Chapter 5: Organizational Culture

Which of the following statements regarding the creation and maintenance of culture is INCORRECT?

Computer-based orientation programs are more cost efficient and are more effective at conveying corporate culture than classroom-based programs.

Angelina has just accepted a new job. Her career counselor would not offer her which of the following pieces of advice if she wanted to ensure that Angelina gets "on board" in the new firm quickly?

Do not ask too many questions, as this would reveal your weaknesses.

Which of the following statements regarding the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) process is INCORRECT?

Due to economic circumstances, companies today hire people for fit with the job only and are much less concerned about fit with the culture.

Best practices for onboarding programs in firms suggest all of the following EXCEPT

Keep the program as an informal plan. Formalization of the plan will prevent its adaptation to new types of employees.

_____________ is (are) part of the culture maintenance phase.

Leadership

Which of the following statements about the effectiveness of a mission statement is INCORRECT?

The mere act of publishing the mission statement makes it effective as it clarifies to all employees the purpose of the organization.

The Starbucks mission statement describes guiding principles and the organization's:

Values

Which of the following statements regarding culture creation is correct?

When the organization's way of doing business provides a successful adaptation to environmental challenges, those beliefs and values are retained.

Which of the following statements regarding visual elements of culture is INCORRECT?

While physical layouts impact motivational levels in employees, they do little to convey the firm's culture to those employees.

A culture that emphasizes precision and paying attention to details is

a detail-oriented culture.

A statement of purpose describing who a company is and what it does is

a mission statement.

A defined set of values unique to a limited cross-section of the organization is

a subculture.

During onboarding activities, employees must do all of the following to be successful EXCEPT

be reactive.

If an industry is highly regulated, firms competing within it likely have

bureaucratic structures.

Shared values and beliefs that are in direct opposition to the values of the broader organizational culture represent a

counterculture.

The culture of Altmira Corporation is characterized by participative decision making, innovation and openness. The accounting department, however, is run using authoritarian decision making to ensure efficiency and effectiveness. Accounting manager Gordon Paul believes in tight control to prevent errors. The accounting department's culture could be classified as a

counterculture.

What is the final step in a successful cultural change process?

creating new stories and symbols

The corner office, mahogany desks and credenzas, gold name plates on office doors and reserved parking places are examples of

cultural artifacts.

Security, safety and social equality are all examples of

cultural values.

A system of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs that shows employees what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior is

culture.

At Walt Disney World, guests staying at The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa find thick white terrycloth robes hanging in the cupboard when they arrive in the room. Maids do not just place washcloths in the bath area; they form the washcloths into animals and arrange them on the vanity ready for a photograph. At night mints appear on the pillows and when the beds are made in the morning, any plush animals children have purchased or brought from home will be arranged in an entertaining formation on the finished bed. These examples suggest that Walt Disney Company is _______ __________.

detail-oriented.

The firm pays above average wages to its employees. Each employee is given at least two weeks of vacation and any time family matters arise and time is needed, flexible arrangements are made to facilitate the employee. Each Thanksgiving, a turkey is provided to each employee, $15 gift certificates are given for the Christmas holiday, and during the summer, the firm pays for each employee and one other individual to attend an expense-paid day at the local amusement park. This firm seems to be a(n) _________ company.

people-oriented

Lincoln Manufacturing has a large sign posted at the entrance to the firm's parking area that keeps count of the number of days since the last accident in the firm. Currently, the number stands at 150. The count is changed every day in somewhat of a "ceremony," and every time another 50 days go by without an accident, the firm provides a free lunch to employees. Posters throughout the plant remind workers to wear protective clothing including earplugs, safety hats and glasses and safety shoes. Lincoln has what kind of culture?

safety

The mother of the young man always has such difficulty getting him jeans to wear to elementary school. He needs the husky size and does not want any color EXCEPT the dark blue denim. The mother needs four pair of jeans. She usually purchases them at a major department store located in the mall near her home. She is at the mall today and is disappointed that only one pair in the size she needs is available. The salesclerk says that more should be available soon, but she is not sure exactly when. The day after the purchase, the phone rings in the mother's home. It is the salesclerk from the major department store reporting that three pairs of the husky jeans in the child's size have arrived and she is holding them for the mother. The mother thanks the clerk and asks how she got the mother's phone number. "It took me some time, says the clerk, "but I found your receipt from yesterday and looked up your phone number through our computer system." This store has a _________ culture.

service

Nordstrom is most recognized for and has been ranked in Fortune Magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" because of its

service culture.

The marketing department at Langston Industries meets once a week for a pizza luncheon after which the marketing manager holds his weekly "venting session" where department members can express their concerns about what is going right and wrong in the department and firm. The finance department, on the other hand, never meets. The finance manager simply sends emails to his subordinates each Monday with a list of the items to be accomplished each week and tries to get around to seeing each individual sometime during the week for any questions the employee might have. Langston appears to have _________ in its organization.

subcultures

Alcoa Corporation's headquarters facility has a minimal number of traditional offices with four walls and a door. The elevators on each floor are located at the ends of the long corridors in out-of-the-way alcoves. An open-air escalator runs in the center of the building. Workers largely are seated in low-walled cubicles. Copy machines and other office equipment are centrally located on each floor. This physical layout encourages what kind of culture?

team-oriented

Companies that are collaborative and emphasize cooperation among employees have a(n) __________ _________ culture.

team-oriented

The firm places its employees into five-person groups and gives them projects that are to be completed by each group with minimum direction from a project leader. Compensation in the firm is divided into two parts—that earned for your primary job, and that earned for work in your group. Once each year, training seminars are conducted for all company employees to learn the latest techniques in collaboration. This firm has a(n) ____________ culture.

team-oriented

Which if the following statements regarding the impact of reward systems on culture shaping is correct?

A firm that rewards purely on the basis of goal achievement is likely to have an outcome-oriented culture.

Which of the following statements regarding culture in organizations is INCORRECT?

Countercultures are never tolerated by an organization once they are identified.

Which of the following statements regarding founder's values is INCORRECT?

Founder values lay the cornerstone of the firm's culture, but values have a rapidly decreasing impact as the firm grows and ages.

In completing a Big 5 personality inventory, Manuel was found to have high openness to experience. He would be attracted to an organization like

Google with a laid-back, innovative culture.

Which of the following statements regarding organizational culture and its impact on the firm is INCORRECT?

Having a culture that fits with the company leads to good company performance, but having a culture that does not fit has no impact.

Which of the following statements regarding the organization's role in onboarding and orientation activities is INCORRECT?

How companies do onboarding doesn't really matter much.

Which of the following statements regarding culture dimensions is INCORRECT?

Outcome-oriented cultures hold managers accountable for success, but not other employees.

Firms with clearly communicated, widely understood and collectively shared mission and vision have been shown:

Perform better than those without them

Firms that are flexible, adaptable and experiment with new ideas are _________ firms.

innovative

ABC Corporation has its sights clearly set on XYZ Company. The firm's employees often talk about "cutting XYZ off at the knees." Recently a lawsuit was filed against ABC by XYZ because ABC "raided" the middle-level management level of XYZ and hired away 5 of its 7 managers. ABC has a(n) ____________________ culture.

aggressive

Strong cultures

are evidenced by consensus among employees on the values of the company.

The visible and tangible elements of culture are

artifacts.

Organizational culture consists of three levels:

assumptions, artifacts and values.

If onboarding activities are successful

employees are more confident about their ability to perform in the organization and are likely to remain longer with the firm.

3M Corporation provides its employees time each week to generate ideas for new products. This practice is responsible for the development of such products as Post-it notes. 3M has a(n) _____________ culture.

innovative

Leaders impact organization culture in all of the following ways or practices EXCEPT

leader intelligence.

Studies indicate that the most influential factor in creating an ethical culture is

leadership.

Cultural assumptions

lie below the awareness level and reflect beliefs about human nature and reality.

Research on mentoring suggests

mentor training enhances program outcomes.

A trusted individual who provides the employee with advice and support regarding career-related matters is a

mentor.

The process through which new employees learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors required to function effectively within an organization is

organizational socialization.

The school district has established achievement-oriented goals. Teachers are told that their instruction must thoroughly prepare students for high scores on the state achievement tests. Each nine-week grading period, teachers meet to discuss overall progress toward the goals set for increasing state achievement test scores. Recently the superintendent of the school district proposed establishing a bonus fund to reward teachers whose students' scores increased the most from year to year on those tests. This school has what kind of culture?

outcome-oriented

Those who emphasize achievement, results and action create a(n) _________ __________ culture in their organizations.

outcome-oriented

A company with a stable culture is

predictable, rule-oriented and bureaucratic.

Research on the employee role in onboarding activities indicates all of the following to be true EXCEPT

reactive individuals are more successful than proactive individuals.

A well known Fortune 500 CEO dresses up in a different outlandish costume each year for his presentation during the annual stockholder meeting. The presentation is simulcasted to all divisions and offices of the firm and employees enthusiastically view the proceedings. This scenario is an example of what visual element of culture?

rituals

The Internal Revenue Service has many rules and regulations with regard to tax code and the filing of returns. The organization is large and very bureaucratic. If an individual has issues with the agency, getting it resolved is a laborious process filled with "red tape" and takes an extensive amount of time and patience to resolve. The Internal Revenue Service has a(n) _________ culture.

stable

To ensure all cast members share the history of Walt Disney World, new hires at the resort must take the courses on traditions at Disney. With these classes, the Walt Disney Company is creating a

strong culture.

People-oriented cultures

value fairness, supportiveness and respecting individual rights.

Shared principles, standards and goals are

values.