Peter Runs a Non-Profit Educational Organization with a Small Budget

question 24

Multiple Choice

Peter runs a non-profit educational organization with a small budget and very few full-time staff members. During the bulk of their programming in the summer, their staff swells to 35 or 40 part-time, temporary teachers. During the hiring process, Peter and the full-time staff carefully review the teachers' resumes and put teachers into teams where they each bring something unique to the table. In these teams, teachers are in charge of planning all of their own activities, units, field trips, and lessons. They have to make proposals to the full-time staff for big trips, but otherwise, this frees up the full-time staff to trouble-shoot and deal with student issues. From a management perspective, which of the following benefits of work-teams is Peter maximizing?

• A) empowerment of workers by enabling them to play a more direct role in organizational decision making
• B) development of a workforce that is multi-skilled rather than deskilled
• C) development of holistic team synergies that result in innovative decision making
• D) functional autonomy, with little need for direct supervision

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Definitions:

Exorcism

The practice, common in early societies, of treating abnormality by coaxing evil spirits to leave the person’s body.

Demonology

The study of demons or beliefs about demons, often within the context of religion, mythology, or the occult.

Middle Ages

A period in European history from the 5th to the late 15th century, marked by feudalism, the spread of Christianity, and the rule of the Holy Roman Empire.

Scientific Investigation

A systematic process of inquiry and experimentation used to explore observations and answer questions about the physical and natural world.