MGMT 309: Chapter 14: Basic Elements of Individual Behavior in Organizations

Which of the following statements BEST describes the general relationship between stress and performance?

As stress increases, performance will increase for a time.

____ is a mechanism through which we observe behavior and then assign causes to it.

Attribution

____ is the extent to which a person believes that power and status differences are appropriate within organizations.

Authoritarianism

____ dissonance refers to the conflict that individuals experience among their attitudes.

Cognitive

____ refers to the number of goals on which a person focuses.

Conscientiousness

____ thinking is a skill that allows people to see similarities between situations, phenomena, or events.

Convergent

____ thinking is a skill that allows people to see differences between situations, phenomena, or events.

Divergent

James gets his energy from other people, likes the big picture, makes gut decisions, and completes work before moving on to the next project. His traits illustrate the ____ dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Extrovert, intuitive, feeling, judge

Isabelle gets her energy from others, likes abstract concepts, feels her way through decisions, and leaves her schedule open and flexible. Her traits illustrate the ____ dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Extrovert, intuitive, feeling, perceiver

____ are the pay, opportunities, status, and security that the organization provides to the individual.

Inducements

Roberto feels a strong need for consensus, but his team member loves to debate everything and play devil's advocate. This is an example of which type of organizational stressor?

Interpersonal demands

Isabelle likes abstract concepts. This trait illustrates the ____ dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Intuitive

Lynn has two projects to choose from. She knows the big one takes weeks and is important. The small one, she can finish by the end of the day, but it is not that important. Her decision to work on the small one illustrates her ____ dimension of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.

Judging

Which of the following personality traits is NOT one of the "Big Five"?

Locus of control

Alan enjoys manipulating others to his own benefit. He sees telling lies as a gray area and is loyal only to himself. He is highly

Machiavellian.

Bernard Madoff enjoyed having power over others. This indicates a high level of

Machiavellianism.

Which of the following is NOT an example of a stressor from the task demand category?

Making decisions between job and family responsibilities

____ is the behavior of individuals that makes a positive overall contribution to the organization.

Organizational citizenship

____ is an attitude that reflects an individual's identification with an attachment to an organization.

Organizational commitment

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a Type A person?

Patience

____ is a set of processes by which individuals become aware of and interpret information about their environment.

Perception

The Department of Defense set a goal to develop a prosthetic arm that could pick up and feed a grape to its user. At the same time DOD started the process to fund the project with $100 million. Which period of the creative process is this?

Preparation

In which stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome will an individual do whatever he or she can to cope with the situation?

Resistance

____ is the degree to which an individual is willing to take chances and make decisions.

Risk propensity

If you admire your mentor, but hear she has pushed others down to climb the corporate ladder. You might disregard the information as gossip because of

Selective perception

____ is the process of screening out information that we are uncomfortable with or that contradicts our beliefs.

Selective perception

____ is the term used to describe an individual's beliefs about his or her capabilities to perform a task.

Self-efficacy

____ is the extent to which a person believes that he or she is a worthwhile and deserving individual

Self-esteem

Which of the following statements about Type A personalities is FALSE?

They are less likely to experience conflict with other people.

____ usually causes an organization to incur costs for replacing individuals.

Turnover

Which of the following statements describes the major differences between Type B and Type A individuals?

Type B individuals have a more balanced approach to life.

Herman believes he needs balance between work and his personal life. He will not work on weekends and frequently asks for deadline extensions. He exhibits

Type B personality.

____ is the pattern of action by the members of an organization that directly or indirectly influences organizational effectiveness.

Workplace behavior

Paula works as a safety engineer for a large petroleum-processing company. She is always willing to look at possible dangerous situations, talk to employee groups about developing safety habits, and monitor the organization to make sure it complies with OSHA standards. She never complains if she needs to work overtime on holidays or weekends. Paula is

a good organizational citizen.

Stress may be defined as

a physical or psychological response to strain.

Which of the following is suggested as a way for individuals to manage stress?

a. Exercise b. Relaxation c. Support groups d. Time management e. ALL THE ABOVE

Research suggests that creative people have which of the following personality traits?

a. Openness b. Independence c. An attraction to complexity d. Strong self-confidence e. All of these choices ALL THE ABOVE

Which of the following is part of corporate wellness programs?

a. Smoking cessation classes b. Exercise-related activities c. Weight reduction programs d. Stress management workshops e. All of these choices ALL THE ABOVE

Machiavellianism is

a. a term used to describe behavior directed at gaining power and controlling the behavior of others. b. a personality trait. c. not consistently present in all people. d. used by individuals who are rational and unemotional. e. ALL THE ABOVE

An individual's level of job satisfaction is determined by

a. compensation. b. personal needs and aspirations. c. relationships with coworkers and supervisors. d. working conditions. e. All of these choices ALL THE ABOVE

An employee with high self-esteem is likely to

a. seek higher-status jobs. b. be confident in his ability to perform. c. derive intrinsic satisfaction from accomplishments. d. believe she is a worthwhile person. e. All of these choices ALL THE ABOVE

Organizational stressors include

a. task demands. b. physical demands. c. role demands. d. interpersonal demands. ALL OF THE ABOVE

Jack has a negative attitude toward his job. He says, "My job is boring and no one appreciates what I do." This statement reflects the ____ component of his attitude toward his job.

affective

The ____ component of an attitude reflects feelings and emotions that an individual has toward something.

affective

A person's ability to get along with others in an organization is known as

agreeableness.

Mary is abrasive and makes sarcastic comments to anyone who comes into the office. She is critical of every facet of people she works with. In terms of the "Big Five" personality traits, she has low

agreeableness.

People want to flee or fight in the ____ stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome.

alarm

The first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is

alarm.

The beliefs and feelings that people have about specific ideas, situations, and people are known as

attitudes.

Individuals form ____ for behavior by recognizing that the three types of patterns are consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness.

attributions

If you accept everything your professor says solely because he or she is "the professor," you are highly

authoritarian.

Too little stress can cause a person to

become lethargic.

Work stress can be caused by all of the following EXCEPT

burnout.

If you perceive that one method of completing a task is the most efficient, but your coworker perceives that her idea is better, the ____ components of your attitudes differ.

cognitive

Jocelyn knows that Al Gore won the presidential election of 2000, but the Supreme Court was not given enough time to figure that out. Michelle knows that George W. Bush won the election because he is president. The ____ components of their attitudes differ.

cognitive

Dorothy is overweight and smokes, even though she knows that both of these are bad for her health. She is most likely experiencing

cognitive dissonance.

Kristen worked in a fast-food restaurant to pay for her college tuition. Kristen vowed never to eat fast food again. But years later her small children love nothing better than a fast-food kid's meal. Kristen's acceptance of the kid's menu choice creates

cognitive dissonance.

The basic framework around which we form attributions is

consensus, consistency, and distinctiveness.

Rolinda is talented, dedicated and friendly. These are examples of her

contributions

The skills, time, and loyalty you bring to the organization are examples of your

contributions

Behavioral consequences of organizational stress include

drug abuse

The final stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is

exhaustion.

____ refers to a person's comfort level with relationships.

extraversion

The ____ component of an attitude reflects how a person expects to behave in a situation.

intentional

Charlie thinks he can anticipate and prevent just about all bad things. Charlie has a(n)

internal locus of control.

Tatiana thinks she is responsible for everything. When something goes wrong, she seems to always think it is her fault. Tatiana has a(n)

internal locus of control.

Stress

is an individual's response to a strong stimulus.

Someone who categorizes people based on a single attribute

is engaged in stereotyping.

Personal factors such as an individual's needs and aspirations, as well as organizational factors such as relationships with coworkers and supervisors, working conditions, work policies, and compensation, all help determine an individual's level of

job satisfaction.

Joan has a tendency to complain a lot and expect things to go poorly. This is known as

negative affectivity.

Tadashi is relatively poised, calm, resilient, and secure in the face of day-to-day stress. According to the "Big Five" personality traits, Tadashi has low

negative emotionality.

When Jerre Stead took over as the CEO of Ingram Micro, he was following a CEO who was strongly authoritarian. Stead immediately removed all office doors. This gesture indicated his willingness to consider new ideas and his

openness

A person's range of interest is captured in the personality trait of

openness.

Juwan is judgmental. He tends to stereotype people and has a great deal of trouble adjusting to change. He doesn't like new ideas, and his interests outside of work are limited to fishing and hunting. From this description, you would describe Juwan as having a low level of

openness.

Corinne observed her company laying people off without notice or explanation. Her ____ will likely decrease.

organizational commitment

If you are a reporter for a newspaper, you are expected to write, edit, and proofread stories by the paper's deadline. These expectations are referred to as

performance behaviors.

The extent to which the contributions made by an individual match the inducements offered by the organization is referred to as the

person-job fit

____ is the relatively stable set of psychological and behavioral attributes that distinguish one person from another.

personality

As the average age of American workers increases, employers are changing lighting, installing fitness centers, and changing parking in an effort to decrease ____ demand

physical

At work there is a conference room nicknamed "the meat locker." If Royce has a meeting in there, he is too cold to concentrate. This is an example of ____ demands that can lead to stress.

physical

Marcy's work is above average as far as quality and quantity of production goes. However, she refuses to work overtime and won't help newcomers. This is an example of

poor organizational citizenship

Juan has a tendency to see the good side of each situation. This is known as

positive affectivity.

Ingrid is excited about her new job. She thinks it will be exciting, fulfilling, and rewarding, and will allow her the standard of living she is looking for. She has made a(n) ____ with her new employer.

psychological contract

You formulate a(n) ____ with your employer when you accept a job.

psychological contract

____ is the set of expectations that an individual holds about what he or she will contribute to the organization and what it will provide in return.

psychological contract

A manager who is willing to lose it all on one product has high

risk propensity.

One of the reasons Bernard Madoff got away with his Ponzi scheme for so long is that his investors saw him as a friend and used ____ to disregard questionable behavior.

selective perception

Dr. Blalock is a surgeon who was recently involved in a malpractice suit that proved that Dr. Blalock had experienced an error in judgment during a surgery; as a result, a former patient was left paralyzed. Since he has realized his mistake, Dr. Blalock has doubted his capabilities as a surgeon. In other words, he has had low

self-efficacy.

If you are proud of your accomplishments yet look forward to achieving higher levels of performance and are confident in your abilities, you have high

self-esteem.

Martha had parents who were perfectionists. She has been very successful in running her business, but she is overly critical of herself. Martha has low

self-esteem.

Psychological consequences of stress include

sleep disturbances.

Dale wants to work for a company that offers stock options. He used to work for a German company that did not offer its employees stock options. Now Dale has an offer from BASF, a German-owned corporation, but he is not very interested. Dale is using

stereotyping.

When Heather learned that two WWF professional wrestlers had written a children's book, she automatically assumed that it would be too violent for her children to read. Heather is exhibiting

stereotyping.

A surgeon, who is responsible for life and death decisions, would be a likely candidate for stress caused by ____ demand.

task

An individual who has been described as Machiavellian would

tend to be rational and unemotional.

Stressors are defined as

the stimuli that cause stress.

The Nissan Leaf is the first mass produced all electric car. It is in the ____ stage of the creative process.

verification.