Deck 4: The Analysis and Design of Work

Question 1

A disadvantage of the Position Analysis Questionnaire is that it requires employees to have the reading level of a college graduate.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: In spite of its widespread use, the PAQ is not without problems. One problem is that to fill out the test, an employee needs the reading level of a college graduate; this disqualifies some job incumbents from the PAQ.

Question 2

Work-flow design refers to the relatively stable and formal network of vertical and horizontal interconnections among jobs that constitute the organization.

Answer 2

False
Explanation: Work-flow design is the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, prior to allocating and assigning these tasks to a particular job category or person.

Question 3

The mechanistic approach to job design has its roots in classical engineering.

Answer 3

True
Explanation: The mechanistic approach has roots in classical industrial engineering. The focus of the mechanistic approach is identifying the simplest way to structure work that maximizes efficiency.

Question 4

Unlike the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, which described approximately 1,000 occupations, O * NET lists some 12,000 jobs.

Question 5

Job analysis refers to the process of getting detailed information about jobs.

Question 6

Centralization refers to the degree to which work units are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of work flow.

Question 7

KSAOs are characteristics about people that are not directly observable, but that can be identified when individuals are carrying out the TDRs of the job.

Question 8

Job context is not part of the Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ).

Question 9

Although we tend to view jobs as changing and evolving over time, jobs are static and stable.

Question 10

The way in which a firm competes has little relationship to the way it is structured and how work tasks are organized.

Question 11

Employees in functional structures tend to have more decision-making authority than their counterparts in divisional structures.

Question 12

A job description is a list of the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that an individual must have to perform the job.

Question 13

Career planning entails matching an individual's skills and aspirations with opportunities that are or may become available in the organization.

Question 14

The final stage in the work-flow analysis is to identify the inputs used in the development of the work unit's product.

Question 15

Divisional structures are most appropriate in stable, predictable environments where it is relatively easy to anticipate demands for resources and coordination requirements between jobs that are not consistent over time.

Question 16

Due to technological changes in the nature of work, global competition, and a shift from stable, fixed manufacturing jobs to a more flexible, dynamic service-based economy, the Dictionary of Occupational Titles has been replaced by O * NET, the Occupational Information Network.

Question 17

Work-flow process is a means for the manager to understand all the tasks required to produce a number of high-quality products as well as the skills necessary to perform those tasks.

Question 18

Once the output of a work unit has been identified, it is important to specify the quality and quantity standards for these outputs.

Question 19

Functional structures tend to be less flexible, but more innovative than divisional structures.

Question 20

For teams to be effective, it is essential that the level of task interdependence be greater than the level of outcome interdependence.

Question 21

An organization needs to create a fit between its environment, competitive strategy, and _____.

A)products
B)services
C)philosophy
D)finances
E)production processes

Question 22

The ProMES system is most relevant to what part of work-flow analysis?

A)Analyzing work finances
B)Analyzing work processes
C)Analyzing work inputs
D)Analyzing work relationships
E)Analyzing work outputs

Question 23

_____ refers to the degree to which work units are grouped based on functional similarity or similarity of work flow.

A)Departmentalization
B)Centralization
C)Decentralization
D)Work-flow analysis
E)Functionalization

Question 24

Whereas the biological approach to job design focuses on physical capabilities and limitations, the perceptual-motor approach focuses on human mental capabilities and limitations.

Question 25

_____ provides a cross-sectional overview of the static relationships between individuals and units that create the outputs.

A)Work-flow analysis
B)Organizational structure
C)Work-flow evaluation
D)Work-relationship analysis
E)Work-flow design

Question 26

When decision-making authority resides at the top of the organizational chart as opposed to being distributed throughout lower levels, an organization is _____.

A)divisional
B)horizontal
C)centralized
D)decentralized
E)vertical

Question 27

The motivational approach emerged as a reaction to mechanistic approaches to job design.

Question 28

How much the members in a team share a reward for task accomplishment is shown by _____.

A)member heterogeneity
B)potency
C)outcome interdependence
D)task interdependence
E)reward allocation

Question 29

Which of the following structures combines a work-flow departmentalization scheme with relatively low levels of centralization?

A)Mechanistic structure
B)Divisional structure
C)Functional structure
D)Centralized structure
E)Decentralized structure

Question 30

If work is organized around teams, then:

A)highly complex work should be assigned to single individuals.
B)team bonuses need to play a major role in terms of defining rewards.
C)individual pay raises need to play a major role in terms of defining rewards.
D)decision-making power should be centralized.
E)individual accountability of behavior should be banned.

Question 31

The final stage of a work-flow analysis is identifying the work _____.

A)outputs
B)inputs
C)processes
D)relationships
E)finances

Question 32

Which of the following statements is true about job design and job analysis?

A)Job design and job analysis have extensive overlap.
B)Job analysis has had a more proactive orientation.
C)Job design has had a passive orientation.
D)Job design focuses on analyzing existing jobs to gather information.
E)Job analysis has focused on revamping existing jobs to make them more motivating to jobholders.

Question 33

_____ provides a longitudinal overview of the dynamic relationships by which inputs are converted into outputs.

A)Work-flow analysis
B)Organizational structure
C)Work-flow evaluation
D)Work-relationship analysis
E)Work-flow design

Question 34

Which of the following is true about team-based job design?

A)The team-based job design is dying in the present day company situations.
B)Team members are not allowed to back each other up.
C)Although in a team, members cannot share work when one member becomes overloaded.
D)Some members lean too much on other team members.
E)Teams are a panacea for every situation.

Question 35

The work _____ are the activities that members of a work unit engage in to produce a given output.

A)outputs
B)analyses
C)inputs
D)processes
E)designs

Question 36

_____ focuses on analyzing existing jobs to gather information for other human resource management practices.

A)Job design
B)Job analysis
C)Job evaluation
D)Work-flow design
E)Job information

Question 37

The choice of various job design approaches depends on the trade-off between the effectiveness of jobs and the efficiency with which the jobs are performed.

Question 38

Scientific management was one of the earliest and best-known statements of the mechanistic approach.

Question 39

Which of the following refers to the process of analyzing the tasks necessary for the production of a product or service, prior to allocating and assigning the tasks to a particular job category or person?

A)Job design
B)Job specification
C)Job evaluation
D)Work-flow design
E)Job description

Question 40

The biological approach is concerned with issues such as lighting, space, and working hours.

Question 41

Which of the following refers to the reasoning, decision making, planning, and information processing activities that are involved in performing the job?

A)Mental process
B)Information input
C)Work output
D)Job context
E)Data input

Question 42

When job analysis information is used to judge the relative dollar value of each job within an organization, this HR activity is termed _____.

A)performance evaluation
B)training and development
C)job evaluation
D)work redesign
E)career planning

Question 43

Which of the following structures are most appropriate when demands for resources can be well anticipated?

A)Functional
B)Divisional
C)Project-based
D)Team-based
E)Monetary-based

Question 44

Which of the following refers to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that an individual must have to perform the job?

A)Job specification
B)Job description
C)Job standardization
D)Job design
E)Job evaluation

Question 45

Identifying the most qualified applicants for employment refers to _____.

A)career planning
B)human resource planning
C)training
D)selection
E)job evaluation

Question 46

Which of the following is a drawback of the functional structure?

A)Lack of coordination
B)Cascading effect of errors
C)Redundancy
D)Possibility of rogue units
E)Self-cannibalization

Question 47

In _____, managers analyze an organization's human resource needs in a dynamic environment and develop activities that enable a firm to adapt to change.

A)human resource planning
B)work-flow analysis
C)selection
D)recruitment
E)career planning

Question 48

Which of the following structures can detect and exploit opportunities in their respective consumer base faster?

A)Functional structure
B)Divisional structure
C)Decentralized structure
D)Centralized structure
E)Mechanistic structure

Question 49

Which of the following sources of job analysis information would provide accurate information regarding the time spent on various tasks?

A)Supervisors
B)Incumbents
C)Customers
D)Subordinates
E)Chief Executive Officers

Question 50

In functional and centralized structures:

A)managers need to be more experienced relative to managers in divisional structures.
B)managers need to be more sensitive to individual differences between workers.
C)employees tend to think of fairness in terms of rules and procedures.
D)managers need to be high in cognitive ability relative to managers in divisional structures.
E)managers tend to have high responsibility for managing coordination between themselves and others.

Question 51

Which of the following is true about job analysis and line managers?

A)Managers need not have detailed information about all the jobs in their work group.
B)Employees get hired by the human resource department without a manager's input.
C)It provides an avenue for communicating policy information to employees.
D)Safety of the work being done is not a part of the managers' responsibilities.
E)It is the managers' responsibility to ensure that each individual is performing satisfactorily.

Question 52

Which of the following sources of job analysis information would provide accurate information regarding the importance of various tasks?

A)Supervisors
B)Incumbents
C)Customers
D)Subordinates
E)Chief Executive Officers

Question 53

A person's factual or procedural information that is necessary for successfully performing a task is called _____.

A)aptitude
B)ability
C)skill
D)responsibility
E)knowledge

Question 54

Which of the following refers to a list of the tasks, duties, and responsibilities that a job entails?

A)Job specification
B)Job description
C)Job standardization
D)Job design
E)Job evaluation

Question 55

Which of the following structures can result in employees having a weak conceptualization of the organization's overall mission?

A)Mechanistic structure
B)Divisional structure
C)Decentralized structure
D)Centralized structure
E)Functional structure

Question 56

Self-cannibalization is a concern of which one of the following structures?

A)Functional
B)Divisional
C)Project-based
D)Team-based
E)Monetary-based

Question 57

Divisional structures are most appropriate when:

A)flexibility is required.
B)the environment is stable and predictable.
C)coordination requirements between jobs can be refined and standardized.
D)jobs are highly specialized.
E)the consumer base is heterogeneous.

Question 58

Which of the following structures helps support organizations that compete on differentiation?

A)Functional
B)Team-based
C)Project-based
D)Divisional
E)Monetary-based

Question 59

In most cases, job analysis information is obtained from _____.

A)customers
B)competitiors
C)supervisors
D)job incumbents
E)chief executive officers

Question 60

Which of the following refers to the physical activities, tools, and devices used by the worker to perform the job?

A)Mental process
B)Information input
C)Work output
D)Job context
E)Data input

Question 61

Which term refers to changing the tasks or the way work is performed in an existing job?

A)Job redesign
B)Job engineering
C)Job reconfiguration
D)Job design
E)Job revamp

Question 62

The extent to which the job has an important impact on the lives of other people is _____.

A)task identity
B)skill variety
C)autonomy
D)task significance
E)task discretion

Question 63

Within the Job Characteristics Model, the degree to which the job allows an individual to make decisions about the way the work is carried out is called _____.

A)task identity
B)task discretion
C)skill variety
D)autonomy
E)task significance

Question 64

By designing jobs according to the mechanistic approach:

A)the organization increases its need for high-ability individuals.
B)the organization becomes more dependent on individual workers.
C)individuals become irreplaceable.
D)individuals can be trained to perform jobs.
E)work of every individual is fully planned.

Question 65

Which of the following approaches to job design entails performing time-and-motion studies?

A)Motivational approach
B)Mechanistic approach
C)Biological approach
D)Perceptual-motor approach
E)Traditional approach

Question 66

The mechanistic approach entails:

A)increasing the meaningfulness of jobs through job enlargement.
B)redesigning equipment used in jobs that are physically demanding.
C)planning work of every workman by the management at least one day in advance and each man received in most cases complete written instructions, describing in details the task which he is to accomplish.
D)designing jobs in a way that they do not exceed people's mental capabilities and limitations.
E)making the work so simple that anyone can be trained quickly and easily to perform it.

Question 67

Which of the following approaches to job design focuses on job satisfaction as the major outcome of interest?

A)Administrative approach
B)Mechanistic approach
C)Biological approach
D)Perceptual-motor approach
E)Motivational approach

Question 68

As a manager, you want to redesign a job because your most recent attitude survey indicated that individuals were very bored with the monotony of their jobs. Which job design approach would be most helpful to you?

A)Administrative approach
B)Mechanistic approach
C)Biological approach
D)Perceptual-motor approach
E)Motivational approach

Question 69

The degree to which a job requires completing a whole piece of work from beginning to end is _____.

A)task identity
B)skill variety
C)autonomy
D)task significance
E)task discretion

Question 70

Which of the following approaches to job design has its roots in the organizational psychology and management literatures?

A)Motivational approach
B)Mechanistic approach
C)Biological approach
D)Perceptual-motor approach
E)Administrative approach

Question 71

Which of the following is true about O * NET?

A)It is a private job-listing index, which is provided at no cost to employees or employers.
B)It uses a common language that generalizes across jobs to describe the abilities, work styles, work activities, and work context required for various occupations.
C)It provides descriptive information regarding over 12,000 jobs, as well as some of the skills and educational requirements of successful job incumbents.
D)It was designed to increase the efficiency of labor hours.
E)It was introduced to help employers accomplish human resource functions.

Question 72

The most common source for error in job analysis results from:

A)job descriptions being outdated.
B)job descriptions being too narrow.
C)job descriptions being misrepresentative.
D)job descriptions being too broad.
E)job descriptions being too descriptive.

Question 73

Which of the following approaches to job design focuses on efficiency as the major outcome of interest?

A)Motivational approach
B)Mechanistic approach
C)Biological approach
D)Perceptual-motor approach
E)Administrative approach

Question 74

Which of the following methods is no longer used for analyzing jobs today?

A)Position Analysis Questionnaire
B)General Aptitude Test Battery
C)Dictionary of Occupational Titles
D)Occupational Information Network
E)Work Profiling System

Question 75

Within the Job Characteristics Model, the extent to which a person receives clear information about his/her performance from the job itself is termed _____.

A)autonomy
B)communication
C)feedback
D)task identity
E)appraisal

Question 76

Which of the following is true about outcomes when the core job characteristics are high?

A)Fall in performance quality
B)Lower job complexity
C)Reduced job satisfaction
D)Higher external work motivation in individuals
E)Critical psychological states are high

Question 77

Adding more decision-making authority to a job to increase its motivational potential is known as _____.

A)job enlargement
B)job rotation
C)job involvement
D)job enrichment
E)job leadership

Question 78

Which of the following is true about job designs emphasizing the motivational approach?

A)They tend to focus on increasing the complexity of jobs.
B)Much of the work on task specialization had its roots in motivational approach.
C)Leadership is the sole prerogative of one person.
D)Distribution of leadership affects group performance.
E)Interventions emphasizing motivational approach may have dramatic effects on employee motivation.

Question 79

Which of the following refers to the process of defining the way work will be performed and the tasks that will be required in a given job?

A)Job specification
B)Job evaluation
C)Job description
D)Job design
E)Job redesign

Question 80

Which of the following is a psychological state associated with the Job Characteristics Model?

A)Experience
B)Authority
C)Social interaction
D)Information
E)Responsibility