MGMT-310 Ch. 8 Review Questions

Which of the following best describes the kind of culture that leads to success over the long term?

Dynamic & responsive

An organization's culture often comes from the founder of the company. Which of the following items is not a reason founders have an influence on culture?

Founders often turn decision making over to their employees, who then feel a responsibility to help the company.

A manager would examine the company's _______ to learn how employees are likely to respond to problems.

Culture

In 1998, the German automaker Daimler-Benz and the U.S. automaker Chrysler formed what they called a 'merger of equals.' However, Daimler's culture was very formal and emphasized quality, while the American company had an informal 'cowboy' culture that emphasized cost control. A few years later, the merger was declared a failure. What lessons can we learn from this? Check all that apply.

-Forcing the integration of two incompatible cultures often results in the loss of a key value component. -A merger is very unlikely to work if the two companies do not share broadly compatible cultures. -Trying to merge two cultures as equals is more difficult than imposing the culture of the purchasing company on the acquired company.

Which of the following actions could Tim take to help the two groups develop a strong internal culture? Check all that apply.

-Tim could set up a clear set of values for the entire organization. -Tim could establish the behaviors he wants to see from employees and determine how to measure those behaviors. -Tim could model behaviors that are consistent with the culture he wants for the entire organization.

Which of the following is a consequence of having a strong organizational culture?

A strong culture can make adapting to change more difficult.

After the 2008 global financial meltdown, Swiss-based banking giant UBS published a 44-page dress code that stipulated, among other things, that women must wear a tailored pantsuit in dark charcoal, dark blue, or black with a white blouse or shirt and black shoes.

Artifacts

Hewlett Packard's "the HP Way" and Southwest Airlines' "LUV" form unconscious, underlying bases for behavior.

Assumptions

Food manufacturer Mars Inc. states on its website and in many company publications that "the Mars Five Principles of Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom are the foundation of our culture and our approach to business."

Beliefs and values

If we determine that View It Right's and Play2Learn's cultures are very different, what is an option we might pursue?

Identify pieces of the cultures from both companies that are essential to the company's well-being, and create a new culture based on those elements.

If you feel committed to the Challenge for Charity Group because the organization's values align with your own, then you are in the _______ stage of commitment.

Internalization

The artifacts of an organization are:

Its visible organizational structures, processes, and languages.

Organizations hope that the end result of the socialization process will be _______ on the part of employees.

Organizational commitment

________is the desired end result of socialization whereby employees become committed to the organization and its goals.

Organizational commitment

A leadership approach is most likely to be successful when a leader of a firm:

Rewards achievement with nonpay perks such as new assignments.

The process of cultural socialization can take all of the following forms except:

Shareholder value

As a new member of the Challenge for Charity Group, you notice that the association has its own way of operating. Last week, the other association members gave a special treat to every club member who brought a can of food to the club meeting. The club works with the local food shelter to feed the homeless, and all club members who bring cans of food get free tickets to club events such as the fall dance. This is an example of _______ members into the culture of the organization through the use of _______.

Socializing, Reward systems and norms

When a company has _______, different groups have _______ difficulty collaborating, and the firm may be less customer-centric.

Strong subcultures, More

______are cultures that form around geographic or organizational units in a company.

Subcultures

Which of the following is true of organizational culture?

The power structure of a company can help one decipher its culture.

Founders have ways to embed culture into their organization through all of the following except:

Their capacity to put profit first.

Before an acquisition takes place, managers of acquiring companies must understand:

Their own company's culture

Strong cultures decrease _______ by _______ the number of employees who fit into the organization.

Turnover, Increasing