PSET 301 pt. 2
A list of critical incidents cites specific behaviors not ________. Select one: a. quantity of work b. job knowledge c. quality of work d. personality traits e. dependability
d. personality traits
The communication process has the following components EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. encoding b. channel c. decoding d. recording
d. recording
A PERT chart is a diagram that depicts the ________ needed to complete a project and the time or costs associated with each activity. Select one: a. time b. supplies c. manpower d. sequence of activities
d. sequence of activities
One of the major benefits of the diversity movement, which encourages the hiring and promotion of people who are dissimilar, is that it can ________ and improve an organization's performance. Select one: a. promote conformity b. encourage togetherness c. dampen curiosity d. stimulate conflict
d. stimulate conflict
The control process consists of three steps: measuring actual performance, comparing results to standards, and ________. Select one: a. forecasting performance b. creating new standards c. adjusting actual performance d. taking corrective action
d. taking corrective action
The four-step process of delegation includes all of the following EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. delegation of authority b. assignment of responsibility c. creation of accountability d. transfer of blame e. allocation of duties
d. transfer of blame
The traditional three-step change process requires ________, changing to a new state, and refreezing. Select one: a. management approval b. coordinating change-related activities c. team cooperation d. unfreezing the status quo
d. unfreezing the status quo
Collaboration is a resolution technique that characterizes the ultimate ________. Select one: a. assertion b. capitulation c. conclusion d. win-win situation
d. win-win situation
________ is the tendency for supervisors to base judgments on readily obtainable information. Select one: a. Representative heuristic b. Premature decision making c. Prejudgment d. Escalation of commitment e. Availability heuristic
e. Availability heuristic
According to expectancy theory, employees will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe that effort will lead to ________. Select one: a. new job opportunities b. respect from the supervisor c. the recognition of co-workers d. less responsibility e. a good performance appraisal
e. a good performance appraisal
Which conflict resolution technique goal is to maintain harmonious relationships by placing another's needs and concerns above your own? Select one: a. collaboration b. compromise c. avoidance d. forcing e. accommodation
e. accommodation
Since senders and receivers of communication each bring their own sets of perceptual biases, the messages they seek to transfer are often subject to ________. Select one: a. investigation b. recognition c. observation d. reproduction e. distortion
e. distortion
Supervisors increase ________ when they get the same output with fewer resources. Select one: a. power b. profit c. quality d. stress e. efficiency
e. efficiency
The ready availability of information technology has made ________ an escalating problem in all kinds and sizes of organizations. Select one: a. surveillance of employees b. misuse of computers c. time spent surfing the web d. collection of employee data e. employee stealing
e. employee stealing
In the public sector, a particular form of arbitration, called ________, is common. Select one: a. first-offer arbitration b. public arbitration c. interest arbitration d. public conciliation e. final-offer arbitration
e. final-offer arbitration
It is essential for supervisors to recognize that they must be ________ when dealing with employees. Select one: a. self-centered b. imperious c. autocratic d. arbitrary e. flexible
e. flexible
Productivity can be applied at three different levels - the individual, the ________, and the total organization. Select one: a. administrative staff b. supervisor c. general manager d. president e. group
e. group
Individuals who can easily adjust their behaviors to different situations are known as ________. Select one: a. participatory leaders b. charismatic leaders c. team leaders d. group facilitators e. high self-monitors
e. high self-monitors
Teams provide the natural vehicle for employees to share ideas and ________. Select one: a. train co-workers b. oversee change c. be promoted d. encourage performance e. implement improvements
e. implement improvements
Advantages of group decision-making would include which of the following? Select one: a. time consuming b. pressure to conform c. groupthink d. minority domination e. increased legitimacy
e. increased legitimacy
To understand and appreciate ________, three factors need to be considered: norms, cohesiveness, and emergent leadership. Select one: a. formal teams b. groups c. teams d. formal groups e. informal groups
e. informal groups
The evidence on entrepreneurial personalities leads to all of the following conclusions EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. the challenges and conditions inherent in starting one's own business mesh well with this personality b. prefer to be personally responsible for solving problems c. people with this personality are not likely to be contented, productive employees in the typical large corporation d. the cultural context in which individuals were raised will have an effect e. people with this personality thrive under the rules, regulations and controls imposed by bureaucracies
e. people with this personality thrive under the rules, regulations and controls imposed by bureaucracies
A discrepancy between an existing and a desired state of affairs is called a(n) ________. Select one: a. graphic illustration b. possibility c. opportunity d. puzzle e. problem
e. problem
The importance of conceptual competence increases as managers move up in the organization because ________. Select one: a. tried and true solutions exist for most problems b. straightforward challenges are common c. upper-level managers share a common viewpoint d. alliance building is essential e. problems increase in complexity
e. problems increase in complexity
Action that begins with a verbal warning, and then proceeds through written reprimands, suspension, and finally, in the most serious cases, dismissal is ________. Select one: a. an inevitable consequence b. discordant justification c. logical punishment d. justifiable termination e. progressive discipline
e. progressive discipline
According to expectancy theory, employees will be motivated to exert a high level of effort when they believe that rewards received will ________. Select one: a. be extra vacation days b. foster respect of co-workers c. lead to promotion d. be a higher salary e. satisfy their personal goals
e. satisfy their personal goals
Which factor is not a component of the productivity formula? Select one: a. materials b. labor c. capital d. output e. service
e. service
An obligation that organizations have to the public - going beyond the law and profit making - is ________. Select one: a. return on investment b. a union free plant c. profit maximization d. corporate downsizing e. social responsibility
e. social responsibility
Someone holding the ethical position in which decisions are made solely on the basis of their outcomes or consequences has a(n) ________ viewpoint. Select one: a. management b. justice c. intuitive d. rights e. utilitarian
e. utilitarian
A large part of oral communication is derived from verbal intonations. Select one: True False
True
In the 1920s and 1930s, as organizations got bigger and more formal, supervisors felt a need to provide more coordination of activities and tighter control over operations. Select one: True False
True
In the dynamic world of global competition, organizations must create new products and services and adopt state-of-the-art technology if they are to compete successfully. Select one: True False
True
New trends toward individual rights and social justice mean that supervisors need ethical standards based on non-utilitarian criteria. Select one: True False
True
Organizations downsize to accomplish two primary goals - to create greater efficiency and reduce costs. Select one: True False
True
People using the directive style of decision making are efficient and logical. Select one: True False
True
The simplest method of appraisal, writing a narrative describing an employee's strengths, weaknesses, past performance, potential, and suggestions for improvement, is the ________ performance appraisal method. Select one: a. written essay b. checklist c. critical incidents d. comparative standards e. faction comparison
a. written essay
The time dimension of intermediate-term planning is approximately ________. Select one: a. 0 - 30 days b. 1 - 5 years c. 10 - 15 years d. 1 month to 1 year e. 5 -10 years
b. 1 - 5 years
An agreement that requires nonunion employees to pay the union a sum of money equal to union fees and dues as a condition of continuing employment is referred to as a(n) ________ shop. Select one: a. dues checkoff b. agency c. open d. closed e. union
b. agency
It is suggested that supervisors include peer evaluations from team members in the performance appraisals of those whose jobs are inherently designed ________. Select one: a. to be independent from one another b. around teamwork
b. around teamwork
What type of leader is a taskmaster? Select one: a. participative b. autocratic c. democratic d. free-rein e. people-centered
b. autocratic
In order to keep an organization on track to achieve its goals, managers use which function? Select one: a. coordinating b. controlling c. leading d. planning e. directing
b. controlling
The management function that is concerned with monitoring activities to ensure that they are being accomplished as planned and correcting any significant deviations is ________. Select one: a. organizing b. controlling c. setting objectives d. planning e. leading
b. controlling
The innovative organization is characterized by the ability to channel its ________ into useful outcomes. Select one: a. passion b. creative juices c. teamwork d. training and development program e. vision
b. creative juices
The ability to combine ideas in a unique way or to make unusual associations between ideas is called ________. Select one: a. vision b. creativity c. analogy d. novelty e. consonance
b. creativity
High achievers have all of the following personality traits EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. desire for rapid and unambiguous feedback b. desire to succeed by chance c. desire to avoid very easy or very difficult tasks d. desire for personal responsibility e. desire to do things better
b. desire to succeed by chance
When an employee group such as baby boomers retires en masse, its departure will leave gaping skill-level holes in organizations. Clearly, this has the potential to create a labor shortage, making it much more difficult for supervisors to ________ needed to accomplish organizational goals. Select one: a. commit the energy b. direct the job activities c. organize performance reviews d. understand the tasks e. schedule the time
b. direct the job activities
Supervisors who have authority rights over individuals outside their own direct areas of responsibility have ________. Select one: a. unity of command b. functional authority c. line authority d. chain of command e. staff authority
b. functional authority
A supervisor's ________ is the authority to act and expect others to follow directions. Select one: a. obligation b. legitimate power c. entitlement d. prerogative e. rightful privilege
b. legitimate power
The addition of a moral element to the organization's public obligation to do those things that make society better and not to do those things that could make it worse is ________. Select one: a. corporate culture b. coercive power c. social responsiveness d. business ethics e. manipulation
c. social responsiveness
Tactical planning for management is defined as ________. Select one: a. broad details on specific goals to be achieved b. procedures for broad applications for line managers c. specific details on how overall goals are to be achieved d. specific policies for the overall operation of the firm e. specific applications or rules for plant operations
c. specific details on how overall goals are to be achieved
The ability of ________ to influence employees is based on the formal authority inherent in their positions. Select one: a. administrators b. leaders c. supervisors d. managers e. co-workers
c. supervisors
Of the variables found to stimulate innovation within the human resource category, innovative organizations promote ________. Select one: a. training and development b. team building c. employee teams d. hierarchical structures
d. hierarchical structures
When the grapevine is active with rumors of cutbacks and layoffs, what type of communication may a supervisor use to calm the workforce? Select one: a. extensive b. private c. ambiguous d. honest
d. honest
Work groups typically provide their members with explicit cues on ________. Select one: a. when to request vacation b. who is the group liaison c. union membership d. how hard to work
d. how hard to work
Departmental reports that contain many detailed figures and facts are conveyed best ________. Select one: a. verbally, because the receiver gets the information quicker b. through the socialization process c. informally in a social situation d. in writing because of complexity
d. in writing because of complexity
By supplementing supervisory appraisals with peer evaluations, a supervisor can make the appraisal process ________. Select one: a. more biased b. more time-consuming c. less stressful d. more accurate
d. more accurate
The process by which two or more parties who have different preferences must make a joint decision and come to an agreement is ________. Select one: a. accommodation b. conflict resolution c. collaboration d. negotiation
d. negotiation
Supportive supplies costs are expenditures for necessary items that become part of the finished product or service. Select one: True False
False
A supervisor's responsibility includes the ability to establish and set policy for the organization. Select one: True False
False
An important trend currently taking place in organizations is that spans of control are almost universally being expanded. Select one: True False
False
As organizations impose distinct role requirements on different members, they eliminate communication barriers. Select one: True False
False
Formal work groups are the same as teams. Select one: True False
False
In contrast to policies, procedures are not specific; and like policies, they provide consistency. Select one: True False
False
Nonverbal clues are an unreliable form of feedback. Select one: True False
False
Parochialism leads to viewing practices in other cultures as being better than our practices. Select one: True False
False
________ causes individuals to match the likelihood of an occurrence with something that has familiarity. Select one: a. Representative heuristic b. Escalation of commitment c. Availability heuristic d. Bias e. Premature judgment
a. Representative heuristic
An example of an internal force that creates a need for change is ________. Select one: a. workforce composition b. government regulations c. economic forces d. the marketplace e. technology
a. workforce composition
An effective supervisor maintains ________ each employee in which actual incidents that affect job success or failure are recorded. Select one: a. an ongoing file for b. video documentation of c. an annual record for d. an occasional record for e. mental notes about
a. an ongoing file for
Knowledge about a subject is important, but just as important is whether supervisors can ________. Select one: a. apply their knowledge b. convince team members they are right c. continually seek new knowledge d. appear unpretentious e. share their knowledge with middle management
a. apply their knowledge
Many of today's supervisors have to learn to manage in a world of constant ________. Select one: a. change b. complacency c. stability d. independence e. stagnation
a. change
The process by which one party consciously interferes in the goal-achievement efforts of another party is ________. Select one: a. conflict b. sabotage c. disruption d. distress e. intrusion
a. conflict
When a supervisor overstates an employee's performance, a ________ occurs. Select one: a. critical incident b. central tendency misjudgment c. rating bias d. halo error e. positive leniency error
a. critical incident
Which part of the communication process requires skill, attitudes, knowledge, and the social-cultural system? Select one: a. encoding b. feedback c. message d. receiving e. decoding
a. encoding
Workgroups established by the organization and given designated work assignments and established tasks are called ________. Select one: a. formal groups b. groups c. task force teams d. teams e. informal groups
a. formal groups
A six-step program that can guide supervisors to reduce costs in their department includes the following EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. make across-the-board cuts b. invest in employee training c. improve methods d. minimize waste e. level the work flow
a. make across-the-board cuts
One trap many supervisors of minimum wage employees fall into is thinking that employees are motivated only by ________. Select one: a. money b. good work conditions c. team recognition d. personal aspirations e. praise
a. money
All the following are charts used to measure the statistical process EXCEPT ________. Select one: a. pie charts b. flowcharts c. cause-effect diagrams d. control charts e. scatter diagrams
a. pie charts
Which personality trait shows considerable adaptability in adjusting behavior to external situational factors? Select one: a. self-monitoring b. locus of control c. risk propensity d. willingness to take chances e. Machiavellianism
a. self-monitoring
Supervisors are interested in the workings of informal groups because they can ________ and affect productivity in their departments. Select one: a. shape the behavior of employees b. complicate processes c. disrupt the flow of work d. cause work stoppages e. become assertive
a. shape the behavior of employees
Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard proposed a leadership model called ________, which focuses attention on the readiness of employees. Select one: a. situational b. democratic c. transactional d. task-centered e. transformational
a. situational
The more opportunities a supervisor has to observe an employee's behavior firsthand ________. Select one: a. the more accurate the appraisal is likely to be b. the less often critical incidents will be observed c. the more bias can be subjectively interpreted d. the more the central tendency can be upgraded e. the more the halo error can be maximized
a. the more accurate the appraisal is likely to be
The Taft-Hartley Act states that a supervisor may hire, suspend, transfer, lay off, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward, or discipline other employees while ________. Select one: a. on work premises b. using independent judgment c. on duty d. training new hires e. following orders from management
b. using independent judgment
Supervisors frequently have to create programs for their departments that are nonrecurring undertakings requiring a set of integrated plans to ________. Select one: a. perform repetitive tasks b. achieve fair standards c. accomplish their objectives d. perform routine decision making e. achieve budgetary control
c. accomplish their objectives
The type of control that provides feedback, after an activity is finished, in order to prevent any future deviation is ________ control. Select one: a. preventive b. contact c. corrective d. proactive e. break-even analysis
c. corrective
After identifying an attitude a supervisor wants to change, it is important to ________. Select one: a. support the attitude b. explain why the attitude is wrong c. determine what sustains the attitude
c. determine what sustains the attitude
For individuals with a high power need, groups can be a vehicle for ________. Select one: a. communication b. commitment c. fulfillment
c. fulfillment
Appraisal criteria, methods, and documentation must be designed to ensure that they are ________. Select one: a. full of subjectivity b. promoting the halo effect c. job related
c. job related
When supervisors perform operating tasks alongside the same people they supervise some people, particularly upper management, see them as ________. Select one: a. unnecessary b. ineffective Incorrect c. just another worker d. conflicted e. obsolete
c. just another worker
Characteristics of employees such as experience, training, professional orientation, or indifference toward organizational matters can substitute for, or neutralize, the effect of ________. Select one: a. aptitudes b. education c. leadership d. skills e. common sense
c. leadership
In the control function, a type of measure that offers great comprehensiveness and conciseness is ________. Select one: a. subjective interpretation b. oral reports c. written reports d. diary logs e. personal observations
c. written reports
________ problem solving operates under the assumption that there is at least one settlement that can create a win-win solution. Select one: a. Negotiated b. Distributive c. Coalition d. Integrative
d. Integrative
Temperature, pressure, and similar gauges that are checked regularly during a production process, and that automatically send a signal to an operator that there is a problem, are examples of ________ controls. Select one: a. corrective b. preventive c. measuring d. concurrent e. feedback
d. concurrent
The quality revolution that continues to take place in both the private and public sectors is known by the generic descriptive term ________. Select one: a. human resource capital b. scientific management c. human resource management d. continuous improvement
d. continuous improvement
The top-rating of honesty as an identifying characteristic of admired supervisors indicates that in order for supervisors to become effective leaders, they must realize the importance of ________. Select one: a. responsibility and authority b. achievement and effort c. control and structure d. credibility and trust e. power and permission
d. credibility and trust
Expenditures for labor that are directly applied in the creation or delivery of the product or service are called ________ costs. Select one: a. indirect labor b. supportive supplies c. fixed d. direct labor e. raw material
d. direct labor
Probably the most widely cited example of ________ is in labor-management negotiations over wages and benefits. Select one: a. collectivism b. accommodation c. integrative bargaining d. distributive bargaining
d. distributive bargaining
Many of today's most successful organizations are finding that they can operate most effectively by remaining ________. Select one: a. diverse b. defined by categories c. bounded and structured d. flexible and unstructured e. virtual
d. flexible and unstructured
Responsibility without authority creates ________. Select one: a. confidence and satisfaction b. dominance and decisiveness c. excessive demands and coerciveness d. frustration and the feeling of powerlessness
d. frustration and the feeling of powerlessness
In the ________ structure, putting like specialties together results in economies of scale, minimizes duplication of personnel and equipment, and makes employees comfortable and satisfied with peers. Select one: a. bureaucratic b. network c. virtual d. functional e. mechanistic
d. functional
The ________ requires supervisors to place employees into particular classifications, such as "top one-fifth" or "second one-fifth." Select one: a. relative standard method b. behaviorally anchored rating scale c. individual ranking method d. group order ranking method
d. group order ranking method