Question 1

Brandon has been selected as the lead IT analyst for a resource center project at a small virtual company. For the time being, his primary supervisor will be the manager of the resource center, however he will also report to the company's IT manager for technical issues and tasks. This type of management structure is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The management structure described in the scenario is a project management structure, where Brandon is serving as the lead IT analyst for a specific project (the resource center project) and reporting to two different managers for different aspects of the project. A functional structure would involve employees being grouped by their areas of expertise (such as marketing or IT) and reporting to a manager within that functional area. A product structure would involve employees being grouped by the specific product they are working on and reporting to a manager for that product. An organic structure is a more flexible, flat management structure often found in smaller, decentralized organizations.

Question 2

William is a supervisor at his work, where he has three employees that report directly to him. William reports to his boss Jennifer, who reports to the president of the company. This type of organizational structure can best be described as:

Accepted Answer

The presence of defined hierarchy and reporting relationships within the organization indicates a formal structure. The fact that William reports to Jennifer, who in turn reports to the president, indicates clear lines of authority and decision-making within the organizational structure.

Question 3

What must be taken into consideration when trying to identify the appropriate span of management?

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Question 4

Which organizational structure defies the unity of command principle? Why?

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Question 5

ARVA International is a nonprofit organization that strives to promote social justice throughout the world. At ARVA, employees continually improve their skills and expand their capacities to meet the organization's social mission. ARVA International can best be described as what type of organization?

Accepted Answer

ARVA International's focus on continually improving skills and expanding capacities to meet the organization's social mission aligns with the characteristics of a learning organization.

Question 6

Landing Page Services has spent the last several months streamlining production and cross-training employees so they can do multiple tasks. Landing Page most likely uses which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Lean manufacturing is a philosophy that focuses on reducing waste and maximizing efficiency in production processes. The fact that Landing Page Services has been streamlining production and cross-training employees to do multiple tasks suggests that they are implementing lean manufacturing principles. This approach can help companies save time and money while improving product quality and customer satisfaction. The other options (A, C, and D) are not as directly related to the specific actions taken by Landing Page Services.

Question 7

What is the difference between job description and job specification? Provide examples.

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Question 8

Sean and Maurice, colleagues at work, get along very well. They regularly discuss professional as well as social matters, and occasionally meet after work with their families. This type of relationship demonstrates what type of organization?

Accepted Answer

This type of relationship between Sean and Maurice is not part of the formal structure of the organization, but rather is an informal relationship between colleagues. Therefore, the organization demonstrated here is an informal organization.

Question 9

What are some guidelines for effectively planning and leading a meeting?

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Question 10

Describe the role that the chairperson of a meeting serves.

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Question 11

Briefly describe some steps a supervisor should take when making work assignments.

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Question 12

At K2X Industries, top management believe that having more than one boss usually leads to unsatisfactory performance by the employee due to confusion over who is in charge. As a result, all employees only report to one boss. This demonstrates which management principle?

Accepted Answer

The given scenario describes the principle of Unity of command, which states that an employee should receive orders and be accountable to only one boss to avoid confusion and ensure clarity in the chain of command.

Question 13

XYC Company recently restructured it's entire company, eliminating many levels of supervision to focus on customer processes rather than functions. After the restructuring, XYC is most likely a _________ corporation.

Accepted Answer

By eliminating many levels of supervision and focusing on customer processes rather than functions, XYC Company is moving towards a horizontal corporation. In a horizontal corporation, there are fewer layers of management and communication is more open, allowing for quicker decision making and a more customer-focused approach.

Question 14

To allow team members to gain leadership experience, in many organizations, the role of __________ rotates regularly.

Accepted Answer

The role of a meeting facilitator often rotates to give team members leadership experience, as it involves guiding discussions and ensuring effective communication.

Question 15

What can a supervisor do to influence an informal organization?

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Question 16

Managers at IT Inc. see a great deal of employee turnover. For this reason, supervisors avoid becoming overly reliant on any one individual lest that individual choose to leave in the near future. IT Inc. is employing which management principle?

Accepted Answer

The principle of organizational stability focuses on minimizing employee turnover and creating a stable workforce. IT Inc. is avoiding relying too heavily on any one employee to mitigate the impact of turnover, indicating that they prioritize stability in their organization.

Question 17

Simply stated, what is an "ideal" organizational structure?

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Question 18

The Benex One firm recently revamped its entire organization. Instead of being organized based on departments and functions, the company now has fluid departments that change based on the projects being developed as they are demanded by customers. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The concept of fluid departments that change based on demands of customers suggests a complete overhaul of the organizational structure and processes, which is the essence of reengineering. Restructuring, downsizing, and retrofitting may involve changes to aspects of the organization, but not necessarily to the extent of reengineering.

Question 19

Alina works at a company where she meets with a group to regularly set work-related tasks. Individuals within this group have considerable authority to make many of their own job-related decisions. Alina's company utilizes which of these?

Accepted Answer

The description given in the question suggests that Alina's company utilizes self-directed teams. This type of team is characterized by having considerable autonomy and decision-making authority given to its members, who are empowered to make key decisions related to their work. This approach is often used in organizations that value collaborative problem-solving and employee empowerment. Focus groups and reengineering teams are not typically characterized by the level of autonomy and decision-making authority described in the question, and staff authority refers to a more traditional organizational structure where decisions are made by a centralized group of authority figures.

Question 20

What have been the practices of the organizations that have downsized most effectively?

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Quiz 8: Supervisory Principles for Organizing