Organizational Behavior Exam 2

Goal __________ is defined as the extent to which a person is interested in reaching a goal. a. acceptance b. difficulty c. attachment d. specificity e. commitment

e. commitment

Which of the following is NOT an example of cost reductions arising from team environments? a. Lower turnover b. Reduced scrap c. Lower commitment d. Fewer errors e. Reduced absenteeism

c. Lower commitment

Which of the following is the primary problem associated with the specialization of jobs? a. Frequent social interaction with others b. Involvement in too much of the production cycle c. Lower efficiency d. Slow pace of work e. Boredom

e. Boredom

The positive benefits of a team-based environment include all of the following EXCEPT a. All of these are benefits. b. employee benefits. c. enhanced performance. d. reduced costs. e. organizational enhancements.

a. All of these are benefits.

__________ is the set of forces that causes people to engage in a behavior, rather than an alternative behavior. a. Motivation b. Equilibrium c. Activity d. Autonomy e. Task identity

a. Motivation

An organizational decision maker assesses conditions of certainty, uncertainty, and risk during the process of a. evaluating alternatives. b. identifying the problem. c. stating the situational goal. d. generating alternatives. e. determining the decision type.

a. evaluating alternatives.

A team is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT a. members do not share accountability for the team outcomes. b. members share a common goal. c. members share accountability for their own individual outcomes. d. it consists of two or more people. e. it is an interdependent group.

a. members do not share accountability for the team outcomes.

Goal specificity is consistently related to a. performance. b. social responsibility. c. company image. d. competitors' profits. e. ethical behavior

a. performance.

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, __________ needs are people's most basic requirements. a. physiological b. esteem c. growth d. self-actualization e. security

a. physiological

The rational decision-making approach assumes decision makers a. All of these are correct. b. are objective. c. have complete information. d. work in an organization that encourages logical choices. e. are systematic in their approach to decisions

a. All of these are correct.

Which two types of reinforcement are generally accepted as means for increasing the frequency of desired behavior? a. Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement b. Negative reinforcement and neutral reinforcement c. Negative reinforcement and strict reinforcement d. Positive reinforcement and neutral reinforcement e. Strict reinforcement and neutral reinforcement

a. Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement

Which of the following distributes a portion of the company's profits to all employees at a predetermined rate? a. Profit-sharing program b. Merit pay plan c. Employee stock option plan d. Piecework program e. Gain-sharing program

a. Profit-sharing program

__________ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image. a. Social facilitation b. Group cohesiveness c. Managerial intervention d. Groupthink e. Social loafing

a. Social facilitation

To be considered a "group," it needs to be comprised of a. at least two people. b. less than fifteen people. c. five people. d. at least ten people. e. one person.

a. at least two people.

Goal specificity is defined as the a. clarity and precision of a goal. b. extent to which a person accepts a goal as her own. c. extent to which a goal is challenging and requires effort. d. extent to which a person is personally interested in reaching the goal. e. justification for the goal's existence.

a. clarity and precision of a goal.

Research by Edwin Locke assumes that behavior is a result of a. conscious goals and intentions. b. the requirements established by the organization. c. the organizational culture. d. None of these are correct. e. the internal organizational forces to increase profits.

a. conscious goals and intentions.

According to Herzberg's two-factor, dual-structure theory, motivation factors are often cited as the primary causes of a. satisfaction and motivation. b. dissatisfaction and lack of motivation. c. higher performance and pay. d. loyalty and commitment. e. job enrichment and motivation.

a. satisfaction and motivation.

Which of the following methods can be used to enhance individual performance at work? a. Employee participation b. All of these are correct. c. Goal setting d. Job design e. Performance management

b. All of these are correct.

_________ refers to the inability of human beings to process an unlimited amount of information, causing most decisions to be made in a partially irrational manner. a. Satisficing b. Bounded rationality c. Post-decision dissonance d. Groupthink block e. Suboptimizing

b. Bounded rationality

__________ theory assumes that people are motivated to work toward a goal when they want to achieve the outcome and also think they have the ability and means to achieve it. a. Reinforcement b. Expectancy c. Attribution d. Equity

b. Expectancy

Which dimension of self-efficacy refers to beliefs about the degree to which similar tasks can be accomplished? a. Magnitude b. Generality c. Power d. Strength e. Corporality

b. Generality

According to the rational decision-making approach, what is the second step of the decision-making process? a. Determine the decision type b. Identify the problem c. Generate alternatives d. State the situational goal e. Evaluate alternatives

b. Identify the problem

What is the primary use of performance appraisal information? a. To provide human resource planning information b. To provide job performance feedback c. To allocate organizational rewards d. To develop training and development programs e. To provide support for human resource decision making

b. To provide job performance feedback

Which type of reinforcement schedule uses the element of surprise by reinforcing behavior after an unpredictable amount of time has elapsed? a. Fixed-ratio b. Variable-interval c. Fixed-interval d. Continuous e. Variable-ratio

b. Variable-interval

A team that is comprised of members from different departments or functional areas is a. an interdisciplinary team. b. a cross-functional team. c. a problem-solving team. d. a quality circle. e. a virtual group.

b. a cross-functional team.

Any time a customer voices a complaint about the way the food tastes, the restaurant manager always offers a complimentary meal. This represents a. experience. b. a decision rule. c. a standard decision. d. cognitive dissonance. e. a nonprogrammed decision.

b. a decision rule.

Decision making is the process of a. finding the answer to a question. b. choosing one alternative from among several. c. staffing positions within the organizational hierarchy. d. motivating employees to pursue organizational goals. e. fixing problems that arise in the operations of the business

b. choosing one alternative from among several.

The behavioral approach to decision making is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT a. it uses procedures. b. it uses logic. c. it applies concepts of satisficing. d. it uses rules of thumb. e. it applies concepts of suboptimizing.

b. it uses logic.

The first widespread model that addressed how individual work should be designed focused on a. job enrichment. b. job specialization. c. motivational design. d. job enlargement. e. job rotation

b. job specialization.

Aria has been performing successfully at work for several months. Aria believes that she will get a pay raise if she maintains this high level of performance. This is an example of the __________ expectancy. a. performance-to-benefit b. performance-to-outcome c. performance-to-valence d. effort-to-outcome e. effort-to-performance

b. performance-to-outcome

Sara tries to always be on time for work because she once saw her supervisor give someone an award for good attendance. Sara is exhibiting learning through a. a stimulus-response mechanism. b. positive reinforcement. c. avoidance. d. extinction. e. punishment.

b. positive reinforcement.

It can be difficult to develop a sense of community with a team that never actually meets together in the same room, which is called a a. cross-functional team. b. virtual team. c. quality circle. d. product development team. e. management team.

b. virtual team.

Which of the following is NOT an example of an organizational enhancement arising from team environments? a. Quicker reaction b. Increased innovation c. Taller organizational hierarchy d. Higher creativity e. Improved flexibility

c. Taller organizational hierarchy

In its simplest form, reinforcement theory suggests that behavior is a function of a. attitudes. b. subconscious perceptions. c. consequences. d. equity perceptions. e. emotional states.

c. consequences

According to the rational decision-making approach, evaluating the alternatives a. diagnoses the problem. b. is the most crucial step. c. involves assessing all possible alternatives. d. involves selecting an alternative with the highest payoff. e. puts the decision into action.

c. involves assessing all possible alternatives.

Decisions that recur infrequently and have no decision rules are __________ decisions. a. certain b. risk c. nonprogrammed d. uncertain e. programmed

c. nonprogrammed

Which of the following represents the step of the rational decision-making approach in which the outcomes of the decision are compared to the desired goal? a. Analyze the situation b. Determine the goal c. Analyze the decision d. Control: measure and adjust e. Collect data

d. Control: measure and adjust

Which of the following is NOT a stage of group development? a. Communication and decision making b. Motivation and productivity c. Mutual acceptance d. Friendship and social interaction e. Control and organization

d. Friendship and social interaction

What information condition lies between certainty and uncertainty in making decisions? a. Coin tossing b. Decision rules c. Guesswork d. Risk e. Problem solving

d. Risk

Why does working in teams result in enhanced performance? a. Team members spend less time in direct contact with customers. b. Waste and errors are spread across multiple individuals. c. Managers lower their performance standards. d. Teams pool individual efforts in new ways and strive for continuous improvement. e. Taller hierarchies improve communication processes.

d. Teams pool individual efforts in new ways and strive for continuous improvement.

People with a strong need for affiliation most often work in jobs with a. opportunities to control one's environment. b. a high degree of immediate feedback. c. high technical skill demands. d. a lot of interpersonal contact. e. little autonomy or decision-making responsibilities.

d. a lot of interpersonal contact.

One basis for making programmed decisions is a. creativity. b. group formation. c. movement. d. a set of decision rules. e. a lack of information

d. a set of decision rules.

Expansions on goal-setting theory argue that goal-directed effort is a function of four goal attributes: goal acceptance, goal commitment, goal specificity and a. goal clarity. b. goal importance. c. goal prevalence. d. goal difficulty. e. goal attainability

d. goal difficulty.

An __________ is a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognized. a. experienced manager b. executive assistant c. None of these are correct. d. informal leader e. informal specialist

d. informal leader

An innate belief about something without conscious consideration is called a. escalation of commitment. b. coalition. c. self-reaction. d. intuition. e. groupthink.

d. intuition.

Motivated behavior begins with one or more a. behaviors. b. people. c. wants. d. needs. e. motives.

d. needs.

The primary job of __________ is to create new products, processes, or businesses. a. quality circles b. problem-solving teams c. work teams d. venture teams e. interdisciplinary teams

d. venture teams

According to equity theory, people a. have the motivation to develop satisfying relationships. b. want everything to be equal. c. have the motivation to improve their standard of living. d. want to be treated fairly. e. compare what they get from a job with what they want from a job.

d. want to be treated fairly.

The most important issue regarding how to conduct a performance appraisal is a. whether pay is linked to performance. b. whether rewards are offered after the appraisal is completed. c. where the appraisal takes place. d. who does the appraisal. e. how long the meeting to discuss the appraisal lasts

d. who does the appraisal.

When choosing team members, which of the following abilities would you NOT specifically look for? a. Communication b. Collaborative problem-solving c. Self-management d. Conflict resolution e. Coerciveness

e. Coerciveness

__________ groups are always categorized as informal. a. Command b. Global c. Virtual d. Venture e. Interest

e. Interest

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of programmed decisions? a. They are highly structured. b. Specific methods for handling them exist. c. Goals are clear and well-known. d. Information is readily available. e. Judgment and creativity are the basis of solution.

e. Judgment and creativity are the basis of solution.

A successful MBO program starts with top managers establishing which of the following? a. Specific employee goals b. None of these are correct. c. Very difficult goals d. Very easy goals e. Overall organizational goals

e. Overall organizational goals

Which of the following best describes a reward system that involves employees in its design and administration? a. Open pay system b. Bonus systems c. Merit pay plans d. Flexible reward system e. Participative pay system

e. Participative pay system

John has satisfied his basic physiological needs, and he is also very social and has many friends. He is now trying to learn new skills and advance his career. John's activities are explained by which component of Existence, Relatedness, and Growth (ERG) theory? a. Frustration-progression b. Importance-satisfaction c. Satisfaction-regression d. Frustration-regression e. Satisfaction-progression

e. Satisfaction-progression

A new product development team would be considered which type of group? a. Interest b. Performance c. Virtual d. Friendship e. Venture

e. Venture

Plans in which employees can earn additional compensation in return for certain types of performance are called a. performance management systems. b. base pay. c. compensation packages. d. performance appraisal systems. e. incentive systems.

e. incentive systems.

One of the earliest alternatives to job specialization used by managers was a. job expectancy. b. automation. c. job loading. d. autonomous work groups. e. job rotation.

e. job rotation.

In order for social learning to take place, a. the behavior being modeled must be intangible in nature. b. tasks must be complex, so as to motivate the employee. c. the employee need not perceive a direct cause-and-effect linkage. d. the employee must be physically present at the time of the demonstration. e. the employee must possess the physical ability to perform the job.

e. the employee must possess the physical ability to perform the job.

Nonprogrammed decisions are usually made by a. middle management. b. lower management. c. union workers. d. all employees within an organization. e. upper management

e. upper management