MGT352 Midterm Practice Test

_______ refers to the resolution of differences through compromise or collaboration between the parties in disagreement. a) Functional conflict-resolution b) Integrative bargaining c) Status inconsistency d) Building alliances e) Distributive negotiation

a) Functional conflict-resolution Functional conflict-resolution means the conflict is settled by compromise or by collaboration between the parties in conflict.

Stefan has been tasked with deciding how best to improve his company's manufacturing process. Why should Stefan assemble a team and approach the decision as a group rather than going it alone? a) He will be able to draw on the combined skills, competencies, and accumulated knowledge of group members to make the best decision. b) He can save time by pursuing the decision as a group. c) He can rally the group around his chosen course of action to show upper management his ideas have support. d) He can use the group to distribute responsibility for the final decision, especially if there are unintended consequences. e) He can increase perceived importance of his efforts by aligning more resources with the decision-making process.

a) He will be able to draw on the combined skills, competencies, and accumulated knowledge of group members to make the best decision. When managers work as a team to make decisions and solve problems, their choices of alternatives are less likely to fall victim to biases and errors. They are able to draw on the combined skills, competencies, and accumulated knowledge of group members and thereby improve their ability to generate feasible alternatives and make good decisions.

_______ is a valuable leadership trait that allows managers to avoid acting selfishly, control their feelings, and admit when they have made a mistake. a) Maturity b) Dominance c) Self-confidence d) Honesty e) Tolerance

a) Maturity Maturity helps managers avoid acting selfishly, control their feelings, and admit when they have made a mistake.

DeMarcus has been general manager of the Surf and Turf Club restaurant for many years and always schedules extra staff for the busy Friday night shift. Business has been consistently slow on Fridays in recent months, but DeMarcus decides to continue with the extra staffing. His decision demonstrates a) confirmation bias. b) dialectical inquiry. c) groupthink. d) representativeness bias. e) illusion of control.

a) confirmation bias. Decision makers who have strong prior beliefs about the relationship between two variables tend to make decisions based on those beliefs even when presented with evidence that their beliefs are wrong. In doing so, they fall victim to confirmation bias.

Managers that possess high emotional intelligence are likely to a) encourage employees to be creative. b) find it hard owning up to personal mistakes. c) use coercive power frequently. d) have difficulty empathizing with subordinates. e) have poor interpersonal skills.

a) encourage employees to be creative. Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in how leaders relate to and deal with their followers, particularly when it comes to encouraging followers to be creative.

Rafael, who has committed large amounts of time and money to his house-painting business, continues to keep his business running despite incurring heavy losses. What form of cognitive bias is Rafael demonstrating? a) escalating commitment b) illusion of control c) confirmation bias d) representativeness bias e) dialectical inquiry

a) escalating commitment Escalating commitment is a source of cognitive bias resulting from the tendency to commit additional resources to a project even if evidence shows that the project is failing.

Empowering employees often leads to a) increased employee motivation and commitment. b) decreased overall employee performance. c) dangerous working conditions. d) increased time needed for day-to-day supervision. e) a decrease in employee interactions.

a) increased employee motivation and commitment. Empowerment often increases workers' involvement, motivation, and commitment; and this helps ensure that they are working toward organizational goals.

Two technology companies participating in an industrywide collabterm-20oration project disagree on what key standards to set. This signifies _______ conflict. a) interorganizational b) interpersonal c) competitive d) interdependency e) intergroup

a) interorganizational Interorganizational conflict arises across organizations.

Avoidance is ineffective as a conflict-resolution strategy because a) it does not address the real source of disagreement. b) it escalates levels of conflict as each party tries to outmaneuver the other. c) the weaker party who gives in might look for ways to get back at the stronger party in the future. d) the two sides to a conflict are more concerned about winning the battle than cooperating. e) it allows only one party to achieve its goals.

a) it does not address the real source of disagreement. Avoidance is often ineffective because the real source of the disagreement has not been addressed, conflict is likely to continue, and communication and cooperation are hindered.

George is an effective and efficient manager. However, he tends to be pessimistic and avoids social interactions. How would you categorize him using the Big Five personality traits? a) low on extraversion b) high on negative affectivity c) low on organizational commitment d) low on introversion e) low on conscientiousness

a) low on extraversion Managers who are low on extraversion (often called introverts) tend to be less inclined toward social interactions and to have a less positive outlook.

The president of Bank Fortuna is attempting to determine whether the bank has both the capability and the resources to open a branch facility in a new location. Which criterion of decision making is the president addressing? a) practicality b) ethicalness c) legality d) economic feasibility e) functionality

a) practicality Managers must decide whether they have the capabilities and resources required to implement the alternative, and they must be sure the alternative will not threaten the attainment of other organizational goals.

While facilitating a brainstorming session, Raul noticed periods of confusion and silence during which participants seemed unable to process the many ideas being floated. The efficiency of Raul's decision-making process was thereby limited due to the effects of a) production blocking. b) satisficing. c) groupthink. d) systematic errors. e) escalating commitment.

a) production blocking. Production blocking refers to the loss of productivity in brainstorming sessions due to the unstructured nature of brainstorming.

Attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) processes are MOST evident in a) small firms. b) medium-sized firms. c) large domestic firms. d) large multinational firms. e) government agencies.

a) small firms. Although ASA processes are most evident in small firms, they also can operate in large companies.

A team member is more likely to engage in social loafing when a) the group is excessively large. b) individual contributions to a group are identifiable. c) valuable contributions of individual members are emphasized. d) rewards are linked to individual performance. e) the group size is at an appropriate level.

a) the group is excessively large. As size increases, identifying individual contributions becomes increasingly difficult, and members are increasingly likely to think their individual contributions are not important and may engage in social loafing.

Sebastian had some ideas and developed a new process for the production line, but when he implemented the changes, the results were not what he expected, frustrating him. Instead of improving production speed, the new process slowed down the production and caused some deficiency in the quality of the product. Sebastian works in an innovative culture; therefore, his manager told him a) to keep working on the project and fix the problem. b) his hours on the project would be docked because the process didn't work. c) there was a chance he would be demoted and to not fix things that are working just fine. d) to keep track of the hours he spent on it; he would be paid, but his project would be killed. e) to make notes about what went wrong, stop the project, and share the notes with management.

a) to keep working on the project and fix the problem. In an innovative culture, managers are likely to lead by example, encouraging employees to take risks and experiment. They are supportive regardless of whether employees succeed or fail.

_______ is when people belong to the same organization, tending to share certain beliefs and values that lead them to act in similar ways. a) Organizational socialization b) Organizational culture c) Emotional intelligence d) Conscientiousness e) Emotional integration

b) Organizational culture When people belong to the same organization, they tend to share certain beliefs and values that lead them to act in similar ways. The shared set of beliefs, expectations, values, norms, and work routines that influence how individuals, groups, and teams interact with one another and cooperate to achieve organizational goals collectively is called organizational culture.

According to McClelland, the need for _______ is exemplified by people who set clear goals for themselves and like to receive performance feedback. a) affiliation b) achievement c) power d) acceptance e) solidarity

b) achievement According to McClelland, the need for achievement is the extent to which an individual has a strong desire to perform challenging tasks well and to meet personal standards for excellence.

The 2017 Conference Board's annual survey of employee satisfaction found that more than half of U.S. workers indicated they were satisfied with their jobs. This is mostly due to a) employee recognition. b) low layoff rates. c) the performance review process. d) training programs. e) salary increases.

b) low layoff rates. The increase in job satisfaction is largely due to the improving labor market in which layoff rates were at an all-time low.

Raul has intentionally worked hard to become an expert in industry standards and, as a result, was given approval to work a flexible schedule that would ensure his loyalty to the company. Raul's intent to become irreplaceable in order to influence his schedule reflects a(n) a) negotiation. b) political strategy. c) accommodation. d) integrative bargaining strategy. e) referent power.

b) political strategy. Political strategies are the specific tactics that managers (and other members of an organization) use to increase their power and to use power effectively to influence and gain the support of other people while overcoming resistance or opposition.

A computer manufacturing company employs many workers in different locations to produce specific computer mechanisms that are assembled into the final product. The workers are involved in a _______ task interdependence. a) command b) pooled c) reciprocal d) sequential e) virtual

b) pooled Pooled task interdependence exists when group members make separate and independent contributions to group performance; overall group performance is the sum of the performance of the individual members.

The ways in which women communicate emphasize a) individual strengths. b) similarities. c) status differences. d) team spirit. e) companionship.

b) similarities. The ways in which men communicate emphasize status differences and play up relative strengths; the ways in which women communicate emphasize similarities and downplay individual strengths.

A(n) _______ is what a person is striving to achieve in life and how he or she wants to behave. a) terminal value b) value system c) instrumental value d) attitude e) need for affiliation

b) value system A value system is a combination of the terminal and instrumental values that are guiding principles in an individual's life. By rank ordering the terminal and instrumental values, people can give good pictures of their value systems—what they are striving to achieve in life and how they want to behave.

Yin observes that several of his employees have valuable creative talent. What could Yin do to promote individual creativity? a) Pressure employees to deliver creative solutions quickly. b) Tone down the importance of vital issues. c) Reward employees who come up with creative ideas. d) Redirect employees who are wasting time on outlandish ideas. e) Promptly rank all ideas to discourage thinking that is too far from norms.

c) Reward employees who come up with creative ideas. Top managers must stress the importance of looking for alternative solutions and should visibly reward employees who come up with creative ideas. Being creative can be demanding and stressful. Employees must not fear that they will be looked down on or penalized for ideas that might at first seem outlandish; sometimes those ideas yield truly innovative products and services. Employees who believe they are working on important, vital issues are motivated to put forth the high levels of effort that creativity demands.

_______ leadership makes subordinates aware of the importance of their performance to the organization and aware of their own needs for personal growth, motivating subordinates to work for the good of the organization. a) Path-goal b) Transactional c) Transformational d) Relationship-oriented e) Task-oriented

c) Transformational Transformational leadership makes subordinates aware of the importance of their jobs and performance to the organization and aware of their own needs for personal growth, and that motivates subordinates to work for the good of the organization.

A task force submits its final report on the project that they had been working on before members are reassigned to new priorities. At which stage is the group operating? a) forming b) storming c) adjourning d) norming e) performing

c) adjourning The last stage of group development, adjourning, applies only to groups that eventually are disbanded, such as task forces.

Coercive power a) fosters high performance if used often and consistently. b) respects employee dignity and is highly ethical. c) can have negative effects and should be used sparingly. d) helps clarify expectations between managers and employees. e) is a cornerstone of effective leadership.

c) can have negative effects and should be used sparingly. Coercive power is the ability of a manager to punish others. It can have negative side effects, such as resentment and retaliation, and should be used only when necessary (for example, to curtail a dangerous behavior).

Jonathan, the general manager of Dawsen and Co., has low emotional intelligence. He a) has no trouble handling his own moods. b) is able to understand the challenges and frustrations faced by his employees. c) cannot identify or interpret the moods of his employees. d) keeps his emotions from interfering with his decision making. e) has the ability to empathize with his employees, resulting in strong interpersonal ties.

c) cannot identify or interpret the moods of his employees. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage one's own moods and emotions and the moods and emotions of other people.

A wheel communication network features a) a predetermined sequence of communication events. b) a complex matrix of communication to and from all members. c) communication that is directed to and from a central member. d) communication that flows vertically, both top down and bottom up throughout the organization. e) communication between members with similar experiences and backgrounds.

c) communication that is directed to and from a central member. In a wheel network, all group members do not need to communicate with one another to perform at a high level, so the group can accomplish its goals by directing all communication to and from the central member.

To encourage integrative bargaining, managers should a) change to a taller organizational structure. b) focus on each party's shortcomings. c) emphasize goals to which both parties can agree. d) encourage accommodation. e) increase diversity awareness.

c) emphasize goals to which both parties can agree. Managers in all kinds of organizations can rely on five strategies to facilitate integrative bargaining and avoid distributive negotiation: emphasizing superordinate goals; focusing on the problem, not the people; focusing on interests, not demands; creating new options for joint gain; and focusing on what is fair.

Wilson is expected to work 40 hours each week, be in the office for critical meetings, and to meet all agreed-upon deadlines. His manager, however, allows him to work flexible hours that best fit his personal commitments. This is an example of a) transactional leadership. b) referent power. c) employee empowerment. d) servant leadership e) ineffective management.

c) employee empowerment. When leaders empower their subordinates, the subordinates typically take over some responsibilities and authority that used to reside with the leader or manager, such as the right to schedule work activities.

When deciding on the catering budget for her upcoming wedding, Kris was told that typically around 10% of invited guests usually decline. Kris is using a(n) _______ to simplify her decision making. a) dialectical inquiry b) cognitive bias c) heuristic d) confirmation bias e) illusion of control

c) heuristic Heuristics are rules of thumb that simplify the process of making decisions.

A group exhibiting _______ may perform poorly due to an inability to evaluate and change its dysfunctional norms. a) low conformity b) moderate deviance c) high conformity d) no conformity e) high deviance

c) high conformity Too much conformity and a lack of deviance result in low performance because the group fails to change dysfunctional norms.

The level of conflict in an organization a) should be very minimal to achieve optimal organizational performance. b) should be increased to encourage more creative ideas and risk-taking. c) impacts organizational performance and should be managed at an optimum level. d) does not directly impact organizational performance. e) is intrinsic and cannot be managed to increase organizational performance.

c) impacts organizational performance and should be managed at an optimum level. When an organization has an optimum level of conflict, managers are likely to be open to, and encourage, a variety of perspectives; look for ways to improve organizational functioning and effectiveness; and view debates and disagreements as a necessary ingredient of effective decision making and innovation.

In a(n) _______ culture, managers are likely to lead by example, encouraging employees to take risks and experiment. a) formal b) instrumental c) innovative d) hierarchical e) conservative

c) innovative In an innovative culture, managers are likely to lead by example, encouraging employees to take risks and experiment.

When a group is experiencing low cohesiveness, a) it becomes attractive to new members. b) its effectiveness can be increased by reducing or eliminating competition among groups. c) its members have little desire to retain their group membership. d) the size of the group should be increased considerably. e) there is an emphasis placed on group goal accomplishment.

c) its members have little desire to retain their group membership. When group cohesiveness is low, group members do not find their group particularly appealing and have little desire to retain their group membership.

According to Fiedler, _______ is the extent to which subordinates trust and are loyal to their superior. a) empowerment b) task-orientation c) leader-member relations d) consideration e) position power

c) leader-member relations Fiedler identified three situational characteristics that are important determinants of how favorable a situation is for leading: leader-member relations, task structure, and position power. Leader-member relations are the extent to which followers like, trust, and are loyal to their leader.

When executing an effective decision-making process, it is a) better to make a decision and not implement it than to not make a decision at all. b) necessary to identify relevant information and assume it is complete. c) necessary to make many subsequent and related decisions in order to implement a chosen alternative. d) important to focus on the future after making a decision rather than revisiting the decision through retrospective analysis. e) reasonable not to evaluate disadvantages if the advantages of an alternative are significantly high.

c) necessary to make many subsequent and related decisions in order to implement a chosen alternative. Once a decision has been made and an alternative has been selected, it must be implemented, and many subsequent and related decisions must be made. Although the need to make subsequent decisions to implement the chosen course of action may seem obvious, many managers make a decision and then fail to act on it.

Marianna is working on improving her communication skills. To be a good listener, she should a) interrupt the sender when clarification is needed. b) avoid looking directly at the sender to keep from embarrassing him or her. c) paraphrase what the sender has said. d) refrain for asking questions. e) repeat back exactly what the sender said.

c) paraphrase what the sender has said. Managers should paraphrase, or restate in their own words, points senders make that are important, complex, or open to alternative interpretations; this is the feedback component so critical to successful communication.

Chris's subordinates think very highly of his leadership and work ethic, resulting in low attrition and high performance within the group. Chris has cultivated a high level of _______ power. a) consequential b) formal c) referent d) expert e) transactional

c) referent Referent power is a function of the personal characteristics of a leader; it is the power that comes from subordinates' and coworkers' respect, admiration, and loyalty. Managers can increase their referent power by taking time to get to know their subordinates and showing interest in and concern for them.

Noelle recently joined a team of scientists who work together in a shared lab environment. All team members have the expertise and experience needed to develop next generation pharmaceutical products. Noelle is part of a(n) a) task force. b) informal team. c) research and development team. d) interest group. e) virtual team.

c) research and development team. A team whose members work face-to-face and have the expertise and experience needed to develop new products is called a research and development team.

Dana is translating a message into symbols or language. Dana is the _______ and the translation process is called a) receiver; encoding. b) sender; decoding. c) sender; encoding. d) sender; collaboration. e) receiver; decoding.

c) sender; encoding. Starting the transmission phase, the sender, the person or group wishing to share information with some other person or group, decides on the message, what information to communicate. Then the sender translates the message into symbols or language, a process called encoding; often messages are encoded into words.

The software development and test teams work together closely to deliver new products. Until the software developers have written and tested the code for each new feature, the test team cannot begin its testing. This illustrates a(n) _______ task interdependence. a) cohesive b) pooled c) sequential d) intragroup e) reciprocal

c) sequential Sequential task interdependence exists when group members must perform specific tasks in a predetermined order.

What type of leaders share power with followers and strive to ensure that the well-being of others is enhanced? a) entrepreneurs b) transformational leaders c) servant leaders d) transactional leaders e) intrapreneurs

c) servant leaders Servant leaders share power with followers and strive to ensure that followers' most important needs are met, they are able to develop as individuals, and their well-being is enhanced, and that attention is paid to those who are least well-off in a society.

A manager needs to share a somewhat sensitive announcement simultaneously with receivers from different geographic areas. In this situation, what form of media would provide the highest information richness? a) face-to-face communication b) personally addressed written communication c) video communication electronically transmitted d) impersonal written communication e) communication by means of a formal meeting

c) video communication electronically transmitted After face-to-face communication, spoken communication electronically transmitted over phone lines (and the Internet) is second highest in information richness.

Meghan is tasked with leading a project team to quickly prototype an innovative product idea and accelerate its time to market. The team will operate independently of other development groups and report directly to the CEO. Meghan's project is an example of a) a dialectical inquiry. b) production blocking. c) entrepreneurship. d) a skunkworks. e) an escalating commitment.

d) a skunkworks. A skunkworks is a group of intrapreneurs who are deliberately separated from the normal operation of the organization to encourage them to devote all their attention to development new products. The idea is that they will become so intensely involved in the project that development time will be relatively brief and quality of the final product will be enhanced.

Nonverbal communication is useful a) when encoding messages into written word. b) only for messages unable to be verbally communicated. c) because it is more easily controlled than verbal communication. d) as a means to reinforce verbal communication. e) when used independently from verbal communication.

d) as a means to reinforce verbal communication. Nonverbal communication can be used to back up or reinforce verbal communication.

Raj has noticed that the members within his team seem to forgo personal opinions quite quickly to come to common solutions. He is concerned that this may be leading to suboptimal solutions. Raj is concerned the team may a) have become too informal b) be too independent. c) suffer from synergy. d) be experiencing groupthink. e) be demonstrating social loafing.

d) be experiencing groupthink. Groupthink is faulty group decision making that results when group members strive for agreement at the expense of an accurate assessment of the situation.

In general, female managers tend to a) engage in less initiating structure behaviors. b) exhibit significantly different leadership behaviors than male managers. c) rarely involve subordinates in their decision making. d) be more participative than male managers. e) have more difficulty managing interpersonal relationships than male managers.

d) be more participative than male managers. Male managers tend to be less participative than are female managers, making more decisions on their own and wanting to do things their own way. Research suggests that men tend to be harsher when they punish their subordinates than are women.

June works in a call center that houses hundreds of customer service operators who are organized into areas according to the products they support. June communicates primarily with the colleagues who work in her area or who she regularly sees in the hall or break room. June's communication reflects a(n) _______ network. a) wheel b) chain c) all-channel d) circle e) vertical

d) circle In a circle network, group members communicate with others who are similar to them in experiences, beliefs, areas of expertise, background, office location, or even where they sit when the group meets.

Environmentally conscious members within a company organize weekly meetings to discuss how their company can use fewer Styrofoam cups and less paper. The members constitute a(n) _______ group. a) virtual b) formal c) command d) interest e) friendship

d) interest Employees form informal interest groups when they seek to achieve a common goal related to their membership in an organization.

In team meetings, Robin and Adam frequently debate whether employees should volunteer their time at local charities. These colleagues are experiencing _______ conflict. a) unobtrusive b) role c) cultural d) interpersonal e) intrusive

d) interpersonal Interpersonal conflict is between individual members of an organization, occurring because of differences in their goals or values.

Some research suggests that moods and emotions a) are essentially the same thing. b) persist over long periods of time. c) never linger after they are acknowledged. d) may play important roles in ethical decision making. e) do not affect judgment.

d) may play important roles in ethical decision making. Research suggests that moods and emotions may play an important role in ethical decision making. For example, researchers at Princeton University found that when people are trying to solve difficult personal moral dilemmas, the parts of their brains that are responsible for emotions and moods are especially active.

To foster a learning organization, managers should empower employees and allow them to develop a sense of _______ through experimentation, creativity, and exploration. a) entrepreneurship b) groupthink c) illusion of control d) personal mastery e) shared vision

d) personal mastery Learning theorist Peter Senge identified five principles for creating a learning organization. Principle 1: For organizational learning to occur, top managers must allow every person in the organization to develop a sense of personal mastery. Managers must empower employees and allow them to experiment, create, and explore what they want.

Building alliances is a political strategy that a) is useful in the short-term but not an effective strategy for achieving future goals. b) ignores organizational politics in favor of a focus on being liked. c) works well for intragroup rather than intergroup relationships. d)helps managers garner support due to benefits gained through relationships. e) by nature eliminates legal and ethical conflicts.

d)helps managers garner support due to benefits gained through relationships. Alliances can help managers achieve their goals and implement needed changes in organizations because they increase managers' levels of power.

_______ provides the lowest level of information richness. a) Personal emails b) Video conferencing c) Management by wandering around d) Voice mail e) Impersonal written communication

e) Impersonal written communication Impersonal written communication is lowest in information richness but is well suited for messages that need to reach many receivers.

_______ is a face-to-face communication technique in which a manager goes to a work area and talks informally with employees about issues and concerns. a) Management by exception b) Management by objectives c) Micromanagement d) Macromanagement e) Management by wandering around

e) Management by wandering around Management by wandering around is a face-to-face communication technique in which a manager walks around a work area and talks informally with employees about issues and concerns.

Madeline is preparing to announce changes in policies and procedures, and she wants to make sure there will be some kind of written documentation that a message was sent and received. The need for an electronic trail will affect Madeline's choice of a) information richness. b) nonverbal communication. c) a communication network. d) verbal communication. e) communication medium.

e) communication medium. One factor that affects the choice of communication medium is the need for a paper or electronic trail or some kind of written documentation that a message was sent and received. A manager may wish to document in writing, for example, that a subordinate was given a formal warning about excessive lateness.

Raul knows there are tasks the team still needs to complete, but he chooses not to get involved in more activities as he is confident others in the group will pick up the slack. Raul is exhibiting a) cohesion. b) role making. c) group conformity. d) groupthink. e) social loafing.

e) social loafing. Social loafing is the tendency of individuals to put forth less effort when they work in groups than when they work alone.

A(n) _______ can help increase mutual understanding of job demands and difficulties to help minimize conflicts. a) competition b) increase in diversity awareness c) permanent transfer d) change in organizational values e) temporary assignment

e) temporary assignment Sometimes conflicts arise because individual organizational members simply do not understand the work activities and demands that others in an organization face. A temporary assignment may help increase understanding.

It appears that some norms and values in Kristen's organization are causing abnormally high levels of conflict that are difficult to resolve. If Kristen wants to resolve these issues by using a conflict management strategy that focuses on the organization, she should a) increase diversity awareness and the skills of organization members. b) dismiss employees from the organization. c) ignore the conflict as individual values cannot be changed. d) provide temporary assignments. e) work to change the organization's structure or culture.

e) work to change the organization's structure or culture. A conflict management strategy that focuses on the organization as a whole is changing the structure or culture of the organization. Norms and values in the organizational culture might inadvertently promote dysfunctionally high levels of conflict that are difficult to resolve. Sometimes managers may need to take steps to change the organization's culture to resolve conflict.