Deck 16: Implementing HR Strategy: High-Performance Work Systems

Question 1

ViviTech has embraced the principle of shared information. This indicates that they are shifting away from the mentality of command and control toward one more focused on employee commitment.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Knowledge development goes hand-in-hand with information sharing in high-performance work systems.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Many high-performance work systems begin with highly directive recruitment and selection practices.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To encourage employees to pursue job outcomes that are in alignment with an organization's goals, managers should link rewards to performance.

Question 5

The principle of shared information is part of the implementation of a command and control work system.

Question 6

ViviTech wants to move power downward to empower its employees. This will probably require structural change.

Question 7

When ViviTech embraced a high-performance work system, supervisors saw their roles change as there were fewer layers of management and a focus on team-based organization.

Question 8

The new management at ViviTech has convinced the staff that switching to a high-performance work system will allow the employees greater flexibility and the ability to quickly switch to new assignments. Management is stressing the criterion of being organized.

Question 9

High-performance work systems depend on the shift from knowledge work to touch labor.

Question 10

It is not uncommon for employees to intentionally or unintentionally pursue outcomes that are beneficial to them but not necessarily to their organization as a whole.

Question 11

One of the underlying ideas of high-performance work systems is that workers are intimately acquainted with the nature of their own work and are therefore in the best position to recognize problems and devise solutions to them.

Question 12

One advantage ViviTech experienced when it embraced a high-performance work system was that it was much easier to isolate a single approach to a pay system that works for everyone.

Question 13

Steph is trying to convince the management at ViviTech to implement a high-performance work system. In several meetings, members of senior management have stressed the importance of increasing innovation and efficiency while lowering costs and providing something unique to the customer. The success criterion that Steph should emphasize is that of being valuable.

Question 14

Compensation packages are not significant for high-performance work systems (HPWSs) to succeed, as HPWSs generally focus on knowledge development and information sharing.

Question 15

In order to prepare workers for success, most high-performance work systems focus their training efforts on ensuring that employees have the skills necessary to assume a greater degree of responsibility.

Question 16

Employees who are given timely information about business plans, performance, and strategies are more likely to make good suggestions for improving businesses.

Question 17

Involving employees in decision making and giving them the power to act tends to decrease employee engagement.

Question 18

One way that a firm can achieve egalitarianism is by adopting an open pay plan.

Question 19

ViviTech is trying to set up a high-performance work system. Management should not redesign workflow around key business processes because, while that results in a focus on employee tasks, it tends to detract from teamwork.

Question 20

The primary principles that underlie a high-performance work system are egalitarianism and engagement, shared information and trust, knowledge development, and performance-reward linkage.

Question 21

Efforts to achieve vertical fit help focus the design of high-performance work systems on strategic priorities.

Question 22

Tina has been charged with determining whether a high-performance work system has been implemented as designed. She should conduct a process audit.

Question 23

Now that ViviTech has implemented a high-performance work system, the firm is able to combine the talents of employees to quickly assign them to new assignments. This demonstrates the criterion of being valuable.

Question 24

Achieving horizontal fit means testing to make certain that all of the HR practices, work designs, management processes, and technologies complement one another.

Question 25

High-performance work systems need to be periodically evaluated in terms of organizational priorities and initiatives.

Question 26

The gap between today and the future represents a starting point for discussion when communicating business needs to employees.

Question 27

Senior and line managers typically own the responsibility for implementing change in high-performance work systems.

Question 28

When implementing a high-performance work system, managers at start-up firms have the advantage of being able to put everything in place at once.

Question 29

HR Scorecards can be used to diagnose both horizontal fit and vertical fit in a relatively straightforward way.

Question 30

In a work system with a high degree of horizontal fit, adjusting one HR practice is not likely to substantially impact the other components of the work system.

Question 31

Managers at ViviTech are required to assess horizontal fit periodically. They can use HR Scorecards to determine whether or not particular HR practices reinforce one another.

Question 32

Each organization has unique circumstances, and parties are more likely to commit to procedures they create and own.

Question 33

In an environment of shared information, the richest communication occurs face to face.

Question 34

The synergy achieved through overlapping work and human resource practices is at the heart of what makes a high-performance system effective.

Question 35

Timely and accurate communications are essential for high-performance work systems to succeed.

Question 36

One of the tools available to managers to assess the strategic alignment of their work systems is the HR Scorecard.

Question 37

ViviTech really needs to achieve employee buy-in as it moves to a high-performance work system. Because ViviTech is unionized, a key way to do that is to involve union members after the completion of the design process and implementation plan.

Question 38

Horizontal fit occurs when all the internal elements of a work system complement and reinforce one another.

Question 39

Some research studies have found that unions can be a barrier to high-performance work systems.

Question 40

Ron is a manager at ViviTech. He wants to explain the business needs to his employees who don't have a good sense of the big picture view of the organization's goals. One of the best ways for him to do this is to show them the gap between the organization's current performance and capabilities and where it needs to be in the future.

Question 41

Many high-performance work systems begin with highly directive

A)compensation policies.
B)work flow systems.
C)recruitment and selection practices.
D)top-down communication systems.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a primary principle for support of high-performance work systems?

A)Shared information
B)Knowledge development
C)Totalitarianism
D)Linking rewards with performance

Question 43

Management at ViviTech is looking for ways to increase the power of the firm's employees. They should consider all of the following EXCEPT which?

A)Job enlargement
B)Enrichment
C)Standardization
D)Relying on self-managed teams

Question 44

When implementing a high-performance work system, sharing a vision of the future would be part of which step?

A)Engage stakeholders
B)Build a case for change
C)Communication
D)Evaluate/Sustain

Question 45

When implementing a high-performance work system, a process audit would be part of which step?

A)Engage stakeholders
B)Build a case for change
C)Communication
D)Evaluate/Sustain

Question 46

Skills, knowledge, and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations are known as rare.

Question 47

High-performance work systems frequently begin with

A)selecting employees.
B)writing a mission statement.
C)employee training.
D)the way work is designed.

Question 48

Connecting rewards to organizational performance ensures

A)higher labor costs.
B)fairness and tends to focus employees on the organization.
C)competitive wages for employees.
D)higher employee turnover.

Question 49

Nikki is conducting a process audit. Which of the following questions is she NOT likely to include?

A)Are employees getting the information they need to make empowered decisions, and are they engaged?
B)Are union officials on notice and cooperating with organizational changes?
C)Are training programs developing the knowledge and skills employees need?
D)Are employees being rewarded for good performance and useful suggestions?

Question 50

In __________ environment, one would expect to see that collaboration and teamwork are encouraged and status and power differences are diminished.

A)an egalitarian
B)an autocratic
C)a democratic
D)a self-actualization

Question 51

Which of the following principles is critical for the success of empowerment and involvement initiatives in organizations?

A)Shared information
B)Knowledge development
C)Totalitarianism
D)Linking rewards with performance

Question 52

__________ is a situation in which a high-performance work system supports an organization's goals and strategies.

A)Totalitarianism
B)Vertical fit
C)Absenteeism
D)Flattening

Question 53

ViviTech has embraced a new high-performance work system that has been designed around team processes and capabilities that would be very difficult for its competitors to duplicate or copy. This means they are difficult to imitate.

Question 54

To invest in employee knowledge development, all of the following HR practices would be appropriate EXCEPT

A)selecting the best and brightest candidates available.
B)providing all employees with continuous training.
C)rewarding employees for the acquisition of new skills.
D)rewarding employees for absenteeism.

Question 55

When implementing a high-performance work system, allocating resources and empowering others would be part of which step?

A)Engage stakeholders
B)Build a case for change
C)Communication
D)Evaluate/Sustain

Question 56

Employee skills, knowledge, and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations are difficult to imitate.

Question 57

Which of the following principles typifies a shift away from the mentality of command and control in organizations?

A)Shared information
B)Knowledge development
C)Totalitarianism
D)Linking rewards with performance

Question 58

Egalitarian work environments reduce or eliminate __________, while increasing or improving __________.

A)the need for skill-based pay systems; team performance
B)status and power differences; collaboration and teamwork
C)the need for shared information; teamwork
D)status and power differences; other disparities

Question 59

__________ only occurs when all the internal elements of the work system reinforce one another.

A)Synergy
B)Absenteeism
C)Horizontal fit
D)Benchmarking

Question 60

A recent Gallup study reported that firms with top engagement scores had __________ higher productivity.

A)11 percent
B)18 percent
C)36 percent
D)72 percent

Question 61

Employment stability, team-based behaviors, and strategy-focused behaviors are used as part of an HR Scorecard to assess

A)workforce deliverables.
B)HR deliverables.
C)external objectives.
D)top management support.

Question 62

HR Scorecards can be used to diagnose

A)short-term organizational efficiency.
B)long-term organizational efficiency.
C)competitive strategic alignment.
D)horizontal fit and vertical fit.

Question 63

ViviTech wants to make sure that employees develop a broader understanding of work processes performed by others around them rather than rely on just knowing their own jobs. What type of training should ViviTech use to achieve this goal?

A)Spot-training
B)Efficiency-training
C)Cross-training
D)Work-training

Question 64

ViviTech has implemented a high-performance work system that was designed around team processes and capabilities that cannot be transported, duplicated, or copied by rival firms. Which of the following criteria drove this design?

A)Difficult to imitate
B)Organized
C)Valuable
D)Rare

Question 65

The richest communication occurs

A)in writing.
B)face to face.
C)via videos.
D)by using technology.

Question 66

To create a more flexible pool of employees, managers should

A)rely on job-based pay structures.
B)rely on skill-based pay structures.
C)implement a gain sharing incentive system.
D)implement an employee stock ownership plan.

Question 67

Which of the following compensation systems does NOT focus employee efforts on outcomes that are beneficial to both themselves and the organization as a whole?

A)Profit-sharing plans
B)Employee stock ownership plans
C)Hour-based pay plans
D)Gain sharing plans

Question 68

What type of fit describes high-performance work systems that complement and reinforce one another?

A)Lateral fit
B)Depth fit
C)Vertical fit
D)Horizontal fit

Question 69

The idea that things tend to go more smoothly when there is some way to align the interests of an organization and its employees is an aspect of which underlying principle of high-performance work systems?

A)Shared information and trust
B)Egalitarianism and engagement
C)Knowledge development
D)Performance-reward linkage

Question 70

To achieve vertical fit, organizations must first analyze all of the following EXCEPT

A)competitive challenges.
B)organizational values.
C)other HR components.
D)employee concerns.

Question 71

One reason ViviTech has adopted a high-performance work system was to develop and harness skills, knowledge, and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations. Which of the following criteria does this describe?

A)Valuable
B)Rare
C)Organized
D)Difficult to imitate

Question 72

A recent Gallup study reported that firms with top engagement scores had __________ higher profitability.

A)21 percent
B)32 percent
C)16 percent
D)45 percent

Question 73

Which of the following would most likely help managers develop a strong relationship with employees in implementing high-performance work systems?

A)Relying on informal communication
B)Concentrating efforts on achieving all of the organization's objectives
C)Involving them early in the design process
D)Concentrating accountability with the top management

Question 74

A company that is outlining its strategy and vision of the future is at which step in implementing a high-performance work system?

A)Engage stakeholders
B)Build a case for change
C)Communication
D)Evaluate/Sustain

Question 75

The internal elements of a work system that must be considered to achieve horizontal fit include all of the following EXCEPT

A)HR practices.
B)leadership.
C)technologies.
D)moral testing.

Question 76

ViviTech is a high-performance organization. The key reason for training at ViviTech is so that the employees

A)assume greater responsibility.
B)earn higher wages.
C)lower organizational costs.
D)remain loyal to the organization.

Question 77

Efforts to design high-performance work systems in line with vertical fit issues, such as competitive challenges and company values, help in

A)creating empowerment in workers.
B)focusing the design on strategic priorities.
C)improving horizontal fit accordingly.
D)making the implementation stage easier.

Question 78

ViviTech wanted to implement a high-performance work system that would combine the talents of employees and rapidly deploy them in new assignments with maximum flexibility. Which criterion was ViviTech focusing on?

A)Valuable
B)Rare
C)Organized
D)Difficult to imitate

Question 79

ViviTech wanted to implement a high-performance work system that would establish ways to increase innovation and efficiency, decrease costs, improve processes, and provide something unique to customers. Which criterion was ViviTech focusing on?

A)Rare
B)Difficult to imitate
C)Valuable
D)Organized

Question 80

__________ is a pool of money employees can spend on capital improvements if a company meets its profitability goals.

A)Profit-sharing fund
B)Employee stock ownership
C)Intracapital
D)Skill-based pay