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1. The primary principles that underlie a high-performance work system are egalitarianism and engagement, shared
information and trust, knowledge development, and performance-reward linkage.
a.
True
b.
False
2. Today's organizations are relying on the expertise and initiative of employees to react quickly to incipient problems and
opportunities.
a.
True
b.
False
3. Employees who are given timely information about business plans, performance, and strategies are more likely to make
good suggestions for improving businesses.
a.
True
b.
False
4. The principle of shared information is part of the implementation of a command and control work system.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Knowledge development goes hand-in-hand with information sharing in high-performance work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
6. Moving power downward in organizations frequently requires structural change.
a.
True
b.
False
7. High-performance work systems depend on the shift from knowledge work to touch labor.
a.
True
b.
False
8. To encourage employees to pursue job outcomes that are in alignment with an organization's goals, managers should
link rewards to performance.
a.
True
b.
False
9. Redesigning workflow around key business processes results in a focus on employee tasks and tends to detract from
teamwork.
a.
True
b.
False
10. Involving employees in decision making and giving them the power to act tends to decrease employee engagement.
a.
True
b.
False
11. One of the underlying ideas of high-performance work systems is that workers are intimately acquainted with the
nature of their own work and are therefore in the best position to recognize problems and devise solutions to them.
a.
True
b.
False
12. The principle of shared information typifies a shift in organizations away from the mentality of command and control
toward one more focused on employee commitment.
a.
True
b.
False
13. It is not uncommon for employees to intentionally or unintentionally pursue outcomes that are beneficial to them but
not necessarily to their organization as a whole.
a.
True
b.
False
14. High-performance work systems frequently begin with the way work is designed.
a.
True
b.
False
15. Most high-performance work systems focus their training efforts on ensuring that employees have the skills necessary
to assume a greater degree of responsibility.
a.
True
b.
False
16. Many high-performance work systems begin with highly directive recruitment and selection practices.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Compensation packages are not significant for high-performance work systems (HPWSs) to succeed, as HPWSs
generally focus on knowledge development and information sharing.
a.
True
b.
False
18. Most high-performance work systems make it easy to isolate a single approach to a pay system that works for
everyone.
a.
True
b.
False
19. Open pay plans can create a more egalitarian environment.
a.
True
b.
False
20. With fewer layers of management and a focus on team-based organization, the role of managers and supervisors is
substantially different in an environment of high-performance work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
21. In an environment of shared information, the richest communication occurs face to face.
a.
True
b.
False
22. Timely and accurate communications are essential for high-performance work systems to succeed.
a.
True
b.
False
23. Horizontal fit occurs when all the internal elements of a work system complement and reinforce one another.
a.
True
b.
False
24. Achieving horizontal fit means testing to make certain that all of the HR practices, work designs, management
processes, and technologies complement one another.
a.
True
b.
False
25. In a work system with a high degree of horizontal fit, adjusting one HR practice is not likely to substantially impact
the other components of the work system.
a.
True
b.
False
26. Efforts to achieve vertical fit help focus the design of high-performance work systems on strategic priorities.
a.
True
b.
False
27. HR Scorecards can be used to diagnose both horizontal fit and vertical fit in a relatively straightforward way.
a.
True
b.
False
28. HR Scorecards are used by managers to assess the strategic alignment of their work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
29. Using HR Scorecards, managers can assess horizontal fit by determining whether particular HR practices reinforce
one another.
a.
True
b.
False
30. The synergy achieved through overlapping work and human resources practices is at the heart of what makes a high-
performance system effective.
a.
True
b.
False
31. One of the best ways to communicate the business needs to employees is to show them the gap between the
organization’s current performance and capabilities and where it needs to be in the future.
a.
True
b.
False
32. Involving union members after the completion of design process and implementation plan helps to build a bridge
toward employee buy-in.
a.
True
b.
False
33. In a union environment, an organization's negotiation power is the key criterion for successfully implementing high-
performance work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
34. The gap between today and the future represents a starting point for discussion when communicating business needs to
employees.
a.
True
b.
False
35. To successfully implement a high-performance work system, managers should try to implement all facets of the
change at once.
a.
True
b.
False
36. Some research studies have found that unions can be a barrier to high-performance work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
37. Each organization has unique circumstances, and parties are more likely to commit to procedures they create and own.
a.
True
b.
False
38. High-performance work systems need to be periodically evaluated in terms of organizational priorities and initiatives.
a.
True
b.
False
39. A process audit is used to determine whether a high-performance work system has been implemented as designed.
a.
True
b.
False
40. Line managers typically own the responsibility for implementing change in high-performance work systems.
a.
True
b.
False
41. Skills, knowledge, and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations are known as rare.
a.
True
b.
False
42. Employee skills, knowledge, and abilities that are not equally available to all organizations are difficult to imitate.
a.
True
b.
False
43. High-performance work systems that are designed around team processes and capabilities that cannot be transported,
duplicated, or copied by rival firms are said to be difficult to imitate.
a.
True
b.
False
44. According to the research organization Gallup, only _____ of U.S. employees are actively engaged on the job.
a.
14 percent
b.
29 percent
c.
44 percent
d.
59 percent
45. Which of the following is NOT a primary principle for support of high-performance work systems?
a.
Shared information
b.
Knowledge development
c.
Totalitarianism
d.
Linking rewards with performance
46. Which of the following principles is critical for the success of empowerment and involvement initiatives in
organizations?
a.
Shared information
b.
Knowledge development
c.
Totalitarianism
d.
Linking rewards with performance
47. Which of the following principles typifies a shift away from the mentality of command and control in organizations?
a.
Shared information
b.
Knowledge development
c.
Totalitarianism
d.
Linking rewards with performance
48. The number of jobs requiring little knowledge and skill is _____, and the number of jobs requiring greater knowledge
and skill is _____ in recent years.
a.
growing; growing
b.
declining; declining
c.
growing; declining
d.
declining; growing
49. According to the research organization Gallup, _____ of U.S. employees are actively disengaged on the job.
a.
15 percent
b.
28 percent
c.
41 percent
d.
60 percent
50. To invest in employee knowledge development, all of the following HR practices would be appropriate EXCEPT:
a.
selecting the best and brightest candidates available.
b.
providing all employees with continuous training.
c.
rewarding employees for the acquisition of new skills.
d.
rewarding employees for absenteeism.
51. _____ only occurs when all the internal elements of the work system complement and reinforce one another.
a.
Synergy
b.
Absenteeism
c.
Horizontal fit
d.
Benchmarking
52. Connecting rewards to organizational performance ensures:
a.
higher labor costs.
b.
fairness and tends to focus employees on the organization.
c.
competitive wages for employees.
d.
higher employee turnover.
53. _____ is a situation in which a high-performance work system supports an organization’s goals and strategies.
a.
Totalitarianism
b.
Vertical fit
c.
Absenteeism
d.
Flattening
54. A work environment in which collaboration and teamwork are encouraged and status and power differences are
diminished is known as:
a.
an egalitarian environment.
b.
an autocratic environment.
c.
a democratic environment.
d.
a self-actualization environment.
55. Egalitarian work environments reduce or eliminate _____, while increasing or improving _____.
a.
the need for skill-based pay systems; team performance
b.
status and power differences; collaboration and teamwork
c.
the need for shared information; teamwork
d.
status and power differences; other disparities
