Exam 2: Managing Work Flows and Conducting Job Analysis

A defender strategy might lead a company to functional divisions of labor and work specialization,which are elements of a boundaryless organization.

Payroll,benefits administration,and applicant tracking are common uses for a firm's HRIS.

The goal-setting theory of motivation suggests that employee satisfaction and motivation are functions of:

Job analysis is helpful to HR professionals in performing which of the following tasks?

A fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost,quality,service,and speed is referred to as ________.

Additional Case 2.3 Resources International, Inc. (RII) is going through a major organizational change. Executives at the firm have decided to rethink the whole organization. They believe that employees will be most strongly motivated by experiencing meaningful work, taking responsibility for outcomes, and receiving regular feedback. The HR team will analyze jobs as part of the change process, and HR must choose the best technique for the situation. HR needs to know what the incumbents do in their jobs. HR also needs behavioral descriptions from which to build new performance appraisal systems and training programs. Finally, RII is looking at current staffing practices and trying to decide what type of workforce is best for the future. The business is highly technical and requires highly experienced employees, but product demand is volatile. Demand can double or be cut in half from one year to the next, depending on the economy and competitors' actions. Innovation is key in RII's product development. In order to manage all the HR information generated for and during the change, RII has initiated an HRIS system. -Refer to Additional Case 2.3.The best job analysis technique for RII would be a:

Self-managed teams are synonymous with work groups.

Additional Case 2.1 Benson Manufacturing is a young, small firm that makes computer components and peripherals for assemblers like Dell and Gateway. Benson's market share is highly volatile based on the entrance and exit of competitors into the market. Benson buys raw materials from several suppliers who also supply competitors. The firm has two layers of management between the CEO and the component maker on the line. The firm's CEO read a book about innovation and organizational change and now wants to look at what HR should do about reorganizing and changing staffing practices. The CEO wants to reduce costs in order to increase profit margins because he believes that margins will continue to shrink. While productivity and quality are largely functions of the machines used in the process, the CEO still wants to focus on motivating Benson employees. He wants to motivate them by increasing wages through a bonus program, improving working conditions, and providing job security. -Refer to Additional Case 2.1.What is the flaw in the CEO's suggestions for motivating the workforce?

A(n)________ is a team consisting of volunteers from a unit or department who meet one or two hours per week to discuss quality improvement,cost reductions,or improvement in the work environment.

Additional Case 2.4 Dorenda owns a small business, and she has asked you for HR advice. Her company has a handful of permanent employees, but the work force consists mainly of contract workers. Dorenda typically employs various contractors for three-month projects. Permanent employees typically quit within one year of being hired. Dorenda wants to increase her permanent employees' motivation, so she has set general goals for them to meet. She also plans to hire some more permanent employees, but she first wants to determine what skills, knowledge, and abilities job candidates need to have in order to meet specific company needs. -Refer to Additional Case 2.4.Which of the following would be the most appropriate job analysis tool?

According to goal-setting theory,employees are more motivated by challenging goals than simple goals.

One organizational structure that lends itself to the formation of joint ventures and strategic alliances is a:

Additional Case 2.2 You are the HR manager at Steel City, Inc., a firm that is considering going global in its product line and markets. The president realizes that this may require a reorganization. She wants to move into new international markets with minimum time and effort. She also wants to reduce management overhead and labor costs. At the same time, employees have been complaining about their work. Jobs are repetitive, and employees don't know how their work fits into the big picture. The president wants to provide employees with satisfying work, autonomy, and a performance-based pay system. She wants to give them as much control as possible and remove layers of management. -Refer to Additional Case 2.2.The president's ideas regarding employee dissatisfaction suggest that her thinking would be most compatible with a ________ theory of motivation.

Innovative firms typically benefit from job analyses that focus on worker characteristics instead of job characteristics.

A manager who is looking at the tasks,duties,and responsibilities of a given job is conducting a job analysis.

What type of team would work best in a situation where you expect only a part-time commitment from each member,where each member will work in a different city or state,and where rapid communication is important?

Additional Case 2.1 Benson Manufacturing is a young, small firm that makes computer components and peripherals for assemblers like Dell and Gateway. Benson's market share is highly volatile based on the entrance and exit of competitors into the market. Benson buys raw materials from several suppliers who also supply competitors. The firm has two layers of management between the CEO and the component maker on the line. The firm's CEO read a book about innovation and organizational change and now wants to look at what HR should do about reorganizing and changing staffing practices. The CEO wants to reduce costs in order to increase profit margins because he believes that margins will continue to shrink. While productivity and quality are largely functions of the machines used in the process, the CEO still wants to focus on motivating Benson employees. He wants to motivate them by increasing wages through a bonus program, improving working conditions, and providing job security. -Refer to Additional Case 2.1.The CEO most likely read a book that referred to the motivation theory of:

Which of the following is most likely a true statement about contract workers?

A KSA matrix is used to determine how well employees carry out the knowledge,skills,and abilities necessary for their tasks.

The ________ is the most important part of the job description because it influences all other parts of the job description.