Question 1

An organization may want to consider using job simplification because it can have which of the following effects?
A) It increases the amount of time an employee is actually doing the job rather than thinking about their work.
B) The level of competencies required to perform the job is reduced, which may make recruitment easier.
C) Employee training is more targeted and may not take as long, thereby saving the company money.
D) A and C are correct.
E) All of the above are correct.

Accepted Answer

Job simplification can lead to increased time spent on actual work tasks by reducing the complexity of the job (A), make recruitment easier by lowering the competency requirements (B), and streamline training processes, saving time and money (C).

Question 2

A factory which produces bicycles has one employee who assembles the frame, one who attaches the handle bars, one who attaches the wheels, one who does a quality check, and another who packs the bicycle before sending it off to the distribution warehouse. This organization uses which approach to job design?
A) Motivation
B) Efficiency
C) Effectiveness
D) Task identity
E) Task significance

Accepted Answer

This organization is using the efficiency approach to job design, which focuses on maximizing productivity and minimizing waste by breaking down tasks into specific, specialized roles. Each employee is responsible for a specific task in the assembly line, which increases the speed and efficiency of production.

Question 3

The competencies for a job identify things such as the level of education and the number of years of experience required to hold the job, and are also known as:
A) a competitive advantage.
B) job specifications.
C) a job description.
D) essential duties.
E) job identification.

Accepted Answer

Competencies for a job typically refer to the specific knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job successfully, which are outlined in job specifications. Job descriptions may also include competencies, but they often provide a broader overview of the role and its responsibilities. Choices A, D, and E are not accurate descriptions of competencies for a job. A competitive advantage refers to what sets an organization apart from its competitors. Essential duties are the core responsibilities of a job, but do not necessarily encompass all of the competencies required to perform it. Job identification is the process of identifying and defining a job within an organization.

Question 4

Every job, even those that are similar in nature such as an RN and LPN, require different types of levels of KSAs in order for the person performing the job to be successful. KSAs stands for:
A) kindness, sincerity, and admiration
B) knowledge, self esteem, and aptitude
C) knowledge, skills, and abilities
D) keenness, skills, and achievement
E) knowledge, skills, and accountability

Accepted Answer

KSAs stands for knowledge, skills, and abilities, which are essential for a person to perform a job successfully. These three factors are necessary for any job and differ depending on the type of work being performed. The correct answer is C; kindness, sincerity, and admiration (A) and knowledge, self-esteem, and aptitude (B) are not the standard abbreviations used in the context of employment. Additionally, keenness (D) and accountability (E) are not commonly used to describe KSAs.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is most accurate in regard to teams?
A) By definition, employees on parallel teams have similar education and years of experience on the job in order to keep the membership of team consistent.
B) Teams function best when they report to and have oversight by a management member who is not a formal part of the team.
C) In order to have quick resolution to issue a project team is best made up of just those who will be using the final product or process that results from the team's work.
D) When designing jobs with a team environment in mind employee communication and relationships are enhanced.
E) The use of teams is applicable in any situation and is always effective at improving employee morale.

Accepted Answer

When jobs are designed with team environments in mind, communication and relationships among team members are enhanced. This leads to better coordination, faster decision-making and ultimately a better product or solution. Option A is incorrect because parallel teams can have members with diverse experiences and skill sets. Option B is incorrect because teams function best when they have a clear and supportive management structure. Option C is incorrect because project teams need to have a balance of perspectives and expertise from various stakeholders beyond just the end-users. Option E is incorrect because teams are not always applicable or effective in every situation.

Question 6

Evan has been a staff accountant for 5 years. During his time with the firm six other accountants have been added to the team who all report to an Accounting Manager, Irene. Irene's job is going to require her to travel more so she has decided to make Evan a senior staff accountant and have him supervise the team of staff accountants in her absence. In regard to Jim's new role, this is an example of:
A) Job enlargement
B) Job rotation
C) Job enrichment
D) Participation
E) Job Specialization

Accepted Answer

Job enrichment involves increasing the level of responsibility, autonomy, and ownership an employee has over their work. By promoting Evan to senior staff accountant and giving him the responsibility of supervising the team of staff accountants, Irene is enriching Evan's job by increasing his level of responsibility and control over his work. This is different from job enlargement, which involves adding more tasks to an employee's current job, and job rotation, which involves moving an employee through different jobs or roles within the organization. Participation and job specialization are not relevant to this scenario.

Question 7

Annie attended secretarial school and has been an administrative assistant for the past 10 years. She enjoys clerical and administrative support type of work. She has no desire to return to school to further her education or to ever be a supervisor. The thought of having to deal with that additional stress and responsibility makes her uneasy. Annie has a low:
A) task significance.
B) skill variety.
C) job simplification.
D) grown need strength.
E) psychological state.

Accepted Answer

Annie's lack of desire to further her education or take on supervisory roles, due to the stress and responsibility, indicates a low growth need strength. This means she does not seek out opportunities for personal achievement or advancement in her career.

Question 8

By selecting a motivational approach over an efficiency approach to job design there may be:
A) decreased employee satisfaction.
B) less employee errors.
C) more employee errors.
D) less challenging work.
E) more standardization of work.

Accepted Answer

A motivational approach often emphasizes creativity and autonomy, which can lead to more errors as employees explore new ways of doing tasks.

Question 9

Megan is currently a Secretary I, which involves completing basic clerical duties such as typing letters, filing and processing mail. Her supervisor has started to have her update financial reports and take minutes for the weekly management team meeting. This is an example of which job design method?
A) Job enlargement
B) Job rotation
C) Job enrichment
D) Participation
E) Job specialization

Accepted Answer

Job enlargement involves expanding the scope of a job to include a greater variety of tasks at the same level of responsibility. In this scenario, Megan's duties have been expanded to include financial reporting and taking minutes. However, her level of responsibility has not necessarily increased. Therefore, this best describes job enlargement.

Question 10

A case worker for an adoption agency has a chance to impact people's lives each day in a very personal and dramatic way. This person most likely experiences which of the following job dimensions as part of their work?
A) Skill variety
B) Task identity
C) Task significance
D) Autonomy
E) Feedback

Accepted Answer

Task significance, as the case worker's work directly impacts people's lives in a personal and dramatic way. The other dimensions may still be present in this type of work, but task significance stands out as the most relevant.

Question 11

Helen is the Employee Benefits Coordinator for her organization. She orients new employees to their benefits, then enrolls them in their insurance plans, and answers any questions they may have. Helen's job was most likely created by using:
A) job specialization.
B) a time and motion study.
C) job simplification.
D) skill variety.
E) job enlargement.

Accepted Answer

Helen's role as an Employee Benefits Coordinator, focusing specifically on orienting new employees, enrolling them in insurance plans, and answering questions, is an example of job specialization. This is because her job is specialized in a particular area of human resources, concentrating on employee benefits management.

Question 12

The store manager has decided that rather than have the cashiers take inventory at the end of each shift, he will complete the inventory himself each morning when he arrives so that he can stay on top of what needs to be ordered. In regard to the cashiers, this is an example of:
A) job specialization.
B) a time and motion study.
C) job simplification.
D) skill variety.
E) job enlargement.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of job simplification, as the manager is simplifying the task of the cashiers by taking over the inventory responsibility. The cashiers are no longer required to perform this task, and their job has been simplified.

Question 13

In order to determine what types of competencies are necessary to perform a job successfully an organization must complete a:
A) job description.
B) job design.
C) job characteristics model.
D) job analysis.
E) job simplification.

Accepted Answer

A job analysis is the process of identifying and determining in detail the job duties and requirements, as well as the skills, knowledge, and abilities needed to perform the job successfully. This information is then used to develop a competency model, which outlines the required competencies for the job. Therefore, completing a job analysis is necessary to determine the types of competencies needed for successful job performance.

Question 14

John is an expediter for a paper goods manufacturer. He has been asked to track how much time he spends traveling to and from each department delivering supplies and how much time he spends unloading and loading supplies onto his delivery cart. This is an example of:
A) job specialization.
B) assembly line work.
C) job simplification.
D) a time and motion study.
E) performance feedback.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of a time and motion study, which involves analyzing and tracking the various tasks involved in a job to identify areas for improvement and increased efficiency. John is measuring the time it takes for him to travel between departments and load/unload his cart, which is part of this process. Job specialization, assembly line work, job simplification, and performance feedback are all related to job design and are not directly relevant to tracking time and motion.

Question 15

A personal care aide in a nursing home interacts closely with her patients and is able to see how they improve. She receives comments from them and their family members about the caring and compassionate way she performs her work. This individual is most likely experiencing which of the job dimensions?
A) Skill variety
B) Task identity
C) Task significance
D) Autonomy
E) Feedback

Accepted Answer

The personal care aide is likely experiencing the job dimension of feedback, as she is able to see how her interactions with patients are positively affecting them and receives comments from patients and their family members about her caring and compassionate approach to her work.

Question 16

In order for job design to be effective in improving an organization's performance, managers must first understand the role that each job plays in the organization as it relates to competitive advantage, and mangers must:
A) determine how the work will be completed by employees who perform each job.
B) decide who will fill each job.
C) create employment advertisements that fit each job title.
D) complete a time and motion study.
E) determine how each job will impact customer satisfaction.

Accepted Answer

Managers must determine how the work will be completed by employees who perform each job to ensure that job design aligns with organizational goals and contributes to competitive advantage.

Question 17

Jacob has been asked to lead a team of his coworkers during the installation of some new computer equipment in their department. Once the equipment has been installed and tested the team's work will be completed. This is an example of which type of team?
A) Work team
B) Parallel team
C) Project team
D) Self managed team
E) Both C and D are correct.

Accepted Answer

This is a project team, as they have been brought together for a specific project with a defined end date.

Question 18

A company which designs and creates handmade baskets has each employee create the basket from start to finish to ensure a quality product. The employees doing this work most likely experience which of the following job dimensions?
A) Skill variety
B) Task identity
C) Task significance
D) Autonomy
E) Feedback

Accepted Answer

Task identity refers to the extent to which a job requires completing a whole and identifiable piece of work from beginning to end. In this case, the employees are responsible for creating the baskets from start to finish, which means they experience a high level of task identity.

Question 19

In general, jobs are designed to accomplish organizational goals by using which of the following methods?
A) Motivation and rewards
B) Efficiency and standardization
C) Motivation and ability
D) Efficiency and effectiveness
E) Motivation and efficiency

Accepted Answer

The answer of In general, jobs are designed to accomplish...

Question 20

All of the following are normally included on a job description EXCEPT:
A) required education level.
B) number of years of experience required.
C) types of computer skills necessary to perform the job.
D) job title.
E) hourly pay rate.

Accepted Answer

Hourly pay rate is not always included on a job description as it can vary based on factors such as location, industry, and experience level.

Quiz 4: Job Design and Job Analysis

An organization may want to consider using job simplification because it can have which of the following effects?

The competencies for a job identify things such as the level of education and the number of years of experience required to hold the job, and are also known as:

Every job, even those that are similar in nature such as an RN and LPN, require different types of levels of KSAs in order for the person performing the job to be successful. KSAs stands for:

Which of the following statements is most accurate in regard to teams?

By selecting a motivational approach over an efficiency approach to job design there may be:

A case worker for an adoption agency has a chance to impact people's lives each day in a very personal and dramatic way. This person most likely experiences which of the following job dimensions as part of their work?

Helen is the Employee Benefits Coordinator for her organization. She orients new employees to their benefits, then enrolls them in their insurance plans, and answers any questions they may have. Helen's job was most likely created by using:

The store manager has decided that rather than have the cashiers take inventory at the end of each shift, he will complete the inventory himself each morning when he arrives so that he can stay on top of what needs to be ordered. In regard to the cashiers, this is an example of:

In order to determine what types of competencies are necessary to perform a job successfully an organization must complete a:

John is an expediter for a paper goods manufacturer. He has been asked to track how much time he spends traveling to and from each department delivering supplies and how much time he spends unloading and loading supplies onto his delivery cart. This is an example of:

In order for job design to be effective in improving an organization's performance, managers must first understand the role that each job plays in the organization as it relates to competitive advantage, and mangers must:

Jacob has been asked to lead a team of his coworkers during the installation of some new computer equipment in their department. Once the equipment has been installed and tested the team's work will be completed. This is an example of which type of team?

A company which designs and creates handmade baskets has each employee create the basket from start to finish to ensure a quality product. The employees doing this work most likely experience which of the following job dimensions?

In general, jobs are designed to accomplish organizational goals by using which of the following methods?

All of the following are normally included on a job description EXCEPT: