Question 1

Adam contends that telework or telecommuting is profitable for both employers and employees and has been a rising trend.Which of the following statements would accurately explain the validity of Adam's statement?

Accepted Answer

Telecommuting can support a strategy of corporate social responsibility because these employees do not produce the greenhouse gas emissions that result from commuting by car.

Question 2

According to the Job Characteristics Model,which of the following best describes task identity?

Accepted Answer

The Job Characteristics Model describes jobs in terms of five characteristics. In this model, task identity refers to the degree to which a job requires completing a "whole" piece of work from beginning to end (for example, building an entire component or resolving a customer's complaint).

Question 3

Job enrichment differs from job rotation in that job enrichment:

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment is the idea of empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs.

Question 4

Maxwin Infomatics Corp.,a nationwide logistics company,has announced the opening of a new unit for the manufacturing division.Alex,the HR manager,has been asked to help plan for the creation of the new unit.Which of the following relates to the task undertaken by Alex,if he is involved in the process of explaining how an employee will execute his or her tasks?

Accepted Answer

Job design is the process of defining how work will be performed and what tasks will be required in a given job. In this scenario, Alex is preparing a job design.

Question 5

Natalie,a manager at a construction company,contends that applying industrial engineering is the simplest way to structure work and maximize efficiency.Which of the following statements supports Natalie's argument?

Accepted Answer

Applying industrial engineering to a job reduces the complexity of the work, making it so simple that almost anyone can be trained quickly and easily to perform the job. Such jobs tend to be highly specialized and repetitive.

Question 6

The industrial engineering approach is most likely to emphasize _____.

Accepted Answer

Industrial engineering looks for the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency. Such jobs tend to be highly specialized and repetitive.

Question 7

Which of the following is true of competency models?

Accepted Answer

Competency models help HR professionals ensure that all aspects of talent management are aligned with the organization's strategy. They focus more on how people work, whereas job analysis focuses more on work tasks and outcomes.

Question 8

In terms of the Job Characteristics Model,feedback refers to the extent to which _____.

Accepted Answer

The Job Characteristics Model describes jobs in terms of five characteristics. In this model, the characteristic of feedback reflects the extent to which a person receives clear information about performance effectiveness from the work itself.

Question 9

Matwork Solutions Inc.is a nationwide logistics company that helps in the transportation of food and other essential products across states.Which of the following would be a benefit to the company if it plans on applying industrial engineering to existing jobs?

Accepted Answer

Industrial engineering provides measurable and practical benefits. However, a focus on efficiency alone can create jobs that are so simple and repetitive that workers get bored.

Question 10

Which of the following best defines competency?

Accepted Answer

A competency is an area of personal capability that enables employees to perform their work successfully. For example, success in a job or career path might require leadership strength, skill in coaching others, and the ability to bring out the best in each member of a diverse team of employees.

Question 11

In which of the following scenarios will workers be less motivated to perform a job per the Job Characteristics Model?

Accepted Answer

According to the Job Characteristics Model, task significance relates to the impact the job has on the lives of other people. The more of each of the five characteristics a job has, the more motivating the job will be.

Question 12

Steve contends that a manager conducting a job analysis is required not only to define jobs when they are created but also to detect changes in jobs.What is the validity of Steve's argument?

Accepted Answer

Although errors in job analysis can have many sources, most inaccuracy is likely to result from job descriptions being outdated. For this reason, job analysis must not only define jobs when they are created but also detect changes in jobs as time passes.

Question 13

Javier,a regional manager for a leading automobile company in the U.S.,decides to design a manufacturing job based on the principles of industrial engineering.Following its successful implementation,which of the following outcomes should he expect?

Accepted Answer

Industrial engineering looks for the simplest way to structure work in order to maximize efficiency. However, a focus on efficiency alone can create jobs that are so simple and repetitive that workers get bored. In this case, since Javier implemented a design based on the principles of industrial engineering, he should expect increased efficiency.

Question 14

Name the model that was developed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham to describe ways to make jobs more motivating.

Accepted Answer

A model that shows how to make jobs more motivating is the Job Characteristics Model, developed by Richard Hackman and Greg Oldham.

Question 15

According to the Job Characteristics Model,_____ refers to the job characteristic that reflects the degree to which a job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work is carried out.

Accepted Answer

The Job Characteristics Model describes jobs in terms of five characteristics. In this model, the characteristic of autonomy relates to the degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work will be carried out.

Question 16

Which of the following is the objective of job enlargement?

Accepted Answer

In a job design, job enlargement refers to broadening the types of tasks performed. The objective of job enlargement is to make jobs less repetitive and more interesting.

Question 17

Richard,a researcher,is of the opinion that organizations should empower employees by designing work to be done by self-managing teams.Which of the following statements would validate Richard's argument?

Accepted Answer

Instead of merely enriching individual jobs, some organizations empower employees by designing work to be done by self-managing work teams. These teams have authority for an entire work process or segment. Team members typically have authority to schedule work, hire team members, resolve problems related to the team's performance, and perform other duties traditionally handled by management.

Question 18

Creations Media Inc.,a publishing company,conducted an internal survey on employee satisfaction.The results indicated that a majority of its support staff considered their jobs to be monotonous.In order to make the requisite change,management decided to combine the job duties of assistants,typists,and file clerks into a single job that requires all three kinds of work.Which of the following techniques of job design did this move constitute?

Accepted Answer

Job extension involves enlarging jobs by combining several relatively simple jobs to form a job with a wider range of tasks. In this case, management decided to combine the job duties of assistants, typists, and file clerks into a single job that requires all three kinds of work because the support staff considered their jobs to be monotonous.

Question 19

Which of the following arrangements would qualify as job rotation?

Accepted Answer

Job rotation does not actually redesign the jobs themselves but moves employees among several different jobs.

Question 20

Which of the following job design techniques involving the addition of decision-making authorities to a job is credited to Frederick Herzberg?

Accepted Answer

The idea of job enrichment, or empowering workers by adding more decision-making authority to their jobs, comes from the work of Frederick Herzberg. According to Herzberg's two-factor theory, individuals are motivated more by the intrinsic aspects of work (for example, the meaningfulness of a job) than by extrinsic rewards such as pay.

Quiz 4: Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs