Question

Difficulty: HardIdentifying Necessary Assumptions

Sociologist: In a recent study of tech companies, organizations that adopted a decentralized management structure reported a significantly lower rate of employee turnover than those with a traditional hierarchical structure. Therefore, granting employees more autonomy over their daily workflow leads to greater job satisfaction, which in turn encourages them to remain with their company.

Determine whether the following statement is true or false: A necessary assumption of the sociologist's argument is that adopting a decentralized management structure actually results in employees having greater autonomy over their daily workflow.

Answer: Answer

Answer

True
The statement accurately identifies a necessary assumption. The author's evidence is solely about 'decentralized management structures,' but the conclusion introduces a completely new term: 'granting employees more autonomy.' For the evidence to logically support the conclusion, there must be a bridge connecting these two distinct concepts. Applying the Negation Technique confirms this necessity: if decentralized structures do NOT result in greater autonomy, then the study's findings about lower turnover in decentralized companies provide no evidence whatsoever regarding the effects of autonomy. Thus, the argument collapses, proving the assumption is logically required.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the argument's premises and main conclusion.
Premise: Decentralized structures correlate with lower turnover. Conclusion: Autonomy leads to greater job satisfaction and retention.
Deconstructing the argument structure is essential to finding the logical gap between the evidence provided and the claim being made.
2
Locate the concept gap between the premise and the conclusion.
The premise discusses a 'decentralized management structure', while the conclusion introduces a new, unstated concept: 'granting employees more autonomy'.
New terms appearing in a conclusion almost always require a bridge assumption connecting them back to the premises.
3
Apply the Negation Technique to the proposed statement.
Negated statement: Adopting a decentralized management structure does NOT result in greater employee autonomy.
The Negation Technique is the definitive test to verify if an assumption is strictly required by the argument.
4
Evaluate the impact of the negated statement on the argument.
If decentralized structures do not provide more autonomy, then the study on decentralized structures provides zero evidence about the effects of autonomy. The logical bridge collapses.
Because the negated statement completely destroys the argument's reasoning, the original statement is confirmed as a necessary assumption.

Key Concept

Bridging Concept Gaps (Supporter Assumptions)
Rate this question