Deck 6: Applied Performance Practices

Question 1

Steelweld,a car parts manufacturer,pays employees a higher hourly rate as they learn to operate more parts of the work process.Employees earn $10 per hour when they are hired and they can earn up to $20 per hour if they master all 12 work units in the production process.Steelweld is applying which of these reward systems?

A)Skill-based pay
B)Piece-rate pay
C)Job evaluation system
D)Seniority-based pay
E)None of the answers apply.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Skill-based pay plans:

A)discourage employees from learning new jobs.
B)create a psychological distance between employees and managers.
C)discourage poor performers from leaving the organization.
D)can be expensive because they motivate employees to spend more time learning new jobs.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A gainsharing plan:

A)rewards employees with company stock.
B)encourages individuals to work independently rather than rely on team members.
C)rewards employees for the status they have gained in the organization.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)None of the answers apply.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which reward system tends to discourage poor performers from voluntarily leaving the organization?

A)Membership and seniority-based pay
B)Skill-based pay
C)Piece-rate rewards
D)Competency-based pay
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 5

Job status-based rewards:

A)encourage employees to exaggerate job duties and hoard resources.
B)motivate employees to compete for positions further up the organization.
C)tend to encourage bureaucratic hierarchy.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)None of the above.

Question 6

Gainsharing plans tend to:

A)increase efficiency without paying employees any financial reward.
B)tie employee pay directly to company profits.
C)create a reasonably strong effort-to-performance expectancy.
D)reward individuals for their own personal performance rather than team or organizational performance.
E)increase efficiency without paying employees any financial reward creating a reasonably strong effort-to-performance expectancy.

Question 7

___________ are often "golden handcuffs" that potentially increase continuance commitment.

A)Gainsharing rewards
B)Job status rewards
C)Team-based rewards
D)Competency-based rewards
E)Membership/seniority rewards.

Question 8

A mid-sized city introduced a reward system whereby employees would find ways to reduce costs and increase work efficiency.Every employee would receive a portion of the surplus budget resulting from these cost savings.This city is using:

A)a gainsharing plan.
B)a commission system.
C)a piece-rate plan.
D)a share option plan.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 9

Most employee benefits are based on which type of reward system?

A)Membership of the organization
B)Job status
C)Individual job performance
D)Competency
E)Corporate performance

Question 10

The problem with membership and seniority-based rewards is that:

A)they discourage people from remaining with the organization.
B)they are difficult to use in organizational settings.
C)they do not directly motivate job performance.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)they discourage people from remaining with the organization and they do not directly motivate job performance.

Question 11

Job status rewards usually offer which of the following benefits to organizations?

A)They encourage employees to focus their attention on customer service.
B)They discourage organizational politics.
C)They make organizations more market responsive.
D)They encourage employees to focus their attention on customer service and they make organizations more market responsive.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 12

According to your text,which of the following is considered an individual incentive?

A)Gainsharing plans
B)Piece-rate plans
C)Share options
D)Share ownership
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 13

Which of the following is considered an individual incentive?

A)Gainsharing plans
B)Balanced scorecards
C)Share options
D)Share ownership
E)Commissions

Question 14

Which of the following is most consistent with the idea that employees are expected to continuously learn skills that will keep them employed?

A)Competency-based rewards
B)Job status rewards
C)Job evaluation systems
D)Individual performance-based rewards
E)Competency-based rewards and job status rewards

Question 15

Job evaluations are used in which type of reward system?

A)Competency-based rewards
B)Job status rewards
C)Individual performance rewards
D)Seniority-based rewards
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 16

Which of these performance-based rewards tends to create the strongest psychological connection between the individual employee's work effort and the reward received?

A)Profit sharing plan
B)Gainsharing plan
C)Employee stock ownership plan
D)Employee stock option plan
E)None of these rewards offer any psychological connection between the individual employee's work effort and the reward received

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an individual level performance reward?

A)Piece rates
B)Commissions
C)Awards
D)Gainsharing
E)Bonuses

Question 18

Which of the following team reward motivate team members to reduce costs and increase labour efficiency in their work process?

A)Profit-sharing
B)Team-based synergy
C)Employee share ownership plans
D)Gainsharing plans.
E)'A' and 'C' only

Question 19

Which of the following systematically evaluates the worth of each job within the organization?

A)Job enlargement
B)Job enrichment
C)Job evaluation
D)Job status appraisal
E)Performance appraisal

Question 20

Job evaluation and skill-based pay plans are both considered:

A)competency-based rewards.
B)membership/seniority-based rewards.
C)performance-based rewards.
D)status-based rewards.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 21

Performance-based rewards have been criticized on the grounds that:

A)they undermine the employee's motivation from the work itself.
B)they potentially distance employees and management from each other.
C)they tend to discourage creativity.
D)they are used as quick fixes for problems.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 22

Most gainsharing plans:

A)apply to executives rather than to nonmanagement employees.
B)rely on the company's share price to measure organizational performance.
C)operate as an individual incentive.
D)apply to nonmanagment employees rather than executives and rely on the company's share price to measure organizational performance.
E)None of the above.

Question 23

Share option plans:

A)are illegal in Canada.
B)give employees the right to purchase company shares at a future date at a predetermined price.
C)directly award bonuses to employees based on cost savings and increased labour productivity.
D)tend to weaken employee commitment to the organization.
E)give employees the right to purchase company shares at a future date at a predetermined price and tend to weaken employee commitment to the organization

Question 24

Which of the following tends to create an 'ownership culture' and align employee behaviours more closely to organizational objectives?

A)Job evaluation
B)Commissions
C)Share option plans
D)Employee share ownership plans
E)Stock option plans and employee stock ownership plans

Question 25

______ and ______ are typically organizational-level rewards.

A)Commissions; bonuses
B)ESOPS; profit sharing
C)Gainsharing; commitssions
D)Piece rate; gainsharing
E)Balanced scorecards; commissions

Question 26

Effective performance-based rewards should:

A)be based mainly on the employee's years of service with the company.
B)reward behaviours and outcomes that are under the employee's control.
C)reward only individual performance when employees have highly interdependent tasks.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)reward behaviours and outcomes that are under the employee's control and reward only individual performance when employees have highly interdependent tasks.

Question 27

Scientific management includes which of the following?

A)Assigning employees to fixed hourly wages.
B)Systematically dividing a job into its smallest possible elements and assigning these divided tasks to employees who are best qualified to perform them.
C)Combining tasks so employees perform an entire work process from beginning to end.
D)Encouraging employees to set their own goals and have positive thoughts about their work performance.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 28

Employee share ownership plans (ESOP):

A)include any arrangements where a share of company profits is put aside and distributed to a designated group of employees.
B)pay employees a bonus based on the amount of labour or materials costs they save the company.
C)calculate pay by the number of units produced by the employee.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 29

Which of the following is LEAST likely to create an ownership culture?

A)Employee stock ownership plans
B)Commissions
C)Stock option plans
D)Gainsharing plans
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 30

Which of the following job design strategies tends to increase work efficiency?

A)Job enlargement
B)Job rotation
C)Job enrichment
D)Job specialization
E)None of these strategies increases work efficiency

Question 31

Which of the following is an advantage of job specialization?

A)The quality of work increases.
B)Jobs can be mastered quickly.
C)Employees are more involved with their jobs.
D)The work is less repetitive.
E)Task specialization has no clear advantages to the organization.

Question 32

When jobs are highly interdependent,employers should:

A)avoid using any form of performance-based reward system.
B)use a team-based reward.
C)use an individual-based reward.
D)use an organizational-based reward system.
E)use a team-based reward and use an organizational-based reward system

Question 33

Which of these contemporary organizational behaviour practices was popularized by Fredrick Taylor in his work on scientific management?

A)Goal setting
B)Job enrichment
C)Membership and seniority-based rewards
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 34

When applied to non-management employees,which of these has a relatively WEAK connection between the reward and individual effort?

A)Piece rate pay
B)Commissions
C)Profit-sharing bonuses
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)Commissions and profit-sharing bonuses

Question 35

Which of the following are potential problems with performance-based pay plans?

A)Employers offer rewards that employees don't value.
B)Some plans reward individual performance when the employee's work is highly interdependent.
C)It is difficult to anticipate the unintended consequences of performance-based rewards.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)Some plans reward individual performance when the employee's work is highly interdependent and it is difficult to anticipate the unintended consequences of performance-based rewards.

Question 36

Which of the following explicitly measures a composite of financial,customer,internal processes,and employee factors to reward executive performance?

A)Profit sharing plans.
B)ESOPs
C)Gainsharing plans
D)Share options
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 37

In 1436,the waterways of Venice were used to fully load 10 galleons with supplies in just six hours.As each vessel was towed along the narrow waterway,people at each house transferred munitions and other supplies to the passing vessel.By the end of the street,each vessel was fully loaded and ready for sailing.This event,known as the 'Arsenal of Venice',is an early example of:

A)self-leadership
B)gainsharing
C)job specialization
D)constructive thought patterns
E)job rotation

Question 38

Scientific management is most closely associated with:

A)self-leadership.
B)employee motivation.
C)job design.
D)reward systems.
E)empowerment.

Question 39

Which of the following explicitly considers the work unit's cost savings and productivity improvement?

A)Profit sharing plans.
B)Share options
C)Gainsharing plans
D)Balanced scorecard
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 40

Which of these performance-based rewards tends to create the lowest E-to-P expectancy?

A)Share options
B)Individual piece rates
C)Gainsharing
D)Individual commissions
E)Team bonuses

Question 41

Work quality tends to increase with:

A)job enrichment.
B)job rotation.
C)job enlargement.
D)natural jobs.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 42

Employees at CyberTech perform repetitive jobs that has resulted in boredom as well as repetitive strain injury.Technology makes it difficult to combine existing jobs,but the company wants to make employees more multiskilled.Which of the following would best help CyberTech to improve this situation?

A)Introduce job rotation.
B)Introduce job specialization.
C)Introduce a gainsharing plan for all production employees.
D)Encourage employees to engage in mental imagery.
E)Introduce job enrichment by having each employee produce the entire product rather than a small part of it.

Question 43

Performance tends to decrease at very high levels of task specialization because:

A)employees are less able to perform the job.
B)employees in specialized jobs lack sufficient resources to perform their jobs.
C)high task specialization is associated with bad management.
D)employees tend to become bored and less motivated to perform well.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 44

A government agency enriched the jobs of customer service assistants (CSAs)by giving them more autonomy and responsibility for clients in a specific geographic area.Previously,CSAs had limited autonomy and would serve clients based on random assignment.Although these changes clearly enriched the jobs,many of the CSAs were neither more motivated nor satisfied after the changes.These negative results likely occurred because:

A)job enrichment only works for management employees.
B)the CSAs may have lacked the skills and knowledge to perform the more challenging work.
C)job enrichment only works when employees participate in the changes.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 45

At a television station,camera operators learned how to become reporters,while reporters learned to operate cameras.These jobs were then merged into the job of video journalist,which involved operating a camera and reporting the news.This change is an example of:

A)increasing job specialization.
B)encouraging mental imagery.
C)increasing job enrichment by establishing client relationships.
D)introducing job rotation.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 46

Knowledge of results originates primarily from:

A)job feedback
B)skill variety
C)autonomy
D)task significance
E)task identity

Question 47

Job enlargement primarily changes which of the following?

A)Autonomy
B)Working conditions
C)Job feedback
D)Growth need strength
E)Skill variety

Question 48

To increase an employee's feelings of experienced responsibility,we would:

A)increase the amount of job feedback in the person's job.
B)reduce the amount of task identity and task significance in the person's job.
C)increase the amount of autonomy in the person's job.
D)reduce the amount of skill variety in the person's job.
E)increase the amount of task identity and task significance in the person's job.

Question 49

According to the job characteristics model,which core job characteristic results in a feeling of responsibility for the employee?

A)Feedback from job and skill variety
B)Autonomy
C)Skill variety,task identity and task significance
D)Task identity
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 50

Which of these factors,according to Herzberg,is a hygiene factor?

A)Autonomy
B)Job security
C)Responsibility
D)Personal growth
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 51

A video journalist's job consists of operating the camera,reporting the story,and often editing the work,whereas these three tasks are traditionally performed by three people.Video journalism is an example of:

A)self-leadership.
B)job enrichment.
C)job enlargement.
D)job specialization.
E)job enrichment and job enlargement.

Question 52

Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory led to a more serious study of:

A)performance-based rewards as a strategy to reduce employee turnover.
B)job specialization as a strategy to improve job performance.
C)lighting,noise and other working conditions that help employees to work harder.
D)the effect of constructive thought patterns on employee behaviour.
E)job enrichment and the motivational potential job content.

Question 53

All of the following tend to increase the quality of work performed,EXCEPT:

A)job enrichment.
B)job specialization.
C)job rotation.
D)natural grouping of tasks into one job.
E)'B' and 'C' only.

Question 54

How do growth needs relate to the job characteristics model?

A)Growth needs are the critical psychological state resulting from skill variety and task identity.
B)High growth needs are one of the psychological states in the job characteristics model.
C)Job enrichment might motivate those with high growth needs more than those with low growth needs,but recent studies suggest this relationship is weak,at best.
D)Growth needs increase with the level of autonomy offered in the job.
E)Growth needs are not mentioned in the job characteristics model.

Question 55

Normal Technologies Corp.(NTC)offers superb fitness facilities,flexible work hours,a gourmet restaurant with company-subsidized meals and a workplace with security systems for high physical safety.According to Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory,these conditions will:

A)motivate all of NTC's employees to perform their jobs better.
B)motivate employees whose lower-level needs have not yet been satisfied.
C)increase job satisfaction among employees who value those conditions.
D)reduce job dissatisfaction among NTC's employees but will not motivate them to perform their jobs.
E)cause employees to quit their jobs more than if these special benefits were not provided.

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT a core job characteristic in the job characteristics model?

A)skill variety
B)task significance
C)job feedback
D)experienced meaningfulness
E)task identity

Question 57

A job in which employees are able to complete something from beginning to end or there is a visible outcome of the work is called:

A)skill variety
B)task significance
C)job feedback
D)job rotation
E)task identity

Question 58

A unique feature of Herzberg's motivator-hygiene theory is that it:

A)states that improving motivators increases job satisfaction but does not decrease job dissatisfaction.
B)states that employees can be satisfied with their jobs but not motivated to perform their jobs.
C)identifies job specialization as the main source of higher need fulfillment.
D)views job satisfaction and dissatisfaction as opposites.
E)recognizes money as the primary motivator in organizational settings.

Question 59

Which of the following does NOT occur at very high levels of job specialization?

A)Product quality increases while the quantity of output decreases.
B)Worker alienation increases.
C)Employee turnover increases.
D)Employees are less motivated to perform their jobs well.
E)Employers are often forced to pay higher wages to attract job applicants to the tedious work.

Question 60

Job rotation has all of the following effects EXCEPT:

A)reduces boredom on the job.
B)reduces repetitive strain injuries.
C)helps employees to learn skills to work in multiple jobs.
D)tests each person's level of self-leadership.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 61

The first step in self-leadership is:

A)establishing client relationships.
B)practicing gainsharing.
C)personal goal setting.
D)constructive thought patterns.
E)self-reinforcement.

Question 62

Self-monitoring and designing natural rewards are both:

A)constructive thought pattern practices.
B)forms of job specialization.
C)discouraged by organizational behaviour scholars.
D)part of the self-leadership process.
E)elements of competency-based rewards.

Question 63

Empowerment does which of the following?

A)Empowerment increases autonomy.
B)Empowerment decreases skill variety.
C)Empowerment increases job rotation.
D)Empowerment increases job specialization.
E)Empowerment increases autonomy and job specialization.

Question 64

Which of these statements about self-leadership is FALSE?

A)Employees with a high degree of conscientiousness have a more natural tendency to apply self-leadership.
B)Research indicates that self-leadership generally improves employee motivation and performance.
C)Self-leadership is practiced by people with particular personality characteristics and cannot be learned.
D)Self-leadership is the process of influencing oneself to establish the self-direction and self-motivation to perform a task.
E)Some elements of self-leadership come from sports psychology.

Question 65

Job enrichment usually:

A)reduces product and service quality.
B)increases error rates and defects.
C)reduces job satisfaction among qualified employees with high growth need strength.
D)increases absenteeism and turnover.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 66

Which of the following is NOT a component of empowerment?

A)Impact
B)Meaning
C)Mental imagery
D)Self-determination
E)Competence

Question 67

Which of these statements about empowerment is FALSE?

A)Empowerment is a psychological concept representing more than one dimension.
B)Empowerment is the same as employee involvement.
C)Empowerment is not a personality trait.
D)Empowerment is related to job enrichment.
E)Empowerment is influenced by job characteristics.

Question 68

Self-leadership includes several elements,including:

A)job specialization and self-reinforcement.
B)task identity and task significance.
C)job evaluation and self-monitoring.
D)autonomy and gainsharing.
E)positive self-talk and personal goal setting.

Question 69

Self-leadership relies on ideas from:

A)sports psychology.
B)social learning theory.
C)goal setting.
D)All of the answers are correct.
E)social learning theory and goal setting.

Question 70

A high degree of autonomy,task identity,and task significance are important conditions for:

A)job specialization.
B)competency-based pay.
C)empowerment.
D)scientific management.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 71

__________ represents an employee's experienced meaningfulness in their work,a sense of self-determination,confidence in their abilities,and a sense that their work has an impact on the company's success?

A)Positive self-talk
B)Job specialization
C)Empowerment
D)Job rotation
E)Core job characteristics

Question 72

Which of the following is NOT explicitly identified as a component of self-leadership?

A)Constructive thought patterns
B)Self-monitoring
C)Personal goal setting
D)Task identity
E)Designing natural rewards

Question 73

Empowerment is known to:

A)increase employee motivation and performance.
B)reduce conflict between employees and their supervisors.
C)increase employee trust in management.
D)increase employee responsiveness to problems and opportunities.
E)All of the answers are correct.

Question 74

Which of the following is known to increase employee responsiveness to problems and opportunities as well as improve customer service?

A)Job specialization
B)Job rotation
C)Scientific management
D)Empowerment
E)Job specialization and scientific management

Question 75

Which of these job design actions is mainly a form of job enlargement?

A)Increasing the number of tasks within the job
B)Establishing client relationships
C)Empowering employees
D)Forming natural work units
E)Establishing client relationships and forming natural work units

Question 76

Forming natural work units tends to:

A)reduce autonomy and increase task significance.
B)reduce skill variety and increase job feedback.
C)reduce task significance and increase task identity.
D)reduce job feedback and increase skill variety.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 77

Which of the following has the LEAST effect on empowerment?

A)Relevant skills and knowledge
B)Job autonomy
C)Learning orientation culture
D)Locus of control
E)Leader trust in employees

Question 78

A cable TV company redesigned jobs so that one employee interacts directly with customers,connects and disconnects their cable service,installs their special services and collects overdue accounts in an assigned area.Previously,each task was performed by a different person and the customer interacted only with someone at head office.This change is an example of:

A)increasing job enrichment by establishing client relationships.
B)encouraging self-reinforcement.
C)introducing job rotation.
D)increasing job specialization.
E)None of the answers apply.

Question 79

Employees are empowered when they:

A)practice job specialization.
B)experience self-reinforcement.
C)engage in positive self-talk.
D)experience freedom and discretion.
E)experience self-reinforcement and engage in positive self-talk.

Question 80

A large retail organization previously divided work among its four employee benefits staff into distinct specializations.One person answered all questions about superannuation (pension plans),another answered all questions about various forms of paid time off (e.g.vacations),and so on.These jobs were recently restructured so that each employee benefits person answers all questions for people in a particular geographic area.For example,one staff member is responsible for all employee benefits inquiries from anyone in a particular geographic region.This job restructuring is an example of:

A)self-leadership
B)job enrichment
C)job rotation
D)scientific management
E)job specialization