Chapter 6 True/False 1. Research in behavioral genetics regularly concludes that people’s genes and environment interact in complex ways to determine how they act. 2. Because of the preponderance of evidence, Maslow’s view is widely accepted and enormously influential in management practice. 3. Argyris and McGregor believe there is no inherent person-structure conflict built into traditional principles of organizational design and management. 4. As reported by Kleinfeld (1996), according to a poll taken in 1996, 75% of U.S. workers felt companies had become less loyal to their employees, but 64% of workers felt that employees remained loyal to their companies. (I think this item is too specific to a particular poll in a specific year) 5. Research shows that downsizing often hurts firm performance more than it helps. 6. Prior to the establishment of the human resource frame, it was widely assumed that the workers duty was to simply work and follow orders, with no rights beyond a paycheck. 7. According to Argyris and McGregor, employee absenteeism, alienation, and resistance are a predictable consequence of traditional principles of organizational design and management. 8. According to Bolman and Deal, the theories of Maslow, McGregor, and Argyris suggest that the conflict between individuals and organizations would be eliminated as people became more highly educated and more affluent. Answers 1. T (P. 123) – In extreme forms, both the nature and nurture arguments are misleading. The majority of scholars see human behavior as resulting from and interplay of heredity and environment. 2. F (P. 125) - Maslow’s view is widely accepted and enormously influential in management practice but not because of the preponderance of evidence. Attempts to validate the model have produced mixed results. 3. F (P. 127) – Argyris and McGregor saw person-structure conflict built into traditional principles of organizational design and management. The structural concept of task specialization defines jobs as narrowly as possible to improve efficiency. But this task specialization makes people feel dehumanized, frustrated and angry. 4. F (P. 135) – while the first part of the statement is true, the second part is false. 64% of U.S. worker felt that employees were less loyal to the companies. 5. T (P. 134) – Even when it has paid off in manufacturing when new technology and smart management combine to enable fewer people to do more, it risks trading shortterm gains for long-term decay. But overall, research shows that cutting employees hurts firm performance more often than helps. 6. T (P. 121) – The human resource frame criticized this assumption on two grounds: it was unfair, and it was bad psychology. 7. T (Pp. 119-20) This study source was downloaded by 100000764318482 from CourseHero.com on 02-06-2022 21:42:18 GMT -06:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/14395837/Chapter-6-test-bank/ 8. F (P. 124) Multiple Choice a. b. c. d. 1. Mary Follett and Elton Mayo argued that Workers’ skills attitudes, energy, and commitment are vital resources that can make or break an enterprise. Workers rarely work as hard as they should. It is the duty of the employee to work hard and follow orders. Workers need organizations much more that organizations need workers. 2. In academic circles, a. There is shared understanding that managers would benefit from focusing on employees’ psychic needs as opposed to specific performance goals b. The concept of need has been proven meaningless. c. Everyone appreciates the concept of need. d. The concept of need is controversial. 3. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs model a. Has been scientifically validated b. Assumes that lower level needs must be fulfilled before higher levels needs can be fulfilled c. Identifies esteem need as the highest human need d. Identifies love as the most basic human need 4. Theory X assumes that a. The task of management is to arrange conditions so that people can achieve their own goals by directing their efforts toward organizational rewards b. Subordinates are active, ambitious, and like to take initiative c. Subordinates are passive and lazy d. Management needs to align organizational requirements with employees’ self interest. 5. What is the message of the Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times? a. Industrial organizations exist to maximize profit. b. Industrial organizations abuse workers and treat them like infants. c. Industrial organizations maximize efficiency. d. Industrial organizations respect workers as long as they are productive. 6. As a result of a shift from a production-intensive to an information-intensive global economy… a. Manufacturing jobs are making a comeback. b. Low-skill workers have better job prospects than in the past. c. Jobs require much higher skill levels than in the past. d. Organizations are becoming more centralized. a. c. 7. The example of Al Dunlap when he headed Scott Paper is used to illustrate The long-term effectiveness of downsizing on organizational performance. b. The long-term negative effects of downsizing on employee morale and organizational performance. The positive effects of employee stock options on organizational performance. This study source was downloaded by 100000764318482 from CourseHero.com on 02-06-2022 21:42:18 GMT -06:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/14395837/Chapter-6-test-bank/ d. The effectiveness of employee benefits programs on organizational performance. 8. At the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy on needs is a. Self-actualization b. Physiological c. Safety d. Esteem 9. The human resource frame focuses on: a. The relation between motives and personal growth. b. The existential dilemmas of the human condition. c. Alignment between the characteristics of people and organizations. d. Why human resources are more important than financial resources to organizational success. 10. The best summary of McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y is: a. Theory X works best when employees have limited motivation and skill, while Theory Y is more appropriate for employees with higher levels of motivation and skill. b. Theory X generates a self-fulfilling prophecy, but Theory Y does not. c. Theory X relies on external direction whereas Theory Y relies on self-control and internal motivation. d. Theory Y is based on Max Weber’s theory of bureaucracy, whereas Theory X is derived from Maslow’s hierarchical theory of motivation. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Answers a (P. 121) b, c, and d are the opposite of what Follett and Mayo believed. d (P. 122) a, b, and c are false. Some theorists argue that the idea is too vague and refers to something difficult to observe. Others say that people have needs that are so variable and strongly influenced by their surroundings that the concept offers little help in explaining behavior. b (Pp. 124-5) a, c, and d are false. c (Pp. 125-6) – a, b, and d are assumptions of Theory Y. b (P. 127) – While a and c might be true, they are not the message of the film. Even if workers are productive, the film implies that industrial organizations never respect workers. c (Pp. 132-3). b While Scott Paper did initially realize short economic benefits, its employee morale and market share both decreased over the long term. a (P. 124) – At the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is physiological needs below safety, social/belonging, esteem and self-actualization needs, respectively. Only once a lower need is fulfilled are individuals motivated by higher level needs. c ) – It introduces the human resource frame. It focuses on the human side of organizations. It summarizes the assumptions underlying the human resource frame, examines how people’s needs are either satisfied or frustrated at work, and looks at today’s changing employment contract and its impact on people and organizations. 9. c. 10. c. Conceptual/Open-ended Questions This study source was downloaded by 100000764318482 from CourseHero.com on 02-06-2022 21:42:18 GMT -06:00 https://www.coursehero.com/file/14395837/Chapter-6-test-bank/ 1. Bolman and Deal describe McWane and Nucor as representing opposite poles in a perennial debate about the relationship between people and organization. Please describe these opposite poles. 2. What are the core assumptions of the human resource frame? 3. Define the concept of need? 4. What does it mean that the Theory X approach is self-fulfilling? 5. Identify the six ways that Chris Argyris identified that employees try to stay sane by looking for ways to escape the powerlessness and frustrations associated with being in a job that are defined as narrowly as possible to improve efficiency such as on an automobile assembly line. Answers 1. On one pole, McWane sees individuals as objects to be exploited by organizations. On the opposite pole, Nucor holds that the needs of individuals and organizations can be aligned, engaging people’s talent and energy while the enterprise profits. (P. 121) 2. (P. 122) Organizations exist to serve human needs rather than the converse. People and organizations need each other. Organizations need ideas, energy, and talent; people need careers, salaries, and opportunities. When the fit between individuals and system is poor, one or both suffer. Individuals are exploited or exploit the organization – or both become victims. A good fit benefits both. Individuals find meaningful and satisfying work, and organizations get the talent and energy they need to succeed. 3. A need is a genetic predisposition to prefer some experience over others. Needs energize and guide behavior and vary in potency at different times. (P. 123) 4. Whether hard or soft, the Theory X approach is self-fulfilling: if you treat people as if they’re lazy and need to be directed, they conform to your expectations. (P. 126) 5. They withdraw – through chronic absenteeism or simply by quitting. They stay on the job but withdraw psychologically, becoming indifferent, passive and apathetic. They resist by restricting output, deception, featherbedding, or sabotage. Try to climb the hierarch to better jobs. They form alliances (such as labor unions) to redress the power imbalance. They teach their children to believe that work is unrewarding and hopes for advancement are slim. 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