Deck 6: High Performance Workforce Management

Question 1

Gain-sharing is a compensation approach in which all employees share cost savings equally.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In a total quality organization,management teams,natural work teams,self-managed teams,and virtual teams typically work on routine business activities

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Deming was strongly opposed to traditional performance appraisal systems because the performance factors are beyond the control of the individual being appraised.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Studies indicate that cash and non-cash recognition works better for clerical and hourly workers than for managers and professional employees.

Question 5

Master Black Belts work across the organization to develop and coach teams,conduct training,and lead change,but are typically not members of Six Sigma project teams.

Question 6

One area that has remained constant as human resource management practices have evolved is the level of investment in training.

Question 7

Research has found that as employee satisfaction increases,customer satisfaction increases.

Question 8

According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory,maintenance factors motivate workers to work harder.

Question 9

Research has shown that the effectiveness of supervisors is positively related to cooperation and negatively related to competitiveness.

Question 10

Traditionally managed firms viewed human resource management's role as personnel management.

Question 11

Several common approaches to work design-job enlargement,job rotation,and job enrichment-are contrary to Hackman and Oldham's model.

Question 12

The "storming" stage of a team's life cycle is the productive,brain-storming stage when team members generate ideas for solving problems.

Question 13

Peer evaluations are eliminated by most organizations that adopt total quality.

Question 14

Autonomy is a job characteristic that has been found to have an impact on critical psychological states according to Hackman and Oldham's model.

Question 15

Research has indicated that determining who the stakeholders are for a Six Sigma project is an important lesson learned by participants on these project teams.

Question 16

Under the Taylor philosophy,the foreman's role was to assure that the work force met productivity standards.

Question 17

Job design refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units such as departments and teams,while work design refers to responsibilities and tasks assigned to individuals.

Question 18

The criteria for hiring customer-contact employees is shifting from attributes such as enthusiasm and resourcefulness towards criteria based on cognitive and technical skills.

Question 19

ISO 9000:2000 addresses the subject of human resources more comprehensively than does the Baldrige Award.

Question 20

Leading practices in human resource management include an emphasis on individual achievements.

Question 21

_____ refers to the extent of workforce commitment,both emotional and intellectual,to accomplishing the work,mission,and vision of the organization.

A)Workforce engagement
B)Workforce management
C)Personnel scheduling
D)Workforce shift

Question 22

Which of the following would NOT be considered a leading practice in human resource management?

A)Encouraging employee cooperation, initiative, and innovation
B)Empowering employees and teams to make decisions positively affecting quality
C)developing effective compensation, reward, and recognition approaches
D)Assigning workers to single tasks so that they become task specialists

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT TRUE regarding the Taylor system of workforce management?

A)Work processes are controlled externally.
B)Workers who run the process control it.
C)People are a part of the process.
D)Managers are to carefully control people.

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT an activity related to human resource management?

A)Determining the organization's workforce needs
B)Assisting in the design of work systems
C)Acting as a liaison with unions and government organizations
D)Partnering operations in setting production metrics

Question 25

The major focus of Taylor's philosophy of scientific management was:

A)productivity.
B)automation.
C)quality.
D)labor relations.

Question 26

A(n)_____ is a management tool for the submission,evaluation,and implementation of an employee's idea to save cost,increase quality,or improve other elements of work such as safety.

A)workforce vendor system
B)employee engagement system
C)workforce involvement plan
D)employee suggestion system

Question 27

Key factors contributing to engagement include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)performing meaningful work.
B)having organizational direction.
C)strategic responsibility..
D)an efficient work environment.

Question 28

Employee engagement offers many advantages over traditional management practices.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)Replaces trust and cooperation with the adversarial mentality.
B)Increases employee morale and commitment to the organization.
C)Fosters creativity and innovation, the source of competitive advantage.
D)Allows employees to solve problems at the source immediately.

Question 29

Employee _____ refers to any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and improvement activities,with the objectives of tapping the creative energies of all employees and improving their motivation.

A)involvement
B)motivation
C)innovation
D)improvement

Question 30

Research has found that employee satisfaction is:

A)unrelated to customer satisfaction.
B)positively related to customer satisfaction.
C)negatively related to customer satisfaction.
D)related to customer satisfaction only in manufacturing firms.

Question 31

EI approaches can include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)simple sharing of information.
B)designing compensation metrics.
C)providing input on work-related issues.
D)making suggestions to self-directed responsibilities.

Question 32

The Taylor system of workforce management failed to promote:

A)productivity.
B)worker creativity.
C)management responsibility.
D)work standards.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT an important human resource skill that managers must possess to achieve performance excellence?

A)Developing skills through training and coaching
B)Promoting teamwork and participation
C)Motivating and recognizing employees
D)Designing process specifics and metrics

Question 34

_____ represents a fundamental shift in how work is performed in the U.S.

A)Shift work
B)Teamwork
C)Subordination
D)Specialization

Question 35

A specially empowered team that is fully responsible for turning out a well-defined segment of finished work is known as a:

A)self-managed team.
B)virtual team.
C)natural work team.
D)project team.

Question 36

Research has demonstrated that the effectiveness of supervisors is:

A)positively related to cooperation and negatively related to competitiveness.
B)positively related to competitiveness.
C)positively related to cooperation but unrelated to competitiveness.
D)negatively related to cooperation.

Question 37

Organizations with high levels of _____ are often characterized by high-performing work environments.

A)employee loyalty
B)management control
C)employee compensation
D)workforce engagement

Question 38

A team organized to perform an entire job,rather than specialized line-type work is called a:

A)self-managed team.
B)virtual team.
C)natural work team.
D)project team.

Question 39

The Taylor system of workforce management improved _____ at the expense of _____.

A)union relations, productivity
B)quality, productivity
C)planning, execution
D)productivity, worker creativity

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT regarded as a traditional activity of personnel managers?

A)Interviewing job applicants
B)Conducting training courses
C)Planning the corporate culture
D)Negotiating union labor contracts

Question 41

________ refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units,such as departments and teams._________ refers to responsibilities and tasks assigned to individuals.

A)Job design; work design
B)Work design; job design
C)Rostering; job description
D)Worker allocation; team formation

Question 42

Hackman and Oldham concluded that all of the following job characteristics have been found to have an impact on critical psychological states EXCEPT:

A)task significance.
B)task identity.
C)autonomy.
D)task difficulty.

Question 43

In firms that implement Six Sigma efforts,_______ are often considered future business leaders.

A)master black belts
B)black belts
C)champions
D)green belts

Question 44

General Electric's "Work-Out" program is an example of:

A)team-based training.
B)outsourced customer service.
C)a reward system.
D)employee involvement.

Question 45

Acquiring cross-functional skills,working in teams,and increased empowerment are forms of:

A)job enrichment.
B)motivation.
C)workforce involvement.
D)employee motivation..

Question 46

Typically,one of the requirements for receiving a _________ designation is to successfully complete a Six Sigma project.

A)master black belt
B)black belt
C)green belt
D)champion

Question 47

_________ own Six Sigma projects.

A)Master black belts
B)Black belts
C)Green belts
D)Champions

Question 48

The concept of _____ involves increasing a worker's level of responsibility so as to provide the worker the opportunity to use a wider range of skills.

A)job security
B)job enlargement
C)job rotation
D)job enrichment

Question 49

During the ______ stage of a team's life cycle,team members agree on roles,ground rules,and acceptable behavior when doing the work of the team.

A)forming
B)storming
C)norming
D)performing

Question 50

The key stages of a team's life cycle include all of the following EXCEPT:

A)storming.
B)adjourning.
C)norming.
D)rewarding.

Question 51

James L.Bowditch and Anthony F.Buono categorize motivation theories as _____,_____,and _____ theories.

A)organizational; social; hybrid
B)individual; social; ecological
C)content; structure; experiential
D)content; process; environmentally based

Question 52

A job characteristic related to the degree to which a job gives the participant a feeling that the work has a substantial impact on the organization or the world is known as:

A)task identity.
B)autonomy.
C)task significance.
D)feedback from the job.

Question 53

Deming believed that worker motivation is best accomplished by:

A)an optimum of both internal motivation and incentives.
B)internal motivation rather than incentives and bonuses.
C)incentives and bonuses rather than internal motivation.
D)incentives but not bonuses.

Question 54

A formal definition of motivation is:

A)employee involvement in organizational initiatives.
B)combination of effort and faith.
C)a person's achievement orientation.
D)an individual's response to a felt need.

Question 55

A team with a specific mission to develop something new or to accomplish a complex task is called a:

A)self-managed team.
B)virtual team.
C)natural work team.
D)project team.

Question 56

A group of employees fully responsible for all aspects of processing claims at an insurance company is an example of a:

A)problem-solving team.
B)project team.
C)virtual team.
D)self-managed team.

Question 57

Senior-level managers who promote and lead the deployment of Six Sigma in a significant area of the business are known as:

A)master black belts.
B)black belts.
C)green belts
D)champions.

Question 58

The major difference between quality circles and problem-solving teams is that:

A)quality circles are subcommittees from problem-solving teams.
B)quality circles work on pre-chosen problems.
C)quality circles do not meet regularly.
D)quality circles do not disband after solving a specific problem.

Question 59

A team that meets on a regular and on-going basis to address work-related problems involving quality and productivity is known as a:

A)cross-functional team.
B)supervisory team.
C)quality circle.
D)problem-solving team.

Question 60

Saul W.Gellerman defined _____ as the art of creating conditions that allow every one of us,warts and all,to get their work done at their own peak level of efficiency.

A)efficiency
B)motivation
C)employee engagement
D)workforce management

Question 61

_____ means the extent to which an individual contributes to achieving the goals and objectives of an organization.

A)Motivation
B)Performance
C)Involvement
D)Engagement

Question 62

_____ entails "vertical job loading" in which workers are given more authority,responsibility,and autonomy rather than simply more or different work to do.

A)Job enlargement
B)Job rotation
C)Job enrichment
D)Job description

Question 63

_____ indicates the need of workers to be accountable for the quality and quantity of work produced.

A)Experienced meaningfulness
B)Experienced responsibility
C)Knowledge of results
D)Experienced motivation

Question 64

_____ employees make up one of the largest segments of the workforce.

A)Customer-contact
B)Technical-writing
C)Quantitative-analysis
D)Quality-inspection

Question 65

In order to empower employees with the required skills and attitude,significant changes in the work system need to be made.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)An atmosphere of trust be fostered rather than resentment and punishment for failure.
B)Information be shared freely rather than closely guarded as a source of control and power.
C)Making workers feel their efforts are desired and needed for the success of the organization.
D)Giving employees discretion in choosing work-hours and schedules.

Question 66

David Geisler suggests that what traditionally passes for empowerment does not allow employees to use their skills and talents to the maximum and promotes the concept of _____ as an extension of empowerment.

A)self-determination
B)codetermination
C)team-building
D)organizational development

Question 67

_____ implies that all workers feel the need to know how their work is evaluated and the outcome of their evaluation.

A)Experienced meaningfulness
B)Experienced responsibility
C)Knowledge of results
D)Experienced motivation

Question 68

Deming argued that the performance appraisal process was detrimental because it usually fails to account for _____ factors that affect individual performance.

A)system
B)personal
C)external
D)technical

Question 69

Herzberg's Two-Factor theory suggests that two types of factors affect job performance.These factors are:

A)referent and release factors.
B)creative and innovative factors.
C)motivation and reward factors.
D)maintenance and motivational factors.

Question 70

_____ is a shift of decision responsibility downward within an organization.

A)Strategic leadership
B)Involvement
C)Job rotation
D)Empowerment

Question 71

_____ is the psychological need of workers to have the feeling that their work is a significant contribution to the organization and society.

A)Experienced meaningfulness
B)Experienced responsibility
C)Knowledge of results
D)Experienced motivation

Question 72

________ is a performance appraisal approach in which a group of individuals who interact with the employee on a frequent basis participate in both the goal-setting process and the performance appraisal process.

A)Customer evaluation
B)Coworker assessment
C)360-degree feedback
D)Peer review

Question 73

The purpose of _____ is to renew interest or motivation of the individual and to increase his or her complement of skills.

A)job enlargement
B)job rotation
C)job enrichment
D)job description

Question 74

An integrating theory referred to as the Hackman and Oldham model,on how job design impacts motivation,satisfaction,and organizational effectiveness contains four major segments.Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A)Critical psychological states
B)Core job characteristics
C)Enhancing variables
D)Outcomes

Question 75

_____ refers to work approaches used to systematically pursue ever-higher levels of overall organizational and human performance.

A)High-performance work
B)Motivational involvement
C)Excellence management
D)Performance management

Question 76

All of the following are critical psychological states that drive the Hackman and Oldham model EXCEPT:

A)task significance.
B)knowledge of results.
C)experienced responsibility.
D)experienced meaningfulness.

Question 77

In a research conducted on the top employee needs,managers believed _____ to be the number one factor.

A)interesting work
B)pay
C)recognition
D)feeling "in" on things

Question 78

Herzberg's theory suggests that ignoring _____ factors such as supervision,working conditions,salary,peer relations,status,and security will produce dissatisfaction and negatively impact the work environment,while enhancing the _____ factors will produce a positive effect.

A)satisfying; dissatisfying
B)maintenance; motivating
C)internal; external
D)stabilizing; enriching

Question 79

Job enlargement resulted in all of the following EXCEPT:

A)increased fragmentation of jobs.
B)lowered production costs.
C)greater worker satisfaction and higher quality.
D)higher wage rates.

Question 80

_____ is commonly one of the highest initial costs of a quality initiative.

A)New equipment
B)Training
C)Turnover
D)Appraisal