Chapter 4: Work Design and Measurement

Question 1

importance of work design

Answer 1

-Organization’s are dependent on human efforts to accomplish their goals
-Many job design topics are relevant to continuous and productivity improvement

Question 2

involves specifying the content and methods of jobs.

Answer 2

Job Design

Question 3

Job designers focus on

Answer 3

-what will be done in a job
-who will do the job
-how the job will be done
-where the job will be done

Question 4

objectives of the job design include

Answer 4

-productivity
-safety
-quality of work life

Question 5

2 elements of job design

Answer 5

-efficiency school
-behavioral school

Question 6

it emphasizes a systematic, logical approach to job design

Answer 6

efficiency school

Question 7

it emphasizes satisfaction of wants and needs

Answer 7

behavioral school

Question 8

a refinement of Frederick Winslow Taylor’s scientific management
concepts, received considerable emphasis in the past

Answer 8

efficiency approach

Question 9

continued to make inroads into many aspects of job design

Answer 9

behavioral approach

Question 10

describes jobs that have a very narrow scope

Answer 10

Specialization

Question 11

work that concentrates on some aspect of a product or service

Answer 11

Specialization

Question 12

main rationale of specialization

Answer 12

the ability to concentrate one’s efforts and thereby become proficient at that type of work

Question 13

Advantages of Specialization for Management

Answer 13

-Simplifies training
-High Productivity
-Low Wage costs

Question 14

Disadvantages of Specialization for Management

Answer 14

-Difficult to motivate quality
-Worker dissatisfaction, possibly resulting in absenteeism, high turnover, disruptive tactics, poor attention to quality.

Question 15

Advantages of Specialization for Employee

Answer 15

-Low education and skill requirements
-Minimum responsibilities
-Little mental effort needed

Question 16

Disdvantages of Specialization for Employee

Answer 16

-Monotonous work
-Limited opportunities for advancement;
-Little control over work;
-Little opportunity for self-fulfillment

Question 17

Behavioral Approaches to Job Design

Answer 17

-Job Enlargement
-Job Rotation
-Job Enrichment

Question 18

Giving a worker a larger portion of the total task by horizontal loading

Answer 18

Job Enlargement

Question 19

the additional work is on the same level of skill and responsibility as the original job

Answer 19

Horizontal Loading

Question 20

make the job more interesting by increasing the variety of skills and required and by providing the
worker with a more recognizable contribution to the overall output

Answer 20

Goal of the Job Enlargement

Question 21

workers periodically exchange jobs

Answer 21

Job Rotation

Question 22

use this approach to avoid having one or a few employees stuck in monotonous jobs

Answer 22

Job Rotation

Question 23

allows workers to broaden their learning experience and enables them to fill in for others in the event of sickness or absenteeism

Answer 23

Job Rotation

Question 24

Increasing responsibility for planning and coordination tasks, by vertical loading

Answer 24

Job Enrichment

Question 25

focuses on motivating potential of worker satisfaction

Answer 25

Job Enrichment

Question 26

a key factor in many aspects of work life (influences quality and productivity, contributes to the work environmen)

Answer 26

Motivation

Question 27

factor that influences motivation

Answer 27

Trust

Question 28

Forms of Teams:

Answer 28

1. Short-term team 2. Long-term team - Self-directed teams

Question 29

formed to collaborate on a topic such as quality improvement, product or service design, or solving a problem

Answer 29

Short-term team

Question 30

designed to achieve a higher level of teamwork and employee involvement

Answer 30

Self-directed teams

Question 31

Requirements for Successful Team Building (Robert Bacal)

Answer 31

1. Clearly stated and commonly held vision and goals; 2. Talent and skills required to meet goals; 3. Clear understanding of team member’s roles and functions; 4. Efficient and shared understanding of procedures and norms; 5. Effective and skilled interpersonal relations; 6. A system of reinforcement and celebration; 7. Clear understanding of the team’s relationship to the greater organization.

Question 32

Benefits of teams

Answer 32

Higher quality Higher productivity Greater worker satisfaction

Question 33

Team problems

Answer 33

Some managers feel threatened Conflicts between team members

Question 34

scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system

Answer 34

Ergonomics (Human Factors)

Question 35

profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance

Answer 35

Ergonomics (Human Factors)

Question 36

Ergonomists contribute to the

Answer 36

design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environment and systems in order to make them compatible with the needs, abilities, and limitations of people.

Question 37

ergonomics also helps to increase productivity by

Answer 37

reducing worker discomfort and fatigue

Question 38

Ergonomics Domains

Answer 38

-physical -cognitive -organizational

Question 39

Physical in ergonomics include:

Answer 39

repetitive movements, layout, health, and safety

Question 40

Cognitive in ergonomics include:

Answer 40

mental workload, decision-making, human- computer interaction, and work stress

Question 41

Organizational in ergonomics include:

Answer 41

communication, teamwork, work design, and telework

Question 42

affects not only workers’ overall sense of well-being and contentment, but also worker productivity.

Answer 42

Quality of work life

Question 43

Important aspects of quality of work of life

Answer 43

- How a worker gets along with co-workers - Quality of management - Working conditions - Compensation

Question 44

Working Conditions Factors

Answer 44

- Temperature and Humidity - Ventilation - Illumination - Noise and Vibrations - Work Time and Work Breaks - Occupational Health Care - Safety

Question 45

significant issue for the design of work systems

Answer 45

Compensation

Question 46

Compensation Approaches

Answer 46

Time-based systems Output-based systems Incentive systems Knowledge-based systems

Question 47

Compensation based on time an employee has worked during the pay period

Answer 47

Time-based system (Hourly and Measured Daywork Systems)

Question 48

Compensation based on amount of output an employee produced during the pay period

Answer 48

Output-based (incentive) system

Question 49

a worker’s pay is a direct linear function of his or her output

Answer 49

Straight Piecework

Question 50

Workers are guaranteed that amount as a minimum, regardless of output

Answer 50

Base

Question 51

stress sharing of productivity gains with employees

Answer 51

Group Incentive Plans

Question 52

setting up pay systems to reward workers who undergo training that increases their skill levels. T

Answer 52

Knowledge-Based Pay Systems

Question 53

The variety of tasks the worker is capable of performing

Answer 53

Horizontal Skills

Question 54

managerial tasks that the worker is capable of

Answer 54

Vertical Skills

Question 55

quality and productivity results

Answer 55

Depth Skills

Question 56

Minimum wage legislation haas reduced their popularity

Answer 56

Straight Piecework

Question 57

Paid for output above the standard

Answer 57

Bonus

Question 58

Many organization used to reward managers and senior executives based on output

Answer 58

Management Compensation

Question 59

New emphasis placed on other factors of performance

Answer 59

-Customer Service -Quality

Question 60

being more closely tied to the success of the company or division that executive is responsible for

Answer 60

Executive Pay

Question 61

One of the techniques used by self-directed teams and work analysis

Answer 61

Method Analysis

Question 62

focuses on how a job is done

Answer 62

Method Analysis

Question 63

used to review and critically examine the overall sequence of an operation by focusing on the movements of the operator or the flow materials

Answer 63

Flow Process Charts

Question 64

helpful in visualizing the portions of a work cycle during which an operator and equipment are busy or idle.

Answer 64

Worker Machine Chart

Question 65

The analyst should review the operation after a reasonable period and consult again with the operator

Answer 65

Follow-up

Question 66

systematic study of the human motions used to perform an operation

Answer 66

Motion Study

Question 67

Guidelines for designing motion-efficient work procedures

Answer 67

Motion Study Principles

Question 68

Basic elemental motions into which a job can be broken down

Answer 68

Analysis of therbligs

Question 69

use of motion pictures and slow motion to study motions that otherwise would be too rapid to analyze

Answer 69

Micromotion Study

Question 70

concerned with the length of time it should take to complete the job

Answer 70

Work Measurement

Question 71

the amount of time it should take a qualified worker to complete a specified task, working at a sustainable rate, using given methods, tools and equipment, raw material inputs, and workplace arrangement

Answer 71

Standard Time

Question 72

used to develop a time standard based on observations of one worker taken over a number of cycles

Answer 72

Stopwatch Time Study

Question 73

Average of the recorded times

Answer 73

Observed Time

Question 74

the observed time adjusted for worker performance

Answer 74

Normal Time