegating decision-making authority down the organizational hierarchy, giving subordinates more freedom to make decisions related to their work.

Question 3

Which of the following methods should be used to collect information about the existing state of jobs in an organization?

Accepted Answer

Each method listed (job diagnostic survey, interviews, and observation) is a valid approach to collecting information about the existing state of jobs in an organization.

Question 4

Which of the following can influence the effectiveness of group-based job design?

Accepted Answer

Each factor listed - the group's composition, the size of the group, and the balance between heterogeneity and homogeneity - can significantly influence the effectiveness of group-based job design. The composition affects how skills and perspectives are combined, the size can impact coordination and communication, and the balance between heterogeneity and homogeneity influences innovation and group cohesion.

Question 5

People who will function most effectively in group-based job design likely are high in the need for

Accepted Answer

People with a high need for affiliation are more likely to function effectively in group-based job designs as they value social interactions and relationships.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is false about social information processing theory?

Accepted Answer

Participation in the job design process can indeed produce satisfaction even without actual changes to the job, as it involves employees in decision-making and gives them a sense of control and value. This contradicts statement B, making it false.

Question 7

In which country are managers least likely to increase their subordinates' autonomy?

Accepted Answer

The answer of In which country are managers least likely...

Question 8

Which of the following statements is false about international aspects of job design?

Accepted Answer

Scandinavian countries are known for emphasizing collective and participatory approaches in job design, rather than individually based approaches. This contrasts with the traditional approach in the United States, which has leaned more towards individual performance and rewards.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is an ethical question raised by self-managing workgroups?

Accepted Answer

Each option (A, B, and C) presents an ethical question related to transparency, consent, and informed decision-making in the context of self-managing workgroups, making all of them relevant ethical considerations.

Question 10

Managers can create a context within which employees experience intrinsic rewards.

Accepted Answer

Managers can shape the work environment in ways that enhance employees' intrinsic motivation, such as by providing meaningful work, autonomy, and opportunities for mastery and growth, which lead to intrinsic rewards.

Question 11

The three job design approaches tried to enhance job content to increase satisfaction and decrease boredom.

Accepted Answer

The three job design approaches (job enlargement, job enrichment, and job rotation) aim to enhance job content by adding variety, responsibility, and opportunities for personal growth, thereby increasing job satisfaction and reducing boredom.

Question 12

The three approaches to job design assume a positive linear relationship between job design and employee attitudes, motivation, and performance. By the 1960s, it became clear that this was not a universal response.

Accepted Answer

The three approaches to job design (mechanistic, motivational, and perceptual-motor approaches) initially assumed a positive linear relationship between job design and outcomes like employee attitudes, motivation, and performance. However, research and practical experience by the 1960s began to show that this relationship was not universally applicable, as individual differences and environmental factors also play significant roles in how job design impacts employee outcomes.

Question 13

Job rotation moves the same worker among different jobs.

Accepted Answer

Job rotation involves moving employees between different tasks or jobs at a company to provide them with a variety of skills and experiences.

Question 14

Job enlargement adds tasks and duties to a person's job.

Accepted Answer

Job enlargement involves increasing the scope of a job through extending the range of its job duties and responsibilities generally within the same level and periphery. This broadens the tasks and duties a person performs.

Question 15

Job enrichment repackages job duties. It does not increase worker autonomy and responsibility.

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment is designed to increase worker autonomy and responsibility by adding more meaningful tasks and duties, thereby making the job more rewarding and satisfying.

Question 16

The job characteristics theory of work motivation expects high levels of affective outcomes to follow high levels of behavioral outcomes.

Accepted Answer

The job characteristics theory of work motivation posits that high levels of certain job characteristics (such as skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback) lead directly to high levels of psychological states (experienced meaningfulness, responsibility, and knowledge of results), which in turn lead to high levels of affective outcomes (such as job satisfaction and motivation), not necessarily following high levels of behavioral outcomes. Behavioral outcomes (such as high-quality work performance) are seen as a result of the affective outcomes and the enriched job characteristics.

Question 17

A negative work context can distract a person from the intrinsically motivating qualities of his or her job.

Accepted Answer

A negative work context, including factors such as poor management, lack of resources, or toxic workplace culture, can overshadow the aspects of a job that an individual might find inherently rewarding or fulfilling, thereby reducing their intrinsic motivation.

Question 18

Feedback from the job itself includes feedback from a person's supervisor at the end of a workday.

Accepted Answer

Feedback from the job itself refers to the information a person gets directly from performing their job tasks, not from evaluations or comments made by others, including supervisors.

Question 19

The job characteristics theory of work motivation carefully distinguishes between perceived and objective job characteristics.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The job characteristics theory of work motivation...

Question 20

Skill variety, task identity, and task significance must all be present in a job to create experienced meaningfulness of the work.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Skill variety, task identity, and task significance...

Quiz 9: Intrinsic Rewards and Job Design