Organizational Behavior Chapters 5-8 Quizzes

Goal __________ is defined as the extent to which a person is interested in reaching a goal.

Commitment

Research by Edwin Locke assumes that behavior is a result of

Conscious goals and intentions

In its simplest form, reinforcement theory suggests that behavior is a function of

Consequences

According to the rational decision-making approach, evaluating the alternatives

Involves assessing all possible alternatives

One of the earliest alternatives to job specialization used by managers was

Job rotation

Alfredo was one of many employees who received a generous Christmas bonus, which carried _________ value to him

Surface

An organizational decision maker assesses conditions of certainty, uncertainty, and risk during the process of

Evaluating alternatives

Plans in which employees can earn additional compensation in return for certain types of performance are called

Incentive systems

An __________ is a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognized.

Informal leader

__________ groups are always categorized as informal.

Interest

Motivated behavior begins with one or more

Needs

Decisions that recur infrequently and have no decision rules are __________ decisions.

Nonprogrammed

Organizations typically conduct performance appraisals

Once a year

One basis for making programmed decisions is

a set of decision rules

To be considered a "group," it needs to be comprised of

at least 2 people

According to equity theory, people

want to be treated fairly

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of nonprogrammer decisions? a. the problem situation is non-routine b. the decisions are rarely a responsibility of top management c. the decisions are poorly structured d. goals are often vague

B. The decisions are rarely a responsibility of top management

An organization's compensation structure should

Be equitable and consistent

Which of the following is the primary problem associated with the specialization of jobs?

Boredom

__________ 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.

Bounded rationality

Nonprogrammed decisions are usually made by

Upper management

Which type of reinforcement schedule uses the element of surprise by reinforcing behavior after an unpredictable amount of time has elapsed?

Variable-interval

A new product development team would be considered which type of group?

Venture

The most important issue regarding how to conduct a performance appraisal is

Who does the appraisal

__________ 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. task identity e. autonomy

a. motivation

Teams differ from groups in that teams

place more emphasis on concerted action than groups do

In order for social learning to take place,

the employee must possess the physical ability to perform the job

A team that is comprised of members from different departments or functional areas is

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 decision rule

People with a strong need for affiliation most often work in jobs with

A lot of interpersonal contact

Which two types of reinforcement are generally accepted as means for increasing the frequency of desired behavior?

Positive and negative reinforcement

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

Positive reinforcement

Which of the following distributes a portion of the company's profits to all employees at a predetermined rate?

Profit-sharing program

The first widespread model that addressed how individual work should be designed focused on

Job specialization

Decision making is the process of

Choosing one alternative from among several

Goal specificity is defined as the

Clarity and precision of a goal

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?

Control: measure and adjust

__________ 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.

Expectancy

Which of the following best describes a reward system that involves employees in its design and administration?

Participative pay system

Goal specificity is consistently related to

Performance

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

Performance-to-outcome

Reducing the work hours of low performing employees is an example of

Punishment

According to Herzberg's two-factor, dual-structure theory, motivation factors are often cited as the primary causes of

Satisfaction and motivation

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?

Satisfaction-progression

Which of the following is NOT an example of an organizational enhancement arising from team environments? a. improved flexibility b. taller organizational hierarchy c. higher creativity d. quicker reaction e. increased innovation

Taller organizational hierarchy

Why does working in teams result in enhanced performance?

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

What is the primary use of performance appraisal information?

To provide job performance feedback

A successful MBO program starts with top managers establishing which of the following? a. specific employee goals b. overall organizational goals c. very difficult goals d. none of these e. very easy goals

b. overall organizational goals

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

d. all of these are benefits

Which of the following is NOT an example of cost reductions arising from team environments? a. fewer errors b. lower absenteeism c. reduced absenteeism d. lower commitment e. reduced scrap

d. lower commitment

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

e. all of these are correct

Which of the following methods can be used to enhance individual performance at work? a. employee participation b. job design c. performance management d. goal setting e. all of these are correct

e. all of these are correct

When choosing team members, which of the following abilities would you NOT specifically look for? a. self-management b. communication c. collaborative problem-solving d. conflict resolution e. coerciveness

e. coerciveness

Which dimension of self-efficacy refers to beliefs about the degree to which similar tasks can be accomplished?

Generality

Expansions on goal-setting theory argue that goal-directed effort is a function of four goal attributes: goal acceptance, goal commitment, goal specificity and

Goal difficulty

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, __________ needs are people's most basic requirements

Physiological

According to the rational decision-making approach, what is the second step of the decision-making process?

Identify the problem

An innate belief about something without conscious consideration is called

Intuition

Which dimension of self-efficacy refers to how difficult a task can be accomplished?

Magnitude

What information condition lies between certainty and uncertainty in making decisions?

Risk

_______ is the extent to which a decision maker is willing to gamble when making a decision.

Risk propensity

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

Virtual team

__________ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image. a. social facilitation b. groupthink c. social loafing d. managerial intervention e. group cohesiveness

a. social facilitation

Which of the following is NOT a stage of group development? a. mutual acceptance b. motivation and productivity c. friendship and social interaction d. communication and decision making e. control and organization

c. friendship and social interaction

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

c. it uses logic

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

c. members do not share accountability for the team outcomes

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of programmed decisions? a. goals are clear and well-known b. they are highly structured c. specific methods for handling them exist d. judgement and creativity are the basis of solution e. information is readily available

d. judgement and creativity are the basis of solution

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

d. venture teams