Ch. 6: Understanding People: Management Concepts

Question 1

Where would most fire officers find that their greatest challenge relates to?

Answer 1

managing people

Question 2

What is built upon the concepts introduced by two generalized schools of management thought?

Answer 2

Human resourses management

Question 3

What are the two generalized schools of management thought?

Answer 3

scientific management and humanistic management

Question 4

What is based on the breaking down of work tasks into their constituent elements?

Answer 4

scientific management

Question 5

What is the study that featured the use of a stopwatch to measure a worker’s sequence of motions, with the goal of determining the most efficient way to perform each task?

Answer 5

time studies

Question 6

Taylor’s Four Principles of Scientific Management

Answer 6

1. Replace “rule-of-thumb” work methods with methods based on a scientific study of the tasks.
2. Scientifically select, train, and develop each worker, rather than passively leaving workers to train themselves.
3. Cooperate with the workers to ensure that the scientifically developed methods are being followed.
4. Divide work nearly equally between managers and workers so that the managers apply scientific management principles to planning the work and the workers actually perform the tasks.

Question 7

What school of thought shifted the focus to pay more attention to the workers and to the working conditions that would make those workers more productive?

Answer 7

humanistic management

Question 8

A phenomenon in which people improve their performance or behavior not because of any specific condition being tested, but simply because of the extra attention they receive as part of the study.

Answer 8

Hawthorne Effect

Question 9

What type of manager believes that people do not like to work, so consequently they need to be closely watched and controlled?

Answer 9

Theory X manager

Question 10

What type of manager believes that people do like to work and they need to be encouraged, rather than controlled?

Answer 10

Theory Y manager

Question 11

What can concepts can be used effectively in many situations to encourage firefighter creativity?

Answer 11

Theory Y concepts

Question 12

Which three situations must the fire officer temporarily behave as a Theory X manager?

Answer 12

Operating at a fire or other high-risk activity - must provide close and autocratic supervision; When fire officer must take control of a workplace conflict and issue specific directions to defuse the situation; When a fire officer is near the end of a series of negative disciplinary measures.

Question 13

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need

Answer 13

[PSSES]
Level 1: Physiological Needs
Level 2: Safety, Security, and Order
Level 3: Social Needs and Affection
Level 4: Level and Status
Level 5: Self-Actualization

Question 14

What level of needs is the most basic human needs, such as physical needs of air, water, food, and shelter?

Answer 14

Level 1: Physiological Needs

Question 15

What level of needs are related to belonging to a group and feeling acceptance by the group?

Answer 15

Level 3: Social Needs and Affection

Question 16

What level of needs is more closely associated with maintaining employment or status within the organization?

Answer 16

Level 2: Security

Question 17

What level of needs does promotions, gold badges, special awards, and take-home FD vehicles symbols apply to?

Answer 17

Level 4: Esteem and Status

Question 18

What level of needs are profound moments of love, understanding, happiness, or rapture, when a person feels more whole, alive, self-sufficient, and yet a part of the world?

Answer 18

Leval 5: Self-Actualization

Question 19

What is the concept that was later adopted by the fire service to improve incident safety that was applied to crew management of aircraft and aerospace teams?

Answer 19

crew resource management

Question 20

What theory assumes that every decision made and every action taken in the workplace is driven by people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs?

Answer 20

the grid theory

Question 21

The grid theory assumes that every decision made and every action taken in the workplace is driven by people’s values, attitudes, and beliefs

Answer 21

At the individual level, these values are based on two fundamental concerns that influence behavior - a concern for people and a concern for results.

Question 22

Blake and Mouton’s Managerial Grid

Answer 22

[ICASS]
Indifferent
Controlling
Accomodating
Status Quo
Sound

Question 23

Which behavioral model style represents the lowest level of concern for both results and people?

Answer 23

Indifferent: Evade and Elude

Carries on with the attitude that “This is not my problem.”

Question 24

Which behavioral model does a person demonstrate a high concern for results, but a low concern for others?

Answer 24

Controlling: Direct and Dominate

Person expects everyone else to “keep up” with his or her efforts.

Question 25

Which behavioral model does a person demonstrate a low concern for results and a high concern for other people?

Answer 25

Accomodating: Yield and Comply

Maintains heightened awareness of the personal feelings, goals, and ambitions of others, and always considers how proposed actions will affect them.

Question 26

Which behavioral model does a person believe there is an indifferent contradiction between the concerns for results and for people, but does not value one concern over the other?

Answer 26

Status Quo: Balance and Compromise

Objective of this person is to play it safe and work toward acceptable solutions that follow proven methods.

Question 27

Which behavioral model person sees no contradiction in demonstrating a high concern for both people and results at the same time?

Answer 27

Sound: Contribute and Commit

This attitude leads to more effective work relationships based on “what’s right” rather than “who’s right.”

Question 28

What management focuses on the task of managing people using physical, financial, and time assets?

Answer 28

human resources management

Question 29

What is known as the process of having the right number of people in the right place at the right time who can accomplish a task efficiently and effectively?

Answer 29

human resources planning

Question 30

What is the process of attracting, selecting, and maintaining an adequate supply of labor?

Answer 30

staffing

Question 31

What function includes all activities to train and educate the employees that is heavily dependent on the fire officer at the company level?

Answer 31

human resources development

Question 32

What is a formal document that outlines the basic reason for the organization’s existence and states how it sees itself; designed to guide the actions of all employees?

Answer 32

mission statement

Question 33

What is one of the best tools to improve time efficiency?

Answer 33

delegation