Question 1

Flat organizational structures are helpful for organizations that emphasize customer satisfaction and have broadly defined jobs.

Accepted Answer

Flat organizational structures allow for more flexibility and collaboration, which can lead to better customer satisfaction. They also have broadly defined jobs, which allows employees to contribute in multiple areas and adapt to changing needs.

Question 2

Special-purpose teams typically consist of managers from one department who gather to examine a complex issue.

Accepted Answer

Special-purpose teams are usually cross-functional, consisting of members from various departments who come together to address a specific issue or project, not just managers from one department.

Question 3

A fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business processes to achieve dramatic improvements in cost,quality,service,and speed is referred to as ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of...

Question 4

A self-managed team:

Accepted Answer

A self-managed team is a group of employees who work together with minimal supervision to achieve a common goal. They are responsible for planning, organizing, and managing their own work. One of the primary objectives of a self-managed team is to improve quality and productivity. Therefore, option D is the correct choice. Option A is incorrect because self-managed teams are not temporary in nature. Option B is incorrect because problem-solving is just one of the many functions of a self-managed team. Option C is incorrect because self-managed teams may or may not cross functional or organizational boundaries depending on the nature of the project or task.

Question 5

What type of team would work best in a situation where you expect only a part-time commitment from each member,where each member will work in a different city or state,and where rapid communication is important?

Accepted Answer

A virtual team would work best in this situation because the team members can work from different locations in different cities or states, and communication can be done rapidly through technology, like video conferencing or instant messaging. Additionally, since the commitment is part-time, it is easier for team members to balance their work responsibilities and personal commitments when working remotely.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a typical responsibility for an SMT member?

Accepted Answer

Terminating a team member's employment is typically the responsibility of human resources or upper management, rather than a member of the senior management team. The other options, scheduling work, handling performance evaluations, and disciplining team members, are all common responsibilities for SMT members.

Question 7

Your organization is trying to decide if it should implement TQM.Management assembles a team from one department to study the issue.The team will disband once the study is complete.Which of the following would be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your organization is trying to decide if...

Question 8

A pyramid-shaped organizational structure that consists of hierarchies with many levels of management is referred to as a(n)________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A pyramid-shaped organizational structure that consists of...

Question 9

The work flow in an organization refers to the formal and informal relationships between people in the organization.

Accepted Answer

The workflow in an organization refers to the sequence of processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion, not the relationships between people.

Question 10

What is the primary reason for training SMT members in many different technical areas?

Accepted Answer

Training SMT members in many different technical areas enhances team flexibility, allowing members to take on different roles and responsibilities as needed.

Question 11

Work flow analysis examines and quantifies the manufacturing process.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Work flow analysis examines and quantifies the...

Question 12

A work group differs from a team in what way?

Accepted Answer

The main difference between a work group and a team is that a work group depends on an outsider supervisor for direction, while a team self-directs. In a work group, the supervisor provides guidance and assigns tasks. In contrast, in a team, members collaborate to determine the best way to complete a task and assign responsibilities among themselves. The other options are not accurate - power dynamics and rapport can vary in both work groups and teams.

Question 13

Additional Case 2.2
You are the HR manager at Steel City, Inc., a firm that is considering going global in its product line and markets. The president realizes that this may require a reorganization. She wants to move into new international markets with minimum time and effort. She also wants to reduce management overhead and labor costs.
At the same time, employees have been complaining about their work. Jobs are repetitive, and employees don't know how their work fits into the big picture. The president wants to provide employees with satisfying work, autonomy, and a performance-based pay system. She wants to give them as much control as possible and remove layers of management.
-Refer to Additional Case 2.2.The president is discussing the use of teams in the company.Given the company direction and the president's goals,you should recommend:

Accepted Answer

Self-managed work teams would be the best choice given the president's goals of providing employees with satisfying work, autonomy, and removing layers of management. These types of teams have a high level of autonomy and are responsible for managing themselves, including decision making and problem-solving. By implementing self-managed work teams, the company can reduce management overhead and labor costs. These teams also promote a performance-based pay system as each team member's contributions are critical to the team's success.

Question 14

Whenever management decides to change its business strategy,it must also reexamine its organizational structure.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true because a change in business strategy often requires a change in the way a company operates, and its organizational structure plays a critical role in its operations. Therefore, it is vital to reevaluate the organizational structure to ensure alignment with the new business strategy.

Question 15

A defender strategy might lead a company to functional divisions of labor and work specialization,which are elements of a boundaryless organization.

Accepted Answer

A defender strategy is focused on maintaining a stable market position and improving operational efficiency, whereas a boundaryless organization is characterized by flexible work arrangements and collaboration across departments and specialties. While functional divisions and work specialization may increase efficiency, they are not necessarily indicative of a boundaryless organization.

Question 16

The quality-of-work-life program at Ford is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

The quality-of-work-life program is a type of special-purpose team that is created with a specific goal or objective. In this case, the objective is to improve the quality of work life for employees at Ford. Self-managed work teams, problem-solving teams, and quality circles are not specific to improving work-life quality but may have other goals or objectives.

Question 17

Business process reengineering examines the fundamental way a company does business by analyzing its core processes.

Accepted Answer

Business process reengineering (BPR) does indeed examine the fundamental way a company does business by analyzing and redesigning its core processes to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

Question 18

If a company is using a prospector business strategy,its market is stable,its product is mature,and it wants to increase market share by "digging" for new customers with new products.

Accepted Answer

A prospector business strategy is typically employed in a dynamic and uncertain market where a company seeks to innovate and introduce new products to gain a competitive advantage. It is not typically used in a stable market with mature products. In this scenario, a company might be better suited to use a defender strategy to maintain its market position and protect against competitors.

Question 19

Which HR practice would most likely change after a firm implements self-managed work teams?

Accepted Answer

The most likely HR practice to change after a firm implements self-managed work teams is performance appraisals. With self-managed work teams, team members are responsible for managing their own performance and holding each other accountable for meeting team goals, making traditional top-down performance appraisals less relevant. Instead, the focus may shift to team-based or peer evaluations. A, B, and C could also be impacted by self-managed work teams, but they are not the most likely to change.

Question 20

Self-managed teams are synonymous with work groups.

Accepted Answer

Self-managed teams and work groups differ primarily in the level of autonomy and responsibility for decision making. Self-managed teams operate with a high degree of autonomy, managing their own processes and tasks, while work groups may not have the same level of self-direction and often rely on a supervisor for guidance and decisions.

Quiz 2: Managing Work Flows and Conducting Job Analysis