TEST BANK FOR HUMAN RELATIONS, 6TH EDITION, LOWELL LAMBERTON, LESLIE MINOR-EVANS
1. |
The skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people is known as human relations.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations.
2. |
An average performer at a workplace with good human relations skills often appears better to others than other average performers.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations.
3. |
Poor human relations skills can make an otherwise able person seem like a poor performer.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
4. |
The two sets of behaviors now considered the most important for new job applicants are communication skills and human relations abilities.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
5. |
The ability to work with people is not an essential skill in e-commerce as there is no face-to-face interaction with the customers.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
6. |
Small businesses feel pressure to meet the high international standards of the foreign market, and of the huge multinational companies that dominate the economy.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
7. |
Generation Y is characterized by middle-aged adults who find themselves pressed for time and finances to support their own children along with their aging parents and parents-in-law.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
8. |
Human relations depends significantly on ordinary good sense and judgment.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-04 Identify what the study of human relations does not include.
9. |
In the workplace, the key to top performance and high-quality work is healthy self-esteem.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
10. |
Without trust, mutual respect is meaningless.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
11. |
If your self-esteem is too fragile, you will have little energy left for cultivating mutual respect.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
12. |
Self-disclosure is the knowledge of how you are being perceived by others.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
13. |
Self-awareness allows individuals to know what in their own behavior is being perceived as real by other people.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
14. |
Self-disclosure promotes genuineness and closeness in your relationships with other people.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
15. |
Listening level in communication is less important than the ability to express ideas and concepts precisely.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
16. |
Group dynamics is defined as the positive consideration or regard that two people have for each other.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
17. |
"The Philosophy of Manufacturers," written by Andrew Ure, suggested that workers should have medical help, good ventilation, and even sick leave.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
18. |
According to Max Weber, human relations problems are caused by favoritism, nepotism, and other unfair practices.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
19. |
Max Weber is known as the pioneer of scientific management.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
20. |
Frederick Taylor's scientific management approach contained two major features: careful hiring and in-depth training.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
21. |
Frederick Taylor is universally criticized as someone who cared more about the needs of workers than about production.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
22. |
One of Taylor's best-known victories was the discoveries based on the Hawthorne Studies.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
23. |
Mary Parker Follett identified a system of bricklaying with more than double the productivity of the old system.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
24. |
From the Hawthorne Studies, Elton Mayo found that the relationships that form naturally in a workplace make up what he called the "informal organization."
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
25. |
The most important improvement Elton Mayo brought to human relations and management was that managers began to understand the complex needs of workers instead of seeing them mostly as people who need wages.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
26. |
The Wagner Act made it illegal for employers to use scare tactics or other techniques to prevent employees from forming or joining unions.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
27. |
During World War II, scarcity of jobs made many employers feel that they could "fire the problems and hire the solutions."
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
28. |
Theory X managers see workers as happy to work and able to assume responsibility.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
29. |
Eric Berne's "Transactional Analysis" was a method of understanding interpersonal communication in a workplace.
TRUE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
30. |
Total Quality Management (TQM) emphasized that the final product is more important than the process of creating that product.
FALSE |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
31. Identify an accurate statement about human relations.
A. |
Practicing effective human relations helps in finding quick fixes to ongoing personal issues. |
B. |
It is a study in understanding human behavior in order to influence others for one's advantage. |
C. |
It includes a desire to understand others and their talents and abilities. |
D. |
Learning better human relations skills is a cure-all. |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations.
32. can be classified as internal customers.
A. |
Competitors |
B. |
Traditional customers |
C. |
Employees of a department |
D. |
Online customers |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
33. Which of the following is a reason for the widespread anti-American sentiment in the global marketplace?
A. |
Americans appear to use poor human relations skills while engaging in business with other cultures. |
B. |
Americans emphasize the process more than the product in the workplace. |
C. |
Countries like China, India, and Japan have been unable to make a major impact on world markets compared with the United States. |
D. |
Americans assume that having a college degree is no longer a ticket to a meaningful career. |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
34. The study of human relations is important because:
A. |
it emphasizes the knowledge of computer and technology. |
B. |
it reduces diversity in a workplace. |
C. |
it renews emphasis on working groups. |
D. |
it stresses the importance of laying emphasis on the product rather than the process. |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
35. The generation of Americans born between 1965 and 1980 is referred to as .
A. |
the Baby Boomer generation |
B. |
Generation X |
C. |
Generation Y |
D. |
the Millennial Generation |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
36. Which of the following is true of today's Generation Y?
A. |
They care more about production than about the needs of workers. |
B. |
They feel that finding good, sustainable-wage jobs is hard and that advancement is very difficult. |
C. |
They develop poor human relations with subordinates because many of the middle managers were called "hippies" in the past. |
D. |
They see workers as lacking ambition, disliking work, and wanting security above all else. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
37. The generation of Americans born between 1946 and 1964 is referred to as:
A. |
Generation X. |
B. |
the Millennials. |
C. |
Generation Z. |
D. |
the Baby Boomers. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
38. Which of the following statements is true of competition in the workplace?
A. |
The increasing number of people doing business on the Internet has resulted in a decline in competition among businesses. |
B. |
Competitiveness is yet to reach rural areas where small businesses still don't feel the pressure. |
C. |
Due to increased competition, having a college degree is no longer a ticket to a meaningful career. |
D. |
Countries such as China, India, and other Asian nations are yet to create an impact on the world markets. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
39. Which of the following statements is true of current challenges in human relations?
A. |
Generation Y tends to find sustainable-wage jobs easy to come by but advancement a very difficult task. |
B. |
Additional financial pressures in dual-career families cause workplace stress and difficulties for everyone involved. |
C. |
Having a college degree guarantees a ticket to a meaningful career but seldom a well-paying job. |
D. |
Small businesses seldom feel pressure to meet the high international standards of the foreign market and of the huge multinational companies that dominate the economy. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
40. People who belong to the sandwich generation:
A. |
are currently entering the job market. |
B. |
are mostly in management positions. |
C. |
find themselves squeezed for time and finances. |
D. |
see workers as lacking ambition, disliking work, and wanting security above all else. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
41. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of human relations?
A. |
Good human relations means being honest. |
B. |
Human relations includes a desire to understand others. |
C. |
Human relations skills must be developed throughout one's life. |
D. |
Human relations are just common sense. |
Learning Objective: 01-04 Identify what the study of human relations does not include.
42. and achievement of an organization's objectives are the two goals of the study of human relations.
A. |
Formulation of quick fixes for personal problems |
B. |
Personal development and growth |
C. |
Enhancement of informal communication channels |
D. |
Identification of cure-alls for organizational problems |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
43. Identify an accurate statement about self-esteem.
A. |
Higher self-esteem improves attitude and job morale. |
B. |
Self-esteem plays a minor role in human relations issues. |
C. |
Higher self-esteem results in an individual possessing little energy for cultivating mutual respect with his or her peers. |
D. |
People in developing countries have discovered its importance and influence on their daily lives. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
44. What is the importance of healthy self-esteem in a workplace?
A. |
It is at the core of most strategic issues in organizations. |
B. |
It enables an individual to understand group dynamics. |
C. |
It is significantly important for individuals working as islands of expertise. |
D. |
It is the key to top performance and high-quality work. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
45. Mutual respect:
A. |
is the knowledge of how you are being perceived by others. |
B. |
can exist only when a person's self-esteem is stable. |
C. |
is the process of letting other people know what you are really thinking and feeling. |
D. |
allows individuals to know what in their own behavior is being perceived as real by other people. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
46. reflects the positive side of human relations by allowing others to see what feelings and thoughts you really have.
A. |
Self-disclosure |
B. |
Self-awareness |
C. |
Self-esteem |
D. |
Self-efficacy |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
47. Which of the following statements is true of group dynamics?
A. |
It is related to a variety of mental health issues, including alcoholism, anxiety, and depression. |
B. |
It excludes the areas related to conflict management. |
C. |
It gives an individual the power to force group members to do as instructed. |
D. |
It is a cornerstone in the study of human relations. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
48. stated that management is about human beings, and its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant.
A. |
Frederick Perls |
B. |
Abraham Maslow |
C. |
Peter Drucker |
D. |
Stephen Covey |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
49. Which of the following groups founded in 1869 denounced the bad working conditions and unfair treatment in many workplaces of the time?
A. |
Mechanics' Union of Trade Associations |
B. |
American Federation of Labor |
C. |
Congress of Industrial Organizations |
D. |
The Knights of Labor |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
50. Robert Owen influenced the industrialists of the early 19th century by:
A. |
introducing the idea that treating workers better would increase productivity and profits. |
B. |
publishing a book called "The Philosophy of Manufacturers." |
C. |
recognizing the importance of careful hiring and in-depth training to increase workers' productivity. |
D. |
conducting the Hawthorne Experiment. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
51. Which of the following reforms was introduced by Robert Owen?
A. |
Building company towns where workers would live in company houses |
B. |
Suggesting that workers should have medical help, hot tea on a regular basis, good ventilation, and even sick leave |
C. |
Stopping the employment of young children in his factory and encouraging his workforce to stay sober |
D. |
Reducing motions involved in bricklaying to five by inventing labor-saving devices and changing workers' routines |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
52. In the context of Elton Mayo's study of the Hawthorne Experiment, is the driving force in workers' behavior.
A. |
human relations issues |
B. |
fear of punishment |
C. |
creativity |
D. |
ambition |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
53. Which of the following reforms was suggested by Andrew Ure in his book "The Philosophy of Manufacturers?"
A. |
The work of the people in an organization should be done in an orderly way, with only one supervisor to whom each worker must answer. |
B. |
Workers should have medical help, hot tea on a regular basis, good ventilation, and even sick leave. |
C. |
Identify "one best way" to perform a task to increase the productivity and profit. |
D. |
Managers should carefully select and train workers for specific tasks. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
54. was the model suggested by Max Weber to deal with favoritism and nepotism.
A. |
Adhocracy |
B. |
Hierarchy of needs |
C. |
Bureaucracy |
D. |
Total Quality Management |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
55. Max Weber's model "bureaucracy" helped in reducing favoritism and other unfair practices by:
A. |
assigning specific duties and responsibilities only on the basis of talent and ability. |
B. |
assigning multiple supervisors to whom each worker must answer. |
C. |
advocating careful selection and in-depth training of workers to motivate them. |
D. |
implementing rules like standard work days, relaxed and regular lunch breaks, and rest periods. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
56. How did Taylor's "optimum shovel" immediately increase the productivity at an eastern steel mill?
A. |
The shovel design allowed maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods. |
B. |
The shovel reduced the motions involved from eighteen to five. |
C. |
The shovel was discarded to create new machinery that automatized operations and reduced human work. |
D. |
The use of a single shovel for shoveling coal into the large smelters and loading cinders into waste containers ensured an increase in productivity. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
57. Which human relations movement pioneer suggested that workers should be involved in decisions affecting them?
A. |
Lillian Gilbreth |
B. |
Robert Owen |
C. |
Mary Parker Follett |
D. |
Max Weber |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
58. What did Elton Mayo discover from the Hawthorne Experiment?
A. |
Strong bureaucracy in the organization would make up for a worker's lack of motivation, and thus the productivity would remain high. |
B. |
Workers performed better because someone was paying attention to them, which was more than what they were accustomed to receiving at work. |
C. |
Managers treated workers well because they knew that the workers would be hard to replace due to scarcity of labor. |
D. |
Workers' productivity increased because they used the optimum shovel, which allowed them to work the whole day without taking too many breaks. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
59. In the context of McGregor's management theory, Theory X managers see workers as .
A. |
lacking ambition |
B. |
being creative |
C. |
being able to assume responsibility |
D. |
requiring rigorous training and assistance |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
60. Which of the following statements forms the cornerstone of Total Quality Management (TQM)?
A. |
Inflexible, static rules are potentially harmful to maintaining a productive workforce. |
B. |
It places significant emphasis on the rights and needs of the individual person. |
C. |
It assumes that all workers are happy to work, are able to assume responsibility, and are overall quite creative. |
D. |
The process of whatever happens in an organization is more important than the product. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
61. |
is the skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people.
Human relations |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations.
62. |
A(n) is someone who organizes and assumes the risks of beginning a business enterprise.
entrepreneur |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
63. |
is the generation of Americans born between 1965 and 1980, following the Baby Boomers who were born during the years 1946 to 1964.
Generation X |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
64. |
Middle-aged adults with elderly dependent parents and dependent children who find themselves squeezed for time and finances are often referred to as the " " generation.
sandwich |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
65. |
is your feeling of confidence and worth as a person.
Self-esteem |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
66. |
is the knowledge of how you are being perceived by others.
Self-awareness |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
67. |
is the process of letting other people know what you are really thinking and feeling.
Self-disclosure |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
68. |
The term " " is used to describe the force that gets people to do their task.
motivation |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
69. |
The , an organization founded in 1869 which was much like the labor unions that came later, denounced the bad working conditions and unfair treatment in many workplaces of the time.
Knights of Labor |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
70. |
In Weber's model, called , each person had specific duties and responsibilities that were to be assigned on the basis of ability and talent only.
bureaucracy |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
71. |
In the early years of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor and others began a movement called .
scientific management |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
72. |
One of Frederick Taylor's best-known victories was the invention of the , a step that made scientific management very popular.
optimum shovel |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
73. |
In her later life, became known as "The First Lady of Management."
Lillian Gilbreth |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
74. |
The results from Elton Mayo's showed that the relationships that had formed naturally in the workplace made up what he called the "informal organization."
Hawthorne Experiment |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
75. |
Based on the results of the Hawthorne Experiment, Elton Mayo found that the relationships that had formed naturally in the workplace made up what he called the organization.
informal |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
76. |
The noted psychologist Abraham Maslow devised a(n) " ," which teaches that people tend to satisfy their needs in a certain order.
hierarchy of needs |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
77. |
Congress passed the in 1935 that gave unions and union members more rights than they had enjoyed before.
Wagner Act |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
78. |
introduced the concepts of Theory X and Theory Y.
Douglas McGregor |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
79. |
McGregor's stated that workers lacked ambition, disliked work, and wanted security above all else.
Theory X |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
80. |
, introduced in the United States by W. Edwards Deming, held that the process of whatever happens in an organization is more important than the product.
Total Quality Management |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
81. |
What are the aspects included in human relations?
Answer: Human relations is the skill or ability to work effectively through and with other people. Human relations includes a desire to understand others, their needs and weaknesses, and their talents and abilities. Human relations also involves an understanding of how people work together in groups, satisfying both individual needs and group objectives. If an organization is to succeed, the relationships among the people must be monitored and maintained. |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations.
82. |
Why is human rights considered an important reason for studying human relations?
Answer: Today, managers and employees have a greater awareness of the rights of employees. This awareness calls for more skillful relations among employees, using tact, trust, and diplomacy with greater skill. The rights of all others involved in the dealings of an organization must be respected and protected as well. |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
83. |
Why are human relations skills important for a manager?
Answer: For a manager, no skill area is more important than human relations abilities. A manager with good human relations skills will retain employees longer, be more productive, and provide employees with an enjoyable environment. The most common reason for failure in the job of manager is faulty human relations skills. Because interpersonal skills are so important, experts often suggest that new managers should put as much effort into studying people as they put into developing technical skills. |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business.
84. |
How have single-parent families and divorces affected the workplace?
Answer: A divorced person typically has to go through a period of emotional recovery, during which many emotional issues can form. Such issues often negatively affect job performance and attitudes, harming relationships with co-workers, bosses, and fellow employees. Besides the already-heavy burdens of single parenthood that divorced, single workers have, they are often dealing with challenging issues of self-worth and self-esteem. |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business.
85. |
People who think that human relations is an unnecessary skill believe that "common sense will carry you through." Is this viewpoint correct?
Answer: In the area of human relations, common sense (meaning ordinary good sense and judgment) is all too uncommon. The abuses of many workers on the job today, the misunderstandings that cost thousands of companies millions of dollars every year, the unhappiness of many workers with the jobs they have: all of these factors illustrate the need for human relations—even if much of it seems like simple common sense. |
Learning Objective: 01-04 Identify what the study of human relations does not include.
86. |
Why is self-esteem at the core of most issues in human relations?
Answer: Psychological research has shown that lower self-esteem is related to a variety of mental health problems, including alcoholism, anxiety, and depression—all of which cause problems on the job. Higher self-esteem, on the other hand, improves attitudes, job morale, and overall quality of life. In the workplace, healthy self-esteem is the key to top performance and high-quality work—especially when the work directly affects other people. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
87. |
Discuss the relationship between self-esteem and mutual respect.
Answer: Mutual respect is the positive consideration or regard that two people have for each other. It can exist only when the self-esteem of the individuals involved is stable. If the self-esteem is too fragile, the individuals will have little energy left for cultivating mutual respect. Mutual respect is meaningless without trust. Mutual respect and trust are critically important at all levels in an organization. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
88. |
Why is group dynamics a cornerstone in the study of human relations?
Answer: Whenever two or more people form a relationship, there is, in effect, a group. Once a group is formed, it immediately requires understanding, planning, and organizational tactics appropriate to groups. Thus, understanding group dynamics—the ways in which groups operate—is a cornerstone in the study of human relations. |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace.
89. |
Describe company towns that were constructed during the first decades of the Industrial Revolution.
Answer: Company towns were settlements, owned by the company, where workers would live in company housing, buy supplies at the company-owned store, and even send their children to a school owned by the firm. Though not popular today, this setup produced happier and more loyal workers in many cases, especially when the quality of the company town was considered high. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
90. |
Why did Max Weber develop the bureaucracy model?
Answer: Max Weber saw human relations problems as being caused by favoritism, nepotism (playing favorites with family members), and other unfair practices. In Weber's time, most European companies were managed like extended families. Employees were loyal to a single person, rather than to the company goals or mission statement. Weber came up with the bureaucratic organizations approach, a system that was meant to be impersonal and rational. This approach reduced favoritism and many other unfair practices. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
91. |
What is Frederick Taylor best known for? Discuss his invention of the optimum shovel.
Answer: In the early years of the 20th century, Frederick Taylor and others began a movement called scientific management. Most people today who have heard of Taylor think of him as an industrial engineer who tried to find the "one best way" to do a job. One of Taylor's best-known victories was the invention of the optimum shovel. At an eastern steel mill, Taylor watched men shoveling coal for the large smelters. Using the same shovel, these men would also load cinders into waste containers. After carefully studying both processes, Taylor came up with two shovels: a much larger shovel for the light cinders and an optimum shovel for the coal. This shovel was exactly the right size and weight to allow the maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods. The productivity of the steel mill rose immediately, making Taylor and scientific management both very popular. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
92. |
Describe the two major features of Taylor's approach to increasing efficiency.
Answer: Taylor's approach contained two major features: (a) Managers should carefully select and train workers for specific tasks. (b) Managers should try to motivate workers to increase productivity. Careful hiring and in-depth training do not seem very earthshaking today, but Taylor was among the first to recognize the importance of both. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
93. |
How did Taylor's "optimum shovel" increase the productivity of the steel mill?
Answer: One of Taylor's best-known victories was the invention of the optimum shovel. At an eastern steel mill, Taylor watched men shoveling coal for the large smelters. Using the same shovel, these men would also load cinders into waste containers. After carefully studying both processes, Taylor came up with two shovels: a much larger shovel for the light cinders and an optimum shovel for the coal. This shovel was exactly the right size and weight to allow the maximum work without the need for frequent rest periods. The productivity of the steel mill rose immediately, making Taylor and scientific management both very popular. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
94. |
What were the Gilbreths best known for?
Answer: The Gilbreths became especially well-known for their research study of bricklayers. Frank Gilbreth identified 18 different motions that had been used by bricklayers, apparently for as long as people had been laying bricks. By inventing some labor-saving devices and by changing the basic routine, the Gilbreths reduced those 18 motions to 5. Lillian Gilbreth was especially interested in studying workers and their reactions to working under stressful conditions. She taught the importance of standard work days, relaxed and regular lunch breaks, and periodic rest periods. Her life's work helped influence Congress to pass child labor laws. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
95. |
What are the three concepts of human relations that Mary Parker Follett advocated?
Answer: Follett taught three concepts that were ahead of their time. First, she held that workers should be allowed to be involved in decisions affecting them. Second, she stressed that the workplace is dynamic—that is, constantly changing. She felt that inflexible, static rules were potentially harmful to maintaining a productive workforce. Finally, Mary Parker Follett believed that the main job of managers at all levels was to maintain positive relationships with workers. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
96. |
Describe the two important discoveries made by Elton Mayo and his Harvard colleagues from their study of the Hawthorne Experiment.
Answer: Two important discoveries came from this five-year study. First, Mayo showed that the workers at Hawthorne performed better because someone was paying attention to them. This attention was more than they had been accustomed to receiving at work, and they responded with extra motivation. Second, Mayo found that the relationships that had formed naturally in the workplace made up what he called the "informal organization." On days when a worker would not be as motivated as usual, the expectations of the group would make up the difference, and productivity would remain high. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
97. |
Describe the workplace situation in America during World War II.
Answer: With hundreds of thousands of young workers going overseas to fight, employers were forced to hire nearly anybody who would work. Managers knew their employees would be very hard to replace, so treatment of workers temporarily improved. Cases of sexism, racism, and sexual harassment, however, were all too common. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
98. |
Differentiate between McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y managers.
Answer: Theory X managers see workers as lacking ambition, disliking work, and wanting security above all else. Theory Y managers, on the other hand, see workers as happy to work, able to assume responsibility, and overall quite creative. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
99. |
What were the major changes brought about in human relations during the 1960s?
Answer: A new emphasis was placed on the rights and needs of the individual person. For the first time, it was popular in this culture to "do your own thing." Perhaps even more importantly, other people were allowed to do their own thing as well. Also new was the revolutionary attitude toward success as having to do with people, rather than just with money. Many of today's middle managers were members of an emerging youth subculture at that time, sometimes referred to as hippies. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
100. |
Write a short note on Total Quality Management (TQM).
Answer: This important school of thought held that the process of whatever happens in an organization is more important than the product. Doing away with targets, "zero defects" programs, and slogans, the Total Quality Management (TQM) people concentrated on the process—which inevitably includes people and relationships. The work that was pioneered by Elton Mayo and others became refocused with a process emphasis. People in organizations participated at work to an extent unimagined before. |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations.
Chapter 01 Human Relations: A Background Summary
Category |
# of Questions |
Learning Objective: 01-01 Define human relations. |
5 |
Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the importance of human relations in business. |
9 |
Learning Objective: 01-03 Discuss the challenges of human relations as these factors affect success in business. |
11 |
Learning Objective: 01-04 Identify what the study of human relations does not include. |
3 |
Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the areas of emphasis for human relations in today's workplace. |
22 |
Learning Objective: 01-06 Discuss a short history of the study of human relations. |
50 |
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