In a unit with 40 employees, after breaking the job into simple components and assigning each component, should more than one person be instructed on the procedure to be followed on each component?

In a unit with 40 employees, after breaking the job into simple components and assigning each component, should more than one person be instructed on the procedure to be followed on each component?

• A. no; the procedure would be a waste of time in this instance
• B. yes; it is always desirable to have a replacement available in the event of illness or any other emergency
• C. no; in general, as long as an employee's job performance is satisfactory, there is no need to train an alternate
• D. yes; the presence of more than one person in a unit who can perform a given task tends to prevent the formation of a bottleneck

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that when a job is broken into simple components and assigned to a single person, training additional people on how to perform each component is often unnecessary and wasteful. In a unit with 40 employees, clearly assigning each component to one responsible worker keeps responsibilities clear, reduces training time, and minimizes duplication of effort. Training multiple people on every component would multiply the amount of instruction, increase costs, and can lead to inconsistencies in how tasks are performed unless everyone is perfectly synchronized. That’s why this option is the best choice: it favors efficient use of time and resources by avoiding unnecessary redundancy. Backups or cross-training become relevant only for critical tasks or when continuity is essential, not as a default for every component.

The main idea here is that when a job is broken into simple components and assigned to a single person, training additional people on how to perform each component is often unnecessary and wasteful. In a unit with 40 employees, clearly assigning each component to one responsible worker keeps responsibilities clear, reduces training time, and minimizes duplication of effort. Training multiple people on every component would multiply the amount of instruction, increase costs, and can lead to inconsistencies in how tasks are performed unless everyone is perfectly synchronized.

That’s why this option is the best choice: it favors efficient use of time and resources by avoiding unnecessary redundancy. Backups or cross-training become relevant only for critical tasks or when continuity is essential, not as a default for every component.