Deck 16: Creating High-Performance Work Systems

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Most high-performance work systems focus their training efforts on ensuring that employees have the skills necessary to assume a greater degree of responsibility.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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

Question 5

Redesigning workflow around key business processes results in a focus on employee tasks and tends to detract from teamwork.

Question 6

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 7

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

Question 8

​Today's organizations are relying on the expertise and initiative of employees to react quickly to incipient problems and opportunities.

Question 9

Moving power downward in organizations frequently requires structural change.

Question 10

High-performance work systems frequently begin with the way work is designed.

Question 11

With fewer layers of management and a focus on team-based organization,the role of managers and supervisors is substantially different in an environment of high-performance work systems.

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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 15

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

Question 16

The principle of shared information typifies a shift in organizations away from the mentality of command and control toward one more focused on employee commitment.

Question 17

Open pay plans can create a more egalitarian environment.

Question 18

Most high-performance work systems make it easy to isolate a single approach to a pay system that works for everyone.

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

To successfully implement a high-performance work system,managers should try to implement all facets of the change at once.

Question 24

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

Question 25

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

Question 26

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

Question 27

Line managers typically own the responsibility for implementing change in high-performance work systems.

Question 28

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 29

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

Question 30

HR Scorecards are used by managers to assess the strategic alignment of their work systems.

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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

Question 34

Using HR Scorecards,managers can assess horizontal fit by determining whether particular HR practices reinforce one another.

Question 35

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

Question 36

Involving union members after the completion of design process and implementation plan helps to build a bridge toward employee buy-in.

Question 37

A process audit is used to determine whether a high-performance work system has been implemented as designed.

Question 38

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

Question 39

In a union environment,an organization's negotiation power is the key criterion for successfully implementing high-performance work systems.

Question 40

​One of the best ways to communicate the business needs to employees 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

The number of jobs requiring little knowledge and skill is _____,and the number of jobs requiring greater knowledge and skill is _____ in recent years.

A)growing; growing
B)declining; declining
C)growing; declining
D)declining; growing

Question 42

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

Question 43

_____ only occurs when all the internal elements of the work system complement and reinforce one another.

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

Question 44

A work environment in which collaboration and teamwork are encouraged and status and power differences are diminished is known as:

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

Question 45

According to the research organization Gallup,only _____ of U.S.employees are actively engaged on the job.

A)14 percent
B)29 percent
C)44 percent
D)59 percent

Question 46

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 47

High-performance work systems that are designed around team processes and capabilities that cannot be transported,duplicated,or copied by rival firms are said to be difficult to imitate.

Question 48

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

Question 49

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 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

_____ 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 54

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 55

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 56

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 57

Which of the following is NOT a typical method of increasing the power of employees?

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

Question 58

Which of the following questions is NOT likely to be included in a process audit?

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 59

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 60

According to the research organization Gallup,_____ of U.S.employees are actively disengaged on the job.

A)15 percent
B)28 percent
C)41 percent
D)60 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

High-performance work systems help organizations develop and harness skills,knowledge,and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations.Which of the following criteria is described in the statement above?

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

Question 63

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 64

High-performance work systems combine the talents of employees and rapidly deploy them in new assignments with maximum flexibility in order to focus on which of the following criteria?

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

Question 65

Which type of training can be used by organizations to ensure that their employees develop a broader understanding of work processes performed by others around them rather than rely on just knowing their own jobs?

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

Question 66

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 67

The richest communication occurs:

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

Question 68

____ 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

Question 69

High-performance work systems establish ways to increase innovation and efficiency,decrease costs,improve processes,and provide something unique to customers to focus on which of the following criteria?

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

Question 70

In high-performance organizations,training is undertaken so that the employees:

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

Question 71

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 72

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 73

High-performance work systems are designed around team processes and capabilities that cannot be transported,duplicated,or copied by rival firms.Which of the following criteria is described in the statement above?

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

Question 74

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 75

To achieve horizontal fit,organizations should use the following HR practices together EXCEPT:

A)first-rate selection system.
B)training and development.
C)compensation.
D)moral testing.

Question 76

According to a study by the Corporate Executive Board,engaged employees outperform average employees by _____.

A)10 percent
B)20 percent
C)33 percent
D)40 percent

Question 77

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 78

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 79

According to a study by the Corporate Executive Board,engaged employees are _____ less likely to leave their organizations than highly disengaged employees.

A)24 percent
B)45 percent
C)66 percent
D)87 percent

Question 80

Which of the following would most likely help managers develop a strong relationship with a union 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 for union relations with the top management