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Indicate whether the statement is true or false.
1. Creating a culture for high performance begins with senior leadership’s commitment to the workforce.
a.
True
b.
False
2. Management teams are specially empowered work teams whose members gather to solve a specific problem and then
disband.
a.
True
b.
False
3. The workforce management system proposed by Frederick W. Taylor failed to improve productivity in organizations.
a.
True
b.
False
4. A team is said to be in the “storming” stage when team members disagree on team roles and challenge the way that the
team will function.
a.
True
b.
False
5. Employees who participate in team activities feel more empowered and receive better training in both job-related and
problem-solving skills.
a.
True
b.
False
6. Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory proposed that factors such as recognition, advancement, achievement, and the nature of
the work itself are effective in motivating employees to work harder.
a.
True
b.
False
7. Job enlargement is a work design approach that motivates employees by giving them more authority, responsibility, and
autonomy rather than simply more or different work to do.
a.
True
b.
False
8. Natural work teams are usually cross-functional, as they work on specific tasks or processes that cut across boundaries
of several different departments.
a.
True
b.
False
9. The most common approach to assess worker perceptions and satisfaction is through a formal survey.
a.
True
b.
False
10. Employee engagement fosters creativity and innovation.
a.
True
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b.
False
11. Using a structured problem-solving process helps teams mitigate issues that might lead to storming.
a.
True
b.
False
12. The nominal group technique helps to achieve consensus among team members by providing a way to prioritize and
focus on important project objectives during the project definition stage.
a.
True
b.
False
13. According to the “engagement index” created by the Gallup Organization, employees who fall under the category of
“not-engaged employees” undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.
a.
True
b.
False
14. In the adjourning stage of a team’s life cycle, the team members cooperate with each other to solve problems and
complete the goals of their assigned work.
a.
True
b.
False
15. Problem-solving teams and project teams work more on an ad-hoc basis to address specific tasks or issues, often
relating to quality improvement.
a.
True
b.
False
16. Job design refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units, such as departments and teams, within
an organization.
a.
True
b.
False
17. Traditional hiring practices have been based or cognitive or technical rather than interpersonal skills.
a.
True
b.
False
18. Strategic human resource management relies on proven approaches to improve organizational performance.
a.
True
b.
False
19. The Taylor philosophy established an adversarial relationship between labor and management that has yet to be
completely overcome.
a.
True
b.
False
20. Typical process measures that are used to assess workforce effectiveness include the number of suggestions that
employees make, the numbers of participants in project teams, and participation in educational programs.
a.
True
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b.
False
21. Employee involvement (EI) refers to any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and
improvement activities, with the objectives of tapping the creative energies of all employees and improving their
motivation.
a.
True
b.
False
22. Empowerment, teamwork, and a great work environment motivate employees intrinsically.
a.
True
b.
False
23. Empowerment requires employees to step outside their traditional roles and make decisions previously made by
managers.
a.
True
b.
False
24. Teams organized to perform entire jobs, rather than specialized, assembly line-type work are referred to as quality
circles.
a.
True
b.
False
25. As managerial roles shift from directing and controlling to coaching and facilitating, managers, who must deal with
cross-functional problems, benefit more from upward movement rather than horizontal movement in narrow functional
areas.
a.
True
b.
False
Indicate the answer choice that best completes the statement or answers the question.
26. Which of the following is a process measure that helps to assess workforce effectiveness?
a.
Employee turnover
b.
Job satisfaction
c.
Perceptions of teamwork and management effectiveness
d.
Number of suggestions made by the employees
27. Which of the following stages of a team’s life cycle takes place when team members disagree on team roles and
challenge the way that the team will function?
a.
Storming
b.
Norming
c.
Performing
d.
Adjourning
28. Which of the following activities is a part of workforce management?
a.
Procuring the resources to carry out the production process
b.
Identifying new markets for a product
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c.
Developing a long-term strategy for the organization
d.
Assisting in the design of work systems
29. According to the Hackman and Oldham work design model, _____ is the degree to which the worker can perceive the
task as a whole, identifiable piece of work from start to finish.
a.
task significance
b.
skill variety
c.
task identity
d.
autonomy
30. The term “workforce capability” refers to an organization’s ability to
a.
ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully deliver products and
services to customers.
b.
create conditions that can motivate all employees to accomplish their work at their own peak level of
efficiency.
c.
create job satisfaction among employees by engaging them in their work and making them a part of the
“fabric” of the organization.
d.
accomplish its work processes through the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of its people.
31. Which of the following types of teams in an organization is usually cross-functional?
a.
Project team
b.
Self-managed team
c.
Natural work team
d.
Quality circle
32. According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, which of the following factors is an example of a maintenance factor?
a.
Recognition
b.
Advancement
c.
Safe working environment
d.
Achievement
33. Strategic human resource management differs from traditional HR practices in that strategic human resource
management
a.
focuses on long-term, current, and future needs.
b.
views people as exploitable resources.
c.
relies on proven approaches.
d.
responds only to stated needs for system development.
34. Kenneth works as a process associate in a company where he is unable to achieve a work-life balance. His personal
problems are affecting his job performance. Even though he spends most of his time in the office, he is not able to
perform his job effectively. According to the “engagement index” developed by Gallup, Kenneth will fall into the
category of
a.
actively engaged employees
b.
not-engaged employees
c.
engaged employees
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d.
actively disengaged employees
35. According to the Hackman and Oldham work design model, skill variety is a core job characteristic that refers to the
degree to which the
a.
job gives the participants the feeling that they have a substantial impact on the organization or the world.
b.
job requires the worker to use a variety of talents.
c.
task permits freedom, independence, and personal control to be exercised over the work.
d.
worker can perceive the task as a whole, identifiable piece of work from start to finish.
36. _____ is an approach to work design that improves a worker’s job by including several tasks rather than one single,
low-level task.
a.
Job enrichment
b.
Job rotation
c.
Job enlargement
d.
Skill variety
37. _____ is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people to achieve
organizational and individual goals.
a.
Marketing management
b.
Product management
c.
Brand management
d.
Workforce management
38. Which of the following “Conditions of Collaboration,” proposed by Kendall and Bodison, creates a congruency
between what the organization stands for and the personal beliefs of the individual?
a.
Respect
b.
Trust
c.
Communication
d.
Aligned values
39. The term “employee involvement” refers to
a.
the art of creating conditions that allow all employees to complete their work, at their own peak level of
efficiency.
b.
an organization’s ability to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes in order to meet
seasonal and varying demands.
c.
how employees are organized in formal and informal units, such as departments and teams, within an
organization.
d.
any activity by which employees participate in work-related decisions and improvement activities, with the
objectives of tapping the creative energies of all employees and improving their motivation.
40. Which of the following statements regarding the job enlargement approach to work design is true?
a.
It leads to lower product quality.
b.
It allows workers to learn several tasks by rotating them between various tasks.
c.
It results in lower production costs and reduces fragmentation of jobs.
d.
It leads to lower worker satisfaction.
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41. Teams that are organized to perform entire jobs, rather than specialized, assembly line-type work are known as _____
teams.
a.
management
b.
natural work
c.
virtual
d.
quality
42. According to the Hackman and Oldham work design model, a job is said to have high _____ if it permits workers
freedom, independence, and authority to exercise personal control over the work.
a.
autonomy
b.
task identity
c.
task significance
d.
skill variety
43. Organizations can assess worker satisfaction by
a.
measuring the improvements in team selection and planning processes.
b.
conducting a formal survey that includes questions regarding quality of worklife, teamwork, opportunities and
training provided, and leadership.
c.
assessing the employee understanding of problem-solving approaches and the frequency of use of quality
improvement tools by the employees.
d.
analyzing data related to time taken by the management team to respond to employee suggestions, and the
number of suggestions implemented.
44. Which of the following is the biggest cost in any employee turnover model?
a.
New hire training costs
b.
Separation processing costs
c.
Replacement hiring costs
d.
Lost productivity costs
45. Hewitt Associates uses _____ analysis to determine the most important drivers of retention for customer service
representatives.
a.
regression
b.
correspondence
c.
principal component
d.
independent component
46. Stella works as a customer service executive at a firm that manufactures computer systems. She is motivated to
perform her job effectively, as she is aware that her job of helping customers to resolve technical issues has a direct
impact on the performance of the organization. Which of the following job characteristics, as identified by Hackman and
Oldham in their work design model, is motivating Stella in this scenario?
a.
Task significance
b.
Autonomy
c.
Skill variety
d.
Task identity
47. Which of the following learning approaches did American Honda use to support the overall emphasis on growth and
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quality?
a.
Instructor-led training
b.
Self-paced learning
c.
Blended learning
d.
Pure virtual online learning
48. A food manufacturing company motivates its employees to perform well by giving them more responsibilities and
authority to make decisions. The company believes that giving more authority to employees makes them more dedicated
and committed to their work. Which of the following terms best describes this approach to job design?
a.
Job enlargement
b.
Task identity
c.
Job rotation
d.
Job enrichment
49. _____ refers to an organization’s ability to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and
successfully deliver products and services to customers, including the ability to meet seasonal or varying demand levels.
a.
Workforce engagement
b.
Workforce capacity
c.
Employee involvement
d.
Workforce capability
50. According to the Hackman and Oldham work design model, which of the following core job characteristics is most
likely to have an impact on an employee’s experienced responsibility?
a.
Autonomy
b.
Task identity
c.
Skill variety
d.
Task significance
51. The term “workforce engagement” refers to the
a.
ability of an organization to accomplish its work processes through the knowledge, skills, abilities, and
competencies of its workforce.
b.
extent of workforce commitment, both emotional and intellectual, to accomplishing the work, mission, and
vision of the organization.
c.
art of creating conditions that allow the workforce to complete their work at their own peak level of efficiency.
d.
ability of an organization to ensure sufficient staffing levels to accomplish its work processes and successfully
deliver products and services to customers.
52. Which of the following models is used by American Honda for quality improvement?
a.
Enterprise process
b.
Customer-supplier
c.
Three-phase learning
d.
Six Sigma
53. Rational thinking skills have been successfully taught at American Honda for many years in a
a.
web-based training course.
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b.
purely instructor-led workshop version.
c.
virtual workshop and forum.
d.
self-paced, asynchronous training program.
54. The process of subjectively evaluating the quality of an employee’s work is known as
a.
employee involvement.
b.
empowerment.
c.
workforce engagement.
d.
performance appraisal.
55. In a team’s life cycle, the stage of _____ takes place when the issues of the previous stage have been worked out, and
team members agree on roles, ground rules, and acceptable behavior when doing the work of the team.
a.
performing
b.
norming
c.
storming
d.
forming
56. According to Kay Kendall and Glenn Bodison, which of the following “Conditions of Collaboration” refers to
believing in the inherent worth of another person?
a.
Respect
b.
Values
c.
Trust
d.
Purpose
57. According to Herzberg’s Two-Factor theory, which of the following factors is an example of a motivational factor?
a.
Nature of work
b.
Adequate pay
c.
Safe working environment
d.
Reasonable level of job security
58. Nathan, a sales manager at a consumer electronics company, motivated his sales executives by providing them with
regular inputs on their performance and on what was expected of them from the company. The team had also developed a
system through which the salespersons could analyze their performance based on customers’ comments. According to the
Hackman and Oldham work design model, which of the following core job characteristics is motivating the employees to
perform better in this scenario?
a.
Autonomy
b.
Task identity
c.
Task significance
d.
Feedback from the job
59. Which of the following practices will lead to effective recognition and rewarding of employees?
a.
Tying rewards to nonmeasurable performance so that employees provide more attention to quality rather than
quantity
b.
Giving individual rewards rather than team rewards because team rewards can ignore the contributions of
individual employees to the team
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c.
Rewarding behavior, not just results
d.
Rewarding employees only through cash rewards as money is the most important and effective motivating
factor for most employees
60. In Hewitt’s employee engagement framework, resources and processes fall under the _____ component.
a.
people
b.
company practices
c.
total rewards
d.
work
61. Which of the following statements regarding the employee suggestion system is true?
a.
It decreases workforce flexibility.
b.
It leads to poor interpersonal relationships in the workplace.
c.
It leads to lower levels of motivation.
d.
It improves workers’ reasoning ability and leads to higher levels of peer recognition.
62. An organization that has a strategic orientation to human resource management will
a.
focus on short-term immediate needs rather than future needs.
b.
rely on proven approaches in designing and implementing policies and procedures.
c.
focus on responding to stated needs of the organization rather than predicting unstated needs.
d.
adapt to changing business needs through innovative programs and systems.
63. The primary challenge laid out for American Honda’s associate learning and organizational development group was to
a.
eliminate the delivery of training for employees.
b.
increase training time for employees in a classroom setting.
c.
minimize the use of technology in training employees.
d.
ensure a tangible transfer of skills to improve internal service quality.
64. Innovation, customer satisfaction, efficiency, and _____ are central to American Honda’s success.
a.
advertising
b.
marketing
c.
branding
d.
positioning
65. Which of the following statements regarding the workforce management system proposed and designed by Frederick
W. Taylor is true?
a.
The system failed to improve productivity in organizations.
b.
The system changed many manufacturing jobs into a series of mindless and mundane tasks.
c.
The system focused on training the workers and foremen on planning the process rather than just meeting the
productivity standards.
d.
The system succeeded in exploiting the knowledge and creativity of the workforce.
66. _____ refers to how employees are organized in formal and informal units, such as departments and teams.
a.
Workforce engagement
b.
Work design
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c.
Workforce capacity
d.
Job design
67. Ergo Industries, which manufactures automotive parts, had taken various measures to improve the quality of its
products. The product-line managers at the company had the authority to stop production, without the approval of senior
management, if they found defective components and had to take measures to resolve the issues. This authority motivated
the managers to perform their jobs better. According to the Hackman and Oldham work design model, which of the
following core job characteristics is influencing the performance of managers in this scenario?
a.
Skill variety
b.
Task identity
c.
Autonomy
d.
Task significance
68. According to Hackman and Oldham’s work design model, experienced meaningfulness is the psychological need of
workers to
a.
be accountable for the quality and quantity of work produced.
b.
know how their work is evaluated and the results of their evaluation.
c.
obtain information about the accuracy of their performance on a timely basis.
d.
have the feeling that their work is a significant contribution to the organization and society.
69. Describe the second phase of American Honda’s three-phase learning model.
70. What are the five success indicators of American Honda’s three-phase learning model initiative?
71. How did the HR team at Hewitt Associates retain proficient customer service (CS) representatives?
72. Discuss the final phase of American Honda’s three-phase learning model.
73. Discuss the first phase of American Honda’s three-phase learning model.
74. Describe the steps taken by the HR team at Hewitt Associates to improve the productivity and growth opportunity for
customer service (CS) representatives.
75. What is the goal of the final phase of American Honda’s three-phase learning model?
76. What advantages does employee engagement offer to an organization over traditional management practices?
77. Why is it important to assess workforce engagement and satisfaction? How do organizations measure workforce
effectiveness?
78. How has hiring criteria changed in recent years? List some of the innovative approaches being used by organizations
to recruit employees.
79. List some of the advantages offered by teamwork.
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80. Define workforce management. What are the activities included under workforce management? What are the
objectives of an effective workforce management system?
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52. c
53. b
54. d
55. b
56. a
57. a
58. d
59. c
60. d
61. d
62. d
63. d
64. c
65. b
66. b
67. c
68. d
69. In American Honda’s three-phase learning model, the second phase takes place at the workshop. Guided by the
instructor, learners spend two days deepening their understanding of the concepts, discussing best practices and additional
techniques for problem solving and decision making, and practicing on detailed case scenarios. Because skill transfer—
and results—occur most rapidly when one starts with the learner’s on-the-job issues, a significant portion of the session is
spent working on the problems, decisions, and plans identified in phase one. Simultaneously, learners receive coaching
and feedback from the instructor and one another. Learners leave the session ready to fully apply the concepts and with a
plan in hand to move successfully from the workshop to consistent use of the concepts back on the job.
70. The five indicators that have been identified as supporting the success of American Honda’s initiative are as follows:
1. Increased learner readiness for workshop learning
2. Better identification of relevant application topics
3. Increased volume of completed applications
4. Increased dollar value of after-workshop applications
5. Greater ongoing use of skills
71. Hewitt Associates was losing CS talent at an annual turnover rate close to 100 percent. When the company determined
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are performing and contributing to an organization’s strategic objectives, and also to provide a foundation for
improvement. Understanding the “voice of the employee,” particularly with regard to employee satisfaction, management
policies, and their internal customers and suppliers, helps organizations improve their human resource management
practices.
Organizations can use both outcome and process measures to assess workforce effectiveness. Outcome measures might
include number of suggestions implemented, employee turnover, perception of teamwork, engagement, satisfaction, and
empowerment. Process measures include the number of suggestions that employees make, the numbers of participants in
project teams, and participation in educational programs. Team process effectiveness can be assessed by tracking the
average time it takes to complete a process improvement project, and determining whether teams are getting better,
smarter, and faster at performing improvements. Organizations should also look for other indicators of performance, such
as improvements in team selection and planning processes, frequency of use of quality improvement tools by employees,
employee understanding of problem-solving approaches, and senior management involvement.
78. Limited availability of people with the skills to perform complex, rapidly changing jobs is forcing workforce
managers to rethink their selection criteria. Traditional hiring practices have been based on cognitive or technical rather
than interpersonal skills. The criterion is now shifting to attributes such as enthusiasm, resourcefulness, creativity, and the
flexibility to learn new skills rapidly. The internal customer concept suggests that every employee needs good
interpersonal skills. Even technical skill requirements are changing; to apply quality principles on the job, all workers
must have basic mathematics and logical-thinking abilities. To ensure that job candidates have the requisite skills, new
approaches, such as psychological testing and situational role playing, are now being used in the hiring process.
79. Some of the advantages offered by teamwork are:
1.Teamwork breaks down barriers among individuals, departments, and line and staff functions by encouraging free-
flowing participation and interaction among its members.
2.Teams provide opportunities to individuals to solve problems that they may not be able to solve on their own.
3.Employees who participate in team activities feel more empowered, are more satisfied with the rate of improvement in
quality in their companies, and receive better training in both job-related and problem-solving skills.
4.Teams help organizations capitalize on diverse ideas, cultures, and thinking of employees.
80. Workforce management is the function performed in organizations that facilitates the most effective use of people
(employees) to achieve organizational and individual goals.
Workforce management activities include determining the organization’s workforce needs; assisting in the design of work
systems; recruiting, selecting, training and developing, counseling, motivating, and rewarding employees; acting as a
liaison with unions and government organizations; and handling other matters of employee well-being.
The objectives of an effective workforce management system are to build a high-performance workplace and maintain an
environment for quality excellence to enable employees and the organization to achieve strategic objectives and adapt to
change.