Deck 3: Meaningful Work

Question 1

Something that is important for achieving self-actualization through work is

A)positive social interaction on the job.
B)intense division of labor.
C)the use of simple technology.
D)the absence of distracters.
E)Self-actualization through work is not possible.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an informal behavioral response to alienation?

A)focus on informal interactions
B)passive resistance
C)strike
D)absenteeism
E)sabotage

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Job stress is

A)an increasing social problem affecting workers worldwide.
B)an effective motivator to improve workers' production.
C)declining with the increase of technology.
D)not a problem for most workers or organizations in the U.S.
E)none of the above

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Worker sabotage is generally a result of

A)lack of management control.
B)too much management control.
C)passive resistance.
D)hiring workers with criminal records.
E)outside agitation.

Question 5

Alienation occurs

A)when work does not satisfy the human needs for identity and meaning.
B)when work provides money insufficient to live.
C)when work isolates the worker from his or her family.
D)when one social class exploits other classes.
E)when workers' rewards are less than their productivity.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a primary cause of alienation or self-actualization?

A)nature of job tasks
B)technology
C)economic conditions
D)organizational structure
E)organizational policies

Question 7

What are the two basic dimensions used in Argyris's theory of job satisfaction?
A) passivity-activity
B) challenging-unchallenging
C) dependence-independence
D) cooperative-competitive

A)A & C
B)A & B
C)C & D
D)B & C
E)A & D

Question 8

The aspects of alienation as discussed by Marx are alienation from

A)products, process, creativity, others.
B)process, products, rewards, others.
C)products, process, meaning, creativity.
D)process, products, norms, others.
E)meaning, norms, rewards, roles.

Question 9

In spite of lower pay, women seem to be about as satisfied as men with their jobs.The most likely explanation for this is that

A)their work tends to be more intellectual than manual.
B)they receive more intrinsic rewards.
C)many women appear to evaluate their jobs relative to the situation of other women rather than to the situation of men.
D)women are less dissatisfied with low pay and rewards than men are.
E)the average female worker is less educated than the average male worker.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a determinant of alienation vs.self-actualization?

A)absenteeism
B)autonomy
C)repetitive job tasks
D)organizational structure
E)expectations

Question 11

Japanese companies have been successful in

A)increasing worker commitment.
B)increasing job satisfaction.
C)increasing worker autonomy.
D)alienating their workers.
E)resisting new technology.

Question 12

How does organizational structure affect job satisfaction?

A)Workers in very small companies report low job satisfaction due to limited job complexity.
B)Workers prefer small companies to large corporations.
C)Job satisfaction increases as division of labor increases.
D)Opportunities for promotion appear to be unrelated to job satisfaction.
E)The nature of the job tasks is unrelated to job satisfaction.

Question 13

Chapter 3 argues that most workers in America today

A)are very satisfied with their jobs.
B)report being somewhat satisfied and try to make the best of their situations.
C)are very dissatisfied with their jobs.
D)wish they didn't have to work at all.
E)wish they were vacationing in Montego Bay.

Question 14

Assembly-line work is typically thought to be alienating because

A)it is repetitive.
B)the tasks are too difficult.
C)new technologies have created too many stressful intellectual demands.
D)it is poorly paid.
E)it requires more manual dexterity than many workers possess.

Question 15

Abraham Maslow's name is associated with research on

A)alienation.
B)internal job markets.
C)worker resistance.
D)worker autonomy.
E)self-actualization.

Question 16

Differences in job satisfaction by gender, race, age and education are recognized in the concept of

A)achieved characteristics.
B)individual differences in the experience of work.
C)attitudinal responses to work.
D)internal labor markets.
E)the demographic imperative.

Question 17

Maslow is to self-actualization as Marx is to __________.

A)powerlessness
B)self-estrangement
C)alienation
D)boredom
E)revolution

Question 18

Members of which occupation are, on average, most satisfied with their jobs?

A)managers
B)professionals
C)farmers
D)unskilled workers
E)sales and clerical workers

Question 19

Worker commitment develops as a result of

A)workers being satisfied with their jobs.
B)workers realizing they do not need their jobs to survive.
C)the lack of employer commitment.
D)ideologies about work.
E)primary socialization.

Question 20

Which of the following is an intrinsic reward?

A)job security
B)fringe benefits
C)craft and machine tending.
D)positive relations with co-workers
E)pay

Question 21

What is the hierarchical order of need specified in Maslow's theory (from most fundamental to higher-order)?
A. safety needs
B. self-actualization needs
C. physiological needs
D. esteem needs
E. belongingness needs

A)C-<A-<E-<D-<B
B)A-<C-<E-<D-<B
C)A-<E-<C-<B-<D
D)C-<A-<D-<E-<B
E)C-<E-<B-<A-<D

Question 22

A visible response to alienating work is

A)joining a union.
B)bullying.
C)absenteeism.
D)role conflict.
E)anomie.

Question 23

Sociologists have suggested that the following are significant job characteristics in promoting healthy mental functioning among workers:

A)job complexity and security
B)job rotation, close supervision, and flexibility
C)job autonomy, complexity, and diversity
D)job flexibility and diversity
E)job security, job rotation, and training

Question 24

According to Marx, in which of the following workplaces would a researcher expect to find the greatest level of alienation among the workers?

A)an assembly line for home appliances
B)a photographer's studio
C)an oil refinery with continuous processing technology
D)a physician's office
E)a construction site

Question 25

Livia is the manager of a large discount store.Which of the following indicators would most likely alert Livia that her workers experience low levels of job satisfaction?

A)visits by union organizers
B)high rates of shoplifting by customers
C)low compliance with safety regulations by workers
D)a high quit rate
E)rising worker's compensation insurance claims

Question 26

A contemporary successor of Marx, Seeman says alienation is subjectively experienced as:
A) dissatisfaction E) meaninglessness
B) powerlessness F) isolation
C) anger G) normlessness
D) self-estrangement

A)all the above
B)A, B, C, D, F
C)A, B, E, F, G
D)B, D, E, F, G
E)C, D, E, F, G

Question 27

Glenda is satisfied with her job, but not committed to it.Which of the following actions is she most likely to take?

A)Look for a similar job at another company.
B)Seek to form a worker organization with her office-mates.
C)Quietly arrange to pad her expense account.
D)Take on a part-time consulting contract.
E)Ask the boss to establish an employee suggestion box.

Question 28

Herzberg and Argyris are similar in offering

A)two factors to explain job satisfaction.
B)a behavioral model of alienation.
C)an analysis of assembly line workers.
D)a review of the role of technology on job satisfaction.
E)an analysis of how workers steal.

Question 29

Japanese companies have increased worker commitment by doing which of the following?

A)firing unproductive workers
B)outlawing labor unions
C)tying additional benefits such as housing and vacations to workers' employment
D)developing elaborate family leave policies and on-site child care
E)paying greater attention to job health and safety issues on the job

Question 30

A fast food worker may experience ____ because of the conflicting expectations to sell as much food as possible and to have pleasant interactions with customers.

A)job angst
B)role strain
C)bullying
D)alienation
E)self-actualization

Question 31

Which of the following occupations would likely be most alienating?

A)medical doctor
B)carpenter
C)farmer
D)assembly-line worker
E)accountant

Question 32

One inference from Chapter 3 is that interactions among co-workers

A)are a source of alienation.
B)may be a source of job satisfaction or a reaction to alienation.
C)reduce productivity.
D)mediate the relationship between technology and job satisfaction.
E)are irrelevant to job satisfaction,

Question 33

According to Maslow, the most alienating job is a job that does not satisfy

A)self-actualization needs.
B)physiological and safety needs.
C)belongingness needs.
D)esteem needs.
E)safety and esteem needs.

Question 34

Workers often respond to dull, rapidly-paced tasks by

A)speeding up their pace.
B)making a game out of their work.
C)talking with their supervisors.
D)taking extra-long coffee breaks.
E)calling in absent.

Question 35

_________ are important contributors to organizational productivity and a meaningful work experience.

A)Company cafeterias
B)Large workplaces
C)Parking lots
D)Dignity and respect
E)On-site training courses

Question 36

Which is the correct order for Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

A)safety, belongingness, physiological, esteem, self-actualization
B)physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem, self-actualization
C)physiological, esteem, self-actualization, safety, belongingness
D)self-actualization, safety, belongingness, physiological, esteem
E)self-actualization, safety, belongingness, esteem, physiological

Question 37

According to Marx, from what are workers alienated under industrial capitalism?

A)alienation from the products of their labor
B)alienation from process of work
C)alienation from one's own ability to be creative
D)alienation from others
E)all of the above

Question 38

In Maslow's hierarchy, the most basic needs are

A)physiological.
B)safety.
C)belongingness.
D)esteem.
E)self-actualization.

Question 39

Which of the following work rule changes is most likely to increase the alienation of the workers?

A)installing a hot-line for anonymous complaints about safety concerns
B)requiring workers to keep track of their expenses while traveling on company business
C)requiring that all promotion possibilities be posted for three weeks before the job is filled
D)forbidding workers to talk with their co-workers
E)requiring workers to eat only in the company cafeteria

Question 40

One Inference from Chapter 3 is that alienated workers are more likely to experience

A)self-actualization outside the workplace.
B)alienation outside the workplace.
C)higher rates of acceptance among peers.
D)difficulty comprehending new technology.
E)alcohol, drug abuse, and family problems.

Question 41

Studies of garbage collectors indicate

A)that alienation rises as the respect given jobs declines.
B)that "hygiene factors" are critical to job satisfaction.
C)that their self-estrangement is profound.
D)that their work is meaningless.
E)that anyone can take pride in work and realize self-actualization.

Question 42

Studies of Eastern Europe indicate that

A)Marx was correct in associating capitalism with alienation.
B)workers in socialist countries did not experience alienation.
C)the organization of work affects alienation more than the economic system does.
D)workers in the former socialist countries experienced role conflict, but not alienation.
E)only women workers experienced alienation in the former socialist countries.

Question 43

Vivian is the executive secretary to a manager at Cedeco.Although she is not paid overtime, she often volunteers to work extra hours in the evenings or on weekends because the company is under a deadline to produce a major order.Her behavior is characteristic of

A)no one in the labor force.
B)a worker who is motivated principally by extrinsic rewards.
C)a worker who has no family.
D)a worker who is looking for another job.
E)a non-alienated worker.

Question 44

People who display pride in their work are likely to have

A)no boss.
B)a lot of autonomy on the job.
C)lower education.
D)a craft form of technology.
E)many friends.

Question 45

Workers' expectations for their jobs are likely to increase because of

A)lower unemployment rates.
B)greater alienation.
C)rising proportions of women workers.
D)higher levels of education.
E)greater use of technology.

Question 46

When a worker finds a job extrinsically and intrinsically satisfying, and when the worker is committed to the employer because of shared goals and values, the worker is likely to exhibit

A)alienation.
B)enthusiasm.
C)organizational empathy.
D)organizational creativity.
E)lower productivity.

Question 47

Job stress results in

A)health problems.
B)absenteeism.
C)turnover.
D)deteriorated workplace relationships.
E)all of the above

Question 48

In assessing the effects of alienation and self-actualization upon workers' lives off the job, we may conclude that

A)only self-actualization has an effect outside the workplace.
B)only alienation has an effect outside the workplace.
C)both self-actualization and alienation may have an effect outside the workplace.
D)technology mediates the effects of alienation and self-actualization upon workers' families.
E)alcohol, drug abuse, and family problems have no connection with workers' job experiences.

Question 49

Clamco, a large auto parts manufacturer, decides to increase worker commitment by offering a cafeteria plan of attractive fringe benefits, all of which would be forfeited by workers who leave their employment.An assumption of this policy is

A)Clamco's workers are principally interested in intrinsic rewards.
B)Clamco's workers are principally interested in extrinsic rewards.
C)Clamco's workers are already self-actualizing.
D)organizational structure has no impact on workers' behavior.
E)Clamco's workers are alienated.

Question 50

One factor that always seems to be associated with higher levels of alienation is

A)low education of the worker.
B)intense supervision.
C)low levels of pay.
D)repetitive work.
E)working for a company that has share-holders.