Ch 10: Managing Organizational Structure and Culture

Question 1

Job enrichment

Answer 1

Increasing the degree of responsibility a worker has over his or her job. (Idea is to increase involvement in their jobs and thus improve interest in the quality of the goods and services)

Question 2

Job enlargement

Answer 2

Increasing the number of different tasks in a given job by changing the division of labor. (The idea behind this is that by increasing the range of tasks performed by a worker it will reduce boredom and fatigue and may increase motivation to perform at a high level)

Question 3

What are some examples of job enrichment?

Answer 3

1. Empowering workers to experiment to find new or better ways of doing the job.
2. Encouraging workers to develop new skills.
3. Allowing workers to decide how to do the work and giving them the responsibility for deciding how to respond to unexpected situations.
4. Allowing workers to monitor and measure their own performance.

Question 4

What are the characteristics in the job characteristics model?

Answer 4

Skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, feedback.

Question 5

Skill Variety

Answer 5

The extent to which a job requires that an employee use a wide range of different skills, abilities, or knowledge.

Question 6

Task identity

Answer 6

The extent to which a job requires that a worker perform all the task necessary to complete the job, form beginning to end of the production process.

Question 7

Task significance

Answer 7

The degree to which a worker feels his or her job is meaningful because of its effect on people inside the organization, such as coworkers, or on people outside the organization, such as customers.

Question 8

Autonomy

Answer 8

The degree to which a job gives an employee the freedom and discretion needed to schedule different tasks and decide how to carry them out.

Question 9

Feedback

Answer 9

The extent to which actually doing a job provides a worker with clear and direct information about how well he or she has performed the job.

Question 10

Product Structure

Answer 10

An organizational structure in which each product line or business is handled by a self contained division.

Question 11

Matrix structure

Answer 11

An organizational structure that simultaneously groups people and resources by function and by product.

Question 12

How many managers do you report to in matrix structure?

Answer 12

• 2-
  1. functional boss: assigns individuals to a team and evaluates their performance from a functional perspective.
  2. Boss of the product team: evaluates their performance on the team.

Question 13

Product team structure

Answer 13

An organizational structure in which employees are permanently assigned to a cross functional team and report only to the product team manager or to one of his or her direct subordinates.

Question 14

Cross-functional team

Answer 14

A group of managers brought together from different departments to perform organizational tasks.

Question 15

What is the difference between product team structure and the matrix structure?

Answer 15

1. Employees do not report to two bosses.

2. Functional employees are permanently assigned to a cross functional team.

Question 16

Authority

Answer 16

The power to hold people accountable for their actions and to make decisions concerning the use of organizational resources.

Question 17

Hierarchy of authority

Answer 17

An organization’s chain of command, specifying the relative authority of each manager.

Question 18

Span of control

Answer 18

The number of subordinates who report directly to a manager.

Question 19

Line manager

Answer 19

Someone in the direct line or chain of command who has formal authority over people and resources at lower levels

Question 20

Staff manager

Answer 20

Someone responsible for managing a specialist function, such as finance or marketing.

Question 21

Tall organization

Answer 21

many levels of authority relative to company size.

Question 22

Flat organization

Answer 22

fewer levels of authority relative to company size.

Question 23

What are the four sources of an organizational culture?

Answer 23

1. Characteristics of organizational members
2. organizational ethics
3. The employment relationship (employment practices and policies)
4. Organizational structure

Question 24

Organizational ethics

Answer 24

The moral values, beliefs, and rules that establish the appropriate way for an organization and its members to deal with each other and with people outside the organization.