Question 1

The chain of command answers this question.
A) Where do I go for help?
B) How do I know when the task is complete?
C) What are the rules?
D) Who reports to whom?

Accepted Answer

D) The classic description of the chain of command is that it determines who reports to whom. The other questions given here-asking for help, knowing when work is complete, and learning the rules-do not explicitly involve authority, so they are incorrect.

Question 2

All of the following are part of the process of organizational design EXCEPT ________.
A) deciding how specialized jobs should be
B) determining rules for employee behavior
C) determining the level at which decisions are made
D) determining goals for the organization

Accepted Answer

D) Organizing jobs, formulating rules, or clarifying a decision-making process are clearly examples of developing an organization's structure. Determining goals is part of establishing an organization's mission, not creating its structure that will help carry out that mission.

Question 3

Authority gives an individual the right to do this.
A) give orders
B) reprimand employees
C) command respect
D) obey orders

Accepted Answer

A) Authority confers the right to direct subordinates and, if necessary, issue commands and orders, making "give orders" the correct response. Reprimanding may be done by superiors to subordinates, but it is not an explicit part of authority. Commanding respect is completely independent of authority-although practically speaking, authority is hard to establish without it. Finally, all employees have the "right" to obey orders, not just a person with authority, making "obey orders" incorrect.

Question 4

Which of the following are NOT basic elements of organizational structure?
A) work specialization, span of control
B) chain of command, line authority
C) centralization, decentralization
D) departmentalization, formalization

Accepted Answer

B) The six elements of organizational structure are given in the three incorrect choices: work specialization, span of control, centralization, decentralization, departmentalization and formalization. Chain of command and line authority are not included as basic elements of organizational structure, so "chain of command, line authority" is the correct response.

Question 5

Today, managers favor this approach instead of work specialization.
A) All tasks are performed by all employees.
B) Partners switch jobs every half hour.
C) Employees perform a broad range of tasks.
D) Monotonous tasks are shared by all employees.

Accepted Answer

C) Today's managers prefer an approach in which employees perform many tasks, eliminating monotony. The other choices given here have been tried in isolated cases, but none constitutes a prevalent approach of today's managers.

Question 6

Early users of work specialization in the early twentieth century found that the practice ultimately resulted in ________.
A) higher profits and better employee morale
B) bored workers with low morale
C) huge and permanent productivity gains
D) better communication among employees

Accepted Answer

B) While managers initially saw profit and productivity gains in work specialization, the gains were not huge, not permanent, and not accompanied by increases in morale, so these choices are incorrect. Better communication was never observed by managers so that choice is incorrect. After initial gains, managers did see an inevitable drop in morale of employees as they contended with drudgery, making "bored workers with low morale" the correct response.

Question 7

Early supporters of work specialization saw it as ________.
A) a reliable way to increase productivity
B) a good way to increase employee morale
C) a source of innovation
D) an immoral way to coerce workers into greater productivity

Accepted Answer

A) Work specialization has never been seen as a way to increase productivity or innovation. Work specialization was seen as an excellent but ultimately limited way to increase productivity, so "a reliable way to increase productivity" is the correct response.

Question 8

Contingent workers may make up to 40 percent of the workforce by the end of the decade.

Accepted Answer

The use of contingent workers who do jobs by the piece is increasing every year.

Question 9

A soap company that features a bath soap department, a laundry detergent department, and a dish soap department is using which of the following?
A) process departmentalization
B) functional departmentalization
C) product departmentalization
D) customer departmentalization

Accepted Answer

C) The soap company clearly is organizing by product, not a particular process, the job people do, or the customer that is served. That makes "product departmentalization" the correct response.

Question 10

Staff managers have authority over ________.
A) special support employees only
B) line managers
C) middle managers
D) the person above them in the chain of command

Accepted Answer

A) Staff managers have authority only over the special support staff they control. Staff managers typically do not exercise authority over other employees, even if they outrank them. This makes "special support employees only" the correct response and the other three choices incorrect because they all identify people other than support staff.

Question 11

________ departmentalization is based on territory or the physical location of employees or customers.
A) Functional
B) Product
C) Geographic
D) Matrix

Accepted Answer

C) Among the four choices, only "geographic" refers to territory, so "geographic" is the correct choice.

Question 12

What kind of departmentalization would be in place in a government agency in which there are separate departments that provide services for employers, employed workers, unemployed workers, and the disabled?
A) product
B) geographic
C) outcome
D) customer

Accepted Answer

D) Employed workers, unemployed workers, employers, and disabled workers are categories of people who will use the agency's services-its customers. Therefore, "customer" is correct and the other choices incorrect.

Question 13

State motor vehicle offices usually use this kind of departmentalization.
A) product
B) functional
C) customer
D) process

Accepted Answer

D) Motor vehicle offices organize, for example, by the process of getting a driver's license. First the customer fills out forms, then takes an eye test, then takes a written test, and so on. This makes "process" correct.

Question 14

Organizational design requires a manager to ________.
A) organize groups within an organization
B) change the culture of an organization
C) change or develop the structure of an organization
D) change the logo of an organization

Accepted Answer

C) By definition, organizational design requires that an individual develop or change an organization's structure. Changing organizational culture or organizing groups may influence structure in minor ways, so those choices are incorrect. Changing the logo of the organization also does not constitute creating or significantly modifying the organization's structure.

Question 15

Which of the following is synonymous with work specialization?
A) division of labor
B) job discrimination
C) chain of command
D) job preference

Accepted Answer

A) Division of labor is the only term among the four choices that describes how work is specialized. Job discrimination describes how employees are mistreated in the job market. Job preference describes how employees select jobs. Chain of command describes authority relationships in organizations.

Question 16

Which statement accurately defines work specialization?
A) It is the degree to which tasks are grouped together.
B) Individual employees specialize in doing part of an activity rather than the entire activity.
C) Jobs are ranked relative only to their worth or value to the businesses.
D) Work specialization clarifies who reports to whom.

Accepted Answer

B) The choice regarding the degree to which tasks are grouped together describes departmentalization, not specialization. The choices regarding ranking jobs and work specialization both describe a power relationship in an organization, so they are incorrect. The choice regarding individual employees accurately identifies the idea that work specialization requires dividing a task into parts, so it is the correct response.

Question 17

Organizations that implement flextime programs allow employees to work at home for some of the work day.

Accepted Answer

Working from home is called telecommuting and gives employees flexibility with regard to time and location of work. Flextime gives flexibility in time.

Question 18

Functional departmentalization groups jobs by ________.
A) tasks they perform
B) territories they serve
C) products or services they manufacture or produce
D) type of customer they serve

Accepted Answer

A) The choice regarding territories describes geographic departmentalization, while the choice regarding products or services describes product departmentalization, and the choice regarding type of customer describes customer departmentalization. That makes "tasks they perform" the correct response, as functional departmentalization groups employees by the jobs they perform.

Question 19

The line of authority that extends from the upper levels of management to the lowest levels of the organization is termed the ________.
A) chain of responsibility
B) unity of command
C) staff authority
D) chain of command

Accepted Answer

D) Unity of command refers to a single authority prevailing when organizational conflicts arise rather than a hierarchical authority. Staff authority refers to the authority that staff managers have over support personnel. Only the chain of command describes the hierarchical relationship between levels of an organization with respect to authority, so that is the correct response. "Chain of responsibility" is incorrect because it is not a recognized term.

Question 20

In the chain of command, each person above you ________.
A) has special privileges
B) receives higher pay
C) has line authority
D) has no right to give you orders

Accepted Answer

C) Line authority is the explicit right to issue orders to a subordinate. People of higher rank may or may not receive special privileges or more pay than people below, so those choices are incorrect. Finally, "has no right to give you orders" can be eliminated because it is the opposite of the correct answer.

Quiz 8: Organizational Structure and Design

The chain of command answers this question.

All of the following are part of the process of organizational design EXCEPT ________.

Authority gives an individual the right to do this.

Which of the following are NOT basic elements of organizational structure?

Today, managers favor this approach instead of work specialization.

Early users of work specialization in the early twentieth century found that the practice ultimately resulted in ________.

Early supporters of work specialization saw it as ________.

Contingent workers may make up to 40 percent of the workforce by the end of the decade.

A soap company that features a bath soap department, a laundry detergent department, and a dish soap department is using which of the following?

Staff managers have authority over ________.

________ departmentalization is based on territory or the physical location of employees or customers.

What kind of departmentalization would be in place in a government agency in which there are separate departments that provide services for employers, employed workers, unemployed workers, and the disabled?

State motor vehicle offices usually use this kind of departmentalization.

Organizational design requires a manager to ________.

Which of the following is synonymous with work specialization?

Which statement accurately defines work specialization?

Organizations that implement flextime programs allow employees to work at home for some of the work day.

Functional departmentalization groups jobs by ________.

The line of authority that extends from the upper levels of management to the lowest levels of the organization is termed the ________.

In the chain of command, each person above you ________.