Question 1

Alex wants to apply the Job Characteristics Model to her employees' work.She plans to sit down with each employee and describe how the employee's job impacts the organization and brings in customers.Alex is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Accepted Answer

Task significance refers to how an employee's job impacts the organization and society as a whole. By sitting down with each employee and describing how their job impacts the organization and brings in customers, Alex is addressing task significance and trying to increase the meaningfulness of their work.

Question 2

Willie found he did not have enough work to keep him busy throughout the work day.He did not want to work harder,but he also did not want to be idle.His boss found some more tasks for him so that he had plenty to do.This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Job enlargement involves adding more tasks and responsibilities to a job to increase the amount of work to be done. In this scenario, Willie's boss found more tasks to add to his job, indicating that his job was enlarged. Job rotation involves moving employees through different positions to gain skills and knowledge. Job enrichment involves giving employees more autonomy and decision-making power in their current job. Work teams involve a group of employees working together to accomplish a common goal. None of these options fit the scenario as closely as job enlargement.

Question 3

Halle is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of the 200 sales associates at Acme Global.She needs the information quickly in order to present it at the next management meeting.In this case,the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Accepted Answer

The questionnaire method is most appropriate for quickly gathering information from a large number of employees, such as the 200 sales associates at Acme Global. It allows for efficient data collection on work performed and working conditions, which is suitable for Halle's needs.

Question 4

Katie and Emily both work at Acme Global.Next month,Katie will work in Emily's job in the accounting department while Emily works in Katie's job in the marketing department.After the month is over,they will return to their regular jobs,hopefully having learned new skills and gained new perspectives.This is an example of _________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario describes job rotation, which involves employees temporarily switching to different roles within the same company in order to develop new skills and gain different perspectives. Job enlargement involves giving employees additional tasks within their current role, while job enrichment involves adding more responsibility and decision-making power to an employee's current role. Work teams involve groups of employees working together to accomplish a goal.

Question 5

Melissa wants to apply the Job Characteristics Model to her employees' work.She plans to redesign jobs so that each employee will be creating widgets from start to finish.Melissa is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Accepted Answer

Task identity refers to the degree to which employees can see the tangible results of their work. By redesigning jobs to have employees create widgets from start to finish, Melissa is increasing the task identity of the jobs. This will allow employees to see the end results of their work, which can lead to greater satisfaction and motivation.

Question 6

Catalina and Christian share a work station on the assembly line.Catalina works the morning shift and Christian works the afternoon shift.Catalina is 5'2" tall and Christian is 5'10" tall.The works station can be lowered to Catalina's height and then raised to Christian's height.Catalina and Christian's jobs have a(n) _______ design.

Accepted Answer

The biological design focuses on ergonomics and physical comfort, which is relevant here as the workstation can be adjusted to accommodate the different heights of Catalina and Christian.

Question 7

Carolyn is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of a research analyst at Acme Global.Since so much of the work is done inside the analyst's head,she cannot observe it.She would like to get an account of what the analyst does hour by hour.In this case,the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Accepted Answer

The diary method would be most appropriate in this case as it involves having the analyst maintain a record of their activities over a certain period of time (e.g. a week or a month). This will provide a detailed account of their work and how they spend their time, even if much of it is internal or difficult to observe. The questionnaire method involves asking a set of predetermined questions, which may not capture all the nuances of the analyst's work. The interview method involves asking the analyst questions directly, which may also miss important details or may be subject to the analyst's biases. The subject matter expert panel method involves consulting with a group of experts to determine the requirements of the job, but may not provide a detailed account of the day-to-day activities of the analyst.

Question 8

Nick would like to identify the work performed and the working conditions of the receptionists at Acme Global.Specifically,he would like to know more about their interrelationships with other workers and gauge the complexity of the job.In this case,the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Accepted Answer

Observation would be the most appropriate job analysis method in this scenario as it involves directly observing the receptionists at work and gaining an understanding of their interrelationships with other workers as well as the complexity of their job. Questionnaires and interviews may be limited by the receptionists' ability to accurately describe their work and working conditions, while subject matter expert panels may not provide as detailed and firsthand information as observation.

Question 9

Sasha's job involves creating a widget from start to finish.She is given autonomy in how she creates the widget and is provided with regular feedback on the quality of her widgets.Sasha's job has a _______ design.

Accepted Answer

Sasha's job has a motivational design, as it provides her with autonomy and feedback, which are two factors that contribute to higher levels of motivation and job satisfaction. Mechanistic design, on the other hand, is characterized by strict procedures and control, while a biological design is a term not commonly used in job design literature. Perceptual-motor design typically refers to jobs that involve physical skills and quick reaction times, which is not relevant to Sasha's job description.

Question 10

Julian was not feeling challenged in his job.He had been doing the same job for five years and knew how to perform all the tasks well.To continue to motivate him,his boss gave him some new challenging tasks.This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Julian's boss gave him new challenging tasks to continue to motivate him. This fits the definition of job enrichment, which involves adding new and more challenging tasks to an employee's job to make it more rewarding and motivating.

Question 11

Marissa has two assistants.She assigns one assistant to all administrative tasks and the other assistant to all research tasks.Marissa is using a ________ design for her assistants' jobs.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Marissa has two assistants.She assigns one assistant...

Question 12

Katrina performs data analysis all day.She places each page of new data on the left side of her computer terminal.After she enters the data,she places the page face-down on the right side of her terminal.Katrina's job has a(n) _______ design.

Accepted Answer

Katrina's job has a mechanistic design because it involves repetitive, routine tasks with a clear structure and process, typical of a mechanistic approach.

Question 13

Nicole wants to apply the Job Characteristics Model to her employees' work.She plans to give her employees more discretion to make decisions in planning,organizing,and controlling their tasks.Nicole is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Accepted Answer

Autonomy is the degree to which a job gives employees the freedom and discretion to plan, organize, and control their work activities. By giving employees more discretion to make decisions in planning, organizing, and controlling their tasks, Nicole is trying to increase the autonomy of the jobs. This can lead to a higher level of job satisfaction and motivation for her employees.

Question 14

Acme Global used to require budget officers to get three signatures on each budget form.When Michael took over the Accounting Department,he changed the form so that only one signature was needed.This is an example of _______.

Accepted Answer

Reducing the number of signatures required from three to one simplifies the process, making it an example of job simplification. This change streamlines the task, making it less complex and more straightforward.

Question 15

Michelle wants to apply the Job Characteristics Model to her employees' work.She plans to increase the number of diverse tasks and skills used to perform each job.Michelle is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Accepted Answer

Skill variety refers to the range of skills required to perform a job, and increasing the number of diverse tasks and skills used to perform each job would increase the skill variety of the job.

Question 16

Stephanie and Mallory are working to identify the work performed and the working conditions for each job within Acme Global.Their final product contains duties,responsibilities,skills,knowledge required,outcomes,and working conditions for each job.The tool they are using is _______.

Accepted Answer

Stephanie and Mallory are performing job analysis, which is the process of identifying and describing the specific job duties, responsibilities, and requirements for a particular position within the organization. Job design refers to the process of outlining the tasks, responsibilities, and requirements for a newly created or re-designed job. Job specification refers to the specific qualifications, skills, and experience needed for a particular job. HR forecasting involves projecting future staffing needs based on factors such as turnover rates and growth projections.

Question 17

When Melissa arrived at work on Monday,her boss asked her to do some research on the state legislature.Melissa spent the morning looking up the information.At lunchtime,her boss asked her to stop doing the research and begin typing up some financial information.Melissa's job has a(n) _______ design.

Accepted Answer

Melissa's job involves adapting to new tasks and responsibilities, which is characteristic of an organic job design. Organic job designs are flexible and change based on the needs of the organization, unlike more rigid or specialized job designs.

Question 18

Laura is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions for the job of ombudsperson.This job has never existed at Acme Global and Laura does not know much about the job.In this case,the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Accepted Answer

Since this job has never existed at Acme Global and Laura does not know much about it, using a subject matter expert panel would be the most appropriate method. This method involves experts who are knowledgeable about the job or industry and can provide insights on what the job entails, its required skills, and working conditions. This would allow Laura to gather information from experienced professionals who have worked in similar roles and can guide her in creating an accurate job analysis.

Question 19

Michaela is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of a software engineer.She plans to ask questions of the person who currently holds the job and compile the answers into a profile of the job.In this case,the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Accepted Answer

The best job analysis method for Michaela's purpose would be an interview with the person currently holding the software engineer job. This method allows for a thorough understanding of the tasks performed, skills required, and working conditions, as well as any other relevant information. The other methods listed (subject matter expert panel, diary, observation) may also provide useful information, but an interview with the current job holder is the most direct and appropriate method for this scenario.

Question 20

Monica wants to apply the Job Characteristics Model to her employees' work.She plans to start giving performance appraisals every three months instead of every 12 months.Michelle is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Accepted Answer

The Job Characteristics Model consists of five core job dimensions - skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback. Among these dimensions, feedback refers to the degree to which employees receive direct and clear information about their performance effectiveness. By changing the performance appraisal frequency from 12 months to 3 months, Michelle is increasing the frequency and immediacy of feedback, which is aimed at improving the meaningfulness of the work and motivating employees to achieve higher levels of performance. Thus, Michelle is trying to change the feedback dimension of the jobs.

Quiz 4: Matching Employees With Jobs