Managing People & Work: Exam 1 Study Guide

disturbance handler.

Following an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the CEO of a petroleum company took the responsibility for correcting the environmental damages caused by his company. According to Mintzberg's typology, in doing so, he is performing the role of a _________?

What is Elspeth's group within her company called?

Friendship group.

What is the term for crafting the words for a team?

Group role.

What are command groups?

Groups defined by the CEO's organizational chart.

What does task interdependence refer to?

How much influence one group member has on another's work.

decisional

Huan, a manager, is working with her company's labor union to reach an agreement about pay increases and benefits for her employees. She is performing the role of negotiator, which is a(n) _______ responsibility, according to Mintzberg.

product that customers want, but that is too expensive for them to buy

Image Labs designs and develops imaging equipment. It has a low level of efficiency and high level of effectiveness, so it is most likely to produce a _______________?

Organizing

In which managerial task are work relationships structured to facilitate the interaction and cooperative efforts of organizational members, all of whom strive to achieve organizational goals?

Increase with an increase in efficiency and effectiveness

Organizational performance is most likely to

its product manager achieves company goals but uses resources inadequately

Art Place makes and sells paintings, sculptures, and small craft items. Its products meet consumer needs, but they are often too expensive to buy. What is most likely to be true about the company?

What is true regarding group cohesiveness?

As groups become more successful, their cohesiveness tends to increase.

What should a manager do regarding resources when assembling a group?

Assign only the level of resource necessary to achieve goals and allow work to be effectively split across members.

restructuring

Because of financial problems in the organization, the top management of an investment bank decides to lower costs and downsize the business by

minimizes the amount of input resources without compromising quality

China is a highly efficient manager. This implies that she _________________?

What is a group of customer service representatives at a call center who are managed by the same supervisor called?

Command group.

taking any corrective actions needed to maintain or improve performance

Controlling is the managerial task that involves what?

What is the responsibility of a writer in a development team for a greeting card company?

Crafting the messages for a series of new cards.

What type of team is established by managers at Comstat Technology for the design and manufacture of a new vehicle?

Cross-cultural team.

controlling

David, a manager at City Fish Shack, monitors the performance of workers in his department to see if the quality of their work is meeting the performance standards of the company. In doing so, which managerial task is David performing?

What should managers consider if a group is high in cohesiveness and small in size?

Dividing the group in half and assigning different tasks and goals to the two newly formed groups.

low-quality product that customers do not want

Dorcal, Inc. manufactures plastic components. The company has a low level of efficiency and low level of effectiveness, which means it is most likely to produce a ___________________?

restructuring

Due to declining global sales, Wrap-Around Glasses announced that it would lay off 10 percent of its existing workforce over the next few months. This is an example of what?

How can managers increase group cohesiveness?

Effectively managing diversity, focusing on group goals

What is the purpose of task forces?

To solve specific, mutual problems, and involves managers or nonmanagerial employees from various departments or divisions

What is the purpose of ad-hoc committees?

To solve specific, mutual problems.

What is the purpose of cohesive groups?

To work closely together and maintain strong relationships.

deciding which goods a company should produce.

Top managers are primarily concerned with what?

with cross-departmental responsibility.

Top managers are tasked with what?

in all departments or functions of an organization.

First-line managers usually are what?

What is the term for a team formed to address a complex quality issue impacting multiple locations?

Virtual team.

They are responsible for daily supervision of the nonmanagerial employees.

What is a characteristic of first-line managers?

loss of jobs

What is a consequence of restructuring?

What is pooling task interdependence?

When each group member's work contributes to a common outcome.

What is reciprocal task interdependence?

When each group member's work depends on others' work.

What is sequential task interdependence?

When each group member's work depends on others' work.

What is pooled task dependence?

When group members make separate, independent contributions to group performance.

use power, personality, and communication skills to coordinate the activities of people and groups

When performing the managerial task of planning, managers do what?

the one who energizes employees and enables them to understand the part each of them plays in achieving organizational goals

Which manager is performing the managerial role of leading?

accomplish leading

Which managerial task does a manager perform when he/she articulates a clear organizational vision for the organization's members to accomplish?

Ilana, a new product manager, is often tasked with forming interdepartmental teams due to her reputation for turning a group of employees from different departments into a cohesive team

Which scenario shows a manager using human skills to put organizational resources to their best use?

middle

You have been put in charge of a manufacturing plant's new product line and need to choose first-line managers to supervise the line's workers. What level of manager are you?

Outsourcing

_______ involves contracting with another company, usually in a low-cost country abroad, to have it perform a work activity the organization previously performed itself.

leading

_______ involves encouraging all employees to perform at a high level to help the organization achieve its vision and goals.

Technical

_______ skills are job-specific skills required to perform a particular type of work or occupation at a high level.

Efficiency

__________ is the measure of how productively an organization uses its resources to achieve a goal.

Effectiveness

______________ measures the appropriateness of the goals selected by management for the organization and the degree to which the organization accomplishes these goals.

Organization

an __________________ is a collection of people who work together and coordinate their actions to achieve a wide variety of goals.

measure performance accurately and regulate organizational efficiency and effectiveness

the outcome of the control process is the ability to what?

What is the purpose of friendship groups?

To socialize and enjoy each other's company.

quality product customers want and at a price they can afford

A company that has a high level of efficiency and effectiveness is most likely to produce a ____________?

high-quality product that customers do not want

A company with a high level of efficiency and a low level of effectiveness is most likely to produce a ________________?

the specific set of departmental skills, knowledge, and experience that allows one organization to outperform another.

A core competency is what?

What is a cross-functional group?

A group composed of employees from different departments.

What type of group may perform poorly due to an inability to evaluate and change its dysfunctional norms?

A group exhibiting high conformity.

What is a command group?

A group of employees who report to the same supervisor.

liaison

A large airline appointed an engineer to be the link between the company's research and development department and the government contractor who is sponsoring the designing and prototyping of a new fighter airplane. According to Mintzberg, the engineer appointed by the airline is in the role of a what?

What is an example of an informal group?

A small group of employees from the marketing department getting together for breakfast.

negotiator

According to Mintzberg's typology, a manager who establishes agreements with other organizations about pooling company resources while working on joint projects is a(n) ___________?

monitor.

According to Mintzberg's typology, a manager who evaluates the performance of other managers in different tasks and takes corrective action to improve their performance is a _____________?

delegating

Alison, vice president of Taco House, reviews the performance of her company over the last quarter to determine whether it is meeting the planned sales and profitability goals. In this instance, which managerial task is she performing?

the one who spends lavishly on resources and is averse to taking responsibilities

Jack's Sprouts markets canned vegetables. In recent years, Jack's Sprouts' business has declined considerably owing to a weak focus on quality. Holding the managers responsible for the declining sales figures, the CEO of Jack's Sprouts decided to lay off those who lacked effectiveness and were inefficient. Which employee is most likely to be laid off by Jack's Sprouts' CEO?

figurehead.

José is the manager of Sandy's Candy, a popular confectioner in Illinois. He is in charge of outlining future organizational goals to employees at company meetings and emphasizing the ethical guidelines that employees are expected to follow at work. According to Mintzberg, he is performing the role of a __________?

disseminator

Madelyn informs employees about changes taking place in the external and internal environments that affect the sales of the company's products. She explains how the changes will also affect them and the organization. According to Mintzberg, she is playing the role of a(n) what?

controlling

Managers are _______ when they evaluate how well the organization is accomplishing its goals.

planning

Managers select appropriate goals for the organization while performing the _______ managerial task

performing planning

Margene is the product manager at Fashions Ltd., a company that designs and manufactures clothes and fashion accessories. Noticing the rising popularity of rhinestone jewelry and the fact that only a handful of stores actually stocked it, she decides to take advantage of the latent demand in the market. Margene knows that she is taking a risk by committing organizational resources to pursuing this idea, but she is confident about the merit of her decision. In deciding the allocation of resources for attaining her goals, which managerial task is Margene performing?

performing organizing

Maria, the HR manager of a landscape design company, has been asked to increase the level of efficiency at the workplace. She decides to restructure work relationships within the company and categorize people into departments according to the kinds of job-specific tasks they perform. Which managerial task is Maria performing?

technical

Mario is being promoted to the position of manager of the engineering division in his company because of his knowledge and his ability to perform all the functions required in his field. In this instance, Mario is being promoted because of his _______ skills.

managerial leading

Mei is a manager who uses her energetic personality and considerable persuasive skills to coordinate people and groups so their activities and efforts are in harmony. Mei exhibits the managerial skill of what?

expected to make specific decisions about the production of goods and services.

Middle managers are ____________?

finding the best way to use resources to achieve organizational goals.

Middle managers are responsible for what?

informational

Mintzberg's roles of monitor, disseminator, and spokesperson are all related to which managerial responsibility?

the one who chooses the right goals to pursue and makes clever use of resources to achieve them

Pacific Tourism is an agency that offers special holiday packages in the Pacific region. Every year, as an incentive, the most efficient and effective manager in the network gets an all-expenses-paid trip to one of Oceania's islands. Which manager is most likely to meet these requirements?

Management

Parul's job is to use planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve the goals of her company. Parul is performing the four essential _______ tasks.

establishing accurate measuring and monitoring systems

Planning in an organization involves what?

What type of team should the CEO form to leverage the expertise of quality control managers from each site?

Pooled interdependent team.

What is the task interdependence in a computer manufacturing company?

Pooled task interdependence.

chooses appropriate goals and then achieves them

Ramses is a highly effective manager. This implies that he _______________________?

What type of task interdependence exists in research and development teams?

Reciprocal task interdependence.

conceptual

Sanjay is a mechanical engineer who can examine and detect a problem, determine cause and effect, and provide a solution. This demonstrates _______ skill.

Organizational Performance

Sirita's manager is evaluating how well she uses available resources to satisfy customers and whether she is accomplishing organizational goals. This relates to Sirita's

What do managers form to address important issues?

Standing committees.

first-line

Supervisors are also referred to as _______ managers.

human

The general ability to understand, alter, lead, and control the behavior of other workers is a_______ skill.

spokesperson

The public relations manager of an oil company explained what the company intended to do to tackle the threat to marine life caused by an oil spill when one of its tankers crashed. According to Mintzberg, the public relations manager is playing the role of a what?

What is social loafing?

The tendency of group members to exert less effort when working in groups.

deciding how to best allocate resources to attain those goals

The three steps in planning are deciding which goals to pursue, deciding what strategies to adopt to attain those goals, and ________________?

What is the purpose of informal groups?

To address recurring or long-term problems.

What is the purpose of interest groups?

To advocate for specific interests within the organization.

What is the purpose of division of labor?

To allocate tasks and responsibilities among group members.

What is the purpose of virtual groups?

To collaborate remotely from different locations.

Why do managers sometimes form an informal group?

To focus on achieving personal goals.

What is the purpose of self-managed groups?

To focus on their own goals beyond organizational needs.

evaluate whether the organization's goals are appropriate.

To increase effectiveness, middle managers do what?

What is the purpose of top management groups?

To make decisions at the highest level of the organization.

What is the purpose of social loafing?

To reduce individual effort in a group setting.

What is Cole's work group responsible for creating product user manuals, the group gets frustrated with the development team, which continues to push out the dates for providing product information for the manuals. This is an example of what?

intergroup conflict

_______ task interdependence exists when the work of each group member is completely dependent on the work performed by the other group members.

reciprocal

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

sequential