BA 1301 Chapter 7 SB

Which principle means that employees who accept an assignment and the authority to carry it out are answerable to a superior for the outcome?

Accountability

Select from the following those items that are benefits of teams.

Can pool members' knowledge Have the ability to create more solutions Have a wider breadth of skills

What word reflects the rationale for specialization in the workplace?

Efficiency

True or false: Communication between friends that cuts across departments, divisions, and even management-subordinate boundaries comprises what is known as the formal organization.

False

True or false: The maximum number of people a manager should manage is no more than ten.

False

This word is defined as two or more individuals who communicate with one another, share a common identity, and have a common goal.

Group

What three items characterize work teams?

Has both individual and mutual accountability Has shared leadership roles Creates collective work products

Select the three items that characterize teams.

Helps cut costs Fosters innovation Boosts productivity

What three items characterize a work group?

Promotes individual leadership Emphasizes individual work products Emphasizes individual accountability

Which three are considered advantages of a matrix organizational structure?

Provide for flexibility Allow for quick response to changes in the environment Provide enhanced cooperation and creativity

Top Managers

Should not directly supervise more than four to eight people

Select from the following the ways in which departments are commonly organized.

by function by product by geographic region by customer

In a(n) ______ organization the decision-making authority is delegated as far down the chain of command as possible.

decentralized

Self-________ work teams means that they are empowered to make decisions without management approval.

directed/managed

An informal channel of communication separate from management's formal official communications related to a job or organization that can sometimes be gossip is called a ______.

grapevine

Your text defines a _____ as two or more individuals who communicate with one another, share a common identity, and have a common goal.

group

Organizational _______ are the levels of management in an organization.

layers

A ______ structure, also called a project management structure, sets up teams from different departments, thereby creating two or more intersecting lines of authority.

matrix

A _____ structure organizes departments into larger groups called divisions.

multidivisional

Employees who work together in different locations who rely on email, audio conferencing, fax, Internet, videoconferencing, or other technological tools to accomplish their goals are known as ______.

virtual teams

A _____ span of management exists when a manager directly supervises a very large number of employees.

wide

When jobs are organized by function, ______.

decision making that involves more than one department may be slow

For a team to maximize its contribution to the firm it must ______.

engage in a a harmonious, synchronized work effort that remains flexible to changing conditions

According to psychologist Ivan Steiner, team productivity peaks at about _____ team members. People become less motivated and group coordination becomes more difficult after that size.

five

Channels of communication that are intentionally defined and designed by the organization are designated as _______ communication channels.

formal

When a company looks to departmentalize by areas of business like Japan, America, and Australia it is exemplifying departmentalization by ______.

geographic location.

The most significant informal communication occurs through the _______ , an informal channel of communication, separate from management's formal, official communication channels.

grapevine

A special type of team formed to devise, design, and implement a new product is a ______.

product-development team

A team that runs its own operation and has total control of a specific work project is called a ______.

project team

A company with many layers of managers is considered ______ and the span of management is _____.

tall;narrow

A ______ is a group of employees, selected for their expertise, who come together on a temporary basis to bring about a particular change in an organization.

task force

A _______ _______ is a temporary group of employees responsible for bringing about a particular change.

task force

A ______ is a small group whose members have complementary skills; have a common purpose, goals, and approach; and hold themselves mutually accountable.

team

A permanent, formal group that performs a specific task is called a ______

committee

_____ communication involves the exchange of information among colleagues and peers on the same organizational level, such as across or within departments.

Horizontal

The arrangement or relationship of positions within an organization is referred to as ______.

Organizations Structure

Dividing specific tasks into smaller jobs based on employee skill is called ______.

Specialization

A company has three main product lines: cleaning products, laundry products, and paper products. If it organizes its jobs around these product lines, it is using which form for departmentalization?

Product

This word is defined as a small group whose members have complementary skills, have a common purpose, goals, and approach; and hold themselves mutually accountable.

team

The organizational ______ represents a company's widely shared values, beliefs, and traditions.

Culture

_______ teams are similar to task forces, but normally they run their operation and have total control of a specific work project.

Project

Why do firms usually feel the need to restructure?

Traditional structures become difficult to coordinate. Decision making has slowed down. The firm has experienced growth and diversification.

True or false: An internal reward for a team member would be an enhanced sense of accomplishment as the team reaches its goals.

True

Which two of the following characterize centralized organizations?

Very little decision-making authority is delegated to lower levels Authority is concentrated at the top levels of the organization.

The principle of accountability means that ______.

an employee who accepts an assignment and the authority to carry it out is answerable to a superior for the outcome

When different members of an engineering firm come together to work temporarily on a specific project they are operating in a ______.

matrix organization

The ______ structure inevitably creates work duplication, which makes it more difficult to realize the economies of scale that result from grouping functions together.

multidivisional

Carl's landscaping business started out small, but has grown into a large business with many clients. Originally, all the employees reported to Carl, but he now thinks it is time to hire two more people; one to manage the lawn maintenance business, and one to manage the design business. Each of these managers will supervise their own employees. By adding this additional layer of management, Carl is in the process of ______.

restructuring his firm

An organization's values, beliefs, traditions, rules and role models for behavior that are shared by all are an organization's

Culture

A real estate agency matches its brokers to the type of groups it services: first-time home buyers, urban dwellers, house flippers, business owners, etc. This exemplifies ______ departmentalization.

Customer

What are two weaknesses of functional departmentalization?

Decision making across departments is slow. It requires greater coordination among departments.

Because of vast differences between different regions, multinational corporations often use ______ departmentalization.

Geographic

Internal company networks that increase communication across different departments and levels of management and help with the flow of everyday business activities are called ______.

Intranets

Why can overcentralization cause serious problems for an organization?

It can take longer for the organization to implement decisions. It can take longer for the organization to respond to changes on a regional scale. It can prevent low-level employees from reporting problems.

What three items characterize a tall organization?

Many layers of managers A narrow span of management Higher administrative costs

If an organization temporarily borrows its specialists from different functional areas to accomplish a common project, it is implementing what type of organization?

Matrix

A(n) ___________ chart shows relationships among people; who is accountable for the completion of specific work, and who reports to whom.

Organizational

An organization's _____ develops when managers assign work tasks and activities to specific individuals or work groups and coordinate the diverse activities required to reach the firm's objectives.

Structure

An organization's_________develops when managers assign work tasks and activities to specific individuals or work groups and coordinate the diverse activities required to reach the firm's objectives.

Structure

Tammie was communicating to her employees the proper way to handle abuse in the workplace. One individual kept interjecting comments while Tammie was speaking. This behavior is known as ______ and can be a serious barrier to effective communication.

an interruption

Delegation of_______ means not only giving tasks to employees but also empowering them to make commitments, use resources, and take whatever actions are necessary to carry out those tasks.

authority

Dante works at a manufacturing plant. He has been asked by upper management to be part of a formal group that will specifically work with union laborers to address all concerns and draft company policy regarding union benefits. Dante has been asked to be part of a ______..

committee

If Pete was tasked with developing an organizational structure for his company, he would ______.

define the various positions in the company and their relationship to one another

In order for communication to be effective in the workplace, managers need to solicit comments and criticism from employees to their communication messages. This input from employees is referred to as ______.

feedback

The flow of communication within the formal organizational structure is called ______.

formal communication

The form of departmentalization that groups jobs that perform similar functional activities, like finance and marketing, is called ______ departmentalization.

functional

A _____ structure has a clear chain of command, which enables managers to make decisions quickly. A mid-level manager facing a decision must consult only one person, his or her immediate supervisor.

line

The simplest organizational structure is the _______ structure, in which direct lines of authority extend from the top manager to employees at the lowest level of the organization.

line

The _____ and _____ structure has a traditional line relationship between superiors and subordinates, and specialized managers---called staff managers---are available to assist line managers.

line and staff

structure having a traditional line relationship between superiors and subordinates and also specialized managers---called staff managers---who are available to assist line managers is known as a ______.

line and staff structure

A(n) _____ organization structure, also called a project management structure, superimposes project-based departments on the more traditional function-based departments.

matrix

A firm is looking to restructure its organization into larger groups. It is deciding whether to organize its departments on the basis of geography, customer type, or product. Either way, structuring the firm in this way is utilizing the ______ structure.

multi-divisional

A _____ span of management exists when a manager directly supervises only a few subordinates.

narrow

The levels of management in an organization are collectively referred to as ______.

organizational layers

If a book seller was to separate its organization according to the types of books it sells it would be an example of departmentalization by ______.

product

With its current product line being sold in a saturated and mature market, Wonder widgets wants to develop a new product that will put the company at the forefront of emerging technology. It has assembled a team to devise, design, and implement this new product. What type of team has Wonder widgets created?

product-development team

Quality-assurance teams are also referred to as ______ ______ .

quality circles

f a team is empowered to make decisions without management approval first then it is said to be ______.

self-directed

The functional approach to departmentalization is common in ______ organizations.

small

Low-Level Managers

Are capable of managing a much larger number of subordinates, even as high as twenty-five peopleAre capable of managing a much larger number of subordinates, even as high as twenty-five people

An organization structure in which decision-making authority is maintained at the top level of management is called a(n) ______ organization.

Centralized

When the decisions to be made by a business are risky, and low-level managers are not highly skilled in decision making, the company tends to be more _____.

Centralized

Rather than have the top level of management make all the decisions, Jake's company gives all lower-level managers the authority to make decisions for his or her department. Jake's company operates as a(n) ______ organization.

Decentralized

Which two factors would lead to a business being more centralized in its organization?

Decisions to be made are risky. Low-level managers are not highly skilled in decision-making.

Giving employees not only tasks but also the power to make commitments, use resources, and take whatever actions are necessary to carry out those tasks is the definition of ______.

Delegation of authority

The grouping of jobs into working units usually called departments, units, groups, or divisions is called ______.

Departmentalization

The arrangement of jobs around the needs of various types of customers is know as ______.

Departmentalization by customer group.

______ communication takes place when individuals from different levels and different departments communicate.

Diagonal

To find out the relationships among people in a company one may consult the company's ______.

Organizational Chart

_____ can cause serious problems for a company, in part because it may take longer for the organization as a whole to implement decisions and to respond to changes and problems on a regional scale.

Over-centralization

This type of team is defined as small groups or workers brought together from throughout the organization to solve specific quality, productivity, or service problems.

Quality-assurance teams

Cybill's manager wanted her to design the new ad campaign for the firm's new product. She was given all the necessary resources to complete the task. Cybill understands that her manager is going to hold her accountable to make sure the ad campaign is executed successfully. This exemplifies the concept of ______.

Responsibility

The obligation, placed on employees through delegation, to perform assigned tasks satisfactorily and be held accountable for the proper execution of work is the definition of ______.

Responsibility

If the owner of a lawn-mowing company were to take the division of labor a step further and divide the mowing task into three separate activities (mowing, trimming, and raking) performed by three separate employees specifically trained for their assigned duty this would exemplify _____.

Specialization

The owner of a flower shop has three employees. Two employees are better at arranging flowers in a vase while the third is skilled at preparing the flowers to be arranged. Separating the employees by these skills is called ______.

Specialization

The rationale for _____ is efficiency. People can perform more efficiently if they master just one task rather than all tasks

Specialization

Which two are considered disadvantages of a matrix organizational structure?

They are expensive to operate. Employees can be confused on whose authority has priority.

At its core, the reason companies divide labor and specialize is because ______.

They want to be as efficient as possible.

Mistakes in both oral and written __________ systems within the organization can lower productivity and morale.

communication

The _____ structure inevitably creates work duplication, which makes it more difficult to realize the economies of scale that result from grouping functions together.

divisional/multidivisional

The organizational system that develops spontaneously as employees meet and form relationships is referred to as the ______.

informal organization

A growing phenomenon, ________ teams rely on technological tools such as videoconferencing, email, and the Internet to accomplish their goals.

virtual

From this list select the three benefits of multidivisional structures.

Allows for each division or region to provide products to meet the needs of its customers Permits delegation of decision-making authority, allowing divisional and department managers to specialize Allows those closest to the action to make the decisions that will affect them