Deck 9: In Search of New Managerial Paradigms

Question 1

Which of the following strategies might senior managers in a government department pursue if they wanted their department to be recognized as a "learning organization?"

A) Watching carefully what their counterparts in other provinces were doing, so they could imitate their successes and avoid their mistakes.
B) Paying close attention to what "clients" were saying, to learn what concerned them.
C) Encouraging department employees to take training courses of many kinds.
D) Paying close attention to what motivated employees in order to increase productivity.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Amitai Etzioni described different ways managers might try to gain control over workers. Which of the following management approaches would Etzioni likely label as an example of "normative control?"

A) Lean production.
B) Quality of working life programs.
C) Organizational culture.
D) Total quality management.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following best describes the introduction of "high-performance workplaces" in North America?

A) They are found more frequently in the lower-tier than in the higher-tier services.
B) They may be leading to greater labour market segmentation.
C) Unions have opposed them whenever they were introduced.
D) They offer the best solution to the growing problem of social inequality.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is a key feature of a "high-performance workplace?"

A) An emphasis on a family-friendly work environment.
B) A management system in which unions are consulted on all key decisions.
C) A high level of job security for all employees.
D) Extensive use of social media by management in their communication with workers.

Question 5

The registrar of your university has been telling the vice-president (human resources) that whatever changes she introduces, she must remember to consider everything from a student's perspective. Which new managerial paradigm does the registrar appear to be following?

A) Total quality management.
B) The learning organization
C) Human relations management.
D) Student-centred organizational redesign.

Question 6

Your university's vice-president (human resources) has asked for your advice on creating a "high-performance workplace" (HPW). She is recommending a series of organizational changes, including: increased training for employees; additional layers of middle management to make sure everyone knows what they are supposed to do; more workplace wellness programs: and financial incentives for improved performance. Which of these proposed changes would concern you the most, given the vice-president's goal of creating an HPW?

A) Increased training for employees.
B) Additional layers of middle management.
C) More workplace wellness programs.
D) Financial incentives for improved performance.

Question 7

Japanese management approaches, quality of working life programs, and Swedish work reforms have many things in common. Swedish work reforms, however, went considerably further in which of the following ways?

A) Redistributing power relationships within work organizations.
B) Requiring that all workers be union members.
C) Developing family-friendly workplaces.
D) Promoting employee profit-sharing plans.

Question 8

Many different managerial approaches have been developed in Europe, Japan, and North America over the past several decades, all trying to deal with "problems of bureaucracy." Which of the following new managerial paradigms has placed the most emphasis on employing nonstandard workers (e.g., part-time, temporary)?

A) The high-performance workplace.
B) Lean production.
C) Total quality management.
D) The flexible firm.

Question 9

Hiroto, your neighbour who came to Canada from Japan 15 years ago, is telling you about the job he used to hold in a large Japanese manufacturing company. He describes frequent after-work social activities he enjoyed with his workmates, how he and his workmates worked as a team, the many women who worked in the company, and the opportunities for younger workers to get promoted. Which of these things experienced by Hiroto are basic elements of Japanese management approaches?

A) Frequent after-hour social activities involving workmates.
B) Work routines devised around teams rather than individuals.
C) A commitment to hiring women.
D) Opportunities for young workers to get promoted.

Question 10

Ringi, a Japanese word describing a key component of Japanese management approaches, is best described by which of the following statements?

A) An emphasis on reducing work-family conflict.
B) Extensive participative decision making.
C) Tasks assigned to work teams rather than individuals.
D) Constant improvement.

Question 11

Which of the following is a key feature of "total quality management"?

A) An emphasis on continuous improvement in the production of goods or delivery of services.
B) Less emphasis on the consumer compared to most other management approaches.
C) Extensive consultation with workers about most aspects of their jobs.
D) Heavy reliance on low-skill workers.

Question 12

Piore and Sabel described what they saw as the future of manufacturing and called it "flexible specialization." Which of the following social theorists would likely have agreed that this is the direction we are heading?

A) Karl Marx.
B) Max Weber.
C) Adam Smith.
D) Daniel Bell.

Question 13

Training workers to perform a variety of different tasks would represent which of the following forms of work organization flexibility?

A) Pay flexibility.
B) Work schedule flexibility.
C) Functional flexibility.
D) Numerical flexibility.

Question 14

Attempts to convince employees to identify with the "organizational culture" of their company are most similar to which of the following management approaches?

A) Scientific management.
B) Human relations management.
C) Social and cultural capital management.
D) Industrial betterment.

Question 15

Which of the following is the best explanation for Japan's strong economic performance after its economy was basically destroyed during World War II?

A) The strong work ethic of Japanese workers.
B) Unique management approaches and organizational structures.
C) Access to cheap labour in South Asia.
D) Rapid introduction of automated technologies.

Question 16

A completely new workplace that offers opportunities for both technological and social innovations is best described by which of the following concepts?

A) Sociotechnical incubator.
B) Innovation transplant.
C) Organizational restart.
D) Greenfield site.

Question 17

Proponents of "high-performance workplaces" advocate, among other things, involving employees in decision making, training them to do a variety of tasks, providing incentives for improved performance, and encouraging teamwork. If Frederick W. Taylor were asked to evaluate this management approach, with which of these approaches would he likely agree?

A) Employee involvement in decision making.
B) Training employees to perform a variety of tasks.
C) Providing incentives for improved performance.
D) Encouraging teamwork.

Question 18

Ajit, a machine operator in a factory, was recently trained to perform basic maintenance on his machine, and how to do related paper work (e.g., order replacement parts). Which of the following terms best describes the changes in Ajit's job description?

A) Work team training.
B) Job rotation.
C) Workplace re-engineering.
D) Job enrichment.

Question 19

Which of the following is a key feature of "lean production" methods?

A) A strong emphasis on keeping unions out of factories and other workplaces.
B) An emphasis on reducing stress experienced by workers in their jobs.
C) The elimination of kaizen in order to increase production.
D) Emphasis on worker-initiated continuous improvement.

Question 20

Which of the following is not one of the characteristics of a "winner" work organization, according to Tom Peters in his book Thriving on Chaos: Handbook for a Management Revolution?

A) Obsession with responsiveness to customers.
B) Leadership that loves change.
C) Constant innovation in all areas.
D) Clearly outlined bureaucratic control systems.

Question 21

List the key features of what organizational analysts call a "high-performance workplace" (HPW). Which of these features, if any, are unique to the HPW approach to management?

Question 22

Quality of working life (QWL) programs can involve a number of different techniques of job task and work organization redesign. In a sentence or two for each, describe four of these techniques.

Question 23

Which of the new managerial paradigms discussed in Chapter 9 is likely to be the most influential in Canada 20 years from now, given current labour force and labour market trends? Explain your prediction.

Question 24

Briefly define and give an example of each: pay flexibility, functional flexibility, and numerical flexibility.

Question 25

A chemical plant built in Sarnia, Ontario, in the late 1970s has come to be seen as a highly successful example of the introduction of new managerial paradigms. Describe the organizational innovations that were implemented, and why this managerial experiment was successful. If the same plant had been built 30 years later, what might have been different?

Question 26

Imagine that you were made the manager of a fast-food restaurant staffed largely by university students working part-time. If you could choose to implement any management system (or some part of it) that you wanted, what would you choose? Explain what your goals would be, and how this management approach would help you reach them.

Question 27

Six central themes can be identified when reviewing the variety of new managerial paradigms that have emerged in the past several decades. In a sentence or two for each, identify and explain at least three of these themes.