Chapter 4 quiz multiple choice – Flashcards
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Which of the following is true of the workforce management system proposed and designed by Frederick W. Taylor?
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The system changed many manufacturing jobs into mindless and mundane tasks.
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_____ is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people to achieve organizational and individual goals.
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Workforce management
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Which of the following activities is a part of workforce management?
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Assisting in design of work systems
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An organization that has a strategic orientation to human resource management will:
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adapt to changing business needs through innovative programs and systems.
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Strategic human resource management differs from traditional HR practices in that strategic human resource management:
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focuses on long-term, current, and future needs.
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According to Kay Kendall and Glenn Bodison, which of the following "conditions of collaboration" refers to believing in the inherent worth of another person?
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Respect
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Which of the following "conditions of collaboration," proposed by Kendall and Bodison, creates a congruency between what the organization stands for and the personal beliefs of the individual?
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Aligned values
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The term "workforce engagement" refers to:
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the extent of workforce commitment, both emotional and intellectual, to accomplishing the work, mission, and vision of the organization.
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The term "employee involvement" refers to:
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any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and improvement activities with the objective of improving their motivation.
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Which of the following is true regarding the employee suggestion system?
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It improves workers' reasoning ability and leads to higher levels of peer recognition.
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According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, which of the following factors is an example of a maintenance factor?
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Safe working environment
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According to Herzberg's Two-Factor theory, which of the following factors is an example of a motivational factor?
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Nature of work
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_____ refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units, such as departments and teams.
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Work design
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According to Hackman and Oldham's work design model, "experienced meaningfulness" is a psychological state that refers to the need of workers to:
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have the feeling that their work is a significant contribution to the organization and the society.
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According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, Which of the following core job characteristics is most likely to have an impact on employee's experienced responsibility?
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Autonomy
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Stella works as a customer service executive at a firm that manufactures computer systems. She was motivated to perform her job effectively, as she was aware that her job of helping customers to resolve technical issues had a direct impact on the performance of the organization. Which of the following job characteristics, as identified by Hackman and Oldham in their work design model, is motivating Stella in the above scenario?
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Task significance
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According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, _____ is the degree to which a worker can perceive a task, as a whole, identifiable piece of work from start to finish.
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task identity
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According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, "skill variety" is a core job characteristic that refers to:
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the degree to which the job requires the worker to use a variety of talents.
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According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, a job is said to have high _____ if it permits workers freedom, independence, and authority to exercise personal control over the work.
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Autonomy
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Ergo Industries, which manufactures automotive parts, had taken various measures to improve the quality of the products. The product-line managers at the company had the authority to stop production if they found the components to be defective without the approval of the senior management in the company and take measures to resolve the issue. This authority motivated the managers to perform their jobs better. According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, which of the following core job characteristics is influencing the performance of managers in the above scenario?
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Autonomy
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Nathan, a sales manager at a consumer electronics company, motivated his sales executives by providing them regular inputs on their performance and also on what is expected of them from the company. The team had also developed a system through which the sales persons could analyze their performance based on customers' comments. According to Hackman and Oldham work design model, which of the following core job characteristics is motivating the employees to perform better in the above scenario?
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Feedback from the job
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_____ is an approach to work design that improves a worker's job by including several tasks rather than one single, low-level task.
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Job enlargement
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Which of the following is true of the job enlargement approach to work design?
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It results in lower production costs and reduces fragmentation of jobs.
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A food manufacturing company motivates its employees to perform well by giving them more responsibilities and authority to make decisions. The company believes that giving more authority to employees makes them more dedicated and committed to their work. Which of the following terms best describes this approach to job design?
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Job enrichment
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Teams that are organized to perform entire jobs, rather than specialized, assembly line-type work are known as _____ teams.
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natural work
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Which of the following types of teams in an organization is usually cross-functional?
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Project team
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In a team's life cycle, the stage of _____ takes place when the issues of the previous stage have been worked out, and team members agree on roles, ground rules, and acceptable behavior when doing the work of the team.
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norming
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Which of the following stages of a team's life cycle takes place when team members disagree on team roles and challenge the way that the team will function?
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Storming
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Which of the following practices will lead to effective recognition and rewarding of employees?
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Rewarding behavior, not just results
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The process of subjectively evaluating the quality of an employee's work is known as _____.
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performance appraisal
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Which of the following is a process measure that helps to assess workforce effectiveness?
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Number of suggestions made by the employees
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Organizations can assess worker satisfaction by:
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conducting a formal survey that includes questions regarding quality of worklife, teamwork, opportunities and training provided, and leadership.
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Kenneth who works as a process associate in a company is unable to achieve a worklife balance. His personal problems are affecting his job performance. Even though he spends most of his time in office, he is not able to perform his job effectively. According to the "engagement index" developed by Gallup, Kenneth will fall into the category of _____.
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not engaged employees
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The term workforce capability refers to an organization's ability to:
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accomplish its work processes through the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of its people.
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_____ refers to an organization's ability to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully deliver products and services to customers, including the ability to meet seasonal and varying demands.
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Workforce capacity
