Q13 - Consultant: The dramatic improvements

[smiller]

Question Type:
Explain a Result

Stimulus Breakdown:
Scenario:
Past improvements in productivity resulted from standardization and centralized decision making.

Expected result:
Recent improvements in productivity would result from similar procedures.

Unexpected result:
Recent improvements were the result of giving individual employees greater influence.

Answer Anticipation:
It seems like giving individual employees more influence would result in less standardization, but do we know that for a fact? Perhaps today, even when given a choice, most employees prefer to follow standard, established practices. It's also possible that there is a significant difference between today's work environment and the environment during the Industrial Revolution, so individual choice is more beneficial today than it once was. Also, we're told that individuals are being given more control at companies that are already productive. This might somehow make a difference.

Correct Answer:
(E)

Answer Choice Analysis:
(A) This only supports one side of the paradox. It supports the idea that there have been further increases in productivity, but doesn't explain why this happens when individuals are given more influence.

(B) This is irrelevant. It doesn't indicate that increased job satisfaction in any way leads to increased productivity, just that they're both the result of giving individuals greater control.

(C) This is irrelevant. We don't know how the use of advanced technology is related to greater individual control.

(D) This is irrelevant. If anything, it would lead us to believe that there is now more standardization and centralized control at companies where individuals traditionally had control. Choice (D) doesn't even tell us if these companies are becoming more or less productive, so it's hard to see how this relates to the stimulus at all.

(E) This is correct. It explains how giving individual employees more influence can specifically help companies that are already productive. This answer choice describes companies that are "highly productive," but these could certainly be the "many already productive companies" mentioned in the stimulus.

Takeaway/Pattern: The correct answer to an Explain a Result question will normally provide some new piece of information that affects the situation in the stimulus. Incorrect answers will often introduce ideas that seem related, but don't actually resolve the paradox.

#officialexplanation

[hyewonkim89]

I luckily guessed this question right but still don't know why the wrong answers are the wrong answers and why the right one is right.

The consultant says productivity resulted in large part from standardization of processes and procedures with centralization of planning and decision making. But many already productive companies improved their productivity recently by having individual employees make decisions and such.

The wrong answers to me just didn't seem.. right.. haha.

I can sort of see why (E) is the answer. If the productivity comes from the management's broad application of innovative ideas of individual employees, it makes sense why many productive companies did what they did recently.

For the wrong answers, will someone please help?

Thanks in advance!

[zee.brad]

I luckily guessed this question right but still don't know why the wrong answers are the wrong answers and why the right one is right.

The consultant says productivity resulted in large part from standardization of processes and procedures with centralization of planning and decision making. But many already productive companies improved their productivity recently by having individual employees make decisions and such.

The wrong answers to me just didn't seem.. right.. haha.

I can sort of see why (E) is the answer. If the productivity comes from the management's broad application of innovative ideas of individual employees, it makes sense why many productive companies did what they did recently.

For the wrong answers, will someone please help?

Thanks in advance!

My thoughts on this one...
This one asks to explain why emphasize individual influence while centralization used to work perfectly. So we need to find something to reconcile individual vs centralization. For me the Ahha moment is what if those company actually applied someone's idea as the standard for centralization, which is E suggests.
A doesn't explain why individual
B uhm good but why centralization and individual influence?
C okay again why centralization before and individual influence now?
D okay but why already productive companies emphasize individual influence now?

[maryadkins]

For me the Ahha moment is what if those company actually applied someone's idea as the standard for centralization, which is E suggests.

Yes! Excellent.

In (E), we're told that the individual is getting more decision-making power...but in a way that remains centralized and standardized. Therefore, it reconciles the apparent paradox, which was: how can centralization/standardization improve productivity, but also in some recent cases, individual freedom?

As for your explanation of why A-D are wrong, you do a good job of it. As you noted, (A) doesn't address the individual freedom piece, and (B) doesn't address the centralization piece. You're right on with (C):

C okay again why centralization before and individual influence now?

And (D) is a little tricky, but you seem to have a good grasp of it as well. We've already been told that the dramatic improvements that were achieved during the industrial revolution were the result of centralization and standardization"”the achievements ALREADY happened, we're not assuming this. (D) makes it seem as if this question is about companies that haven't yet implemented those changes, but that's out of scope.

Well done!

[jrkovals]

Is it not a problem that E talks about HIGHLY productive coompanies? Is it oaky because it a subset of productive?

[Ibrahim.diallo]

I also eliminated E because the word HIGHLY. How should one approach these types of answers that have extreme modifies but still seem to be correct. Any quick response to this would be greatly appreciated it. Taking the LSAT in 4 days!

[tommywallach]

Something that's highly productive is ALSO productive.

-t

P.S. Sorry for the late response! Hope the LSAT went well!