Deck 9: Organizational Design, Competences, and Technology

Question 1

Innovations in materials management are applicable to service organizations.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Charles Perrow argued that technical complexity depends on task interdependence.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

With continuous process technology, companies use teams to jointly develop procedures for managing unexpected situations, so mutual adjustment is the primary means of coordination.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Technology is used at all three stages in the value creation process: input, conversion, and output.

Question 5

The small-batch technology that Ford perfected served as the basis for GM during the early years.

Question 6

Nonroutine tasks are characterized by a high degree of formalization.

Question 7

Organizations use slack resources to decrease the resources available and to use existing resources more efficiently.

Question 8

Small-batch technology has a higher level of technical complexity than large-batch technology.

Question 9

Perrow argues that some continuous process technologies are so complex that a structure does not exist that will allow the organization to operate safely.

Question 10

Krispy Kreme has been able to maintain its success due to its superior mass production technology.

Question 11

The Aston Studies found that organizational size was a better predictor of organizational structure than the type of technology.

Question 12

When an organization uses a pull approach, inventories flow in accordance with a predetermined schedule.

Question 13

An organization taking the internal systems approach uses technology to increase the success of its attempts to innovate and develop new products.

Question 14

Engineering production is a type of small-batch technology.

Question 15

Service organizations use technology.

Question 16

Technological innovations in the 1920s allowed Ford to dramatically reduce the cost of the car, thus creating a mass market for automobiles.

Question 17

Perrow argues that a nuclear power plant should operate under a very mechanistic structure in order to be able to quickly respond to emergencies.

Question 18

Craftswork is the least complex technology in Perrow's framework.

Question 19

An organization taking the external resource approach uses technology to manage and control external stakeholders.

Question 20

Technology does not include an individual's personal skills or knowledge.

Question 21

CIM is used by materials management to develop master production schedules for the manufacturing function, which uses a production line to convert raw materials into finished goods.

Question 22

Which does not describe Ford's company?

A) Satisfied workers
B) Sequential tasks
C) Reduced car prices
D) The use of interchangeable parts

Question 23

An organization needs CAMM to effectively utilize JIT inventory systems.

Question 24

Which of the following was not one of Henry Ford's principles of progressive manufacture?

A) Workers should be empowered to make decisions.
B) Individual tasks should be broken down into their simplest components.
C) Work should be delivered to the worker.
D) Work should proceed in an orderly and specific sequence.

Question 25

Krispy Kreme's production of donuts uses which type of technology?

A) Routine manufacturing
B) Continuous-process
C) Mass production
D) Small-batch

Question 26

Cell layouts are obsolete.

Question 27

In the Woodward study, the classification of technology included all of the following except ________.

A) mass production
B) operations technology
C) small-batch production
D) continuous-process technology

Question 28

According to the Woodward studies:

A) size is the most important determinant of organizational structure.
B) differences in structure across technologies appeared to be associated with organizational effectiveness.
C) successful firms using continuous-process technology had mechanistic structures.
D) successful firms using mass production technology had organic structures.

Question 29

________ is a measure of the extent to which a production process can be programmed so that it can be controlled and made predictable.

A) Technology
B) Centralization
C) Technical complexity
D) Quality

Question 30

Large-batch technology is characterized by all of the following except:

A) high-skilled workers.
B) standardized production.
C) high task programmability.
D) high technical complexity.

Question 31

Which of the following technologies is associated with a flat structure and a relatively narrow span of control?

A) Mass production
B) Small-batch
C) Continuous-process
D) Routine manufacturing

Question 32

Ford principles included all except:

A) workers should be unskilled.
B) specialization should be increased.
C) workers should be skilled.
D) work should be delivered to the worker.

Question 33

In 1913 Henry Ford changed his company's technology from ________ to ________.

A) long-linked/intensive
B) routine manufacturing/mass production
C) engineering production/mass production
D) craftswork/mass production

Question 34

________ is the organizational technology that uses conveyor belts and a standardized progressive assembly process to manufacture goods.

A) Mass production
B) Craftswork
C) Innovation
D) Specialization

Question 35

What is the main coordination problem associated with small-batch technology?

A) Production happens in small batches, making it hard to retrace errors.
B) Span of control tends to be so wide that subordinates have too much freedom.
C) It is impossible to program conversion activities because production depends on the skills of people working together.
D) Structures tend to be too tall, limiting communications.

Question 36

________ is the technology that involves groups of skilled workers who interact closely to produce custom-designed products.

A) Progressive manufacture
B) Mass production
C) Engineering technology
D) Craftswork

Question 37

Technology exists at which of the following levels in an organization?

A) Divisional and organizational only
B) Functional and divisional only
C) Functional only
D) Individual, functional, and organizational

Question 38

Small-batch technology is characterized by:

A) low costs.
B) high technical complexity.
C) the ability to be programmed.
D) flexibility.

Question 39

An organization that uses the internal systems approach to measure organizational effectiveness will most likely employ technology to ________.

A) increase customer service
B) reduce costs
C) improve quality
D) reduce product development time

Question 40

Which of the following technologies has the highest level of technical complexity?

A) Small-batch
B) Continuous-process
C) Large-batch
D) Craftswork

Question 41

A mechanistic structure is most appropriate for which of the following organizations?

A) A biotechnology company
B) A specialized chemical processor
C) A custom furniture maker
D) An automobile manufacturer

Question 42

Which of the following technologies has high task variability and low task analyzability?

A) Craftswork
B) Engineering production
C) Routine manufacturing
D) Nonroutine research

Question 43

Task analyzability is:

A) the number of exceptions encountered while performing a task.
B) the degree to which employees must search for solutions to problems.
C) the degree to which tasks can be programmed in advance.
D) the degree to which the actions of one person affect another person's ability to perform his or her tasks.

Question 44

According to the Woodward studies, organizations that employ continuous-process technology have structures and a relatively span of control.

A) tall/narrow
B) tall/wide
C) flat/wide
D) flat/narrow

Question 45

What would Perrow recommend regarding the operations of a nuclear power plant?

A) That the technology is so complex that no organizational structure is safe enough for the organization to effectively operate
B) That decisions be programmed in advance
C) That they adapt to a continuous-process technology
D) That the technological imperative of matching structure to task should be implemented

Question 46

An organization's top-management team is most likely to use which of the following types of technology?

A) Routine manufacturing
B) Nonroutine research
C) Craftswork
D) Engineering production

Question 47

Which of the following departments will likely have the most complex tasks?

A) Manufacturing
B) Accounting
C) R&D
D) Sales

Question 48

One would expect to find the smallest span of control in an organization using which of the following forms of technology?

A) Small-batch
B) Continuous-process
C) Mass production
D) Large-batch

Question 49

Charles Perrow states that the difference between routine and complex tasks is due to which of the following dimensions?

A) Task interdependence and task analyzability
B) Task variability and task interdependence
C) Task variability and task analyzability
D) Task analyzability and technical complexity

Question 50

The dominant form of workflow interdependence in mediating technologies is ________.

A) pooled
B) intensive
C) reciprocal
D) sequential

Question 51

Which of the following technologies has high task variability and high task analyzability?

A) Craftswork
B) Engineering production
C) Routine manufacturing
D) Nonroutine research

Question 52

Which of the following is a finding of the Aston Study?

A) Technology influences organizational structure more in smaller firms than it does in larger ones.
B) The type of technology determines organizational structure.
C) Technical complexity depends on task variability and task analyzability.
D) Intensive technology is associated with sequential interdependence.

Question 53

Unskilled work is associated with ________ formalization and ________ centralization.

A) low/low
B) low/high
C) high/high
D) high/low

Question 54

According to Perrow, when an organization uses a highly routine technology (where task variability is low and task analyzability is high), the most effective structure is characterized by all of the following except:

A) centralized decision making.
B) joint specialization.
C) a tall hierarchy of authority.
D) a high degree of formalization.

Question 55

________ is the number of new or unexpected situations that a person encounters while performing a task.

A) Task analyzability
B) Task variability
C) Specialization
D) Craftswork

Question 56

An organization pursuing a low-cost strategy is most likely to use which of the following technologies?

A) Craftswork
B) Nonroutine research
C) Engineering production
D) Routine manufacturing

Question 57

The theory that technology determines structure is known as ________.

A) resource dependence theory
B) transaction cost theory
C) the Aston Study
D) the technological imperative

Question 58

In the Perrow framework, task variability refers to the:

A) number of tasks the worker is assigned.
B) number of exceptions encountered in performing a task.
C) number of difficult tasks within the organization.
D) extent of departmental complexity within the organization.

Question 59

Which of the following technologies has low task variability and high task analyzability?

A) Routine manufacturing
B) Nonroutine research
C) Craftswork
D) Engineering production

Question 60

Which of the following technologies has low task variability and low task analyzability?

A) Engineering production
B) Routine manufacturing
C) Nonroutine research
D) Craftswork

Question 61

The sales department will most likely use which of the following technologies?

A) Long-linked
B) Mediating
C) Intensive
D) Operations

Question 62

In a machine shop, each employee might operate a lathe to bolts, and each is evaluated and rewarded on the basis on individual performance. This is an example of ________ technology.

A) computer
B) specific
C) mediating
D) intensive

Question 63

Written rules are best used to achieve coordination in cases of ________.

A) mutual adjustment
B) pooled interdependence
C) reciprocal interdependence
D) sequential interdependence

Question 64

To protect its conversion process, an organization that uses traditional mass production technology:

A) establishes a new venture.
B) may pursue a vertical integration strategy.
C) uses a JIT inventory system.
D) uses CIM.

Question 65

________ is a technology characterized by a work process in which input, conversion, and output activities are inseparable.

A) Specialization
B) Mediating technology
C) Long-linked technology
D) Intensive technology

Question 66

Which of the following technologies has the lowest level of task interdependence?

A) Long-linked
B) Intensive
C) Mass production
D) Mediating

Question 67

When a company has reciprocal interdependence, which of the following structures is most appropriate?

A) Market
B) Geographic
C) Functional
D) Product team

Question 68

With respect to task interdependencies, which of the following are the three general levels of interdependencies?

A) Reciprocal, sequential, forward
B) Pooled, backward, forward
C) Pooled, sequential, reciprocal
D) Reciprocal, forward, pooled

Question 69

If an organization uses intensive technology, then the primary form of task interdependence is ________, and the type of coordination required is ________.

A) sequential/mutual adjustment
B) reciprocal/mutual adjustment
C) sequential/standardization
D) reciprocal/standardization

Question 70

Which of the following types of technology was not identified by James Thompson?

A) Mediating
B) Intensive
C) Operations
D) Long-linked

Question 71

Hospitals are organizations that use ________ technology.

A) long-linked
B) mediating
C) intensive
D) engineering production

Question 72

Long-linked technology is characterized by all of the following except ________.

A) reciprocal interdependence
B) low-skilled workers
C) increased production efficiency
D) standardization

Question 73

In mass production, the actions of one employee determine how well the next employee can perform his task. This is an example of ________ technology.

A) large-batch
B) mediating
C) independent
D) long-linked

Question 74

Vertical integration is a strategy that is most likely to be used when an organization employs ________.

A) long-linked technology
B) small-batch technology
C) mediating technology
D) intensive technology

Question 75

A network organization uses which of the following technologies?

A) Long-linked
B) Mediating
C) Intensive
D) Operations

Question 76

Which of the following is not a characteristic of mediating technology?

A) It requires a high level of integration.
B) It is easy to evaluate employees' performance.
C) It has a high level of standardization.
D) It is relatively inexpensive to operate.

Question 77

Slack resources will most likely be used when an organization uses ________ technology.

A) mediating
B) long-linked
C) nonroutine
D) intensive

Question 78

The communication flow is primarily vertical through the hierarchy in an organization that uses ________ technology.

A) mediating
B) intensive
C) long-linked
D) small-batch

Question 79

Which of the following strategies is used to decrease the costs of using intensive technology?

A) Related diversification
B) The use of slack resources
C) Specialism
D) Vertical integration

Question 80

The dominant form of workflow interdependence in long-linked technologies is ________.

A) intensive
B) pooled
C) sequential
D) reciprocal