Deck 7: Job Design and Work Schedules

Question 1

A job description is a written statement of the

A) key features of a job.
B) qualifications necessary to fill a job.
C) design features of a job.
D) degree of specialization within a job.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

An enriched job typically includes the element of

A) control over resources.
B) indirect communication authority.
C) routine experiences.
D) limited personal accountability.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Before implementing a program of job enrichment it is recommended that the manager

A) grant immediate pay increases.
B) find out if employees want an enriched job.
C) rewrite job descriptions for all employees involved.
D) empower employees to enrich their own jobs.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A job contains high task significance when the

A) work output touches the lives of many people.
B) work output earns a profit for the firm.
C) job holder has varied working hours.
D) job holder receives frequent feedback from the boss.

Question 5

Which one of the following is not a common type of job crafting? Making changes in

A) the pay structure of a job.
B) the number and types of job tasks.
C) the interactions with others on the job.
D) one's view of a job.

Question 6

Control over method in job enrichment means that the worker

A) communicates directly with the client or customer.
B) must present to management an analysis of the best method.
C) chooses the method to accomplish the assigned task.
D) must try a new method for accomplishing the task.

Question 7

In the job characteristics model, the task dimension of autonomy leads to

A) skill variety.
B) a feeling of meaningfulness.
C) a feeling of responsibility for work outcomes.
D) job satisfaction.

Question 8

A major benefit of job specialization is that it allows for

A) a flexible work force.
B) enrichment of virtually all jobs.
C) excellent coordination of contributors to a total job.
D) the development of expertise at all occupational levels.

Question 9

Airplane mechanic Clyde tells his boss, "This job is killing my back. Crawling into small places every day is more than I can tolerate." Which job sub-dimension is Clyde complaining about?

A) ergonomics
B) interdependence
C) skill variety
D) work methods autonomy

Question 10

Job sharing is a work arrangement in which

A) two people who work part-time share one job.
B) salary and benefits are prorated for the half-time workers.
C) both a & b
D) employees work from home.

Question 11

A potential disadvantage of telecommuting is that workers at home are likely to

A) work on weekends.
B) face distractions at home.
C) feel isolation from coworkers.
D) feel exploited.

Question 12

Job embeddedness refers to

A) the array of forces attaching people to their jobs.
B) the physical and mental changes individuals make in the task or relationship aspects of their job.
C) a temporary switching of job assignments.
D) increasing the number and variety of tasks within a job.

Question 13

Marvin's job involves selling used trucks. To boost his job satisfaction, Marvin's boss authorizes him to tell the dealer when a truck needs a paint job in order to sell. Which task characteristic has been added to Marvin's job?

A) feedback from the job
B) decision-making authority
C) work methods autonomy
D) task significance

Question 14

Workers with high job involvement will

A) identify psychologically with their work.
B) involve others in getting their work done.
C) separate their self-image from their work.
D) search for horizontal job loading.

Question 15

Zeke is in charge of stocking shelves in the soft-drink aisle in a supermarket. To apply job enlargement, the store manager might

A) allow Zeke to do market research about soft-drink consumption.
B) schedule Zeke to switch back and forth between stocking the soft-drink and pet-food aisles.
C) give Zeke the additional permanent assignment of also stocking the dry-cereal section.
D) assign Zeke flexible working hours.

Question 16

Priscilla, a customer service representative at a call center, adds to her job by asking customers how much they liked their previous purchase. Priscilla is engaged in job

A) simplification.
B) rotation.
C) crafting.
D) specialization.

Question 17

Which of the following is the least effective method for preventing cumulative trauma disorder?

A) use the computer mouse whenever possible
B) rotate jobs to reduce repetitive hand and body movements
C) install equipment that minimizes awkward hand and body movements
D) use voice recognition systems as a substitute for keyboarding

Question 18

A study showed that a major reason why employees are hesitant to use the flextime option is that they

A) are concerned about appearing uncommitted to work.
B) dislike starting work so early.
C) dislike staying so late at work.
D) cannot afford the reduction in pay.

Question 19

An experiment about noise levels with female clerical workers demonstrated that the workers exposed to noise

A) increased their productivity levels.
B) capitalized more on ergonomic features of their work furniture.
C) experienced inner-ear damage.
D) developed high levels of stress hormones in the blood.

Question 20

A modified work schedule

A) is any formal departure from the traditional hours of work.
B) excludes shift work and staggered work hours.
C) both a & b
D) leads to ergonomic problems.

Question 21

Sam's supervisor says to him, "Sam, you are an outstanding performer." Sam is therefore the feedback dimension leads to knowledge of results.

Question 22

Automation enhances job satisfaction when annoying or dangerous tasks are removed.

Question 23

The purpose of job crafting is to emphasize aspects of the job that will lead to higher hourly pay or bonus pay.

Question 24

Job rotation is a good example of vertical job loading.

Question 25

According to the contemporary view of jobs, the competent worker strictly follows his or her job description.

Question 26

Workers with high job involvement often consider their job to be part of their self-mage.

Question 27

A study with teachers and aides in 62 childcare centers found that crafting by the group resulted in better job satisfaction and performance.

Question 28

A study of job dimension differences between professionals and nonprofessionals showed that professional jobs had fewer physical demands.

Question 29

Contingent workers

A) share jobs with other employees.
B) are only hired when they are needed.
C) always work less than 40 hours per week.
D) work for more than one employer at a time.

Question 30

According to the policy of job sharing,

A) high-paid workers share pay with low-paid workers.
B) workers without an office share get to use the offices of those belonging to managers.
C) two part-time workers share one job.
D) workers delegate work to those lower in rank.

Question 31

According to the method of creating high-performance jobs by adjusting resources, bookkeeper Pam will perform at her best when she

A) gets paid more than most bookkeepers.
B) creates her own resources.
C) gets all the resources she needs to do her job.
D) consults regularly with a human resources specialist.

Question 32

An example of the contextual characteristics of a job would be the type and amount of equipment use the job requires.

Question 33

A manager whose job required frequent consultation with his or her BlackBerry would have a job that scores high on the sub-dimension of information processing.

Question 34

A major characteristic of a high-performance work system in a manufacturing environment is that

A) workers are allowed limited rest breaks.
B) time and motion studies dictate work methods.
C) supervisors make all the important decisions.
D) workers participate in making decisions that have an impact.

Question 35

In the job characteristics model, a significant task is one requiring an above-average degree of mental ability.

Question 36

Sylvia is the store manager at a large supermarket, thereby qualifying as a generalist in her job.

Question 37

High-performance work system is a way of organizing work so that

A) jobs are enlarged
B) front-line workers participate in decisions that have an impact on their jobs and the wider organization.
C) jobs are rotated.
D) telecommuting can take place.

Question 38

A positive feature of job enlargement is that it avoids the problem of having to deal with multiple priorities.

Question 39

An emerging trend is to for companies to hire people to work at various activities rather than fill a specific job slot.

Question 40

Control over method in job enrichment refers to a worker being permitted to determine when he or she will perform a particular task.

Question 41

Working the back of a deep display case to stock merchandise can be uncomfortable, so OSHA recommends is the use of display cases that are stocked from the back.

Question 42

From the standpoint of job design, what can company managers do to develop a high-performance work system?

Question 43

Many cases of back pain stem from ergonomics problems, including long periods of time hunched over a computer monitor.

Question 44

A major contributor to musculoskeletal disorders on the job is not using a part of the body, such as the hands and wrist, frequently enough.

Question 45

Under the new system at LouisVuitton, it take less time to assemble bags, in part because they no longer sit around on carts waiting to be moved by workers from one workstation to another. That enables the company to ship fresh collections to its boutiques every six weeks-more than twice as frequently as in the past.
1. What does this story illustrate about job design?
2. Do you think workers prefer the new system? Why?

Question 46

A major contributor to carpal tunnel syndrome is the pinching of a nerve that gives feeling to the hand.

Question 47

Describe telecommuting, along with some of its advantages and disadvantages.

Question 48

Explain how you might enrich any job familiar to you, using the job characteristics model.

Question 49

Telecommuting offers access to a wider range of employee talent.

Question 50

To be part of a high-performance work system, workers throughout the organization should ask, "What measures will be used to evaluate my performance?"

Question 51

A giant organization like AT&T that uses telecommuting is likely to achieve increased productivity.

Question 52

An experiment with clerical workers demonstrated that low-intensity noise raised stress levels just enough to give the workers a high and elevate productivity.

Question 53

You know that you are part of a high-performance work system when production workers are asked to participate in important decisions.

Question 54

Night-shift workers have a lower incidence of alcohol and drug abuse than do workers on the day and evening shifts.