organizational leadership
which of the following management skills helps organizations attract and keep high performing employees
Interpersonal
Automatic responses, or "gut" instincts regarding what makes ourselves and others act as we do are called________.
Intuition
Hunches or "gut feelings", which are not necessarily supported by analysis and research, are known as which of the following?
Intuition
Sexual harassment is defined as which of the following?
Unwanted verbal or physical sexual advances that create an offensive work environment
Which of the following fields of study has the LEAST consistent laws of behavior?
Behavioral Science
Demographics reflect which of the following?
Surface-level diversity
Stereotypes and assumptions are often based on which of the following?
Surface-level diversity
SIMULATION TITLE: Change SIMULATION DESCRIPTION: Holden Evan is a global powerhouse in branded consumer packaged goods. The company is organized into three distinct Strategic Business Units (SBUs): Beauty, Health, and Home and Family. Each of the SBUs has limited autonomy and is responsible for its own marketing, expansion of product lines, and performance. The newly-hired SVP of Worldwide Operations for Holden-Evan must make structural changes to these SBUs, including choosing organizational development techniques and responding to any resistance to these changes. You earned 100 percent. Background Holden Evan is a global powerhouse in branded consumer packaged goods. The company is organized into three distinct Strategic Business Units (SBUs): Beauty, Health, and Home and Family. Each of the SBUs has limited autonomy and is responsible for its own marketing, expansion of product lines, and performance. The parent company is the ultimate overseer and supplies support services such as legal and financial. You are the newly-hired SVP of Worldwide Operations for Holden Evan. Based on a major recent event that negatively affected the company's marketing reputation and profit margins, you have decided to implement major changes to the company's structure. You must implement the changes and manage any resistance to these changes. Background Holden Evan encountered a public relations disaster when two factories were revealed to be dumping pollution into nearby rivers. The marketing directors of the Beauty and Health SBUs at first attempted to deny the problem, which caused even more scandal and anger towards the company, especially when the marketing director of Home and Family admitted and apologized for it. Consumers boycotted Holden Evan products and created angry websites that spread the outrage globally. The two offending factories have been shut down, and the pollution has been stopped, but distrust of the company continues. The CEO is extremely displeased with how the marketing departments responded and instructs you to address their situation immediately. "We can't have another situation like this. The marketing departments must be organized so that they don't tell conflicting messages—and tell the truth." Background An additional challenge facing Holden Evan is the rise in costs of raw materials. Each of the SBUs currently maintains its own relationships with suppliers and is paying different prices for the same goods. The CEO of Holden Evan tells you that this is a serious issue for the company. "We must find a way to rein in these costs. I expect you to improve the company's efficiency and find other ways to reduce costs right away." Implementing Change You decide that structural changes must be made immediately at Holden Evan to deal with the problems caused by the three SBU marketing teams. Choose the change you think is the best choice. YOU CHOSE OPTION 1 Merge the three marketing teams of each SBU into a single marketing division serving all product lines. You decided to merge the three marketing teams of each SBU into a single marketing division serving all product lines. This was the best choice, as it offers a proactive solution to the mixed messages that occurred previously. Merging Marketing Teams You decide to merge the marketing groups in each SBU into a single marketing team. As a consequence, two of the marketing head positions are eliminated—one head is given early retirement, while another is laid off. Additionally, four marketers who had received low performance reviews over the last few years were laid off. The new team will have twelve members and will be led by the previous head of the Home and Family SBU's marketing team. Merging Marketing Groups Now that you have made these changes, you know that you must help your employees to deal with them. What is the best strategy to help facilitate these changes? YOU CHOSE OPTION 3 Hold a two-day offsite meeting with the new team, in which you explain the change, the reasons for it, and provide opportunities for team members to get to know one another. You decided to hold a two-day offsite with the new team, in which you explain the change, the reasons for it, and provide opportunities for team members to get to know one another. This was the best choice, because it would help the team members understand the reasons for the change and help them become one team. Team Building You hold a two-day offsite with the new team, in which you explain the change, the reasons for it, and provide opportunities for team members to get to know one another. Overall, the team reports satisfaction with their experience and, a month later, most of the team is doing well. However, employees from the Health SBU (from which three of the previous layoffs occurred) are taking many sick days, missing deadlines, and engaging in conflicts with other team members. How do you diagnose the problem, and how would you address it? YOU CHOSE OPTION 2 These members of the team are suffering from stress. You should address this to alleviate the problems. You decided that the team is suffering from stress. This was the best diagnosis, as these symptoms are all examples of stress. Responding to Employee Stress You talk further with marketing team members and learn that they are unsure of their new roles and fear that they will be laid off. Some of the employees feel that they do not have the knowledge necessary to market products from other SBUs. What is your best response? YOU CHOSE OPTION 2 Work with the new marketing team director to clarify roles and educate team members on new products You decided to work with the new marketing team director to clarify roles and educate team members on new products. This was the best decision, because it addresses the root causes of the stress and gives the employees the information they need to do their jobs. Merging the Procurement Teams Next you decide to merge the three independent procurement teams into one division in order to control costs and increase efficiency. Based on what you learned from your experience merging the marketing teams, and given that you have more time for this structural change, you decide to involve the teams' managers in your decision-making process. All three have worked at Holden Evan for over twenty-five years, and have been in their current positions for over ten. The manager of the Beauty procurement team in particular has established close relationships with suppliers and has a great deal of influence in the company. Procurement Teams' Meeting You hold a meeting with the three procurement team managers. Two managers arrive late, and all three are surly and uncooperative when you explain your plans. One asks, "Do you understand what you are getting yourself into?" What is the most likely reason for their resistance? YOU CHOSE OPTION 1 The managers have a great deal invested in the current system and don't want to lose their current positions or power. You determined that the managers have a great deal invested in the current system and don't want to lose their current positions or power. This was the most likely cause of their resistance, given that they became surly and difficult when you met to discuss the topic. Procurement Managers' Resistance Having determined the likely cause of the managers' resistance, you must decide how to respond. Choose the best response from the choices at right. YOU CHOSE OPTION 3 Negotiation. Work with the managers to determine the best scope and form of organizational change. You determined that negotiation was the best response. This was the best choice to respond to the managers' worry about losing their power and position, because they have power in the company and you need their support in order for the changes to be effective. Merging the Procurement Teams Your efforts pay off, and the procurement team managers agree to work with you. You must now introduce the changes to the other team members. How best should you work with the team members to implement these structural changes? YOU CHOSE OPTION 2 Explain the reasons for the changes to the procurement team members, and provide opportunities for them to learn to work together. You decided to explain the reasons for the changes to the procurement team members and provide opportunities for them to learn to work together. This was the best response. It would help them accept the changes and learn to view themselves as one team.
1 3 2 2 1 3 2
Which of the following has been identified as characteristics of companies with reputations as good places to work.
High superior financial performance.
Which of the following is a type of discrimination based on disrespectful treatment, including behaving in an aggressive manner, interrupting the person, or ignoring the person?
Incivility
Organizational behavior includes which of the following main components?
Individuals, groups, and structure
Which of the following are the main components studied in the field of organizational behavior?
Individuals, groups, and structure
Thinking, reasoning, and problem solving are examples of which of the following?
Intellectual abilities
Which of the following is not one of the nine basic physical abilities?
Number aptitude
Which management function increases as a manager moves from lower-level to mid-level management?
Planning
A factor that causes someone to do something he or she might not otherwise so is known as which of the following?
Contingency variable
According to Fayol's list of management functions, which of the following is an example of a manager's planning function?
Coordinating a comprehensive department strategy
Which of the following represents a key biological characteristic of the workplace.
African Americans and Hispanics perceive discrimination to be more prevalent in the workplace than Whites.
Which of the following focus on people skills and understanding human behavior
Interpersonal.
Which of the following include the capacity to do tasks that demand stamina, dexterity, strength, and similarity characteristics?
Physical abilities
Which management function includes defining an organizations goals, establishing an overall strategy for achieving those goals, and developing a comprehensive set of plans to integrate and coordinate activities?
Planning
Which of following does not lead to more positive adaption in diversity experiences?
Target groups underutilized
Which of the following identifies a key difference between an employee with good deductive reasoning skills and an employee with good inductive reasoning skills?
An employee with good deductive reasoning skills is more likely to settle a dispute between coworkers, unlike an employee with good inductive reasoning skills.
As people get to know one another, they become less concerned with demographic differences and more concerned with which of the following?
Deep-Level diversity
______ is defined as the additional set of cultural characteristics that often overlap with race, while ____ is defined as biological heritage people use to identify themselves.
Ethnicity, race
Which of the following is a major concern for employers when addressing diversity?
Fair Treatment
Which of the following describes intuition?
Feelings and hunches in the decision-making process
Which of the following is not identified as a challenge/ opportunity of OB?
Fewer companies are using temporary workers.
Globalization focuses on differences among people_ different countries, while workforce diversity addresses difference among people_____given countries.
From, within
An overall factor of intelligence, as suggested by the positive correlations among specific intellectual ability dimensions is known as_______?
General mental ability
Which of the following identifies a key dimension of intellectual ability that encompasses the ability to identify a logical sequence in a problem and then solve the next time period problem?
Inductive reasoning
____ is a key dimension of intellectual ability that encompasses the ability to identify a logical sequence in a problem and then solve the next time period problem.
Inductive reasoning
Which of the following investigates the impact individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations, for the purpose of applying such knowledge toward improving an organization's effectiveness?
Organizational Behavior
______________ is a field of study that investigates the impact individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations with the goal of improving an organization's effectiveness.
Organizational Behavior
Which of the following management functions determines what tasks are to be done, who is to do them, how the tasks are to be grouped, who reports to whom, and where decisions are to be made?
Organizing
____ include the capacity to do tasks that demand stamina, dexterity, strength, and similar characteristics
Physical abilities
Which of the following is not identified as a core topic of organizational behavior?
Productivity
Organizational behavior is an applied behavioral science built on contributions from all of the following fields, except:
Psychiatry
Which of the following is not one of the behavior science fields that contribute to organizational behavior?
Psychiatry
Which area of study related to OB is focused mainly at the individual or micro level of analysis?
Psychology
______ is defined as biological heritage people use to identify themselves, whereas______is the additional set of cultural set of characteristics that often overlaps with race.
Race, ethnicity
Which of the following is a type of discrimination based on unwanted sexual advances and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature that create a hostile or offensive work environment.
Sexual Harassment
Which of the following statements is correct regarding sexual orientation and gender identity?
Sexual orientation and gender identity remain individual differences that receive very different treatment under our laws and are acceptable quite differently in different organizations
A recent survey of hundreds of workplaces showed the___ relationships among co-workers and supervisors were strongly related to overall job satisfaction
Social
________________can lead employees to perceive one another through stereotypes and assumptions.
Surface-level diversity
Evidence-based management bases decisions on which of the following?
The best available data
Diversity programs are more likely to lead to positive adaptation for employees in which of the following circumstances?
The program undermines stereotypes
Which of the following identifies how diversity programs are more likely to lead to positive adaptation for employees?
The program undermines stereotypes
What is the goal of social entrepreneurship education
Train future leaders to address social within their organizations with interpersonal skills.
Which of the following represents a key biological characteristic of the workplace?
With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, the representation of individuals with disabilities in the U.S. workforce rapidly increased.
The ability to use logic and assess the implications of an argument is known as which of the following?
Deductive reasoning
Why do few absolutes apply to OB?
Human beings are complex, and few, if any, simple and universal principles explain organizational behavior.
SIMULATION TITLE: Motivation SIMULATION DESCRIPTION: Swazzi is a national chain of clothing stores. In Swazzi's Northeast Region, sales have tumbled and turnover is high. You have been hired as the new Northeast Division Manager and tasked with turning around the region. You are especially concerned about employee motivation and must decide what actions to take to improve it. You earned 100 percent. Background Swazzi is a national chain of clothing stores. It produces and sells women's and men's clothing, footwear, and accessories. In general it targets high-income consumers, focusing on high product prices. Swazzi's Northeast Region, its largest, has just experienced its worst fiscal year on record. The region is in terrible shape. Sales are far below expectations and continue to stagnate. Nearly every store is underperforming. Turnover is high and some of the best salespeople are jumping ship. Morale is low. You have been hired as the new Northeast Division Manager and tasked with turning around the region in short order. You are especially concerned about employee motivation. You observe that most employees do not like their jobs, show little respect for the company, and exhibit little affinity with corporate objectives. You strongly believe that correcting these conditions is crucial to improving performance quickly. Meet Your Advisors Three senior officers of the company will serve as your Advisors. The flagship store manager, Sean, will serve as your eyes and ears in the field. Be sure to listen to what they have to say, as it will help you choose which theories of motivation to apply. Meet Your Advisors The Vice President of Human Resources says: "As a follower of goal-setting theory, I believe that setting specific goals for employees improves performance and that difficult goals, if accepted, result in even better performance. Frequent feedback to employees is also important. You should implement a division-wide system of goal-setting for each employee in the Northeast Region." Meet Your Advisors The Midwest Division Manager says: "As a follower of expectancy theory, I believe managers and employees will most likely perform at desired levels if they perceive that they will be rewarded for doing so in desirable ways. You should implement a division-wide system of rewards for Northwest Region store employees who perform at high levels." Meet Your Advisors The Western Division Manager says: "As a follower of equity theory, I believe managers and employees compare what they get from a job, their outcomes, with what they put into it, their inputs. They compare their inputs-to-outcomes ratio with the inputs-to-outcomes ratios of relevant others, and develop perceptions about fairness, or equity, from these comparisons. An employee with a lower inputs to outcomes ratio than relevant others will feel there is inequity because the employee is being under-rewarded. You should talk to employees of the Northeast Region to determine if there is perceived inequity, then determine what adjustments should be made to correct these perceptions if they exist." Meet Your Advisors You visit Swazzi's flagship store to talk to Sean. Over lunch, you ask him to be candid with you about the reasons for poor sales performance at his store and other stores in the region. He says: "I have yet to visit a store in the region where the atmosphere is energized. No one seems to have any direction, and employees put only sporadic effort into their work. The sales teams don't seem to care about selling; they're unprofessional in their appearance and in the way they treat customers. Many members of the sales team don't seem to understand the commission system, and many see it as unfair. Absenteeism and turnover are high. I have to admit even I don't have much enthusiasm for my job." It is important that you closely evaluate Sean's statement in relation to your knowledge of various motivation theories before continuing. Please take a moment to do so. Selecting a Theory You thank Sean for his candid comments. You definitely have a motivation problem in the Northeast Division. Now you need to decide which approach to take to resolve the problem. Once you choose an approach, you will use it to determine what to do next. Which motivation theory will you choose? YOU CHOSE OPTION 3 Equity Theory. Sales team members perceive something about their jobs as being unfair. They respond by putting forth little effort or by leaving the company. You chose equity theory, which proposes that employees compare what they get from a job (outcomes) with what they put into it (inputs), then compare their inputs-outcomes ratio with those of relevant others. If the ratio is inequitable, the employee views herself as being under-rewarded or over-rewarded. Employees who perceive inequities attempt to do something about it. Possible results include lower or higher productivity, improved or reduced quality of output, increased absenteeism, or voluntary resignation. Addressing Sales Professionalism You are concerned about the unprofessional appearance and poor customer service provided by your sales personnel. You speak with a number of the sales personnel. They tell you they think the standards for professional appearance and customer service are unfair. They believe the volume of an individual's sales is the only important measure of performance. What should you do to address this issue? YOU CHOSE OPTION 1 Compare Swazzi's standards for professional appearance and customer service with standards set by other specialty clothing retailers in the same target market. Assuming you find that standards are similar among this group, communicate your findings to your sales employees. This will help eliminate any perception of unfairness. You consistently applied this theory in all your choices. Great job!
Motivation
What does the term "big data" refer to when making decisions?
The use of statistical compilation and analysis
Which management skill uses mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations?
Conceptual
Situational factors that change the relationship between two variables are known as which of the following?
Contingency Variables
Jennifer and Olivia are both Asian-American in their early 30s. Which of the following best describes their similarities?
Deep-level diversity
Threats or bullying directed at certain groups of employees is known as which of the following?
Intimidation
Which of the following identifies threats or bullying directed at certain groups of employees?
Intimidation
Research indicates which of the following statements regarding intellectual and physical ability of women and minorities?
Research indicates there is great interest in employers that commit to diversity in their recruiting materials