ch 8 mgmt

Strong cultures lead to increased performance in both stable and turbulent environments.

False

The process of understanding how work gets done and how individuals should interact is called _____. a. socialization b. internalization c. identification d. adaptation

A

An appreciation of the company's values helps in deciphering the roots of a company's culture.

True

In formal organizations, the backbone of culture generally begins with a founder.

True

It is the culture of the organizational structure that drives performance.

True

The embedded nature of culture often makes change very difficult even in the face of strong competitive pressures.

True

When there is no agreement on what is valued in a firm, firms experience weak cultures.

True

Thomas is the top manager of a firm which is going to acquire another firm in the similar industry. Which of the following should Thomas do after acquiring the company in terms of culture? a. Thomas should preserve those elements of each culture that are essential to the company's well-being. b. Thomas should completely sacrifice his organizational culture and adopt the culture of the acquired company. c. Thomas should encourage employees to follow both cultures in an attempt to avoid any conflict situations. d. Thomas should stick to his own organization's culture regardless of whether the acquired company's culture is efficient or not.

A

Which of the following best describes an organization's artifacts? a. Day-to-day behaviors that can be observed b. The underlying essence of why members of an organization act as they do c. Relational factors between an organization's culture and its performance d. Aspects deemed important by members of an organization

A

Which of the following is an advantage of a strong culture? a. A strong culture has been linked to better levels of performance. b. Strong cultures increase performance even in turbulent environments. c. Organizations with strong cultures only encourage ethical behavior. d. It is a simple and easy task to change the strong culture of an organization.

A

Which of the following levels of organizational culture refers to the visible organizational structures, processes, and languages? a. Artifacts b. Values c. Assumptions d. Beliefs

A

Which of the following statements is true of the levels of organizational culture? a. Assumptions are deeply embedded in an organization's culture. b. It is quite difficult to note the artifacts present in an organization. c. Assumptions are the meanings that members of an organization attach to artifacts. d. Values are visible organizational structures, processes, and languages.

A

Which of the following statements about strong cultures is true? a. Strong cultures often result in greater role ambiguity. b. Strong cultures allow a company to run more smoothly and quickly. c. Strong cultures lead to decreased performance in stable environments. d. In strong cultures, there are low levels of agreement among employees.

B

Which of the following statements is true of adapting culture to a new contextual landscape? a. In times of crisis, a company's culture cannot change quickly. b. Culture tends to be a competitive differentiator. c. External adaptation addresses how work is accomplished in a firm. d. Culture cannot be a strong inhibitor to change.

B

_____ refer to the meanings that members of an organization attach to visible aspects of a firm. a. Artifacts b. Values and beliefs c. Assumptions d. Objectives

B

The elements that constitute organizational commitment are: a. Artifacts, beliefs and values, and assumptions b. Compliance, identification, and internalization c. Job descriptions, strategic planning, and socialization d. Vision, mission and objectives

B

Which of the following evolves over three stages—from compliance to identification to internalization? a. Internal integration b. Organizational commitment c. Cultural socialization d. External adaptation

B

Which of the following helps organizations to socialize employees? a. The intermediaries used to reach customers b. Role modeling, leader examples, and coaching c. Technologies used in manufacturing a firm's product d. Employee characteristics such as age and experience

B

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a strong culture? a. A strong culture seldom influences an organization's performance. b. A strong culture tends to be difficult to change. c. In a strong culture, the goals are unclear. d. A strong culture requires more coordination and monitoring.

B

An organization's _____ defines how people think, feel, and act and it moves at an almost subconscious level. a. structure b. design c. culture d. strategy

C

External adaptation refers to: a. how work is accomplished in a firm. b. how ceremonies help to socialize organizational members. c. how environmental changes impact a firm's strategy. d. how an organization's founder influences its culture.

C

Which of the following aspects of a leader's role in relation to culture is deemed critically important to an organization's success? a. Acquire more companies and adopt all elements of the acquired company's weak culture b. Reward employees and managers with pay based on commitment and continue raising the bar c. Empower employees to make independent decisions and to find ways to improve operations d. Inspire managers and employees to work as they wish in an attempt to reduce their job related stress

C

Which of the following is a characteristic of an organization's culture? a. Culture is unchangeable b. It is unrelated to performance c. Culture is dynamic d. It can be easily copied by competitors

C

Which of the following is the best example of an organization with a strong culture? a. TechPark is a company characterized by low levels of agreement among employees about what is valued in the organization. b. The employees of Z-Gadgets, a manufacturing company, experience role ambiguity and therefore they require more coordination and monitoring. c. The performance of ElectronicZone tends to fluctuate, wherein, it's good under stable environments and very poor under turbulent environments. d. Z-Furn's organizational culture is very flexible and can be easily changed in response to changing environments.

C

Which of the following refers to an organization's assumptions? a. Aspects deemed important by members of an organization b. Relational factors between an organization's culture and its performance c. The underlying essence of why members of an organization act as they do d. Day-to-day behaviors that can be observed

C

Internal integration refers to: a. how environmental changes impact a firm's strategy. b. how rituals reinforce an organization's culture. c. how stories and myths convey an organization's values. d. how work is accomplished in a firm.

D

Which of the following characterizes a weak culture? a. Employees require less coordination and monitoring b. High role clarity c. Allows a company to run more smoothly and quickly d. No agreement on the firm's values

D

Which of the following is a source from which a firm's culture develops? a. The employees' skill set b. The suppliers and customers c. The organization's competitors d. The founder of the organization

D

Which of the following questions should a manager address while acquiring a company in terms of culture? a. Which culture is the best? b. How socialized are the employees? c. Is culture linked to performance? d. Where are the similarities and differences?

D

Which of the following statements is true of the role of founders in influencing culture? a. The founders take the least risk and therefore do not feel as much anxiety as their employees. b. In allowing values to trump economics, founders tend to have a weak influence on the company's culture. c. A founder cannot make any risky decisions as he is required to account to everyone in the organization. d. Founders are uniquely situated to be innovative and to exemplify innovation to their employees.

D

_____ directly impact culture in the manner in which they encounter big problems, solve those problems, and see the effects of their solutions. a. Suppliers b. Competitors c. Customers d. Teams

D

A wise manager of an acquiring company should incorporate the company into another in such a way that the culture of the acquired company gets sacrificed.

False

Assumptions are the meanings that members of an organization attach to artifacts.

False

Once a behavior has become an assumption, it is even more visible.

False

Over time, the process of cultural socialization can result in a decreased level of commitment to an organization.

False