Chapter 4

Question 1

What are organizational elements?

Answer 1

Job specialization
Span of Control
Chain of command
Formalization
Departmentalization
Centralization / decentralization

Question 2

What is organizational structure?

Answer 2

the formal relationships among jobs in an organization

should be appropriate given strategic goals

Question 3

What is organizational chart?

Answer 3

clarifies chain of command; who reports to whom

does not explain communication patterns, degree of supervision, power, authority, or specific duties

Question 4

What are characteristics of a bureaucratic structure?

Answer 4

Top down management approach
Many levels, and hierarchal communication channel and career paths
Highly specialized jobs with narrowly defined job description
Focus on independent performance

Question 5

What are characteristics of a flat structure?

Answer 5

Decentralized management approach
Few levels, multi-directional communication
Broadly defined jobs with general job descriptions
Emphasis on teams and product development

Question 6

What are characteristics of a matrix structure?

Answer 6

Each job has two components functional and product

Finance personnel for product B are responsible for both the finance executive and the product B executive.

Question 7

What is a Job design?

Answer 7

process of systematically organizing work into tasks required to perform a job

Question 8

What is a Job?

Answer 8

group of related activities/duties for one or more employees

Question 9

What is a position?

Answer 9

collection of tasks/responsibilities performed by one person

Question 10

What is a Job analysis?

Answer 10

procedure for determining tasks, duties and responsibilities of each job and the human attributes (knowledge, skills, abilities) required to perform it
HR managers use the data to develop job description and job specification that are the basis for employee performance appraisal and development.
The ultimate purpose of job analysis is to improve organizational performance and productivity.

Question 11

What are the steps in the Job analysis?

Answer 11

Step 1: Identify What The Information Will Be Used For
Step 2: Review Relevant Background Information
Step 3: Select Representative Positions/Jobs To Be Analyzed
Step 4: Analyze The Jobs
Step 5: Review Analysis With Incumbent/Supervisor
Step 6: Develop Job Description/Job Specification

Question 12

What are methods of collecting job analysis information?

Answer 12

Interviews (individual, group, supervisory)
Questionnaires
Observation
Participant Diary/Log

Question 13

What is National Occupation Classification?

Answer 13

reference tool for writing job descriptions and job specifications
compiled by the federal government (Human Resources and Skills Development Canada - HRSDC)
contains comprehensive, standardized descriptions of about 30,000 occupations and the requirements for each

Question 14

What factor influence accuracy of a job analysis?

Answer 14

Self-reporting exaggerates and omission by employees and managers
Collecting information from a representative sample of employees vs. employee population
Challenges to capturing all important job information
Lack of access to job site for personal observation
Lack of familiarity with the tasks, duties, and responsibilities of a job
Ongoing changes to the job

Question 15

What is job description?

Answer 15

a list of the duties, responsibilities, reporting relationships, and working conditions of a job—one product of a job analysis

Question 16

What is job specification?

Answer 16

a list of the “human requirements,” that is, the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities, needed to perform the job—another product of a job analysis

Question 17

What is information included on a job description?

Answer 17

job identification
job summary
duties and relationships
authority
performance standards/indicators
working conditions and physical environment

Question 18

How to write a clear and specific job description?

Answer 18

Create statements that:
Are direct and simply worded; eliminate unnecessary words or phrases.
Describe duties with a present-tense verb, the implied subject being the employee performing the job.
Use “occasionally” to describe duties performed once in a while and “may” for duties performed only by some workers on the job.
State the specific performance requirements of a job based on valid job-related criteria.

Question 19

What information is included on a job specification?

Answer 19

Personal qualifications an individual must possess in order to perform the duties and responsibilities
The skills required to perform the job:
Education or experience, specialized training, personal traits or abilities, interpersonal skills or specific behavioral attributes, and manual dexterities.
The physical demands of the job:
Walking, standing, reaching, lifting and talking.

Question 20

What is job design?

Answer 20

An outgrowth of job analysis that improves jobs through technological and human considerations in order to enhance organization efficiency and employee job satisfaction.

Question 21

What is job enrichment?

Answer 21

Enhancing a job by adding more meaningful tasks and duties (vertical expansion) to make the work more rewarding or satisfying.
Increasing authority/ control. Becoming experts.
Providing opportunities for achievement, recognition, growth, responsibility, and performance.

Question 22

What is job enlargement?

Answer 22

Adding duties at the same level of meaningfulness as the current job duties
Not as rewarding but helps to reduce some boredom

Question 23

What is employee empowering?

Answer 23

Granting employees power to initiate change, thereby encouraging them to take charge of what they do

Question 24

Which organizational conditions favouring empowerment?

Answer 24

Participation and autonomy
Innovation and acceptance of risk-taking by employee and organization
Access to information
accountability for results

Question 25

How does job description relate to human right legislation?

Answer 25

job descriptions are not legally required but are highly advisable

essential job duties should be clearly identified in the job description

the only criteria examined should be knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the essential duties of the job

when an employee cannot perform one or more of the essential duties because of reasons related to a prohibited ground, such as a physical disability or religion, reasonable accommodation to the point of undue hardship is required