Midterms - Organizational Behavior

what the seeds are planted in

A biologist wants to know whether a plant's growth is affected by the material it's planted in. She plants lima bean seeds in a jar of dirt, a jar of cotton, and a jar of rocks, then provides each jar with equal amounts of water, plant food, and sunlight. In this experiment, what is the independent variable? a. how much the plants grow b. how much nutrition the plants are given c. the type of bean seed used d. what the seeds are planted in

interactionalism

According to __________, an individual's behavior results from a continuous, multidirectional interaction between the characteristics of the person and of the situation. a. the universal perspective b. systems theory c. the situational perspective d. interactionalism

universal

Deepak is the founder of a small game development studio. He devised a method for meeting deadlines that has proven very effective for his organization. Deepak believes that his method will also work for any other organization. What type of perspective does this belief reflect? a. scientific b. situational c. universal d. interactional

fear

Deming believed that removing _______ from the workplace gives employees pride in their workmanship, which increases production. a. diversity b. fear c. competition d. hierarchy

system, worker

Deming believed that when things go wrong, it is almost certain that the ________ rather than the __________ is the cause. a. system, worker b. worker, system c. manager, employee d. employee, manager

cost leadership

Firms pursuing a __________ strategy strive to be the lowest cost producer in an industry for a particular level of product quality. a. differentiation b. cost leadership c. specialization d. evaluation

differentiation

If a company creates and maintains a culture that encourages employees to bring new ideas into the company, it is most likely to be using what strategy? a. differentiation b. cost leadership c. specialization d. evaluation

environmental preservation

Listening to employees, recognizing their work, building trust, and behaving ethically has been shown to boost each of the following measures of performance EXCEPT a. environmental preservation b. operating earnings c. return on investment d. stock price

superior value for their money

Michael Porter says that, to have a competitive advantage, a company must ultimately be able to give customers _______________. a. the product with the highest possible quality b. perfect customer service c. superior value for their money d. whatever they want

interpersonal skills

One of your remote employees makes a mistake on an important project, so you must write her an email that explains the nature of the mistake and stresses how vital it is that the mistake is both fixed and never repeated. At the same time, because it was an honest mistake, you do not want your email to demoralize, demotivate, or otherwise unduly upset your employee. Your ability to write an email that corrects your employee's behavior without damaging her productivity or your relationship with her falls under which category of skills? a. interpersonal skills b. technical skills c. conceptual skills d. diagnostic skills

the individual-organization interface

Organizational behavior is defined as the study of three interrelated areas, one of which is __________. a. the individual-organization interface. b. the maximization of human resources. c. profitability. d. the management of interpersonal conflict in the workplace.

customer intimacy

Organizations pursuing a specialization strategy often try to develop a competitive advantage based on which of the following? a. customer intimacy b. customer integrity c. customer intimidation d. customer integration

theory, hypothesis, data, verification

The steps of the scientific method go in which order? a. theory, hypothesis, data, verification b. hypothesis, theory, data, verification c. data, hypothesis, theory, verification d. data, theory, hypothesis, verification

organizing

Which managerial function involves designing jobs, grouping jobs into units, and establishing patterns of authority between jobs and units? a. planning b. organizing c. leading d. controlling

committed employees

Which of the following characteristics gives Costco a competitive advantage? a. committed employees b. lower operating expenses c. lower employee salaries d. lack of direct competitors

not asking for raises

Which of the following is NOT an example of organizational citizenship? a. not asking for raises b. never missing deadlines c. meeting all of the goals necessary to qualify for end of year bonuses d. agreeing to trade shifts with a coworker

developing incentives to use fewer employees

Which of the following is not a facet of human resource management? a. developing incentives to motivate employees b. creating programs to develop employees' skills c. developing incentives to use fewer employees d. developing incentives to retain employees

Sally suspects that Gary is underperforming because he is not getting enough sleep, not because he is incapable. She lets him work from 10 to 6 instead of 9 to 5, and his performance improves.

Which of the following scenarios most clearly exemplifies the successful use of a manager's diagnostic skills? a. Sally must convince Gary and Rob to work overtime. She knows that Gary's top priority is his own self-interest, so when talking to him, she emphasizes how much money he'll make. She knows that Rob's top priority is her well-being, so when talking to him, she emphasizes how much it will mean to her. Gary and Rob both work overtime happily. b. Sally suspects that Gary is underperforming because he is not getting enough sleep, not because he is incapable. She lets him work from 10 to 6 instead of 9 to 5, and his performance improves. c. A program on Sally's computer stops working. She could ask Gary, a member of the tech support team, to fix it, but Sally is good with computers and fixes the problem herself in less time than it would have taken Gary to come over and fix it. d. Sally has to lay off either Rob or Gary. Although she likes Rob more, she lays him off because Gary fits in better with the team overall and is better able to execute the company's strategic mission.

hypotheses

___________ are written predictions specifying expected relationships between certain variables. a. Hypotheses b. Prophesies c. Theories d. Correlations

Scientific

___________management is based on the belief that productivity is maximized when organizations are rationalized with precise sets of instructions based on time-and-motion studies. a. Sociological b. Scientific c. Straightforward d. Strategic

sustainable

Successful business strategies are grounded in creating and maintaining a competitive advantage that is ______________. a. sustainable b. volatile c. inflexible d. aggressive

scientific

The _________ method relies on systematic studies that identify and replicate a result using a variety of methods, samples, and settings. a. scientific b. procedural c. statistical d. intuitive

Hawthorne

The __________ effect occurs when people improve some aspect of their behavior or performance simply because they are being assessed. a. Hamilton b. Hawthorne c. Henry d. Hendricks

working with people is an improvable skill

The study of organizational behavior is beneficial to managers because _________ a. it enables them to be dispassionate when firing underperforming employees. b. managers who cannot cite important organizational behavior texts rarely get promoted. c. it enables them to exploit human resources more efficiently. d. working with people is an improvable skill.

True

True or False. Most managerial work involves simultaneous use of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling functions.

False

True or False. Organization-level outcomes, including productivity, absenteeism and turnover, and profitability, are assessed at the individual level as well as at the organizational level.

False

True or False. The ability to think in the abstract and visualize the "big picture" is classified as a technical skill.

False

True or False. The study of organizational behavior involves both human behavior and characteristics of organizations, but its principal focus is the exterior environment that surrounds the organization

False

True or False. The study of organizational behavior is useful in that it enables managers to predict behavior patterns before they develop.

True

True or False. The successful application of organizational behavior principles can reduce a company's rates of turnover and absenteeism.