Organizational Influence and Employee Rights

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Questions and Answers

What does job breadth refer to?

The level of autonomy an employee has in a job

The salary range associated with a job position

The length of time an employee spends in a single task

The range of different tasks for which an individual is responsible (correct)

What is the primary goal of job enrichment?

To increase an employee's workload without additional motivation

To reduce the number of tasks assigned to an employee

To assign tasks randomly to increase job variety

To enhance the job's motivational aspects by adding control and responsibility (correct)

Which of the following best describes job rotation?

Increasing the automation of a job to reduce labor costs

Assigning employees to the same task for an extended period

Eliminating certain tasks from an employee's responsibilities

Periodic assignment to different jobs to develop a variety of skills (correct)

How does job enlargement aim to improve the work experience for employees?

By providing a wider variety of duties to reduce monotony Signup and view all the answers

Quality of Work Life (QWL) programs primarily focus on which of the following?

Enhancing job conditions and promoting employee well-being Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following reasons might cause workers to resist enriched jobs?

Discomfort with increased complexity Signup and view all the answers

What is one potential limitation of job enrichment programs?

Higher operational costs Signup and view all the answers

How does 'organizational citizenship' manifest within an organization?

By volunteering efforts for organizational success Signup and view all the answers

What could result from employees preferring to maintain the status quo rather than accepting enriched jobs?

Desire for security and stability Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors could lead to the opposition of job enrichment efforts by unions?

Uncertainty in job roles Signup and view all the answers

What is considered a right of privacy in an organizational context?

Freedom from organizational invasion of private life Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT included as a business activity that may involve employee rights of privacy?

Company-sponsored social events Signup and view all the answers

What does the policy guideline 'relevance' refer to in the context of privacy?

Only necessary information should be recorded and retained Signup and view all the answers

In the progressive discipline system, what is the first step taken for violations?

Verbal reprimand by supervisor Signup and view all the answers

Which policy guideline emphasizes the responsibility of information keepers?

Fiduciary duty Signup and view all the answers

What type of discipline focuses on preventing infractions before they occur?

Preventive discipline Signup and view all the answers

Which guideline allows employees to examine their own records?

Due process Signup and view all the answers

Which characteristic refers to the discretion and control an employee has over job-related decisions?

Autonomy Signup and view all the answers

What type of action does corrective discipline involve?

Taking action after an infraction occurs Signup and view all the answers

What does the Job Diagnostic Survey measure?

Presence of core dimensions in jobs Signup and view all the answers

Which formula represents the Motivating Potential Score (MPS)?

MPS = M x R x KR Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a core job characteristic included in the Motivating Potential Score?

Task Complexity Signup and view all the answers

In job enrichment, which area does task significance primarily affect?

Impact on others perceived by the worker Signup and view all the answers

What should be attempted if a person's MPS score is low?

Determine which core characteristics are lacking Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates the concept of job redesign effectively?

Team assembly of doll parts to increase production efficiency Signup and view all the answers

What does feedback provide to workers?

Information on their job performance Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Chapter 10: Issues Between Organizations and Individuals

This chapter focuses on the interactions between organizations and individuals.
Key objectives include understanding organizational influence, employee rights, privacy policies, discipline procedures, and quality of work life.

Legitimacy of Organizational Influence

A model of legitimacy is presented, classifying organizational influence as "on the job" (high legitimacy) and "off the job" (moderate to low legitimacy), further differentiated based on job-relatedness.

Employee Rights of Privacy

Employees have a right to freedom from organizational invasion of their private life and unauthorized release of confidential information.
Specific business activities that may involve employee privacy rights include: lie detectors, personality tests, medical examinations, treatment of alcoholism, monitoring of employee lifestyles, treatment of drug abuse, surveillance devices, computer data banks, confidential records, genetic screening, and inquiries into personal relationships.

Policy Guidelines Relating to Privacy

Policies should ensure relevance (only necessary information is retained), recency (obsolete information is removed), and notice (employees are aware of data systems).
Fiduciary duty demands the information custodian maintain data security.
Confidentiality mandates that information release is limited to those with a need to know, and requires employee permission for external releases.
Due process allows employees to review records and challenge inaccuracies.
There is a need to protect employee psyches, which can only be exposed with prior consent and a compelling reason.

Discipline

Management actions enforce organizational standards through two approaches:
- Preventive Discipline: Actions aimed at preventing infractions to ensure continuous standard adherence.
- Corrective Discipline: Actions taken after an infraction, designed to discourage future violations by implementing disciplinary action.
- Progressive Discipline: A policy where repeated offenses lead to increasingly stricter penalties. A progressive discipline system includes, Verbal reprimand, written reprimand, 1-3 days of suspension, 1 week of suspension to termination.

Quality of Work Life (QWL)

QWL refers to the overall work environment's impact on employee well-being.
QWL programs focus on creating an environment that is excellent for employees and contributes to the organization's financial health.
This frequently involves improving employee skills, reducing occupational stress, and improving labor-management relationships.

Job Scope

Job scope is the assessment of a job's breadth and depth.
Job breadth refers to the number of tasks an individual is directly responsible for. It ranges from few, narrowly defined tasks to several, broadly defined tasks.
Job enlargement involves adding more tasks to a job, aimed at increasing variety and reducing monotony.
Job depth refers to the degree of control employees exert over their work.

Job Rotation

Job rotation involves assigning employees to different job tasks periodically.
This helps develop broader skill sets, benefits the organization, and increases job satisfaction and career potential for employees.

Job Enlargement and Enrichment

Job enlargement aims to enhance the breadth of a job.
Job enrichment focuses on depth, giving workers more control, responsibility, and discretion over their work.

Differences between Job Enrichment and Enlargement

Job enrichment targets higher-order functions and routine jobs.
Job enlargement expands the number of tasks with focused breadth.

Benefits of Job Enrichment

Job enrichment benefits individuals (growth, self-actualization, job satisfaction), organizations (motivated employees, superior performance, low absenteeism, reduced turnover), and society (fuller use of human resources, more effective organizations).

Core Dimensions of Job Characteristics Approach

This approach explains how job characteristics affect work outcomes through psychological states (meaningfulness, responsibility, knowledge of results). Key dimensions include skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.

Motivating Potential Score (MPS)

MPS is a measure of motivating potential in a job and is calculated based on a job's skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy, and feedback.

Positive or negative information employees receive from their social surroundings can significantly impact how they perceive and react to tasks within the organization.

Limitations of Job Enrichment and QWL Programs

Some workers may not want enriched jobs, prefer security, or have certain skill limitations.
Programs can be expensive, unbalanced, reduce supervisory roles, increase dissatisfaction, and face union opposition.

Individual Responsibilities to the Organization

Organizational citizenship involves employees engaging in discretionary positive actions promoting organizational success.
Employees can also choose to "blow the whistle" on unethical behavior.
Mutual trust between individuals and the organization is vital for success.

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Description

This quiz covers Chapter 10, which explores the intricate relationship between organizations and individuals. Key topics include the legitimacy of organizational influence, employee privacy rights, and the impact of discipline procedures on quality of work life.