56.
(p. 14)
How did Taylor’s “optimum shovel” immediately increase the productivity at an eastern
steel mill?
A.
The shovel design allowed maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods.
B.
The shovel reduced the motions involved from eighteen to five.
C.
The shovel was discarded to create new machinery that automatized operations and
reduced human work.
D.
The use of a single shovel for shoveling coal into the large smelters and loading cinders
into waste containers ensured an increase in productivity.
57.
(p. 15)
Which human relations movement pioneer suggested that workers should be involved in
decisions affecting them?
A.
Lillian Gilbreth
B.
Robert Owen
C.
D.
Max Weber
58.
(p. 16)
What did Elton Mayo discover from the Hawthorne Experiment?
A.
Strong bureaucracy in the organization would make up for a worker’s lack of motivation
and thus the productivity would remain high.
B.
Workers performed better because someone was paying attention to them, which was
more than what they were accustomed to receiving at work.
C.
Managers treated workers well because they knew that the workers would be hard to
replace due to scarcity of labor.
D.
Workers’ productivity increased because they used the optimum shovel that allowed
them to work the whole day without taking too many breaks.
1-15
59.
(p. 18)
Theory Y managers see workers as ____.
A.
lacking ambition
B.
being quite creative
C.
wanting security above all else
D.
disliking work
60.
(p. 18)
Which of the following statements forms the cornerstone of Total Quality Management
(TQM)?
A.
Inflexible, static rules are potentially harmful to maintaining a productive workforce.
B.
It places significant emphasis on the rights and needs of the individual person.
C.
It assumes that all workers are happy to work, able to assume responsibility, and overall
quite creative.
D.
The process of whatever happens in an organization is more important than the
product.
Fill in the Blank Questions
61.
(p. 4)
_____ is the skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people.
Human relations
62.
(p. 6)
A(n) _____ is someone who organizes and assumes the risks of beginning a business
enterprise.
entrepreneur
1-16
63.
(p. 6)
_____ is the generation of Americans born between 1965 and 1980, following the Baby
Boomers who were born during the years 1946 to 1964.
Generation X
64.
(p. 8)
Middle-aged adults with elderly dependent parents and dependent children who find
themselves squeezed for time and finances are often referred to as the “_____” generation.
sandwich
65.
(p. 9)
_____ is your feeling of confidence and worth as a person.
Self-esteem
66.
(p. 10)
_____ is the knowledge of how you are being perceived by others.
Self-awareness
67.
(p. 10)
_____ is the process of sending ideas, thoughts, and feelings, and having them received in
the way you intended.
Communication
68.
(p. 11–
12)
Understanding _____—the ways in which groups operate—is a cornerstone in the study of
human relations.
group dynamics
69.
(p. 11)
The ____, an organization founded in 1869 which was much like the labor unions that came
later, denounced the bad working conditions and unfair treatment in many workplaces of
the time.
Knights of Labor
70.
(p. 13)
In Weber’s model, called ____, each person had specific duties and responsibilities that
were to be assigned on the basis of ability and talent only.
bureaucracy
71.
(p. 14)
In the early years of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor and others began a movement called
____.
scientific management
72.
(p. 14)
One of Frederick Taylor’s best-known victories was the invention of the ____, a step that
made scientific management very popular.
optimum shovel
73.
(p. 15)
In her later life, _____ became known as “The First Lady of Management.”
Lillian Gilbreth
74.
(p. 16)
The results from Elton Mayo’s _____ showed that the relationships that had formed
naturally in the workplace made up what he called the informal organization.
Hawthorne Experiment
75.
(p. 16)
Based on the results of the Hawthorne Experiment, Elton Mayo found that the relationships
that had formed naturally in the workplace made up what he called the _____ organization.
informal
76.
(p. 17)
The noted psychologist Abraham Maslow devised a “_____,” which teaches that people
tend to satisfy their needs in a certain order.
hierarchy of needs
1-18
77.
(p. 17)
Congress passed the _____ in 1935, giving unions and union members more rights than
they had enjoyed before.
Wagner Act
78.
(p. 18)
_____ introduced the concepts of Theory X and Theory Y.
Douglas McGregor
79.
(p. 18)
McGregor’s _____ stated that workers lacked ambition, disliked work, and wanted security
above all else.
Theory X
80.
(p. 18)
According to the _____ concept introduced by W. Edwards Deming in the United States, the
process which inevitably includes people and relationships, required more focus than the
product.
Total Quality Management
Short Answer Questions
81.
(p. 4)
What are the aspects included in human relations?
Human relations is the skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people.
Human relations includes a desire to understand others, their needs and weaknesses, and
their talents and abilities. For anyone in a workplace setting, human relations also involves
an understanding of how people work together in groups, satisfying both individual needs
and group objectives. If an organization is to succeed, the relationships among the people
in that organization must be monitored and maintained.
82.
(p. 4)
Why is human rights considered an important reason for studying human relations?
Today, managers and employees have a greater awareness of the rights of employees. This
awareness calls for more skillful relations among employees, using tact, trust, and
diplomacy with greater skill. The rights of all others involved in the dealings of an
organization must be respected and protected as well.
83.
(p. 5)
Why are human relations skills important for a manager?
For a manager, no skill area is more important than human relations abilities. A manager
with good human relations skills will retain employees longer, be more productive, and
provide employees with an enjoyable environment. The most common reason for failure in
the job of manager is faulty human relations skills. Because interpersonal skills are so
important, experts often suggest that new managers should put as much effort into
studying people as they put into developing technical skills.
84.
(p. 7-8)
How have single-parent families and divorces affected the workplace?
A divorced person typically has to go through a period of emotional recovery, during which
many emotional issues can form. Such issues often negatively affect job performance and
attitudes, harming relationships with co-workers, bosses, and fellow employees. Besides
the already-heavy burdens of single parenthood that divorced, single workers have, they
are often dealing with challenging issues of self-worth and self-esteem.
85.
(p. 8)
People who think that human relations is an unnecessary skill believe that “common sense
will carry you through.” Is this viewpoint correct?
This argument is often used by people who think a skill like this is unnecessary. “Common
sense,” they say, “will carry you through.” In the area of human relations, common sense
(meaning ordinary good sense and judgment) is all too uncommon. The abuses of many
workers on the job today, the misunderstandings that cost thousands of companies
millions of dollars every year, the unhappiness of many workers with the jobs they have: all
of these factors illustrate the need for human relations—even if much of it seems like
simple common sense.
86.
(p. 9)
Why is self-esteem at the core of most issues in human relations?
Psychological research has shown that lower self-esteem is related to a variety of mental
health problems, including alcoholism, anxiety, and depression—all of which cause
problems on the job. Higher self-esteem, on the other hand, improves attitudes, job morale,
and overall quality of life. In the workplace, healthy self-esteem is the key to top
performance and high-quality work—especially when the work directly affects other
people.
87.
(p. 10)
Describe the importance of the communication process in organizations.
Communication is the process of sending ideas, thoughts, and feelings from one individual
or group to another, and having them received in the way you intended. The communication
process is at the heart of all managerial functions, and it is directly related to success or
failure at the managerial level. It is also a vital part of all personal interactions. When a
human relations problem emerges, miscommunication is usually involved.
88.
(p. 10–
11)
Why is group dynamics a corner stone in the study of human relations?
Whenever two or more people form a relationship, there is, in effect, a group. Once a group
is formed, it immediately requires understanding, planning, and organizational tactics
appropriate to groups. Thus, understanding group dynamics—the ways in which groups
operate—is a cornerstone in the study of human relations.
89.
(p. 13)
Describe company towns that were constructed during the first decades of the Industrial
Revolution.
Company towns were settlements, owned by the company, where workers would live in
company housing, buy supplies at the company-owned store, and even send their children
to a school owned by the firm. Though not popular today, this setup produced happier and
more loyal workers in many cases, especially when the quality of the company town was
considered high.
90.
(p. 13)
Why did Max Weber develop the bureaucracy model?
Max Weber saw human relations problems as being caused by favoritism, nepotism
(playing favorites with family members), and other unfair practices. In Weber’s time, most
European companies were managed like extended families. Employees were loyal to a
single person, rather than to the company goals or mission statement. Weber came up with
the bureaucratic organizations approach, a system that was meant to be impersonal and
rational. This approach reduced favoritism and many other unfair practices.
91.
(p. 14)
What is Frederick Taylor best known for? Describe about his invention of the optimum
shovel.
In the early years of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor and others began a movement called
scientific management. Most people today who have heard of Taylor think of him as an
industrial engineer who tried to find the “one best way” to do a job. One of Taylor’s best–
known victories was the invention of the optimum shovel. At an eastern steel mill, Taylor
watched men shoveling coal for the large smelters. Using the same shovel, these men
would also load cinders into waste containers. After carefully studying both processes,
Taylor came up with two shovels: a much larger shovel for the light cinders and an
optimum shovel for the coal. This shovel was exactly the right size and weight to allow the
maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods. The productivity of the steel mill
rose immediately, making Taylor and scientific management both very popular.
92.
(p. 14)
Describe the two major features of Taylor’s approach to increasing efficiency.
Taylor’s approach contained two major features:
(a) Managers should carefully select and train workers for specific tasks.
(b) Managers should try to motivate workers to increase productivity. Careful hiring and in–
depth training do not seem very earthshaking today, but Taylor was among the first to
recognize the importance of both.
93.
(p. 14)
How did Taylor’s “optimum shovel” increase the productivity of the steel mill?
One of Taylor’s best-known victories was the invention of the optimum shovel. At an
eastern steel mill, Taylor watched men shoveling coal for the large smelters. Using the
same shovel, these men would also load cinders into waste containers. After carefully
studying both processes, Taylor came up with two shovels: a much larger shovel for the
light cinders and an optimum shovel for the coal. This shovel was exactly the right size and
weight to allow the maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods. The
productivity of the steel mill rose immediately, making Taylor and scientific management
both very popular.
94.
(p. 14–
15)
What were the Gilbreths best known for?
The Gilbreths became especially well-known for their research study of bricklayers. Frank
Gilbreth identified 18 different motions that had been used by bricklayers, apparently for as
long as people had been laying bricks. By inventing some labor-saving devices and by
changing the basic routine, the Gilbreths reduced those 18 motions to 5. Lillian Gilbreth
was especially interested in studying workers and their reactions to working under stressful
conditions. She taught the importance of standard work days, relaxed and regular lunch
breaks, and periodic rest periods. Her life’s work helped influence Congress to pass child
labor laws.
95.
(p. 15–
16)
What are the three concepts of human relations that Mary Parker Follett advocated?
Follett taught three concepts that were ahead of their time. First, she held that workers
should be allowed to be involved in decisions affecting them. Second, she stressed that the
workplace is dynamic—that is, constantly changing. She felt that inflexible, static rules
were potentially harmful to maintaining a productive workforce. Finally, Mary Parker Follett
believed that the main job of managers at all levels was to maintain positive relationships
with workers.
96.
(p. 16)
Describe two important discoveries that came from the Hawthorne Experiment.
Two important discoveries came from this five-year study. First, Mayo showed that the
workers at Hawthorne performed better because someone was paying attention to them.
This attention was more than they had been accustomed to receiving at work, and they
responded with extra motivation. Second, Mayo found that the relationships that had
formed naturally in the workplace made up what he called the informal organization.
97.
(p. 17)
Describe the workplace situation in America during the World War II.
With hundreds of thousands of young workers going overseas to fight, employers were
forced to hire nearly anybody who would work. Managers knew their employees would be
very hard to replace, so treatment of workers temporarily improved. Cases of sexism,
racism, and sexual harassment, however, were all too common.
98.
(p. 18)
Differentiate between McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y managers.
Theory X managers see workers as lacking ambition, disliking work, and wanting security
above all else. Theory Y managers, on the other hand, see workers as happy to work, able
to assume responsibility, and overall quite creative.
99.
(p. 18)
What were the major changes brought about in human relations during the 1960s?
A new emphasis was placed on the rights and needs of the individual person. For the first
time, it was popular in this culture to “do your own thing.” Perhaps even more importantly,
other people were allowed to do their own thing as well. Also new was the revolutionary
attitude toward success as having to do with people, rather than just with money. Many of
today’s middle managers were members of an emerging youth subculture at that time,
sometimes referred to as hippies.
100.
(p. 18)
Write a short note on Total Quality Management (TQM).
This important school of thought held that the process of whatever happens in an
organization is more important than the product. Doing away with targets, “zero defects”
programs, and slogans, the TQM people concentrated on the process—which inevitably
includes people and relationships. The work that was pioneered by Elton Mayo and others
became refocused with a process emphasis. People in organizations participated at work to
an extent unimagined before.