Organizational Behavior Quizzes for final exam study guide

What is the difference between formal and informal groups?

A formal group is assigned by an organization or its managers to accomplish specific goals.

"Men have a more difficult time empathizing with others." This statement is:

FALSE

Values tend to vary across generations because they are influenced by events in childhood and youth. For example, some parents lived through the Depression, and this experience led them to be risk takers in terms of their investments.

FALSE

Roger manages both Bill and Nancy. They are in an argument about who should handle a particular job. Roger encourages them to deal directly with each other in a positive and constructive manner. Roger is acting as a(n)

Facilitator

"Your assignments are always late" is an example of good feedback.

False

Managers wishing to reduce conflict between members and groups should isolate them from each other as much as possible.

False

Norms only emerge on their own in group situations; they are not consciously formed.

False

Samantha assumes that someone experiencing poverty simply refuses to work hard enough to make a living. Which of the following does this describe?

Fundamental Attribution Error

Which of the following is not an outcome likely to result from positive emotions?

Loss of focus

_____ is a key input to positivity from person factors.

Mindfulness

Which of the following interpersonal traits has research shown to have a negative relationship with leadership effectiveness?

Narcissism

______ programs help employees to integrate, assimilate, and transition to new jobs.

Onboarding

Which of the following statements about conflict is true?

Organizations can suffer from too little conflict.

Which of the following contributes least to employee engagement in North America?

Pay

With self-serving bias, employees attribute their success to internal factors and their failures to external factors.

TRUE

What kind of goal is best for jobs that are dynamic, but in which nearer-term activities and milestones can be defined?

Task

In a study of executives from 300 companies, the most desirable soft skill named was

Teamwork

Communication competence is a performance-based index of an individual's abilities to effectively use communication behaviors in a given context.

True

Effective leadership is influenced not only by leadership behavior, but also task-oriented traits and interpersonal attributes.

True

Functional conflict is also known as constructive or cooperative conflict.

True

Intuitive processes are influenced by both expertise and feelings.

True

Recent research has shown that employees' use of social media is related to increased job satisfaction, performance, and retention.

True

Personal attitudes affect _______ via ______.

behavior; intentions

Which of the following types of performance measurement is more reliable, valid, and provides more useful feedback to employees?

behaviorally anchored rating scales

Norman is elected president of the debate club. He is known as a team player. That means that Norman is

committed, collaborative, and competent

Which of the following is an individual function of a group?

coordinate interdepartmental efforts

Rebecca e-mailed a wedding invitation to her cousin Shawn. A few days later, she got a reply saying that he can't make it to the wedding because he will not be able to get any vacation. In the communication process, Shawn's reply is an example of

feedback

Nicole is a manager at a fast food restaurant. She is under a lot of pressure from headquarters to increase her monthly profits. Nicole isn't sure what the solution is for her financial dilemma. She decides to use the rational decision-making model to determine the best path for a solution. The problem has already been defined by headquarters. Now Nicole has to

generate alternative solutions

Group polarization research suggests that:

group members will ignore or minimize evidence that challenges positions they already hold

Roger, a manager, knows that one of his employees values conformity and tradition. Roger should assign the employee to a job that includes-

high respect, commitment, and acceptance

When a leader is resolving disputes and facilitating communication among subordinates, he or she is engaging in ________ behaviors.

interaction-facilitation

Formal groups perform two basic functions: __________ and __________.

organizational; individual

One of the benefits of using intuition to make decisions is that it can

speed up the decision-making process.

State lottery officials send residents a facsimile of a winning check for over $95 million to encourage the residents to imagine themselves as possible winners. The lottery promoters are most clearly exploiting the influence of:

Availability heuristic

______ is the idea that decision makers are restricted by constraints when making decisions.

Bounded rationality

Daniel has been promoted three times. As he moves up in the organization, he will increasingly need

Business and strategic skills

When Harry has a perceived conflict with a co-worker, he will send them e-mails that are taunting or insulting. This is an example of-

CWB

To derive effective solutions in short time spans with limited information, leaders primarily need

Cognitive Abilities

Which of the following best explains why business managers are more likely to track the career achievements of employees they once hired than the achievements of employees they once rejected for a job?

Confirmation Bias

In ________, one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party.

Conflict

If a speedy decision is needed, the _______ conflict handling style is appropriate.

Dominating

The _____ model suggests that managers should monitor employees' perceptions of fairness.

Equity

When issues are complex, better solutions are needed, commitment is needed, and time is available, the ________ conflict handling style is appropriate.

Integrating

Stockbrokers often believe that their own expertise will enable them to select stocks that will outperform the market average. This belief best illustrates:

Overconfidence

Jack set himself a goal of shooting a 79 or better on his local golf course before the end of spring. This is a ________ goal.

Performance

When a receiver expresses a reaction to the sender's message, he or she is

Providing feedback

A negative reinforcer tends to _____________ the behavior it follows.

Strengthen

Which of the following situations is most likely to result in conflict?

competition for limited resources

Multitaskers end up switching tasks hundreds of times a day. This makes them ______ in their work environment.

less efficient

Managers can improve employee satisfaction with the feedback process by:

letting the employee voice his/her opinion and discuss performance goals.

Leader-member exchange theory focuses on the leader's

relationships with followers

In the _________ bias, a decision maker is influenced by the first information received about a decision, even if it is irrelevant.

Anchoring

What form of diversity management is an organization adopting when it assumes that all diverse people will learn to fit in or become like the dominant group?

Assimilation

Norah and Katy work together. They are also friends outside of work. Norah and Katy are constantly texting each other. Their supervisor comments that, while this might be fine outside of work, it's inappropriate to constantly text each other in the office. This is an example of

Context of interaction

Which of the following methods of problem solving is the most likely to result in errors?

Heuristics

________ is solving problems by producing the best possible solution.

Optimizing

________ is the extent to which an individual identifies with an organization and commits to its goals.

Organizational Commitment

Kerry's manager asks her to head up a team reviewing office protocols. Kerry is in a great mood, having received a substantial bonus last week. This indicates that _____ experiences lead us to be more responsive to positive information.

Positive

Communication competence is

an individual's ability to effectively use communication behaviors in a given context

The type of performance measurement system where a company assembles performance data on an individual from most or all of his/her contacts within and outside the company is known as:

360-degree performance appraisals

Despite being convicted on 25 counts of racketeering, conspiracy, and extortion charges related to awarding state river boat casino licenses to local businessmen, Governor Randolph continues to receive widespread support from some of her loyal constituents. Which of the following best explains the reactions of Governor Randolph's supporters?

Belief Perseverance

Which of the following explains why humans tend to do what everyone else is doing?

Conformity

_________ are discussions between two or more people where the stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong.

Crucial Conversations

_________ occurs when people perceive that they are being attacked or threatened.

Defensiveness

_______ are the statistical measurements of populations and their qualities (such as age, race, gender, or income) over time.

Demographics

Sharon is the Director of Human Resources at a company that is undergoing a merger with another organization. As a result of the merger, a portion of the combined workforce will be laid off. Sharon understands that even with a lucrative severance package, the news will adversely affect the lives of these employees. Therefore, she wants to break the news to them in a sensitive manner so as to maintain the company's image. Which of the following is the most appropriate communication medium to use in this situation?

Face-to-face conversation

Frank is the manager for a grocery store. He supervises 18 workers who perform service and clerical work that requires minimal training. Which of the following statements would indicate that Frank is following the servant-leadership model of leadership?

Frank refrains from engaging in self-serving behaviors that hurt others and focuses on increased service to others rather than to himself

Which of the following is the best approach for building hope?

Generate an important goal that is attainable yet challenging

Which of the following rater errors leads employees to believe that no aspects of their performance need improvement?

Halo

_______ leadership is an example of passive leadership.

Laissez-Faire

In what stage of the group development process are group standards developed?

Norming

Which of the following types of performance is characterized by assisting coworkers, having a positive attitude, and representing the company in a positive way outside of work?

Organizational Citizenship behaviors

Mickey is a successful salesman at AHR Corp. In addition to his normal duties, Mickey has created a best practices manual for new salespeople to help ensure their success. This is an example of:

Positive deviance

Donna works as a project manager for a major consumer products firm. She works with beliefs, perceptions, and informal obligations about what she is entitled to receive in return for what she provides to the organization. Janice's beliefs represent a(n)

Psychological Contract

Jay works for ABC Corporation. He feels quite comfortable expressing his opinions about a wide variety of issues facing the company without fear of reprisal. This reflects ABC's:

Psychological Safety

Which of the following employment selection decisions best characterizes affirmative action?

Selection of Equal Candidates

Which of the following refers to your confidence in your ability to performance a specific task?

Self-Efficacy

Sierra receives a compliment on her class presentation and attributes her success to his diligent preparation. Antwan received a poor grade and blames it on his adding the class late and missing a few early classes. These are examples of:

Self-serving bias

Which of the following rater errors is made when people give higher evaluation to individuals who they consider akin to themselves?

Similar-to-me

When some group members try to avoid responsibility and allow others to do the work of the group, they are displaying:

Social Loafing

Joyce finds that the members of the project team to which she has been promoted are all middle-aged men. Joyce wonders if she, a young new graduate from a local university, will be taken seriously. Joyce is likely to be reacting to a

Stereotype

In 360-degree feedback, individuals compare perceptions of their own performance with information from their manager, subordinates, and peers.

TRUE

Research has found that some aspects of an individual's disposition are significantly associated with some aspects of job satisfaction, such as having autonomy or receipt of rewards.

TRUE

______ are abstract ideals that guide one's thinking and behavior across all situations.

Values

What is the primary cost of using 'silence' as a method of managing conflict?

We give our unspoken approval

Which of the following is a potential disadvantage associated with the use of representativeness heuristics?

We ignore relevant information

We have the cognitive capacity to process words at a much higher rate than people speak. Which of the following can result from this?

We miss or lose some of what we hear

Which of the following is defined by levels of positive emotions, work engagement, relationships, means, and achievement?

Well-being

Ellen and George work for the same company. Ellen, a Gen Xer, really appreciates the flextime opportunities, while George, a baby boomer, takes advantage of the free computer training offered at the company. These policies are examples of

Work-life balance