Quiz 4: Matching Employees And Jobs

What is the first step in workflow analysis?

In workflow analysis, numbers and types of employees, monetary requirements, materials, and equipment make up our ______.

After analyzing the end result of the process"”organizational outputs"”the next step in workflow analysis is:

To complete a workflow analysis for each product or service that we provide in the organization, we have to identify the _____________ that create that product or service.

In a workflow analysis, after we identify the end result, we have to identify the _____________ that create that end result.

In a workflow analysis, after we identify the end result and the activities or steps, we have to identify the _____________ that carry out those activities.

Inputs available to produce products or services identified in the workflow analysis include:

Lauren and Casey are working to identify the work processes that create Acme Global's products. They are beginning with the organizational output. Next, they will identify the tasks and the inputs. The tool they are using is _______.

__________ is the process used to identify the work performed and the working conditions for each job in the organization.

What is a document that identifies the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that are components of a job?

Two primary outcomes of job analysis include:

Stephanie and Mallory are working to identify the work performed and the working conditions for each job within Acme Global. Their final product contains duties, responsibilities, skills, knowledge required, outcomes, and working conditions for each job. The tool they are using is _______.

What kind of information would you find in a job specification?

The U.S. Department of Labor uses ______ to describe jobs.

What is a job analysis method that asks workers to write down the tasks that they accomplish as they go about their job?

Carolyn is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of a research analyst at Acme Global. Since so much of the work is done inside the analyst's head, she cannot observe it. She would like to get an account of what the analyst does hour by hour. In this case, the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

A major advantage of this job analysis method is that it is a quick way to get information from a large number of sources.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of relying only on interviews with incumbents for job analysis information?

Questionnaires, interviews, diaries, observation, and subject matter panels are commonly used methods to perform a ______________.

Job analysis questionnaires can be given to many different people, including ______________.

Don is conducting a job analysis. He gives Sara a questionnaire to complete, since she has held the position of lead technician for six years now. In this scenario, Sara is ______________.

Halle is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of the 200 sales associates at Acme Global. She needs the information quickly in order to present it at the next management meeting. In this case, the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Michaela is trying to identify the work performed and the working conditions of a software engineer. She plans to ask questions of the person who currently holds the job and compile the answers into a profile of the job. In this case, the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

Nick would like to identify the work performed and the working conditions of the receptionists at Acme Global. Specifically, he would like to know more about their interrelationships with other workers and gauge the complexity of the job. In this case, the ________ job analysis method would be most appropriate.

What job design method focuses on the job characteristics that affect the employee's psychological state, and views attitudinal variables as the most important outcomes of job design?

________ design focuses on minimizing the physical strain on the worker by structuring the physical work environment around the way the body works.

Which one of the following approaches to job design is based on Frederick Taylor's concept of Scientific Management?

__________ refers to changing the tasks, or the way work is performed, in an existing job.

The four primary approaches to job design are:

_______________ focuses on designing jobs that remain within the worker's normal mental capabilities and limitations.

_______________ focuses on designing jobs that affect the psychological meaning and motivational potential of the employee.

Katrina performs data analysis all day. She places each page of new data on the left side of her computer terminal. After she enters the data, she places the page face-down on the right side of her terminal. Katrina's job has a(n) _______ design.

Catalina and Christian share a work station on the assembly line. Catalina works the morning shift and Christian works the afternoon shift. Catalina is 5'2" tall and Christian is 5'10" tall. The works station can be lowered to Catalina's height and then raised to Christian's height. Catalina and Christian's jobs have a(n) _______ design.

Sasha's job involves creating a widget from start to finish. She is given autonomy in how she creates the widget and is provided with regular feedback on the quality of her widgets. Sasha's job has a _______ design.

What is the ultimate goal of the job characteristics model?

In the job characteristics model, what does the autonomy job characteristic lead to?

In the job characteristics model, _________ is the degree to which an employee performs a whole identifiable task.

In the job characteristics model, __________ is the extent to which employees find out how well they have performed their tasks.

According to the job characteristics model, which of the following is least likely to provide motivation to an employee?

The job characteristics model core characteristic that leads to "knowledge of results" is:

Michelle wants to apply the job characteristics model to her employees' work. She plans to increase the number of diverse tasks and skills used to perform each job. Michelle is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Melissa wants to apply the job characteristics model to her employees' work. She plans to redesign jobs so that each employee will be creating widgets from start to finish. Melissa is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Alex wants to apply the job characteristics model to her employees' work. She plans to sit down with each employee and describe how the employee's job impacts the organization and brings in customers. Alex is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Nicole wants to apply the job characteristics model to her employees' work. She plans to give her employees more discretion to make decisions in planning, organizing, and controlling their tasks. Nicole is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

Monica wants to apply the job characteristics model to her employees' work. She plans to start giving performance appraisals every three months instead of every 12 months. Michelle is trying to change the ________ of the jobs.

According to the job characteristics model, which one of the following interventions should generally NOT be used as part of motivational job design?

Which job tool involves eliminating tasks, combining tasks, and changing task sequences?

Acme Global used to require budget officers to get three signatures on each budget form. When Michael took over the accounting department, he changed the form so that only one signature was needed. This is an example of _______.

Katie and Emily both work at Acme Global. Next month, Katie will work in Emily's job in the accounting department while Emily works in Katie's job in the marketing department. After the month is over, they will return to their regular jobs, hopefully having learned new skills and gained new perspectives. This is an example of _________.

Willie found he did not have enough work to keep him busy throughout the workday. He did not want to work harder, but he also did not want to be idle. His boss found some more tasks for him so that he had plenty to do. This is an example of ________.

Julian was not feeling challenged in his job. He had been doing the same job for five years and knew how to perform all the tasks well. To continue to motivate him, his boss gave him some new challenging tasks. This is an example of ________.

Job enlargement is a tool designed to:

_______________ can be achieved through rotation, enlargement, and enrichment.

The simple way to ______ jobs is for the manager to delegate more authority to employees to make a job satisfying.

Which of the following is an example of job rotation?

What would be a common example of a compressed work week?

A form of autonomy that allows employees to work somewhere other than an office is called:

In _________ sharing, two or more people share one whole job, including the workload and any benefits that are associated with that job.

Wynn's Marketing Designs requires all employees to be at work from 10:00 a.m. to noon and from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., but allows people to come and go as desired during the rest of their eight-hour workday. This is an example of:

Flextime, job sharing, telecommuting, and compressed workweeks are all examples of _________________.

___________, in its simplest form, is whether or not we measured what we thought we measured.

_________________identifies the estimated supply and demand for the different types of human resources needed within the organization.

If we could look at historical revenues and relate those revenue volumes to the number of people in the organization for each year, and then extend that comparative data into the future to predict the number of people required for a particular sales or revenue level, what kind of analysis was done?

Lars is reviewing the past 10 years of Acme Global's production levels and comparing those to how many workers were in the organization. He plans to use the information to create a chart of how many workers are needed for different production levels. The process in which Lars is engaged is ________.

Jacob is reviewing the past 10 years of Acme Global's production and calculating specific proportions between production levels and number of employees. He plans to use the information to understand the relationship between production and number of employees. The process in which Jacob is engaged is ________.

Due to a recession, the Acme Global Corporation has a labor surplus. It wants to find a way to reduce the surplus while both being fair to employees and being ready to respond to increased demand when the recession is over. Its best method for dealing with its surplus would be _________.

The Acme Global Corporation has a very large labor surplus and needs to cut costs quickly. Its best method for dealing with its surplus would be _________.

The Acme Global Corporation has a labor surplus. Specifically, it has too many workers in one type of job and too few in another. Its best method for dealing with its surplus would be _________.

With what type of reduction do companies cut the hours available to each worker but don't lose any workers?

Early retirement as a method of downsizing has all of the following disadvantages except:

What is the technique behind natural attrition?

Acme Global just received a very large order from a customer. It does not have the ability to fill the order using their current workforce working a normal workweek and does notexpect to continue receiving such orders from this customer. Which of the following options would best address this temporary shortage of employees?

All of the following are disadvantages of using temporary workers except:

Resting Easy Corp. has a shortage of workers in their manufacturing operation in Kentucky, but has a surplus of people in their CSR center in neighboring Ohio. Which of the following could potentially be used to avoid a labor shortage?

The Acme Global Corporation just received a large order and needs more work hours to complete the order. The order must be finished in two weeks. At that time, the labor shortage will be over. Acme Global's best method for dealing with its labor shortage would be _________.

The Acme Global Corporation forecasts that it will have a labor shortage in two years. Given the new products the organization is developing, there will not be enough skilled workers for Acme Global to hire. Acme Global's best method for dealing with its labor shortage would be _________.

The first thing we analyze in a workflow analysis is the "beginning stages" of our processes, our expected organizational inputs.

Identifying the end result is a critical first step in identifying the workflows to create that result.

A job specification tells what a person does in a job.

Job specifications identify the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that make up components of a job.

Job descriptions identify the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities that make up components of a job.

One advantage to using questionnaires to complete job analysis activities is the relatively low cost.

One advantage to using work logs, or diaries, as part of a job analysis is the ability to collect data for jobs which are otherwise difficult to observe.

If we are going to design mechanistic jobs, we try to make the job complicated so the worker can get good at it.

Mechanistic job design focuses on making the job simple and repetitive.

Biological job design focuses on making the job simple and repetitive.

Feedback leads to the psychological state of "experienced meaningfulness of work" according to the job characteristics model.

Job simplification makes jobs more specialized.

Qualitative forecasting uses mathematics to forecast future events based on historical data.

If you forecast correctly, you should not have to carry out layoffs very often.

Early retirement is a fast way of accomplishing layoffs.

After predicting a surplus of labor, our only choice to eliminate the surplus is layoffs.

Contract and temporary workers are very loyal to the organization and are very motivated to work.

Reducing turnover by improving work conditions and improving benefits packages can reduce a projected labor shortage.

Why is the process of workflow analysis important to HRM?

Describe the difference between job descriptions and job specifications.

What are the four major approaches to job design?

What are the five core job components of the job characteristics model?

What are the three major tools for motivational job design?

What are three common quantitative HR forecasting methods?

List three options for dealing with a labor surplus and three for dealing with a labor shortage.