Human Resource Management Week 1

Managers and economists traditionally have seen human resource management as a source of value to their organizations. 

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Managers and economists traditionally have seen human resource management as a necessary expense rather than as a source of value to their organizations.

The concept of "human resource management" implies that employees in an organization cannot be considered as a resource and hence are interchangeable. 

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The concept of "human resource management" implies that employees are resources of an employer. This view means employees in today's organizations are not interchangeable, easily replaced parts of a system, but the source of the company's success or failure.

Human resources cannot be imitated.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Human resources cannot be imitated. To imitate human resources at a high-performing competitor, one would have to figure out which employees are providing the advantage and how. Then, one would have to recruit people who can do precisely the same thing and set up the systems that enable those people to imitate one's competitor.

High-performance work systems have been essential in making organizations strong enough to weather the storm of a recession and remain profitable when the economy begins to expand after the recession.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

High-performance work systems have been essential in making organizations strong enough to weather the storm of a recent recession and remain profitable when the economy slowly begins to expand again. Maintaining a high-performance work system may include development of training programs, recruitment of people with new skill sets, and establishment of rewards for such behaviors as teamwork, flexibility, and learning.

No two human resource departments have precisely the same roles and responsibilities. 

• True

• False

Answer explanation

No two human resource departments have precisely the same roles because of differences in organization sizes and characteristics of the workforce, the industry, and management's values. Many HR tasks may be performed by supervisors or others inside or outside the organization.

Knowledge workers in an organization do not work directly with customers.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

In general, jobs can vary from having a narrow range of simple tasks to having a broad array of complex tasks requiring multiple skills. In the past, many companies have emphasized the use of narrowly defined jobs to increase efficiency. However, greater concern for innovation and quality has shifted the trend to more use of broadly defined jobs.

Skilled knowledge workers generally do not have job opportunities in a slow economy.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Knowledge workers are in a position of power, because they own the knowledge that the company needs to produce its products and services. Skilled knowledge workers have many job opportunities, even in a slow economy. If they choose, they can leave a company and take their knowledge to another employer.

Successful organizations treat all their workers as knowledge workers. 

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The idea that only some of an organization's workers are knowledge workers has come under criticism. To the critics, this definition is no longer realistic in a day of computerized information systems and computer-controlled production processes. For the company to excel, everyone must know how their work contributes to the organization's success. Successful organizations treat all their workers as knowledge workers. They let employees know how well the organization is performing, and they invite ideas about how the organization can do better.

The use of employee empowerment has shifted the recruiting focus away from general cognitive and interpersonal skills toward technical skills. 

• True

• False

Answer explanation

As with the need for knowledge workers, use of employee empowerment shifts the recruiting focus away from technical skills and toward general cognitive and interpersonal skills.

Teamwork gives employees the authority and ability to decide on how to do their work.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

Organizations need to set up work in a way that gives employees the authority and ability to make decisions to improve quality and provide customer service right at the point of sale or production. One of the most popular ways to increase employee responsibility and control is to assign work to teams.