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Difficulty: MediumBridging Conflicting Premises

A technology firm recently instituted a "no meetings on Fridays" policy. Management reasoned that providing employees with a full, uninterrupted workday would increase overall productivity, which the firm measures strictly by the number of software modules finalized per week. Yet, in the six months following the policy's implementation, the average number of software modules finalized per week actually declined.

Which one of the following, if true, most helps to resolve the apparent discrepancy described above?

  1. A
    Prior to the policy change, Friday meetings were widely regarded by the firm's employees as the least productive and most distracting part of the workweek.
  2. B
    Most of the firm's employees prefer to use Fridays to organize their upcoming weekly schedules and respond to emails rather than working directly on finalizing software modules.
  3. Shifting all mandatory meetings to the first four days of the week eliminated the lengthy, uninterrupted periods previously available on those days that are necessary for finalizing modules.Answer
  4. D
    Several competing technology firms that maintained their standard Friday meeting schedules experienced a noticeable increase in the number of software modules finalized over the same six-month period.
  5. E
    The decline in finalized software modules occurred during the same six-month period that employee participation in optional, after-hours social events reached an all-time high.

Answer

The option stating that shifting all mandatory meetings to the first four days of the week eliminated the lengthy, uninterrupted periods necessary for finalizing modules.
The correct answer identifies a hidden cost to the new policy that outweighs its intended benefit. If shifting all meetings to Monday through Thursday destroyed the continuous blocks of time necessary to finalize modules on those specific days, it logically explains why overall weekly productivity declined despite employees having Fridays completely free.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the apparent discrepancy in the stimulus.
The firm expected an increase in productivity (finalized modules) by removing Friday meetings to create a fully uninterrupted workday, but productivity actually declined.
Understanding the conflicting facts is the first step in finding the premise that logically bridges them.
2
Determine the criteria for a correct resolution.
The correct answer must explain how removing Friday meetings actively caused a reduction in the total number of modules finalized per week.
A valid resolution must actively explain the surprising outcome without contradicting the initially stated facts.
3
Evaluate the options against the established criteria.
Only the option showing that concentrating meetings into four days destroyed the necessary uninterrupted time on those days successfully explains the net decline in finalized modules.
Other options either deepen the paradox, provide irrelevant outside comparisons, or only address one side of the discrepancy.

Key Concept

Bridging Conflicting Premises by identifying the unintended consequences of a policy change.
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Bridging Conflicting Premises

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