Deck 14: Jobs and the Design of Work

Question 1

Which of the following is true of a job?

A)It refers to a sequence of organizational positions held over time.
B)It is not the same as an organizational position.
C)It is not related to work in any way.
D)It refers to a specific mental or physical activity that has productive results.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to the six patterns people follow in defining work, Pattern C people define work as an activity:

A)in which value comes from performance and for which a person is accountable.
B)a person must do that is directed by others and generally performed in a working place.
C)constrained to specific time periods that does not bring positive affect through its performance.
D)from which profit accrues to others by its performance and that may be done in various settings other than a working place.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Sarah believes that work is an activity that is bound by specified time periods and does not bring positive feelings. In the context of the six patterns people follow in defining work, Sara follows _____.

A)Pattern A
B)Pattern B
C)Pattern D
D)Pattern F

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Jobs in an organization are:

A)independent.
B)interdependent.
C)same as work.
D)same as organizational positions.

Question 5

In the context of the six patterns people follow in defining work, _____ people define work as a physically and mentally strenuous activity.

A)Pattern B
B)Pattern E
C)Pattern A
D)Pattern F

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true of scientific management?

A)Jobs designed through scientific management have different types of activities to overcome the boredom of overspecialized work.
B)Jobs designed through scientific management consists of tasks that are designed in a manner that a worker is not required to think or deliberate.
C)Scientific management increases the amount of job responsibility through vertical loading.
D)Scientific management emphasizes that the role of workers is to calibrate and define each task carefully.

Question 7

Identify a true statement about a job in relation to an organization.

A)It is not a set of task activities.
B)It refers to a sequence of organizational positions held over time.
C)It is not the same as work.
D)It refers to a specific mental or physical activity that has productive results.

Question 8

According to an international study involving the Work Value Scales (WVS), the two common basic work dimensions across cultures are:

A)work content and job context.
B)career aspiration and organizational path.
C)job growth and work scope.
D)living status and business value.

Question 9

According to the six patterns people follow in defining work, Pattern A people define work as an activity:

A)in which value comes from performance and for which a person is accountable.
B)that is physically and mentally strenuous.
C)a person must do that is directed by others and generally performed in a working place.
D)constrained to specific time periods that does not bring positive affect through its performance.

Question 10

A(n)_____ can be defined as a set of specified work and task activities that engage an individual in an organization.

A)job
B)organizational position
C)career
D)work pattern

Question 11

The process of connecting jobs and departments into a coordinated, cohesive whole in an organization is known as:

A)differentiation.
B)job enlargement.
C)job rotation.
D)integration.

Question 12

Pete thinks that work is something that provides him with joy and positive feelings and is not compulsive. In the context of the six patterns people follow in defining work, Pete follows _____.

A)Pattern B
B)Pattern C
C)Pattern D
D)Pattern E

Question 13

In the context of the six patterns people follow in defining work, _____ people define work as primarily a physical activity a person must do that is directed by others and generally performed in a working place.

A)Pattern F
B)Pattern E
C)Pattern A
D)Pattern D

Question 14

Which of the following statements is true of work?

A)The meaning of work differs by person.
B)The meaning of work does not differ by culture.
C)Work is the same as an organizational position.
D)Work is the same as a job.

Question 15

The famous statement made by Harold Geneen, former chairman of ITT: "If I had enough arms and legs and time, I'd do it all myself," contradicts the concept of _____.

A)job enlargement
B)differentiation
C)integration
D)job enrichment

Question 16

In the context of the design of organizations, _____ is the process of subdividing and departmentalizing the work of an organization.

A)job enlargement
B)differentiation
C)integration
D)job enrichment

Question 17

According to Frederick Taylor, who advocated the scientific management approach to work design, the role of a worker in an organization is to:

A)carefully calibrate each task of the organization.
B)analyze the decisions made by an engineer.
C)make schedules to complete each task.
D)execute the tasks defined by the management.

Question 18

_____ is the standardization and the narrow, explicit specification of task activities for workers.

A)Job enlargement
B)Job enrichment
C)Work simplification
D)Work rotation

Question 19

_____ can be defined as mental or physical activity that has productive results and is organized into jobs.

A)Occupation
B)Livelihood
C)Career
D)Work

Question 20

Scientific management, an approach to work design, emphasizes:

A)work simplification.
B)job context.
C)behaviorism.
D)job enlargement.

Question 21

A problem with job enrichment as a strategy for work design is that it:

A)overemphasizes individual differences.
B)is inapplicable to higher levels of management.
C)quickly results in boredom.
D)is based on an oversimplified motivational theory.

Question 22

_____ is a method of job design that increases the number of activities in a job to overcome the boredom of overspecialized work.

A)Scientific management
B)Job enlargement
C)Job enrichment
D)Work simplification

Question 23

In the context of job enlargement, which of the following statements is true?

A)Cross-training programs are a variation of job enlargement.
B)Scientific management overcomes the problem of boredom associated with job enlargement.
C)Job enlargement increases the amount of job responsibility through vertical loading.
D)Jobs designed through job enlargement are too narrow and limited in the number of tasks and activities assigned to each worker.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of job enrichment?

A)It builds on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
B)It increases the amount of job responsibility through horizontal loading.
C)It recommends increasing and varying the number of activities a person does.
D)It recommends increasing the recognition, responsibility, and opportunity for achievement.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of mass production jobs?

A)They are repetitive.
B)They require highly skilled workers
C)They require thoughtful concentration.
D)They do not have predetermined tools and techniques.

Question 26

_____ is defined as designing or redesigning a job by incorporating motivational factors into it.

A)Job enrichment
B)Work simplification
C)Job rotation
D)Cross-training

Question 27

Job enrichment increases the amount of job responsibility through:

A)horizontal loading.
B)cross-training.
C)vertical loading.
D)job rotation.

Question 28

Job enlargement was developed to overcome:

A)technostress resulting from job enrichment.
B)the ambiguity associated with the Job Characteristics Model.
C)the difficulty of coordinating work within an organization.
D)employees' lack of motivation due to job rotation.

Question 29

Job enrichment builds on _____.

A)Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation
B)Maslow's hierarchy of needs
C)McClelland's theory
D)Alderfer's ERG theory

Question 30

The _____ was developed to determine the nature of jobs by measuring five core job characteristics and three critical psychological states in the Job Characteristics Model.

A)Job Diagnostic Survey
B)motivating potential survey
C)Job Characteristics Inventory
D)social information-processing model

Question 31

Jobs designed by scientific management:

A)included tasks that were designed in a manner that a worker is required to deliberate.
B)were too narrow and limited in the number of tasks and activities assigned to each worker.
C)consisted of different activities to overcome the boredom of overspecialized work.
D)required workers to calibrate and define each task carefully.

Question 32

In the context of the elements of scientific management, time and motion studies focus on:

A)the efficient use of labor to the economic benefit of a corporation.
B)designing different types of activities to overcome the boredom of overspecialized work.
C)increasing the amount of job responsibility through vertical loading.
D)the inclusion of motivation and hygiene factors that affect job satisfaction.

Question 33

Which of the following is a problem with job enrichment as a strategy for work design?

A)The lack of consideration for individual differences among employees
B)The fact that it is based on a complicated motivational theory
C)The fact that it is not a universal approach to the design of work
D)The lack of specialization that arose from the increase in job variety

Question 34

Mass production jobs:

A)tend to be nonrepetitive.
B)require surface mental attention.
C)are self-paced.
D)require thoughtful concentration.

Question 35

Which of the following is a variation of job enlargement?

A)Job rotation
B)Departmentalization
C)Work simplification
D)Scientific management

Question 36

Which of the following approaches to job design emphasizes the interaction between an individual and specific attributes of a job?

A)The job characteristics theory
B)Job enrichment
C)The job enlargement method
D)Scientific management

Question 37

_____ is a variation of job enlargement in which workers are exposed to a variety of specialized jobs over time.

A)Job rotation
B)Scientific management
C)Job enrichment
D)Work simplification

Question 38

Which of the following statements is true of job rotation?

A)It is a variation of work simplification.
B)It results in overspecialization.
C)It requires strong multitasking skills.
D)It horizontally enlarges jobs.

Question 39

Which of the following approaches to job design is a person-job fit model rather than a universal job design model?

A)Job enrichment
B)The job characteristics theory
C)The job enlargement model
D)Scientific management

Question 40

Jenny is hired as an assistant at a local drugstore. On Mondays and Wednesdays, she is in charge of managing the store's stock. On other days of the week, she is asked to handle the cash register and attend to customers. It is evident that Jenny's job is modified using the method of _____.

A)job enrichment
B)job rotation
C)work simplification
D)scientific management

Question 41

The _____ of job design emphasizes the interpersonal aspects of work design.

A)Job Characteristics Inventory
B)Job Characteristics Model
C)social information-processing model
D)scientific management model

Question 42

In the context of the social information-processing (SIP)model, which of the following is a premise about the work environment?

A)Other people tell us how they see our jobs.
B)Self-evaluation is the only way to understand the work environment.
C)Other people's negative feedback of our jobs should be ignored.
D)Implementing differential piece-rate systems of pay is the only way to achieve economic efficiency.

Question 43

In the context of ergonomics and interdisciplinary framework in job design, which of the following is most likely a negative outcome of the motivational approach?

A)Lower job satisfaction
B)Lower job involvement
C)Increased training time
D)Higher absenteeism

Question 44

German industrial engineers have a more _____, which places human considerations at the center of job design decisions.

A)technocentric approach
B)mechanistic approach
C)anthropocentric approach
D)ecocentric approach

Question 45

The _____ to job design emphasizes a person's interaction with physical aspects of the work environment and is concerned with the amount of physical exertion required.

A)biological approach
B)scientific management approach
C)job enlargement approach
D)motivational approach

Question 46

An analysis of medical claims was conducted at Broil Technologies. The analysis identified neck and lower back problems due to uncomfortable seating arrangements as the most common health ailment experienced by the software developers of the company. In the context of ergonomics and interdisciplinary framework to job design, the _____ is most appropriate to solve these problems.

A)scientific management approach
B)biological approach
C)job enlargement approach
D)motivational approach

Question 47

The traditional German approach to work design was _____.

A)technocentric
B)anthropocentric
C)sociocentric
D)ethnocentric

Question 48

In the context of ergonomics and interdisciplinary framework in job design, which of the following is most likely a positive outcome associated with the motivational approach to job design?

A)Higher personnel utilization levels
B)Lesser chance of errors
C)Decreased training time
D)Higher job satisfaction

Question 49

In the context of the job characteristics theory, _____, a core job dimension, stimulates a critical psychological state that is the degree to which an employee knows and understands, on a continuous basis, how effectively he or she is performing the job.

A)skill variety
B)autonomy
C)feedback
D)task significance

Question 50

The social information-processing (SIP)model of job design has four basic premises about the work environment. One such premise is that:

A)other people help us judge what is important in our jobs.
B)self-evaluation is the only way to understand the work environment.
C)objective job characteristics are unimportant and do not affect organizational workers' motivation.
D)other people's negative feedback of our jobs should be ignored.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is true of the Job Characteristics Inventory (JCI)?

A)It does not measure core job characteristics.
B)It does not incorporate critical psychological states.
C)It does not support the person-job fit approach to the design of work.
D)It does not showcase the effects of autonomy on employee satisfaction.

Question 52

Which of the following statements is true of the perceptual/motor approach to job design?

A)It is more likely to be relevant to operational and technical work.
B)It emphasizes gross motor skills and muscle strength.
C)It is more likely to be relevant to managerial and administrative jobs.
D)It possesses a problem of higher likelihood of error.

Question 53

In the context of the job characteristics theory, _____, a core job dimension, stimulates a critical psychological state that is the degree to which an employee feels personally accountable and responsible for the results of the work he or she does.

A)skill variety
B)autonomy
C)feedback
D)internal work motivation

Question 54

Which of the following is a feature of the German approach to work?

A)Emphasis is laid on a worker's personal identity.
B)Hierarchy and authority relationships are valued.
C)Management-labor cooperation is considered unimportant.
D)Unionism among workers is discouraged.

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true of the social information-processing (SIP)model of job design?

A)It emphasizes the importance of other people.
B)It is based on the job characteristics theory.
C)It is an ergonomics-based model of job design.
D)It stresses that what other people think of one's job is unimportant.

Question 56

In the context of ergonomics and interdisciplinary framework in job design, which of the following is most likely a negative outcome associated with the mechanistic approach to job design?

A)Lower job satisfaction
B)Lower personnel utilization levels
C)Greater chance of mental stress
D)Higher likelihood of error

Question 57

In the context of ergonomics and interdisciplinary framework in job design, _____ is most likely a positive outcome of the motivational approach.

A)lesser chance of mental stress
B)higher personnel utilization
C)decreased training time
D)greater job involvement

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of the Japanese approach to job design?

A)It emphasizes the positive affect, personal identity, and social benefits of work.
B)It is very similar to the approach to job design used in North America.
C)It encourages collective and cooperative working arrangements.
D)It is dependent on a high degree of worker control.

Question 59

Which of the following statements is true of sociotechnical systems (STS)?

A)STS emphasizes teamwork and self-managed and autonomous work groups.
B)STS is completely different from lean production methods.
C)STS discourages the inclusion of human values in the work process.
D)STS is based on Taylor's scientific management approach to job design.

Question 60

In the context of the job characteristics theory, _____, a core job dimension, stimulates a critical psychological state that is the degree to which an employee experiences a job as one that is generally meaningful, valuable, and worthwhile.

A)task identity
B)autonomy
C)feedback
D)internal work motivation

Question 61

_____ is when employees work at home or in other locations geographically separate from their company's main location.

A)Telecommuting
B)Job enlargement
C)Flextime
D)Job sharing

Question 62

Identify a true statement about job sharing.

A)It is common among senior executives.
B)It enables employees to set their own daily work schedules.
C)It is a way of addressing demographic and labor pool concerns.
D)It helps ease traffic and commuting pressures.

Question 63

A major disadvantage of the _____ work pattern is that longer workdays may be a drawback for employees with many family or social activities on weekday evenings.

A)four-day workweek
B)task simplification
C)job enlargement
D)weekday job sharing

Question 64

Job rotation involves increasing the number of activities in a job.

Question 65

Jobs designed through scientific management have a variety of tasks, and each task requires workers to analyze and plan its execution.

Question 66

_____ is an alternative work arrangement that is responsive to individual biorhythms.

A)Work simplification
B)Job enlargement
C)Ergonomics
D)Flextime

Question 67

Flextime, an alternative work pattern, _____.

A)allows employees to work at locations other than their company's main location
B)is a technocentric approach to work design
C)provides employees with a three-day weekend
D)is designed to ease traffic and commuting pressures

Question 68

Task significance is a core job dimension in the Job Characteristics Model developed by Richard Hackman.

Question 69

Employees may experience technostress when:

A)flextime is implemented.
B)electronic performance monitoring is used.
C)they are not given enough credit for their work.
D)they are forced into part-time schedules.

Question 70

In the context of adjusting work design parameters, which of the following methods can be used to reduce uncertainty?

A)Designing machines and tasks with optimal response times and/or ranges
B)Having sufficient resources available to meet work demands
C)Giving workers the opportunity to control several aspects of the work and the workplace
D)Providing employees with timely and complete information needed for their work

Question 71

Cross-training programs are variations of job enrichment.

Question 72

The meaning of work is the way a person interprets and understands the value of work as part of life.

Question 73

Unlike a technocentric approach, an anthropocentric approach:

A)relies on a more humanistic process in the design of work.
B)uses a natural scientific process in the design of work.
C)places engineering at the center of job design decisions.
D)places more emphasis on lean production rather than the concept of sociotechnical systems.

Question 74

Telecommuting results in:

A)reduced opportunities for workers with disabilities.
B)decreased productivity.
C)decreased ability to attract and retain talent.
D)reduced absenteeism.

Question 75

Job enrichment increases the amount of job responsibility through horizontal loading.

Question 76

The Job Characteristics Model is a universal job design model.

Question 77

The Job Characteristics Inventory does not incorporate personal and work outcomes, or employee needs.

Question 78

Which of the following statements is true of telecommuting?

A)Telecommuting is neither a cure-all nor a universally feasible alternative.
B)Managers who use telecommuting place a greater emphasis on the worker than the work.
C)Telecommuting eliminates any chances of feeling a sense of social isolation.
D)Teamwork is not possible through telecommuting.

Question 79

Scientific management emphasizes job enrichment.

Question 80

In the context of the job characteristics theory, the degree to which an employee experiences a job as one that is generally meaningful, valuable, and worthwhile is stimulated by the variety of skills required to complete a task.