MGMT Combo!
________ focuses on providing an efficient flow of resources to an organization. A) Supply chain management B) Value chain management C) Value D) Supply
(A) Value chain management is an externally oriented process that focuses on anything that provides value for a value chain, both inputs and outputs. Supply chain management, on the other hand, focuses entirely on incoming resources, not outputs, making this choice the correct response. Value and supply themselves are what guide each management process, not the management processes themselves.
When actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation, it is termed a(n) ________. A) acceptable deviation B) insignificant deviation C) large deviation D) significant deviation
(D) Any measure of actual performance that does not fall within the limits of what the manager has termed an acceptable range of variation is termed a significant deviation, making this choice the correct response and eliminating all other responses. Note that a significant deviation is defined entirely by the situation and the manager. The same deviation in two different situations, or when evaluated by two different managers, may be assessed differently.
When should a manager's course of action be to do nothing? A) When the cause of the variation has been identified. B) When the standard is acceptable. C) When the standard is not acceptable. D) When the variance is acceptable.
(D) By definition, when the variance of performance is within an acceptable range, it means that the manager finds that performance level to be functional or better, so there is no need to take corrective action. This makes "acceptable variance" the correct response and rules out all other responses.
Controlling compares ________ to see if goals are being achieved. A) planned performance to standard performance B) standard performance to ideal performance C) actual performance to competitor performance D) actual performance to planned performance
(D) Controlling compares how the organization actually performed to the goals and plans that were set during the planning stage of the management process, making "actual performance to planned performance" the correct response and ruling out all other responses. If the actual performance matches what was planned, goals are considered met and the organization in most cases can consider itself successful. However, if actual performance is judged to be insufficient for some reason, then the organization will consider its performance to be inadequate and take some kind of action to remedy the situation.
Technology investment: common types/tools
1. ERP (enterprise resource planning) software 2. Customer relationship management systems 3. E-business connections 4. Work planning software
6 requirements of the value chain
1. coordination and collaboration 2. technology investment 3. organizational processes 4. leadership 5. HR 6. org culture/attitudes
Durability and features are measures of? A. Product quality B. Service quality C. Product value D. Service value
A
Feedback control
A cell phone maker tests its new model with a sample audience when it is fully operational. What kind of control is this?
106) In equity theory, procedural justice is concerned with which of the following?
A) determining how fair the system is
92) A(n) ________ leader in path-goal theory gives specific guidance in performing tasks.
A) directive
117) The integrated model for motivation (Exhibit 10-9, page 277) features the following basic sequence.
A) effort → performance → rewards → individual goals
151) Zach was using which types of Herzberg factors to increase productivity levels?
A) motivators
80) The most influential of McClelland's needs by far has been ________.
A) need for achievement
42) About ________ of the U.S. workforce is excited about work.
A) one-quarter
Smile
An example of nonverbal communication is ____________
Safety
An individual who wants to buy a home in a neighborhood with a low crime rate is satisfying which need?
What is the difference between an intranet and an extranet?
An intranet works only within an organization, while an extranet extends to authorized users who are outside the organization
A democratic participate leader ____. A) seeks input and shares the final decision B) shares the final decision without input C) makes the final decision without input D) seeks input but makes the final decision by oneself
Answer is A
A high-high leader in the Ohio State studies achieved the highest ratings with respect to A) both employee performance and satisfaction B) employee performance only C) employee satisfaction only D) employee performance for routine tasks only
Answer is A
Monica's boss allows her to make any decision she thinks is important on the spot without consulting anyone. Monica's boss has this kind of leadership style. A) laissez-faire B) autocratic style C) democratic style D) hands on style
Answer is A
Because leading is one of the four basic managerial functions, _____ leaders. A) all managers are B) all managers should be C) some managers are D) some managers should be
Answer is B
Trait theory helps explain why ____. A) Some people are leaders B) Some people are not leaders C) Successful leaders are effective D) Leadership involves extraversion
Answer is C
When a budget is used for controlling, it provides ________ against which resource consumption can be compared. A) quantitative standards B) qualitative standards C) flexible standards D) non-numerical standards
Answer: A Explanation: A) A budget provides definite, quantitative standards that can be used for comparison with actual consumption data, making quantitative standards the correct response. Budgets provide precise quantities that are clearly not non-numerical, flexible, or qualitative.
75) High cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this. A) strong productivity increase B) strong productivity decrease C) small productivity decrease D) no productivity change
Answer: A Explanation: A) A group that is cohesive with goals that align with organizational goals will tend to be highly productive, making "strong productivity increase" the correct response. The cohesiveness allows the group to work well together and produce an effective, coordinated, collective effort. When this strong effort also aligns with organizational goals, the two work synergistically producing strong efforts in the right areas, resulting in dramatic productivity increases.
A management information system (MIS) provides managers with ________ data. A) analyzed and processed B) raw C) unanalyzed D) numerical
Answer: A Explanation: A) An MIS is useful because it provides managers with organized, processed, useful forms of data, not data that is raw or unanalyzed. Numerical is not correct because much of the data that an MIS supplies will not be numerical.
112) Autonomy is a ________ factor that contributes to team effectiveness. A) work design B) context C) process D) composition
Answer: A Explanation: A) Context factors involve the situation in which the team functions, not how team members go about their jobs, so context is not a correct response. Process factors involve how well the team works together and who does what, not how team members go about their jobs, so process is not a correct response. Composition factors are about who makes up the team, not how team members go about their jobs, so composition is an incorrect response. Work design factors involve how workers go about their jobs so autonomy, how much independence workers have, is a work design factor, making work design the correct response.
Effective controlling can help managers who are afraid to delegate authority ________. A) empower their employees B) set their goals C) maximize risk D) minimize employee empowerment
Answer: A Explanation: A) Effective controlling gives managers a way to delegate authority but still make sure that empowered employees are progressing effectively toward organizational goals, making "empowering employees" the correct response and ruling out "minimization of employee empowerment," since controlling maximizes rather than minimizes empowerment. Setting goals is not a correct response because controlling takes place long after goals have been set. Maximizing risk can be eliminated as a correct response because effective controlling would serve to reduce, or minimize, not maximize risk.
69) Large groups appear to perform better when the goal of the group is to ________. A) find facts B) create consensus on a new product C) interpret facts D) solve problems quickly
Answer: A Explanation: A) Large groups seem to be inferior in performance when compared to small groups when it comes to speed of solving problems, interpreting facts or data that has already been collected, or coming to agreement about a topic, making all of those choices incorrect. Large groups do seem to have a definite edge on small groups when the group goal is to amass data and facts, making "finding facts" the correct response.
Direct supervision of employees is a form of ________ control. A) concurrent B) ineffective C) feedback D) feedforward
Answer: A Explanation: A) The best-known form of concurrent control occurs when a manager directly supervises an employee, telling him or her what to do while the work is being carried out. This makes concurrent the correct response and rules out all other responses.
) What managers choose to measure largely determines an organization's ________. A) goals B) structure C) image D) leaders and leadership style
Answer: A Explanation: A) The choice of what managers measure in terms of performance largely determines what the organization will try to excel at—in other words, its goals, making goals the correct response. While structure, leadership, and image can be affected by choice of performance measurement, these items are not directly affected, so they are incorrect responses for this question.
) An advantage of feedback control is that it improves ________. A) motivation B) productivity C) employee-manager relations D) employee-employee relations
Answer: A Explanation: A) Though feedback control may marginally or indirectly improve productivity, relations between employees, or between managers and employees, none of these effects has been identified as a primary benefit of feedback control. Motivational improvements, on the other hand, have definitely been seen as the result of feedback, making motivation the correct response for this question. Feedback gives workers a view of how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve, so it increases motivation to attain that improvement.
65) Members of an organization typically ________ the status of other organizational members. A) agree about B) disagree about C) cannot recognize D) refuse to recognize
Answer: A Explanation: A) Though typically informally gauged, most people can easily recognize and rank the status of individuals in their organization, and agree with one another with respect to this ranking, making "agreeing" the correct response for this question and eliminating "disagreeing" as a correct response.
For a baseball player a statistical report would feature such things as ________. A) a newspaper profile of the player B) batting average and slugging percentage C) filmed highlights of great plays D) scouting reports on the player
Answer: B Explanation: B) A newspaper article, highlight films, or scouting reports are all measurements of a player's value but they are not statistical measurements so they are incorrect responses. Batting average and slugging percentage are statistical measurements, so this choice is the correct response for this question.
71) As the size of a group increases, the output of ________. A) each group member tends to increase B) each group member tends to decrease C) the group decreases D) the group stays the same
Answer: B Explanation: B) Because the size of a group can make individual group members feel anonymous, the more the group increases in size, the less each group member tends to do with respect to productivity. This makes each member tending to decrease the correct response. Output of the group itself usually increases as groups get larger, even when individual productivity goes down, so the group decreasing and staying the same are both incorrect responses because they do not reflect this increase in group output.
) A basketball coach showing players how to position themselves on the court during practice is carrying out ________, a form of concurrent control. A) unstructured supervision B) direct supervision C) indirect supervision D) feedback supervision
Answer: B Explanation: B) Coaching is a form of direct supervision, since the coach is directing the actions of individuals while the activity (playing basketball) is taking place, making direct supervision the correct response. Coaching would not qualify as feedback since it occurs as the activity is taking place, nor is coaching indirect or unstructured since the coach is directly interacting with players in a highly formalized manner.
A household that cuts back on supermarket spending after going over-budget on its food budget is using the budget as a(n) ________. A) planning tool B) controlling tool C) organizing tool D) leading tool
Answer: B Explanation: B) In this case, the budget is being used as a controlling tool because the household is adjusting its consumption as a result of exceeding its budget in a particular area. The budget is providing a check on spending. This makes "controlling tool" the correct response. When the budget was first formulated, it was being used as a planning tool. Later, when the budget was used to guide spending it was being used as a leadership tool. When the budget helped determine who was going to buy what and when, it was being used as an organizing tool.
59) This is a common and effective method of establishing group norms. A) playing of board games B) teasing C) published lists of norms D) group norm websites
Answer: B Explanation: B) Since every group is different, generic websites or lists of norms are never used in the establishment of group norms. Board games would have little relevance to work situations, so that is also not a common way to establish norms. Surprisingly, teasing can help establish norms, as it can be a powerful way to inform newcomers about the values and mores of the group, making it the correct response.
A manager measuring actual performance is like a teacher ________. A) composing a test B) grading a test C) helping a student study for a test D) making an assignment
Answer: B Explanation: B) When a teacher composes a test, gives an assignment, or helps a student prepare for a test, she is not actually assessing or measuring performance. Instead she is creating the tools for assessing performance. Only when a teacher evaluates the test is she measuring actual performance, making "grading a test" the correct response.
When comparing Mexico to Scotland, you would expect Scottish workers to have ________. A) greater productivity, but lower labor cost per worker B) lower productivity, but higher labor cost per worker C) greater productivity and higher labor cost per worker D) lower productivity and lower labor cost per worker
Answer: C Explanation: C) As a more technologically advanced country, you would expect a Scottish facility to be less labor intensive and more productive per worker than a Mexican facility, making greater productivity and higher labor cost the correct response for this question. Both choices regarding lower productivity can be ruled out because they indicate lower productivity. Greater productivity but lower labor cost per worker is not a correct response because it identifies lower, not higher labor costs per worker.
In general, ________ that falls outside of an acceptable range of variation must be dealt with by a manager. A) an overperformance B) an underperformance C) any deviation D) a small overperformance or a large underperformance
Answer: C Explanation: C) By definition, any deviation that lies outside of an acceptable range of variation is unacceptable, therefore it must be dealt with. This means that any deviation is the correct response and the other three choices are incorrect because they are too limited in scope. What matters is that performance lies outside of the acceptable range, not whether performance is above or below that range.
When a company's scorecard is not balanced, it usually tends to overemphasize the area that ________. A) involves customers B) has to do with productivity C) best matches its organizational style and philosophy D) contrasts most with its organizational style and philosophy
Answer: C Explanation: C) Companies strive for a balanced approach but in reality shade toward the area that best matches their style, making that choice the correct response. For example, a bottom-line oriented company's scorecard will favor the financial area, while an innovative company's scorecard might lean toward the people/innovation/growth area.
53) High levels of conflict ________. A) are necessary for group cohesiveness B) increase group cohesiveness C) can contribute to group effectiveness D) are never a factor in group effectiveness
Answer: C Explanation: C) Conflict is clearly a divisive factor and does increase group cohesiveness or make group cohesiveness possible, eliminating those two choices. During the storming stage, high levels of conflict can definitely contribute to group effectiveness, making that the best answer for this question and eliminating the choice indicating conflict is never a factor since conflict can clearly have influence on effectiveness.
122) A major drawback of using global teams is ________. A) personality differences B) knowledge differences C) cultural differences D) skill differences
Answer: C Explanation: C) Global teams have no higher incidence of such things as personality clashes, skill differences, or knowledge differences than any team. If the team is assembled correctly, those problems are not likely to be any more frequent than they are with domestic teams. Cultural differences, on the other hand, can pose a real problem in global teams, causing misunderstanding and misinterpretation of actions and statements, making cultural differences the correct response here.
) ________ is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its current debt obligations. A) Leverage B) Activity C) Liquidity D) Profitability
Answer: C Explanation: C) Liquidity, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its debt payments, making that the correct response. Leverage, the ratio of total debt to total assets, is a measure of how much debt a company has to finance its assets. Activity, the ratio of sales to inventory, is a measure of how well a company uses its assets. Profitability, the ratio of net after-tax profits to total sales, is a measure of how good a company is at using its assets to generate profits.
130) A global team member from China would be likely to be ________. A) less productive in a team than on his own B) equally productive on his own and on a team C) more productive in a team than on his own D) more productive on his own than in a team
Answer: C Explanation: C) People from collectivist cultures like China often perform better and more productively within a group than on their own, making that the correct response.
A fast food restaurant is querying prospective customers about the features they would like to see in a new panini sandwich. What kind of control is being used? A) concurrent control B) feedback control C) feedforward control D) anticipation control
Answer: C Explanation: C) Since the company is asking for input before the actual product exists, feedforward control is being used, making this choice the correct response. Feedback control would have participants making comments about the sandwich after it was created, while concurrent control would have customers participate in the actual creation of the sandwich. Anticipation control is not a recognized control term.
The third step in the control process is to ________. A) measure actual performance B) compare a standard against an ideal C) take action D) compare performance to a standard
Answer: C Explanation: C) The first step in the control process is to find out how the organization went about its business—that is, to measure the actual performance of the organization. Comparing that actual performance against a standard is the second step of the control process. Taking action is the third and final step in the process, making taking action the correct response for this question. Comparing the standard against an ideal is not a step in the control process, making that choice an incorrect response.
61) Asch found that in some conditions, group members would provide information that they knew to be ________. A) exaggerated B) doubtful C) wrong D) unsubstantiated
Answer: C Explanation: C) The surprising aspect of Asch's work is that people would give answers that were not merely exaggerated, lacking in supportive evidence, or even dubious. Instead, these group members would actually give wrong answers, fully knowing that their answers were incorrect, making "wrong" the correct response.
These forms of performance measurement provide the best and most immediate forms of feedback. A) oral report and written report B) written report and statistical report C) MBWA and oral report D) statistical report and MBWA
Answer: C Explanation: C) The three incorrect choices all include written-document forms of measurement (written or statistical reports), so they can be ruled out since the most effective forms of feedback are generally verbal (including intonation, facial expressions, and body language) and immediate. This makes MBWA and oral report the correct response, since both MBWA and oral reports are verbal forms of evaluation that allow evaluators and subjects to interact and exchange feedback and other forms of information personally.
70) Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to ________. A) amassing meaningful data B) being comprehensive C) thoroughness D) interpreting data productively
Answer: D Explanation: D) Large groups are clearly superior to small groups when it comes to collecting facts in a thorough and comprehensive manner. Where small groups excel is in finding something useful and productive to do with facts and data that have already been collected, making "interpreting data productively" the correct response.
A balanced scorecard with respect to organizational performance includes areas that are financial and customer-oriented only.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: A balanced scorecard also includes assets from internal processes within the organization, as well as assets from people/ innovation/growth.
The team role of linker initiates creative ideas in a team.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: A linker coordinates and integrates the team. The creator-innovator is the one that initiates creative ideas.
The value of the control function lies in three areas: planning, organizing, and motivating.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The value of the control function is seen in three areas: planning, empowering employees, and protecting the workplace.
Members of a virtual team never actually communicate with one another.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Virtual team members communicate electronically. What they may not do is meet on a personal basis.
In an electronics company, a cross-functional team is likely to have an engineer, a designer, a software specialist, and a marketing specialist all working on the same project.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: A cross-functional team brings together specialists with different skills who each can contribute to the team effort.
Selection is important in the success of a team.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Selecting the right employees to be members of a team often can determine how successful the team will be. Teams that have been selected carefully with the right skills, knowledge, and attitudes are highly likely to be successful.
An effective team leader is often more of a coach than a manager.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Team leaders often have to focus on helping team members get the best out of themselves with respect to performance. This puts them in the role that is similar to that of a coach.
137) In a short essay, discuss the first stage of group development.
Answer: The first stage, forming, has two aspects. First, people join the group. Once the group's membership is in place, the second part of the forming stage begins: the task of defining the group's purpose, structure, and leadership. This phase is characterized by a great deal of uncertainty. Members are "testing the waters" to determine what types of behavior are acceptable. This stage is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group.
Quality
Apple's problems with the battery of the highly successful iPod show how important ________ is for a product.
Maslow believes that higher-order needs _________________. a. Are satisfied externally b. Are satisfied first c. Are satisfied internally d. Are satisfied most often
Are satisfied internally
If salespeople in John's company meet their sales goals for the month, they are given all-expense-paid trip to a Denver Broncos football game. Football is not one of John's favorite sports, and the Denver Broncos are definitely not John's favorite team. John's performance might be influenced by the ______ part of Vroom's expectancy theory a. Effort-performance linkage b. Performance-reward linkage c. Attractiveness d. Effort-reward linkage
Attractiveness
work design
Autonomy is a ________ factor that contributes to team effectiveness.
41) The direction of an individual's motivation can be channeled to benefit ________.
B) both individuals and/or organizations
45) According to Maslow, a person stranded on a desert island would ________ before she worried about making weapons.
B) build a house
77) A major criticism of Fiedler's work stated that it failed to recognize that effective leaders ________.
B) can change leadership styles
91) The path-goal theory sees the job of an effective leader as ________.
B) clearing the path between followers and their goals
105) In equity theory, distributive justice is concerned with which of the following?
B) comparing output-to-input ratios among individuals
95) A(n) ________ leader in path-goal theory often makes decisions collectively with followers.
B) participative
129) Most leadership theories were developed in the United States, causing them to stress ________.
B) rationality over spirituality
46) An individual who wants to buy a home in a neighborhood with a low crime rate is satisfying which need?
B) safety
66) Which description best characterizes a 9,1 leadership style on the managerial grid?
B) task management
73) Which of the following was directly influenced by Herzberg's two-factor theory?
B) the job characteristics model
62) The Ohio State studies indicated that leaders who were high in initiating structure received ________.
B) the lowest employee ratings
57) A manager with a Theory Y view of human nature would be likely ________.
B) to try to challenge his workers
69) Which of the following holds that intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction, and extrinsic factors are related to job dissatisfaction?
D) Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory
**71) Which of the following is true of the three early theories of motivation?
D) Only McGregor focuses on human nature.
51) Self-actualization most closely corresponds to ________.
D) becoming a whole person
107) Which term is most closely associated with transformational leaders?
D) inspiring
84) In which kinds of cultures do goal-setting theory ideas seem to do best?
D) low power distance, low uncertainty avoidance
Transformation Process
Design Operate Control
A key element of expectancy theory might be summarized by saying _________________. a. Most people are motivated by money b. Everyone is always motivated by fear of failure c. Everyone is motivated by the same thing d. Different rewards motivate people in different ways
Different rewards motivate people in different ways
Managers were
Dr. W. Edwards Deming, father of the global quality movement, thought that ________________ the key to productivity.
change goals for the following year
Due to a recent construction of an upscale housing community near a tennis club, customer use has skyrocketed during the year and the club is operating at all-time high levels, far beyond the goals set the previous year. The best strategy for the manager is to:
Product quality
Durability and features are measures of _____________________________.
In Herzberg's view, removing a factor of dissatisfaction makes a person more satisfied with his or her job.
False
19) Fiedler concluded that relationship-oriented leaders seemed to perform better in highly unfavorable situations.
False - Only moderate conditions
21) Situational leadership theory (SLT) states that an R3 worker who is able but unwilling to perform a task responds best to a selling leadership style.
False - Participating style to gain support
A leader who ranks 9,1 in the managerial grid would have more concern for people than production.
False - Task oriented
A manager measuring actual performance is like a teacher____.
Grading a test
much individuals share the group's goals
Group cohesiveness is largely a measure of how ________.
Conform to customer requirements
ISO9000 is a series of standards that ensure that products _________________.
Internal locus of control
If you believe that you control your own destiny, then your personality would be described as having a(n) _____________________
Which of the following is not an advantage of email?
Immediate feedback
Customers
In Value Chain Management, ultimately the ___________________ have power to make changes.
High distinctiveness
In attribution theory, if a person is conscientious in five separate tasks, but in the sixth tasks fails to be conscientious, this task is said to have ____________________
Lack motivation because he or she does not receive enough reward for what he or she does
In equity theory, an under-rewarded individual is likely to ___________________
comparing output-to-input ratios among individuals
In equity theory, distributive justice is concerned with which of the following?
Have trust in one another
In order for a value chain to function successfully, different partners in the chain must ________________
Encoded
In order to transmit a message, the thought originating with the sender must be _______ to symbolic form
Consideration
In the Ohio State studies, _________________ refers to how much mutual trust exists between employees and leaders
Six Sigma
In the Six Sigma system, this is the HIGHEST level of quality.
Which of the following is NOT a way to increase productivity
Increase inputs
Produce physical goods
It is easier to see the transformation process at work in manufacturing organizations than in service organizations because manufacturing organizations ___________________________.
Conscientiousness
Job studies show that this Big Five personality dimension was consistently important for success no matter what the job type
Jobs in a firm are quite informal. Workers are versatile and switch tasks and responsibilities depending on the situation. in Fiedler's model, this firm would be said to have ____.
Low task structure
Produce non physical outputs only
Service organizations _____________________.
When actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation, it is termed a
Significant deviation
Which of the following is a real time for of communication?
Skype
____is defined in situational theory as a high task, low relationship leadership role
Telling
Skill variety, task identity, and task significance
The JCM contends that ______________ are required in meaningful work
attain a certain level of performance
The first variable in expectancy theory involves how much effort a person must exert to
provides a permanent record
The great advantage of a written message is that it ________.
__________________ assumes that employees have little ambition, dislike work, and avoid responsibility. a. Theory Y b. Theory X c. Self-actualization d. Belongingness need theory
Theory X
Empathy
This dimension of emotional intelligence allows people to sense and understand how others are feeling
Competence
This is the dimension of trust that includes technical skills
Employees
This is the most important resource in any value chain.
Understanding the full meaning of the speaker's message
This is the primary goal of active listening
Cross-functional team
This kind of work group brings individuals together from different work disciplines with different knowledge and skills
Measures of quality
Timeliness, courtesy, consistency
_______ can lead to a value chain management company suffering losses of intellectual property.
Too much trust
Which quadrant of the managerial grid generally idnetifies the most successful leaders?
Top right
Turning raw materials (inputs) into a finished product (outputs).
Transformation process
**19) In Herzberg's view, removing a hygiene factor makes a person less dissatisfied with his or her job.
True
**25) In the JCM, autonomy and feedback are not core dimensions for a job.
True
The big problem with the managerial grid is that it doesn't tell how management styles work in different situations.
True
Emotions are short-lived. People often change their view of a situation after their emotion has time to cool.
Which of the following best explains why it is a good idea for a person to cool down before sending off an angry message?
The most important conclusion from the leader-participation model is that ________.
a leader must change his or her leadership style depending on the situation
Which of the following is NOT an example of a service organization?
a lens maker
Visionary leadership differs from charismatic leadership because of its focus on _________.
a positive image of the fute
Visionary leadership differs from charismatic leadership because of its focus on
a positive image of the future
As a product, piano lessons are ________.
a service because they are nonmaterial
As a product, piano lessons are___
a service because they are nonmaterial
Which of the following describes the effect of flexible work arrangements on employees?
a small decrease in job satisfaction
An example of nonverbal communication is ______
a smile
A business model is ________.
a strategic design for how a company intends to make profit
For addressing unemployment, this is an example of basic corrective action.
a task force to see why jobs were lost
The communication process begins with this.
a thought or purpose
Selenius Inc. develops and tests software products. The work calls for a lot of collaboration among employees, who frequently brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other. Which of the following workplace designs will best suit Selenius' requirements? A) an open workplace B) closed cubicles C) high partitions D) individual offices
a) an open workplace
In the ________ communication network, communication flows according to the formal organizational hierarchy, both downward and upward. A) chain B) all-channel C) wheel D) horizontal
a) chain
which of the following methods of communication offers high scanability? A) publications B) face-to-face communication C) meetings D) voice mail
a) publications
In an effort to improve communication within the Accounts department of a large organization, the department head puts a suggestion box at the door and invites employees to communicate their thoughts, ideas, concerns, or grievances to the managers in the department. Which of the following methods of communication is he encouraging? A) upward B) diagonal C) downward D) lateral
a) upward
In a(n) ________ communication network, all communication passes through a clearly identifiable leader to the others in a team and upward from team members to the leader. A) wheel B) all-channel C) chain D) circular
a) wheel
a high initiaing structure-high consideration leader in teh ohio state studies achieved the highest ratings with respect to __. a. both employee performance and satisfaction b. employee performance only c. employee satisfaction only d. employee performance for routine tasks only
a. both employee performance and satisfaction
Deming felt that ________ with statistics. a. employees should be capable of dealing b. employees should not be asked to deal c. managers only should deal d. employees only should deal
a. employees should be capable of dealing
Ross can create web pages that are accessible only to members of his organization on _____. a. an intranet b. extranet c. electronic data interchange d. a videoconference
a. intranet
Which kind of feedback is most frequently misinterpreted? a. negative feedback b. positive feedback
a. negative feedback
After World War II, U.S. managers made the mistake of thinking that ________. a. production problems were solved b. marketing problems were solved c. finance problems were solved d. marketing problems were not solved
a. production problems were solved
When an auto industry manager races about plans for a new car design and fails to see the flaws in the model, he is engaging in this. a. selective perception b. filtering c. emotion d. information overload
a. selective perception only pushing the good qualities
In PERT, the time difference between the critical path and any other path is called ________. a. slack time b. critical time c. network time d. lost time
a. slack time
a leader should avoid a directive leadership style when _____. a. tasks are highly structured b. workers have an external LOC c. tasks are stressful and ambiguous d. work groups experience conflict
a. tasks are highly structured there is no need to
Leaders who are looking for exceptionally high performance from subordinates might try this approach
achievement oriented
Leaders who are looking for exceptionally high performance from subordinates might try this approach.
achievement oriented
An ________ leader in path-goal theory does little but set challenging goals for followers.
achievement-oriented
What kind of process is listening?
active
Which of the following in NOT a key component of emotional intelligence
active imagination
Organizational processes eliminate
activities that don't add value
Controlling compares ______ to see if goals are being achieved.
actual performance to planned performance
Controlling compares ________ to see if goals are being achieved.
actual performance to planned performance
Transformation process creates
additional value
The leader-participation model contends that leader behavior should
adjust to the structure of the task involved
All of the following appear to be universal elements of transformational leadership except
aggresiveness
Workforce diversity will be significantly affected in the next decade by
aging population of the workforce
The Acme managers developed a program that allows the employees to have a large degree of freedom carrying out their jobs. Which core dimension are they providing?
autonomy
which of the following is an example of lateral communication? A) George informs his superior about the progress of the new project. B) Brian talks to his teammate about a change in project specifications. C) Richard penalizes John for not following the company dress code. D) Paul tells the CEO about the low morale in his department.
b) Brian talks to his teammate about a change in project specifications
which of the following describes the number of different messages that can be transmitted using a particular method of communication? A) complexity capacity B) breadth potential C) scanability D) encoding ease
b) breadth potential
which of the following is true of filtering? A) Filtering aids effective communication by making a message more favorable to a receiver. B) The more vertical levels in an organization, the more opportunities there are for filtering. C) Filtering occurs at the individual level; the organization cannot encourage or discourage it. D) The use of e-mail increases filtering because communication is more direct.
b) the more vertical levels in an organization, the more opportunities there are for filtering
The requirement for value chain management that includes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to link all of an organization's activities is ________. a. employees/human resources b. technology investment c. coordination and collaboration d. leadership
b. technology investment
Along the grapevine, ________
bad news travels fastest
Along the grapevine, _________
bad news travels fastest
This approach sets goals in four performance areas.
balanced scorecard
According to Herzberg, when an extremely dissatisfied employee gets an improved salary and working conditions, he ________
becomes less dissatisfied and his or her motivation is unaffected
When you stand at attention during the playing of the national anthem, you are revealing which component of your attitude toward your country?
behavioral
carefully observing competitors production line to look for ways to improve processes is
benchmarking
According to McClelland, someone who is drawn to interpersonal relationships and opportunities for communication has a high need for __________. a) achievement b) self esteem c) affiliation d) power e) relatedness
c) affiliation
Over the years, managers at Wilson's Retail have discovered that the sales staff in the retail areas have the best insights into what customers want and how they shop. Wilson's uses these insights to design its retail spaces and decide which products to stock. To make the sharing of information easier, Wilson's encourages an open communication network, where information flows freely between and among staff and managers. Which of the following communication networks does Wilson's use? A) chain B) wheel C) all-channel D) downward
c) all-channel
_____communication is communication that flows from a manager to employees. A) Lateral B) Upward C) Downward D) Horizontal
c) downward
complexity capacity refers to the degree to which the communication method _______. A) offers a reasonable assurance of confidentiality B) makes a simple message seem more complex C) effectively processes complicated messages D) offers quick and accurate feedback
c) effectively processes complicated messages
which of the following is true for the communication process? A) The decoding process takes place within the channel. B) Noise cannot affect the encoding of the message. C) Encoding takes place before the message reaches the medium. D) The sender decodes the message and then transmits it.
c) encoding takes place before the message reaches the medium
all of the following are barriers to effective interpersonal communication, EXCEPT _______. A) filtering B) selective perception C) feedback D) defensiveness
c) feedback
which of the following is a disadvantage of using IT in organizational communication? A) economic drawbacks B) geographic constraints C) psychological costs D) time constraints
c) psychological costs
jargon is _____. A) the capacity of a communication method to process complex messages B) a technique for deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver C) specialized terminology that members of a group use to communicate among themselves D) a technique that increases the breadth potential of a communication method
c) specialized terminology that members of a group use to communicate among themselves
good communication occurs only when the recipient ______. A) agrees with the sender's message B) does what the speaker asks C) understands the speaker's meaning D) makes eye contact with the speaker
c) understands the speaker's meaning
X and Y Theory is a. Maslow's b. Fiedler's c. McGregor d. Herzberg
c.McGregor
A major criticim of Fiedler's work stated that it failed to recognize that effective leaders _________.
can change leadership styles
High productivity
can lower costs and prices, leads to economic growth, company profits
the line of authority from upper levels management to lowest levels is
chain of command
Research has shown that ____________.
charisma can be learned
This team leader role requires leaders to try to get the best out of their team.
coach
In the Ohio State studies, ___________ refers to how much mutual trust exists between employees and leaders.
consideration
The JCM contends that meaningful work is ________
considered important and valuable by the worker
This is the dimension of trsust that includes how reliable a leader is
consistency
A team that lacks discipline needs someone to fulfill this team role
controller-inspector
The requirement for value chain management that involved being flexible and sharing information is_____
coordination and collaboration
Organizational processes: focus on
core competencies
the final link in the communication process is ______. A) encoding B) decoding C) receiving D) feedback
d) feedback
______ is the deliberate manipulation of information to make it appear more favorable to the receiver. A) Lateral communication B) Encoding C) Diagonal communication D) Filtering
d) filtering
when a manager asks an employee to complete a task, he or she is using ______ communication. A) upward B) lateral C) informal D) formal
d) formal
listening is an active search for meaning, whereas _____ is passive. A) speaking B) encoding C) decoding D) hearing
d) hearing
cross-functional teams rely heavily on _____ communication, which can be problematic if their managers are not kept informed about the decisions. A) downward B) upward C) vertical D) lateral
d) lateral
disturbances that interfere with the transmission, receipt, or feedback of a message are called ______. A) screens B) filters C) echoes D) noise
d) noise
According to McClelland, someone who seeks influence over others and likes attention has a high need for __________. a) achievement b) self esteem c) affiliation d) power e) relatedness
d) power
when a sender evaluates a communication method to judge scanability, he is checking if ______. A) the method can easily transmit a large number of messages B) the method allows recipients to process complex messages effectively C) the method adequately conveys personal warmth D) the recipient can easily browse the message for relevant information
d) the recipient can easily browse the message for relevant information
which of the following is an example of noise? A) sending unsolicited sales messages to prospects B) adding your contact information at the end of an e-mail message C) leaving a message on the answering machine when you cannot reach someone D) thinking about the party you attended last night while sitting in a lecture
d) thinking about the party you attended last night while sitting in a lecture
_____ communication keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs, their coworkers, and the organization in general. A) Downward B) Horizontal C) Lateral D) Upward
d) upward
Active listening is enhanced by developing _____ with the speaker. a. apathy b. sympathy c. a personal friendship d. empathy
d. empathy
A contingency theory of leadership suggests the following: a. leaders have favorites and tend to develop strong relationships with those individuals. b. participative leadership is best in all situations c. transformational leadership will elicity strong subordinate performance d. leaders should use different styles with different followers
d. leaders should use different styles with different followers
the key to the fiedler contingency model of leadership is to match ____. a. leader and follower b. leader and leadership style c. leadership style and follower d. leadership style and situation
d. leadership style and situation
fiedler concluded that relationship-oriented leaders performed best when the situation was _______. a. highly favorabel b. hughy unfavorable c. either highly favorable or highly unfavorable d. moderately favorable or unfavorable
d. moderately favorable or moderately unfavorable
Service organizations ________. a. produce physical and nonphysical outputs b. produce physical outputs only c. require nonphysical inputs only d. produce nonphysical outputs only
d. produce nonphysical outputs only
Reading is an example of this communication step.
decoding
Which of the following are the two dimensions of environmental uncertainty
degree of change and complexity
A leader who pretty much leaves employees on their own is assuming this SLT role.
delegating
One key measurement that managers in value chain managment companies strive to make is an accurate_______
demand forecast
Most important step in VCM
demand forecasting
Jared's boss encourages employees to participate in the decision-making process, but does not give them complete freedom to do as they like. Jared's boss has this kind of leadership style.
democratic
The Iowa studies indicated that this was the most successful leadership style.
democratic
In equity theory, procedural justice is concerned with which of the following?
determining how fair the system is
various organizations focus on learning organization to
develop the capability to learn, change and adapt
Goal setting theory says that
difficult goals when accepted result in higher performance
A basketball coach showing players how to position themselves on the court during practice is carrying out_____, a form of concurrent control
direct supervision
Competitive advantage
doing something BETTER and DIFFERENT than the competition
weakness of divisional strucutre
duplication of activities and resource increases cost and reduces efficiecy
A ____would avoid publicly praising a productive employee
dutch
As the size of a group increases, the output of ________
each group member tends to decrease
Recent studies indicate that this measure of ability is the best predictor of who is leader
emotional intelligence
Recent studies indicate that this measure of ability is the best predictor of who will be a leader in an organization.
emotional intelligence
Recent studies indicated that this measure of ability is the best predictor of who will be a leader in an organization.
emotional intelligence
Studies show that the higher the rank a star performer has in an organization, the more he or she relies on ________ for success
emotional intelligence
Studies show that the higher the rank a star performer has in an organization, the more he or she relies on ________for success.
emotional intelligence
Studies who that the higher the rank a star performer has in an organization the more he or she relies on___for success
emotional intelligence
Value chain management is______oriented
externally
In attribution theory, the behavior of an individual who shows high distinctiveness and low consistency is likely to be attributed as ________.
externally caused
Value chains that _________ information technology infrastructure often have problems coordinating and collaborating.
fail to share compatible
Advertisements have been shown to be the most effective method for identifying the best applicants for jobs.
false
An accept error involves not hiring an employee who could have performed well in a job
false
A ____is characterized by high performance orientation
german
Immediate corrective action is designed to
get employees back on track for performance
Immediate corrective action is the best approach a manager can take to
get performance back on track
Managers always use these for performance standards during the control process.
goals created during the planning process
the socioeconomic view is society
goes beyond making profits protecting and improving society's welfare
A manager measuring actual performance is like a teacher_______
grading a test
In the chain of command, each person above you
has line of authority
Which term is most closely associated with transformational leaders?
inspiring
Transformational leaders are leaders who guide by
inspiring followers
This is " that includes how honest a leader is
integrity
Employee productivity
is a performance measure of both efficiency and effectiveness of employees
Fiedler assumed a person's leadership style
is fixed
Fiedler assumed a person's leadership style __________.
is fixed
Overrewarded inequity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ________ that of the referent.
is greater than
Perception
is the process of organizing and interpreting sensory impressions to give meaning to the environment
Personality
is the unique combination of psychological traits that describe a person
All of the following are dangers of revising production goals downward EXCEPT ________.
it increases incentive to work harder
All of the following are characteristics of value chain management EXCEPT
it is efficiency oriented
Being humble is a characteristics of
japanese
A written statement of what a job holder does in his or her job, how it is done, and why it is done is known as a ________.
job description
To respond to a candidate for the executive position who wants to know more about the job, Frances is likely to send which of the following?
job description
The key to the Fiedler contingency model of leadership is to match
leadership style and situation
The key to the Fiedler contingency model of leadership is to match ___________.
leadership style and situation
What does Fiedler's least-preferred coworker questionnaire measure?
leadership style of respondents who took the test
Workers in a value chain management company need to be ready to ____ at any time
learn new job skills
Direct supervision as a basic means of control is much more common in_____
less technology advanced countries
.A person who is experiencing cognitive dissonance might have his discomfort from the dissonance reduced if he has ________ control over his actions
little or no
Which of the following employer practices is NOT legal?
monitoring an employee's personal home computer
Trained charismatic leaders had wokers who were ___those who had been led by noncharismatic leaders
more productive than
Managers who are carrying out value chain management invest ______ than managers of conventional organizations.
more time and energy
An advantage of feedback control is that it improves_____
motivation
The average listener can understand language at a rate that is ______ the average speaker can speak.
much faster than
Maslow's theory is a hierarchy because ________.
needs are satisfied sequentially
This is one general conclusion that surfaces from leadership research.
no one leadership style should be utilized
Service organizations produce
nonphysical goods and services (healthcare, transportation)
A unique problem that virtual leaders face is being understood without a ____________ form of communication
nonverbal
A unique problem that virtual leaders face is being understood without a __form of communication
nonverbal
Verbal intonation is a form of ________
nonverbal communication
weakness of simple structure
not appropriate as organization grows: reliance on one person is risky
This is the most informal form of performance measurement.
personal observation
Which of the following is a lower-order need in Maslow's hierarchy?
personal safety
When a budget is formulated, it is being used as a(n) ____ tool
planning
To carry out the second step of the control process, managers at an electric shaver company need to compare the number of actual shavers sold to____
planning goals for sales totals
When feedback control shows that planning goals and actual performance were dramatically different, the most likely conclusion is that____
planning was not on target
Service organizations___
produce nonphysical outputs
It is easier to see the transformation process at work in manufacturing organizations than in service because manufacurting organizations____
produce physical goods
Manufacturing organizations_____
produce physical outputs
The great advantage of a written message is that it __________
provides a permanent record
weakness of functional structure
pursuit f functional goals can cause manager to lose sight of what's best for the overall organization
Managers exert financial control on an organization using____ analysis.
ratio and budget
Productivity
ratio of outputs to inputs
Most leadership theories were developed in the U.S, causing them to stress
rationality over spirituality
Most leadership theories were developed in the United States, causing them to stress __________.
rationality over spirituality
Transformation process: taking
raw inputs and converting them to finished goods and services
According to Herzberg, which of the following is considered a motivator?
responsibility
One particularly effective form of providing feedback is for the receiver to ______________
restate the massage in his or her own words.
A professor gives a new test to an otherwise typical class and finds that only 10 percent of the students get grades of C or above. What is the most appropriate and fair response?
revise the test itself
An individual who wants to buy a home in a neighborhood with a low crime rate is satisfying which need?
safety
An effective feedforward strategy for dealing with employee theft is____
screen workers before they are hired
All of the following are important in efforts to protect information in an organization EXCEPT ________.
search engines
The white water rapids metaphor
sees change as natural and ongoing
A person who takes full responsibility in both his or her successes and failures is likely to be high in this emotional intelligence dimension
self-motivation
A leader who provides maximum supportive behavior and a great deal of explicit instructions for how to carry out a task is assuming this SLT role.
selling
A bus is a ______ organization because its product is_____
service; transport
A bus company (like Greyhound) is a ________ organization because its product is ________.
service; transportation
Managers find that ________ work(s) best for motivating employees.
sharing in company profits
When people judge someone on the basis of the perception of a group they are
stereotyping
When people judge someone on the basis of the perception of a group they are a part of, they are using the shortcut called ________.
stereotyping
________ variables are thought to promote innovation.
structural, cultural, and human resource
In its entirety, the value chain includes which of the following participants?
suppliers, manufacturers, and costumers
An important trait of a ________leader in path-goal theory is friendliness.
supportive
In a highly mechanistic (bureaucratic) organization, this leadership approach seems to work best
supportive
In highly mechanistic organization
supportive approach seems best
Companies seek
sustained competitive advantage
The third step in the control process is to ________.
take action
A leader should avoid a directive leadership style when
tasks are highly structured
clicker: functional departmentalization groups jobs by
tasks they perform
Which of the following is NOT generally thought to be an advantage of teams over traditional work arrangements?
teams are highly mechanistic
The requirement for value chain management that includes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to link all of an organization 's activities is ______
technology investment
Which of the following is an accurate statement about transformational leaders?
their organizations are highly productive
Self serving bias causes people to tend to attribute
their own success to internal factors
A difficult skill for a team leader to learn is knowing when to _________ the team.
trust
When _________ exist(s) in a value chain, partners will be extremely reluctant to share information.
trust doesn't
When is it strongly recommended that a speaker use language that is highly simplified?
when both the listener and speaker speak different languages
When is it acceptable for a speaker to use language that is not simplified?
when the listener showed no problem in understanding previous messages of similar complexity
When should a manager's course of action be to do nothing?
when the variance is acceptable
Good leadership, positive relationship with a boss and clear objectives are related
job satisfaction
Because the nature of jobs can change quickly, value chain management companies often need to make a significant investment in ______
job training
In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by managers because they ________.
lack of time
In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by managers because they_____
lack time
Monica's boss allows her to make any decision she thinks is important on the spot without consulting anyone. Monica's boss has this kind of leadership style.
laissez-faire style
__________ is one key reason that employees are frequently empowered with decision-making ability in today's business world.
larger spans of control
___is one key reason that employees are frequently empowered with decision making ability in today's business world
larger spans of control
The ___dimension reflects the degree of trust and respect subordinates had for their leader in Fiedler's model.
leader member relations
The ________ dimension reflects the degree of trust and respect subordinates had for their leader in Fiedler's model.
leader-member relations
The _________dimension reflects the degree of trust and respect subordinates had for their leader in Fiedler's model.
leader-member relations
The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with defining and communicating expectations is_____
leadership
When the New York times experimented with charging money for its online news source, its popularity on the Internet plummeted. This shows that online news, at least as it is defined in the market, has ___
little value
Which of the following is included in the class of contingency variables that are associated with personal characteristics of a follower?
locus of control
Which of the following is included in the class of contingency variables that are associated with personal characteristics of the follower
locus of control
Sustained competitive advantage
long-term outperformance of competition
Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose production has dropped?
looking for causes of the production drop
Some organizations erroneously feel that they ______ when they collaborate with a variety of value chain partners.
lose control of their destiny
Because the average listener can comprehend language at a rate that is much higher than speakers can speak, people tend to _________
lose focus when when listening
Workers with a Theory Y point of view would be likely to ________.
love their job more than the money they make
Jobs in Organization XYZ are quite informal. Workers are versatile and switch tasks and responsibilities depending on the situation. In Fiedler's model, this firm would be said to have _________.
low task structure
Which of the following is typically the most important reason for why managers want to increase positive job attitudes?
lower rates of turnover and absenteeism
What does It mean for a decision maker to maximize value
make achievement of goals as likely as possible
An innovative organization needs to tolerate risk because employees ________ the creative process.
making mistakes is apart of
Planning for quality
managers must have quality improvement goals, strategies, and plans to achieve those goals
A laptop computer company is a ______ organization because its product is ______
manufacturing; a computer
Selected functions
may need to be done collaboratively with other partners in the value chain
A well-run company that has well thought-out plans, motivated
may not always attain its goals
A group that has gone through the norming stage of the group development process ________.
may return to the forming or storming stage
The first step in the control process is to_____
measure actual performance
As an organization grows to a size of over 2,000 employees, it finds it hard to avoid becoming more ________
mechanistic
The channel is the ___________
medium that the message travels through
The more a control system helps an organization ________, the more successful it is judged to b
meet it goals
The more a control system helps an organization____, the more successful it it judged to be.
meet its goals
A _______ is the actual physical product encoded by the source.
message
A ________ is the actual physical product encoded by the source.
message
All of the following are characteristics of a highly formalized organization EXCEPT ________
minimum number of rules
affirmative action programs seek to make sure that employers enhance employment opportunities for
minorities
Fiedler concluded that relationship-oriented leaders performed best when the situation was ________.
moderately favorable or moderately unfavorable
A manager is running a machine for an employee who is out sick. Is this a management function?
non management
Organizational processes in value chain management organizations need to eliminate
nonvalue adding activities
A law firm manager finds that one lawyer who consistently outperforms other lawyers at the firm is threatening to leave. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take?
offer a bonus
Transactional leaders are leaders who guide by
offering rewards to followers
Transactional leaders are leaders who guide by _________.
offering rewards to followers
Which kind of company would be likely to fire its ceo after a poor performance
omnipotent view of management
Which of the following is not a reason that the importance of trust has increased in today's business climate.
only 60 percent of us employees trust their leaders
Watching a movie in a foreign langauge you don't understand without subtitles allows you to perceive ____________ forms of communications.
only nonverbal
Reading a movie script allows you to perceive ___________ forms of communication.
only verbal
______ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services.
operations
Which of the following is NOT recognized as a way to motivate contingent workers?
opportunity to work alongside permanent employees
Transformational leaders have
oranizations that are highly productive
The greater the environmental uncertainty, the more an organization needs to become ________.
organic
The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with trust is
organizational culture and attitudes
Anika loves being a professional dancer, but she feels stress from the tension-packed, high-pressure, fear-filled atmosphere of her group. She is likely to be experiencing stress from ________.
organizational leadership
In the second step of the control process, actual performance can be considered acceptable as long as the performance doesn't fall_____
outside an acceptable range of variation
Jargon tends to cause problems when it is used ______________
outside of a specialized, close-knit group
Piece-rate pay plans, wage incentive plans, profit sharing, and lump-sum bonuses are examples of ________ programs.
pay-for-performance
Theory x assumes
people work hard only when they're forced
In a transformation process, people are considered to be inputs because they____
perform tasks that are needed to create outputs
An advantage of management by walking around is ____
personal contact
After World War II, U.S. managers made the mistake of thinking that ________.
production problems were solved
In an interview, Frances informs a candidate that the job is "absorbing" but its hours will be "long and grueling." Frances is conducting this kind of interview.
realistic job preview
The purpose of feedback is to determine whether a massage was ____________
received and understood
The purpose of feedback is to determine whether a message was ________
received and understood
Organizational barriers include
refusal to share info, security issues, refusal to shake up status quo
One of the biggest obstacle to successful value chain management on the organizational level is an organization that __________
refuses to share information
El needed to add workers to production because of malfunctions what is she doing?
resource allocator
employees in an organization with a matrix design can have two bosses for the same job
true
Kara is a very relaxed, easygoing person who appears to have all the time in the world. She is never too busy to stop and chat for a moment. Kara has which of the following?
type B personalilty
140) Managers find that ________ work best for motivating employees.
A) across-the-board pay raises B) sharing in company profits C) promotions in job status without increased pay D) perks such as bigger offices and parking spaces
137) Which of the following would NOT be a common way to recognize worker achievements?
A) added worker responsibilities
134) Evidence indicates that in leadership style, males and females ________.
A) are more alike than different
109) The second variable in expectancy theory requires the worker to ask him- or herself: If I perform at a given level, how likely is it that I will ________?
A) attain the reward or outcome I am looking for
56) A manager with a Theory X view of human nature would ________.
A) be unlikely to allow workers to work independently
A manager with a Theory X view of human nature would ________. A) be unlikely to allow workers to work independently B) be likely to let workers work independently C) allow workers to monitor themselves D) trust his workers
A) be unlikely to allow workers to work independently
121) When two members of a team are having a personal conflict, the team leader takes on this role.
A) conflict manager
63) According to the University of Michigan studies, leaders who were ________ were associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction.
A) employee-oriented
122) The key difference between team leadership and traditional leadership is that in teams ________ decisions.
A) employees are empowered to make
121) The JCM is seen in the integrated model of motivation in that jobs that are designed around the five JCM dimensions ________.
A) increase motivation because the worker enjoys the work and autonomy it provides
82) Setting goals definitely seems to ________.
A) increase performance and motivation
44) Leaders are ________.
A) individual people, while leadership is a process
96) Equity theory uses the ratio of output you get out of your job to the amount of ________.
A) input you put into your job
105) Transformational leaders are leaders who guide by ________.
A) inspiring followers
137) This is the dimension of trust that includes how honest a leader is.
A) integrity
66) According to Herzberg, what controls satisfaction and motivation?
A) intrinsic factors
104) Overrewarded inequity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ________ that of the referent.
A) is greater than
Which of the following is included in the class of contingency variables that are associated with personal characteristics of a follower? A) locus of control B) task structure C) group structure D) formal authority system
A) locus of control
55) Theory X assumes that people work hard ________.
A) only when they are forced
138) Compensation plans based on employee output or productivity are referred to as ________.
A) pay-for-performance programs
146) McClelland might explain Aaron's desire to influence and control his employees as having a high need for ________.
A) power
56) A democratic participative leader ________.
A) seeks input and shares the final decision
44) Maslow sees food as being on the same level of need as which of the following?
A) sex
Maslow sees food as being on the same level of need as which of the following? A) sex B) companionship C) self-esteem D) personal safety
A) sex
89) Results from the leader-participation model conclude that it is more important to talk about autocratic and participative ________.
A) situations than leaders
88) The JCM contends that ________ are required in meaningful work.
A) skill variety, task identity, and task significance
In a highly mechanistic organization, this approach seems to work best. A) supportive B) directive C) achievement oriented D) participative
A) supportive
102) A leader should avoid a directive leadership style when ________.
A) tasks are highly structured
47) Maslow argued that once a need is substantially satisfied, ________.
A) the next need becomes dominant
134) Open-book management encourages employees to ________.
A) think like an owner
Build a house
According to Maslow, a person stranded on a desert island would __________________ before he or she worried about making weapons.
Expectancy theory and goal-setting theory align well with American workers because American culture places a strong emphasis on ___________________. a. Collectivism and achievement b. Achievement and individualism c. Individualism and high power distance d. Low power distance and high uncertainty avoidance
Achievement and individualism
Which three needs are recognized in McClelland's three-need theory? a. Achievement, power, security b. Achievement, power, affiliation c. Power, comfort, stimulation d. Security, self-interest, affiliation
Achievement, power, affiliation
What do these measure: Observation (MBWA) Written reports Oral reports Statistical reports
Actual performance
Reducing importance
After the disappointment of not getting a new position, an employee states, "That job looks like a real headache, anyway." This is an example of ______________ to reduce discomfort from dissonance.
bad news travels fastest
Along the grapevine,
Video surveillance
An effective concurrent strategy for dealing with employee theft of supplies and equipment is
Organizational commitment
An employee who brags about her company to friends and recommends all company products as gifts is likely to have high ________________
Leaders are___. A) Individual people, while leadership is a process. B) the first step in the leadership process C) individual people who study the leadership process D) the final step in the leadership process
Answer is A
If a trait theory of leadership were true, then all leaders would possess _______. A) Charisma B) the same traits C) Different traits D) Seven traits
Answer is B
In the Ohio State studies, ____refers to how much mutual trust exists between employees and leaders A) consideration of limitations B) consideration C) initiating structure D) initiating ideas
Answer is B
The Ohio State studies indicated that leaders who were high in consideration performed A) best in all situations B) best when employee tasks were routine C) worst when employee tasks were routine D) best when employee tasks were nonroutine
Answer is B
The promise of behavioral theories of leadership held that this would be possible. A) picking a leader out of the crowd B) being able to train a person to be a leader C) explaining why successful leaders are so successful D) Eliminating ineffective leaders
Answer is B
Which leadership style tends to centralize authority and make unilateral decisions? A) cultural style B) autocratic style C) democratic style D) laissez-faire
Answer is B
A democratic consultative leader A) seeks input and shares the final decision B) makes the final decision without input C) seeks input but makes the final decision by oneself D) shares the final decision without input
Answer is C
In the Ohio State studies, _______refers to how strict a leader's standards are. A) independent dimensions B) comprehensive dimensions C) initiating structure D) consideration
Answer is C
Tannenbaum and Schmidt's continuum studies suggested that managers should move toward_____leadership styles. A) manager-centered B) task centered C) employee centered D) quality centered
Answer is C
The University of Iowa studies discussed all of the following leadership styles except A) laissez-faire B) democratic C) Benelovent D) Autocratic
Answer is C
The most successful early trait theories focused on_____. A) traits of famous leaders B) traits of followers C) traits associated with leadership D) traits with distinguish leaders from nonleaders
Answer is C
Behavioral theories of leadership focused on_____. A) who effective leaders B) what characteristics effective leaders had C) how to identify effective leaders D) what effective leaders did
Answer is D
Early Leadership trait research looked to find characteristics that might ___ A) distinguish ordinary leaders from great leaders B) define charisma C) identify the physical traits of leaders D) differentiate leaders from non leaders
Answer is D
Jared's boss encourages employees to participate in the decision-making process but does not give them complete freedom to do as they like. She has this of leadership style. A) monarchial B) autocratic C) laissez-faire D) democratic
Answer is D
The Iowa studies indicated that this was the most successful leadership style. A) autocratic B) laissez-faire C) comination of autocratic and laissez-faire D) democratic
Answer is D
Outline four additional steps a manager can take to effectively deliver performance feedback.
Answer: 1. Focus on specific rather than general work behaviors. General statements tend to be vague and provide little useful information especially if you are attempting to correct a problem. Stick to specific substantive comments that present no opportunity for the employee to feel that he or she is being criticized on a personal level. 2. Keep comments impersonal and job related. Feedback should be descriptive rather than judgmental or evaluative, especially negative feedback. Keep the feedback job related and never criticize a worker's personal traits or abilities. 3. Support feedback with hard data. Tell your employee how you came to your conclusion on his or her performance. Hard data will help employees to identify with specific behaviors. 4. Direct the negative feedback toward work-related behavior that the employee controls. Focus on behavior that the employee can do something about, and indicate what he or she can do to improve the situation.
A Latin American team member would be more likely than a North American team member to afford status to an individual who comes from a powerful family.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Latin American societies tend to place more importance on family and official status than North Americans, so this statement is true.
Accountability for a work team is strictly on an individual basis.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Within a team, accountability is both individual and shared with the team. Within a group, on the other hand, accountability is strictly individual.
Asch's findings suggest that Chinese members of a global team might be expected to conform easily to the team's norms.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: As a collectivist society, one would assume that Chinese team members would pose no problem when it comes to conforming to team norms.
Basic corrective action focuses on identifying the cause of a performance deviation.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Basic corrective action looks to find out how and why performance didn't meet goals, not how to correct the situation
Henry Ford basing his assembly line on practices he viewed in Chicago slaughterhouses is an example of benchmarking.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Benchmarking is the practice of adopting methods from other industries to improve your own industry. Ford was indeed benchmarking when he took the division of labor practices seen in slaughterhouses and adopted them in car-building.
The key to motivation, according to Maslow, is to identify ________. A) higher-order needs first B) a person's level in the needs hierarchy C) lower-order needs last D) a person's most important level in the needs hierarchy
B) a person's level in the needs hierarchy
97) Equity theory compares your own outcomes-to-input ratio to that of ________.
B) a referent
125) Across cultures, the need for achievement seems to correlate with which of the following?
B) acceptance of risk
122) Expectancy theory and goal-setting theory align well with American workers because American culture places a strong emphasis on ________.
B) achievement and individualism
74) Which three needs are recognized in McClelland's three-needs theory?
B) achievement, power, affiliation
104) Visionary leaders are leaders who guide by ________.
B) articulating a vision of the future
108) The first variable in expectancy theory involves how much effort a person must exert to ________.
B) attain a certain level of performance
51) Which leadership style tends to centralize authority and make unilateral decisions?
B) autocratic style
49) The promise of behavioral theories of leadership held that this would be possible.
B) being able to train a person to be leader
116) A model for motivation that combines all of the theories presented in this chapter owes its organization to which of the following?
B) expectancy theory
60) According to Herzberg, which kind of characteristics are most closely associated with job dissatisfaction?
B) extrinsic things that come from the outside
50) Maslow's hierarchical model ________.
B) has never been validated by studies
73) Your boss has total control over hiring, firing, and promotions in your department. He has ________.
B) high position power
86) The job characteristics model (JCM) maintains that ________ is critical to motivating workers.
B) how jobs are designed
150) Susan was trying to use what types of Herzberg factors to increase productivity?
B) hygiene
103) Underrewarded inequity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ________ that of the referent.
B) is less than
102) In equity theory, an underrewarded individual ________ the work he or she does.
B) is paid too little for
107) In equity theory, an underrewarded individual is likely to ________.
B) lack motivation because she does not receive enough reward for what she does
69) What does Fiedler's least-preferred coworker questionnaire measure?
B) leadership style of respondents who took the test
59) Workers with a Theory Y point of view would be likely to ________.
B) love their job more than the money they make
89) The JCM contends that these dimensions are required for a high level of motivation among workers.
B) meaningful work, autonomy, feedback
110) "Trained" charismatic leaders had workers who were ________ those who had been led by non-charismatic leaders.
B) more productive than
63) According to Herzberg, favorable hygiene factors can cause an employee to feel ________.
B) not dissatisfied
According to Herzberg, favorable hygiene factors can cause an employee to feel ________. A) satisfied B) not dissatisfied C) dissatisfied D) indifferent
B) not dissatisfied
64) According to Herzberg, the opposite of the state of being satisfied is ________.
B) not satisfied
According to Herzberg, the opposite of the state of being satisfied is ________. A) the opposite of dissatisfied B) not satisfied C) an extrinsic factor D) the opposite of intrinsic
B) not satisfied
123) Formerly communist countries tend to differ from U.S. workers with respect to equity theory in that they expect ________.
B) outcomes to be greater than inputs
119) In the integrated model for motivation (Exhibit 10-9, page 277), high achievers circumvent the entire sequence of steps for motivation because ________.
B) they are internally motivated, not motivated by rewards
119) When a design team is having problems getting its new simulation software to work correctly, the team leader takes on this role.
B) troubleshooter
129) What is a potential disadvantage of telecommuting?
B) unsatisfied social needs between workers
135) What is a recognized way for a manager to motivate low-skilled, minimum-wage employees?
B) use employee recognition programs
114) Team leadership and traditional leadership in hierarchical organizations are thought to be ________.
B) very different
evaluates four areas of company performance: 1. Financial 2. Customer 3. Internal processes 4. People, innovation, and growth assets
Balanced Scorecard
Correcting the underlying causes of deviation from the standard.
Basic control
A manager with a Theory X view of human nature would ________________. a. Be unlikely to allow workers to work independently b. Be likely to let workers coordinate their work c. Allow workers to monitor themselves d. Trust his or her workers
Be unlikely to allow workers to work independently
What effective leaders did
Behavioral theories of leadership focused on ___________________________
The direction of an individual's motivation can be channeled to benefit _________________. a. Only and organization b. Both individuals and/or organizations c. Only an individual d. An individuals family only
Both individuals and/or organizations
115) Consultant estimates state that ________ team leaders.
C) 85 percent of managers are not natural
110) The third variable in expectation theory requires the worker to ask him- or herself which question?
C) How important is this outcome to me?
126) Being humble is a typical characteristic of ________.
C) Japanese leaders
106) Which of the following is an accurate statement about transformational leaders?
C) Their organizations are highly productive.
68) According to Herzberg, in order to provide employees with job satisfaction, managers should concentrate on ________.
C) achievement and recognition
101) Leaders who are looking for exceptionally high performance from subordinates might try this approach
C) achievement oriented
A(n) ________ leader in path-goal theory does little but set challenging goals for followers. A) supportive B) participative C) achievement-oriented D) directive
C) achievement-oriented
132) Which of the following is NOT a key component of emotional intelligence (EI)?
C) active imagination
48) Maslow believes that higher-order needs ________.
C) are satisfied internally
50) The University of Iowa studies discussed all of the following leadership styles EXCEPT ________ leadership.
C) benevolent
78) In the situational leadership theory (SLT), readiness is defined as ________ to perform a task.
C) both the ability and willingness
95) Equity theory recognizes that individuals are concerned with ________.
C) comparing their rewards to those of others
Equity theory recognizes that individuals are concerned with ________. A) making enough money to live on B) employers sharing profits C) comparing their rewards to those of others D) justice for all people who work
C) comparing their rewards to those of others
87) The JCM contends that meaningful work is ________.
C) considered important and valuable by the worker
67) According to Herzberg, hygiene factors ________.
C) control dissatisfaction but not satisfaction
147) Susan's use of better working conditions and employee relations is likely to ________.
C) decrease employee dissatisfaction
75) Fiedler concluded that task-oriented leaders performed best when the situation was ________.
C) either highly favorable or highly unfavorable
94) Equity theory is based primarily on ideas about which of the following?
C) fairness
Equity theory is based primarily on ideas about which of the following? A) objectivity B) the importance of work C) fairness D) automation
C) fairness
58) Workers with a Theory X point of view would be likely to respond to ________ best.
C) fear of losing their job
127) In today's diverse workforce, which factor do managers need to focus on most to maximize motivation?
C) flexibility
79) Successful managers tend to be better at ________.
C) helping others achieve goals rather than themselves
Budgets can be effective tools for both planning and controlling.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Budgets are highly effective planning tools. However, once created, budgets also function as effective controlling tools since they can be used as standards for gauging monetary activity.
MBWA can pick up moods and attitudes that other forms of measurement miss.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: By virtue of it being a personal action, MBWA, or management by walking around, can detect moods, attitudes, tones of voice, and other subjective and emotional forms of information that other types of measurement miss.
Employers have the legal right to read personal email of employees if it is sent on a company computer.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Employers do have the right to monitor private correspondences that take place in the workplace
An effective control system can help managers delegate authority to employees with confidence.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Empowering employees can be fraught with dangers unless proper control measures are in place to make sure that work is being put out in an efficient, effective, and timely manner.
The major drawback of feedback control is that by the time the manager has the information, the problem has already occurred.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Feedback always takes place after the fact. Therefore a major drawback to feedback control is that it cannot anticipate problems or deal with ongoing problems.
An effective team must have a whole and identifiable task.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Having a discrete task to perform increases team coherence and motivation, which ultimately results in increased team effectiveness.
) Immediate corrective action might include changing the way employees are paid for their work.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Immediate corrective action includes any practice that can work to correct a performance deviation—which could include extra training, stiff discipline, or a new pay scale that, for example, pays employees by the piece rather than by the hour.
Some control criteria, such as employee satisfaction or absenteeism, are applicable to almost any management situation.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: In almost all situations the success of managers is related to how satisfied employees are and how dedicated they are to their jobs, so these criteria are fairly universal.
Surprisingly, most successful managers in large organizations don't have this. A) high IQ B) high nPow (need for power) C) high nAch (need for achievement) D) low IQ
C) high nAch (need for achievement) - [Their need for self-achievement would get in the way of group objectives.]
70) Herzberg has had the greatest influence on which of the following?
C) how managers design jobs
136) In employee recognition programs employees accumulate points for things such as ________.
C) increased productivity
124) One factor that seems to motivate workers across all cultures is seeking ________.
C) interesting work
116) A difficult skill for a team leader to learn is knowing when to ________ the team.
C) intervene with
101) Equity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ________ that of the referent.
C) is equal to
43) Maslow's theory is a hierarchy because ________.
C) needs are satisfied sequentially
139) Piece-rate pay plans, wage incentive plans, profit sharing, and lump-sum bonuses are examples of ________ programs.
C) pay-for-performance
118) The integrated model for motivation (Exhibit 10-9, page 277) predicts strong motivation for an individual to perform when the reward is based on ________.
C) performance above all factors
55) A democratic consultative leader ________.
C) seeks input but makes the final decision herself
83) In goal-setting theory, which of the following is the best kind of feedback?
C) self-feedback
54) Theory Y assumes that people inherently ________.
C) want to control their own destiny
A major criticism of Fiedler's work stated that it failed to recognize the effective leaders ____.
Can change leadership styles
Managers should be ____ about revising a standard downwards.
Cautious
Which of the following best explains why an internet jargon tends to evolve most quickly from cell phone users rather than computer users.
Cell phone key boards are small and awkward to use so users abbreviate to avoid typing
Which of the following is thought to best motivate professionals? a. Challenging problems and important work b. High pay c. Status and power within the organization d. Short hours and good working conditions
Challenging problems and important work
Research has shown that
Charisma can be learned
One of the most important things a leader can do in a value chain management company is ________
Clearly express expectations
This team leader role requires leaders to try to get the best out of their team
Coach
A group of bloggers who share information on the latest advances in computer aided graphics would be an example of this....
Communities of practice
The JCM contends that meaningful work is _________________. a. High paying b. Always difficult c. Considered unimportant to managers d. Considered important by the worker
Considered important by the worker
What are these the steps of: Measure actual performance Compare actual to standard Correct devitions
Control process
Actual performance to planned performance
Controlling compares _____________ to see if goals are being achieved
Service quality
Courtesy and timeliness are measures of _____________________.
A car company that puts more effort into measuring quality than total units sold most likely want to excel at ____.
Customer satisfaction
On the managerial grid, a leader who is high in both concern for people and concern for production would rate A)1,1 B) 9,1 C) 5,5 D) 9,9
D
128) ________ allow companies to accommodate the needs of workers with non-standard family situations.
D) Flextime, compressed workweeks, and job sharing
111) Visionary leadership differs from charismatic leadership because of its focus on ________.
D) a positive image of the future
90) Autonomy is important in the JCM because it gives the worker ________.
D) a sense of personal responsibility
130) All of the following appear to be universal elements of transformational leadership EXCEPT ________.
D) aggressiveness
65) According to Herzberg, when an extremely dissatisfied employee gets an improved salary and working conditions, he ________.
D) becomes less dissatisfied and his motivation is unaffected
131) Which of the following is thought to best motivate professionals?
D) challenging problems and important work
109) Research has shown that ________.
D) charisma can be learned
81) A leader who pretty much leaves employees on their own is assuming this SLT role.
D) delegating
54) The Iowa studies indicated that this was the most successful leadership style.
D) democratic
43) Early leadership trait research looked to find characteristics that might ________.
D) differentiate leaders from nonleaders
93) A theory that suggests that employees compare their inputs and outputs from a job to the ratio of relevant others is known as ________.
D) equity theory
108) Which of the following is NOT a typical trait of a charismatic leader
D) erect body posture
112) A key element of expectancy theory might be summarized by saying ________.
D) everyone is motivated by something different
100) A participative leadership style works well with subordinates who ________.
D) have an internal locus of control
70) Fiedler assumed a person's leadership style ________.
D) is fixed
100) Inequity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ________ that of the referent.
D) is greater than or less than
68) The key to the Fiedler contingency model of leadership is to match ________.
D) leadership style and situation
120) When a team is considering joining forces with another team in the organization, the team leader takes on this role.
D) liaison
126) In countries with high levels of uncertainty avoidance, which of the following would you expect?
D) little acceptance of risk and low achievement need
74) Jobs in a firm are quite informal. Workers are versatile and switch tasks and responsibilities depending on the situation. In Fiedler's model, this firm would be said to have ________.
D) low task structure
113) The key to expectancy theory is that an individual's goals ________.
D) match the rewards provided by the organization
76) Fiedler concluded that relationship-oriented leaders performed best when the situation was ________.
D) moderately favorable or moderately unfavorable
61) According to Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory, ________ are associated with job satisfaction.
D) motivators
75) Which of the following suggests that humans have an innate desire for friendly and close interpersonal relationships?
D) need for affiliation
125) A unique problem that virtual leaders face is being understood without a ________ form of communication.
D) nonverbal
132) Which of the following is NOT recognized as a way to motivate contingent workers?
D) opportunity to work alongside permanent employees
98) A referent in equity theory refers to which of the following?
D) other people, systems, or oneself
52) Which of the following is a lower-order need in Maslow's hierarchy?
D) personal safety
62) According to Herzberg, which of the following is considered a motivator?
D) responsibility
145) Zach has the desire to develop and use his own abilities and potential to the maximum, an example of the ________ need in Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
D) self-actualization
45) If a trait theory of leadership were true, then all leaders would possess ________.
D) seven traits
113) If a visionary-leader CEO switched from one company to another, you would expect ________ to follow her to the new company.
D) some employees and managers
93) An important trait of a(n)________ leader in path-goal theory is friendliness.
D) supportive
111) In expectancy theory, a person may have the ability to reach a certain goal, but lack motivation because ________.
D) the person has no strong desire to reach the goal
99) In equity theory, a worker's "self" category compares a person's outcomes-to-input ratio with ________.
D) the person's own standards and expectations
67) Which quadrant of the managerial grid generally identifies the most successful leaders?
D) top right
48) Behavioral theories of leadership focused on ________.
D) what effective leaders did
96) Path-goal theory assumes that environmental factors such as ________ can change a leadership situation.
D) work group structure of followers
This is the most important step in value chain management (VCM).
Demand forecasting
In equity theory, procedural justice is concerned with which of the following? a. Determining how fair the system is b. Determining how hones one's boss is c. Comparing output-to-input ratios among individuals d. Comparing fairness between different organizations
Determining how fair the system is
Where did the modern era of manufacturing primarily begin?
Detroit automobile factories
Storming
During a recent meeting, a shouting match arose between a design manager and a marketing representative about a marketing plan for a new product. This team seems to be at the ________ stage of group development.
Storming
During a recent meeting, a shouting match arose between a design manager and a marketing representative about a marketing plan for a new product. This team seems to be at the _________________ stage of group development.
How would the individual ranking method rank a group of 30 employees
Each employee would be ranked by number from 1 to 30.
Differentiate leaders from nonleaders
Early leadership trait research looked to find characteristics that might __________________
Katie has just been asked to type up a report in two days using a software program she has never seen before. Katie wonders if she will be able to get her project accomplished on time and in the format wanted by her manager. This is an example of which variable in Vroom's expectancy theory? a. Effort-performance linkage b. Performance-reward linkage c. Valence-reward linkage d. Attractiveness
Effort-performance linkage
A listener's summary of a speaker's words shows that the listener correctly understood the speaker's massage. Which of the following must be true?
Either the speaker sent a clear message or the listener was able to interpret an unclear message successfully despite its lack of clarity.
Which communication form is designed to allow users to respond at their own convenience?
Which of the following best explains why it is a good idea for a person to cool down before sending off an angry message?
Emotions are short-lived. People often change their view of a situation after there emotion has time to cool
How does empathy improve the communication process?
Empathy helps the listener get rid of preconceived notions of what the speaker is trying to say
How does empathy improve the communication process?
Empathy helps the listener get rid of preconceived notions of what the speaker is trying to say.
Two "universal" control criteria applicable to almost any situation.
Employee satisfaction Absenteeism turnover
Which element of motivation is a measure of intensity or drive? a. Direction b. Energy c. Persistence d. Achievement
Energy
A theory that suggests that employees compare their inputs and outputs from a job to the ratio of relevant others is known as ________. a. Action motivation b. Goal setting c. Reinforcement theory d. Equity theory
Equity theory
Input you put into your job
Equity theory uses the ratio of output you get from your job to the amount of __________________
Diversity within a group typically makes reaching consensus easier.
Explanation: Diversity has many virtues, but it tends to make arriving at consensus harder, not easier.
______________ is the deliberate manipulation of information by the sender to make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
Filtering
What are these: Liquidity Leverage Activities and Profitability
Financial ratios
In today's diverse workforce, which factor do mangers need to focus on most to maximize motivation? a. Control b. Well-organized workplace c. Status and recognition d. Flexibility
Flexibility
You would expect a highly developed country like ____ to have a predominantly _____ economy
France; service
You would expect a highly developed country like ________ to have a predominantly ________ economy.
France; service
The control management function ensures that_____ in an organization.
Goals are met
Much individuals share the group's goals
Group cohesiveness is largely a measure of how _________________________
The key to expectancy theory is that an individual's goals __________. a. Are not too high b. Are not too high and not too low c. Match the goals of fellow workers and superiors d. Match the rewards provided by the organization
Match the rewards perceived by the organization
Assess individual contributions of group members
The only effective way to guard against social loafing is for managers to make special efforts to do this
In expectancy theory, a person may have the ability to reach a certain goal but lack motivation because _______. a. The goal is too easy b. The goal is too hard c. The person's desire to reach the goal is too strong d. The person has no strong desire to reach the goal
The person has no strong desire to reach the goal
Received and understood
The purpose of feedback is to determine whether a message was _______________
Technology investment
The requirement for value chain management that includes an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system to link all of an organization's activities is ___________________
Coordination and collaboration
The requirement for value chain management that involves being flexible and sharing information is ______________________.
Organizational culture and attitudes
The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with trust is ___________
compare performance against a standard
The second step in the control process is to
A listener's summary of a speaker's words shows that the listener did not correctly understand the massage. Which of the following must be true?
The speaker failed to send a clear message, the listener failed to receive the message properly, or both the speaker and listener failed to communicate properly.
What should a speaker do if her listener's feedback summary of her message is incorrect?
The speaker should rephrase the message.
cross-functional team
The team that meets each week in room 201 has a goal of creating a new cell phone model. The team consists of an engineer, a designer, a computer software specialist, and a marketing specialist. The team has full authority to make and implement its own decisions. This is likely to be a ________.
logically or emotionally
The thinking versus feeling scale on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® determines whether a person is oriented ________.
Take action
The third step in the control process is to _________________
How important is this outcome to me?
The third variable in expectancy theory requires the worker to ask him- or herself which question?
Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral
The three elements that make up an attitude are its _____________ components
Inputs into goods and services
The transformation process transforms ____________________.
This theory says that people are basically lazy and lack ambition
Theory X
**29) Vroom's expectancy theory would say that a worker with a higher expectation of performance will apply more effort to a job.
True
1) Motivation is a process that leads to a goal.
True
11) In Maslow's view, the key to understanding motivation is to understand where in the hierarchy of needs a person is located.
True
12) Maslow states that people can no longer be motivated by a given need if it is largely taken care of.
True
15) Fiedler's model proposed that leadership success was determined by matching leadership style to situation.
True
15) Managers with a Theory Y view of life think people need to be given the freedom to make their own choices.
True
17) Using fear as a motivator is a Theory X management style.
True
20) Situational leadership theory (SLT) states that an R1 worker who is unable and unwilling to perform a task responds best to a telling leadership style.
True
22) Goal-setting theory states that having specific goals improves performance.
True
22) Vroom and Yetton's leader participation model suggests that leadership research should focus on the situation rather than the leader.
True
23) Robert House's path-goal theory maintains that an effective leader clears the path for a follower to the follower's goal.
True
24) The job characteristics model, or JCM, holds that the three core job dimensions - skill variety, task identity, and task significance - combine to give work true meaning.
True
25) Path-goal theory states that a directive leadership style works best when tasks are ambiguous.
True
26) Equity theory has three referent categories to which workers compare themselves: persons, systems, and self.
True
26) Path-goal theory states that a participative leadership style works best when tasks are highly structured.
True
27) Equity theory holds that employees who feel underpaid will decrease their level of effort and performance in response to feelings of inequity.
True
28) Vroom's expectancy theory sees a link between effort and performance, performance and reward, and rewards and individual goals as the keys to motivation.
True
33) An advantage of telecommuting is that companies do not necessarily have to be located near their workforce.
True
33) One of the keys to being a good team leader is to know when to leave a team alone.
True
34) Experts state that 85 percent of all managers are not natural team leaders.
True
35) One specific role of team leadership is that team leaders are troubleshooters.
True
35) Today's workplaces provide a wide range of scheduling options and benefits that allow employees more flexibility at work and allow them to better balance or integrate their work and personal lives.
True
37) Open-book management programs motivate by giving employees a greater sense of ownership in the company.
True
39) Trust is the belief in the integrity, character, and ability of a leader.
True
5) A single individual can have high motivation for one task and low motivation for another task.
True
5) Research has shown a distinct set of traits that distinguishes leaders from nonleaders.
True
8) Maslow argued that each level in the needs hierarchy must be substantially satisfied before the next becomes dominant.
True
A GPS that tells you that you are making a wrong turn is an example of concurrent control. True or False.
True
A major goal of behavioral leadership studies is to find ways to train people to be leaders.
True
A mechanistic organization is bureaucratic and hierarchical.
True
An effective control system can help managers delegate authority to employees with confidence
True
Employment planning includes two steps: assessing current human resources needs and developing a plan to meet those needs.
True
Human resource management involves training, motivating, and retaining competent employees.
True
Job sharing improves production by allowing people to fit their jobs better into their lifestyles.
True
Leadership identifies a process while leader identifies a perso
True
Some control criteria, such as employee satisfaction and absenteeism, are applicable to almost any management situation.
True
The job characteristics model, or JCM, holds that the three core job dimensions - skill variety, task identity, and task significance - combine to give work true meaning. t/f
True
A leader is someone who has managerial authority and can influence others.
True!
Leadership identifies a process while leader identifies a person.
True!
Trait theories of leadership focus on how leaders interact with their followers.
True!
What is critical in fostering collaboration?
Trust
___ is critical to fostering collaboration in VCM.
Trust
What someone is willing to give up in exchange for a good or service.
Value
________ is the process of managing the sequence of activities and information along the entire value chain for a product.
Value Chain Management
This process seeks to maximize value for both customers and companies.
Value chain management
______ is the process of managing the sequence of activities and information along the entire value chain for a product
Value chainmanagement
From the top and the bottom up
Value in a value chain management organization should be driven _________________
Will pay for
Value is any aspect of a product that customers _________ in the product.
Inputs being converted into outputs
Value is created during the process of _______________.
What are these examples of: Decrease costs Increase outputs Increase efficiency
Ways to increase productivity
quantitative standards
When a budget is used for controlling, it provides ________ against which resource consumption can be compared.
Timeliness
When a customer service customer gets frustrated from being put on hold during a service call for 30 minutes, the company is having problems with which service quality dimension?
Punishment
When a football coach makes the team run laps because it can't get a play right, he is using which behavior-shaping method?
Leadership and structure
When a team can't agree on who does what, it is having this kind of contextual problem
significant deviation
When actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation, it is termed a(n)
Information overload
When an auto executive fails to notice an important demographics report in her overstuffed inbox before going to a meeting, she is likely to be suffering from this
have both team and job skills
When assembling a team, managers should look for individuals who
planning was not on target
When feedback control shows that planning goals and actual performance were dramatically different, the most likely conclusion is that
when the standard is unrealistic
When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action to remedy a significant performance deviation?
Stereotyping
When people judge someone on the basis of the perception of a group they are a part of, they are using the shortcut called
when the variance is acceptable
When should a manager's course of action be to do nothing?
Which communication form is designed to allow users to respond at their own convenience?
Feedforward
Which kind of control takes place before the actual work is carried out?
concurrent
Which kind of control takes place while the actual work is carried out?
Videoconferencing
Which kind of electronic meeting format allows participants to view nonverbal forms of communication that include facial expressions and body language?
Autocratic style
Which leadership style tends to centralize authority and make unilateral decisions?
editing the performance data
Which of the following is NOT a recognized possible course of action for managers to take when actual performance falls outside an acceptable range of variation?
Increase inputs
Which of the following is NOT a way to increase productivity?
attentional processes
Which of the following is NOT thought to be a tool that managers can use to shape behavior?
Herzberg focuses on job satisfaction
Which of the following is true of the three early theories of motivation?
job satisfaction
Which of the following performance measurement categories must be measured subjectively rather than in objective or quantifiable terms?
looking for causes of the production drop
Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose production has dropped?
What are these the reasons for: Meeting company goals Empowering employees Protecting the organization
Why control is important
Value is any aspect of a product that customer ___ in a product.
Will pay for
Be satisfied with its current level of quality
With respect to product quality, Deming believed that an organization should NEVER ___________________.
Members who excel at different skills
With respect to skills, most teams need this most.
Jargon can be very useful for communication _____________
Within a specialized, close-knit group
A supervisor jokingly tells a colleague, "You're fired!" in an email. What risk does the supervisor run?
Without nonverbal cues the message may be taken seriously
A supervisor jokingly tells a colleague, "You're fired!" in an email. What risk does the supervisor run?
Without nonverbal cues, the message may be taken seriously.
love their job more than the money they make
Workers with a Theory Y point of view would be likely to
High position power
Your boss has total control over hiring, firing, and promotions in your department. He has ___________
Filtering
_____________ is the deliberate manipulation of information by the sender to make it appear more favorable to the receiver
Operations
_____________ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services.
Operations
________________ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services
Value Chain Management
__________________ is the process of managing the sequence of activities and information along the entire value chain for a product.
The second variable in expectancy theory requires the worker to ask him- or herself: If I perform at a given level, how likely is it that I will ________?
attain the reward or outcome I am looking for
Hidden aspects of an organization that OB provides insight into include ________.
attitudes
Which leadership style tends to centralize authority and make unilateral decisions?
autocratic style
The Ohio State studies indicated that leaders who were high in consideration performed ___________.
best when employee tasks were routine
Organizational culture and attitudes are shared by ______ value chain partners.
both internal and external
In many value chains, an organization must have the ability to educate __________.
both internal and external partners
Inputs in the transformation process include____
both material and non material items
In the situational leadership theory (SLT), follower "readiness" is defined as __________ to perform a task.
both the ability and willingness
In the situational leadership theory (SLT), readiness is defined as _____ to perform a task.
both the ability and willingness
In the situational leadership theory (SLT), readiness is defined as ________ to perform a task
both the ability and willingness
Situational leadership theory (SLT) states that readiness is
both the ability and willingness to perform a task
Skills, abilities and knowledge affect
both the sender and receiver
Skills, attitude, knowledge, and social cultural system affect _______
both the sender and the receiver
Listening to a singing performance on the radio allows a listener to perceive ______________ forms of communication.
both verbal and nonverbal
According to Maslow, a person stranded on a desert island would ________ before she worried about making weapons.
build a house
As the number of employees in an organization grows, structure tends to become more ________.
bureaucratic
Laura sent a text message to Betty telling her that she would come by to pick her up after work so they could go shopping. Betty, however, made other plans for the evening thinking Laura was talking about going shopping the next day. Which of the following best explains what went wrong with the communication? A) Laura used a wrong channel of communication. B) Scanability of the message was poor. C) Betty decoded the message incorrectly. D) The complexity capacity of text messaging is poor.
c) Betty decoded the message incorrectly
in which of the following cases is communication used to control employee behavior? A) Sandy tells Mitch that she's happy with the progress he's making. B) Glenn lets Ann know that the deadline for her project has been postponed. C) Jan informs Sara that she must follow the dress code at work. D) Chris gives Jason tips on how to improve his performance.
c) Jan informs Sara that she must follow the dress code at work
A bus company is a ________ organization because its product is ________. a. service; buses b. manufacturing; transportation c. service; transportation d. manufacturing; buses
c. service; transportation
positive or negative feedback works best when it is given _______. a. everyday b. not more than a few times a year. c. shortly after the event itself d. long after the event
c. shortly after the event itself
The value of the controlling function is seen in three specific areas: planing,
empowering employees, and protecting the workplace
in order to transmit a message, the thought originating with the sender must be________ to symbolic form.
encoded
With regard to social networks , many companies are now ....
encouraging employees to use social networks as a tool to work collaboratively
Joe works for a company that is environmentally friendly and pays fair wages
ethical CSR
When value is created by a participant in a value chain ____ benefits
everyone in the chain
downsizing corporate America harms
everyone is impacted
For managers, communication can't be overemphasized because_______ requires communication.
everything a manager does
your firm's attorney has ______ power when giving legal advice
expert
The goals of organizational behavior are to
explain, predict and influence
A team's ___marks the border between tasks that are strictly the team's responsibility and those that the team shares with other parts of the organizations
external boundary
How is the value chain oriented?
externally
One reason people resist change is that it substitutes ambiguity for uncertainty
false
The number of managers who face "white-water rapids" metaphor conditions is getting smaller.
false
There are four basic elements in organizational structure
false
When decisions tend to be made at lower levels in an organization, the organization is said to be centralized
false
A building contractor follows the network organization model when he does which of the following?
farms out the plumbing to a plumbing firm
Strengths of simple structure
fast, flexible, inexpensive to maintain, clear accountability
A participative leadership style works well with followers/ employees who __________.
have an internal locus of control
A participative leadership style works will with subordinates who
have an internal locus of control
In order for a value chain to function successfully, different partners in the chain must _________
have trust in one another
A fast-food restaurant is querying prospective customers about the features they would like to see in a new panini sandwich. What kind of control is being used?
feed forward control
Your boss has total control over hiring, firing, and promotions in your department. He has ________.
high position power
One advantage of feedback control over other forms of control is that it lets managers focus on ____
how on target their planning efforts were
An action show producer has a read-though of half-written show in which actors, writers, producers, and the director are free to make comments and changes before the show is filmed. What kind of control is being used?
feed forward control
The final link in the communication process is
feedback
The final link in the communication process is ________
feedback
Which kind of control takes place after the actual work has been carried out?
feedback
Successful managers tend to be better at ________.
identifying their own goals than identifying goals of subordinates
A cell phone maker tests its new model with a sample audience when it is fully operational. what kind of control is this?
feedback control
Which kind of control takes place before the actual work is carried out?
feedforward
Controlling is the_______ in the management process.
final step
A balanced scorecard approach creates goals in four key performance areas and assess
financial, customer, internal processes and people
The term supervisor could be referred to by another name
first line manager
In today's diverse workforce which factor do managers need to focus to maximize motivation
flexibility
Which factor do managers need to focus on most to maximize motivation
flexibility
Above all, jobs and job design in a value chain management company must be __________
flexible
strengths of divisional structure
focuses on results division manager responsible for what happen to their products and services
For addressing the hardships accompanying unemployment, this is an example of immediate corecctive action
food stamps
The most effective way to guard against social loafing is
for managers to assess individual contributions of group members
U.S. managers tend to rely on this of communication.
formal and written
The difference between male and female styles of communication exists __________
in every culture
Setting goals definitely seems to ________
increase performance and motivation
Most countries in today's global business climate see ________ as the key to success.
increasing producitvity
Importance of leadership
from top organizational levels to lower levels, managers must support, facilitate, and promote implementation and ongoing practice of value chain management
Most Countries in today's global business climate see ____ as the key to success.
increasing productivity
Leadership is a process, while leaders are _________.
individual people
The primary reason for why social loafing occurs is that output contributions from ________ easily be measured.
individuals cannot
Japanese managers tend to rely on this style of communication.
informal and verbal
Coordination and collaboration: sharing
information, open communication
In the Ohio State studies, _____ refers to how strict a leader's standards are.
initiating structure
Value is created during the process of____
inputs being converted into groups
The transformation process transforms___
inputs into goods and sevices
If a manager of a tennis store sees sales totals for a particular racquet significantly exceeding goals and deviating from acceptable range of variation, she might ________.
inquire about ordering more racquets
The moment when all prior efforts in the creativity process successfully come together is known as ________.
inspiration
Transformational leaders are leaders who guide by ___________.
inspiring followers
How is SCM oriented?
internally
A difficult skill for a team leader to learn is knowing when to
intervene with the team
This is the most important resource in any value chain
employees
The key diff between team leader and traditional leadership is that in teams,_______decisions
employees are empowered to make
Effective controlling can help managers _____
empower their employees
The next need becomes dominant
Maslow argued that once a need is substantially satisfied, ___________________
Which communication sequence is correct?
Sender--encoding--channel--decoding --receiver
A company that sells business consulting is an example of this type of organization.
Service organization
What are these examples of: A hospital A military force A university
Service organizations
been confirmed repeatedly
Since Deming first proposed his 14 points for improving productivity, his prescriptions have
collaborate closely
Since all partners in a value chain benefit when value is added, partners ideally should
completing task faster
Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to ________
Speed of performing tasks
Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to _______________________
Four conditions influence the content of an encoded message: the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and ______ of the sender.
Social-cultural system
Which is the best summary of goal-setting theory? a. Goals make no difference in performance b. Specific goals increase performance c. Always make your goals very difficult to reach d. Easy goals make for happier employees
Specific goals increase performance
In its entirety, the value chain can encompass the supplier's ____ to the customer's ____.
Suppliers; customer
___ focuses on providing an efficient flow of resources to an organization.
Supply chain management
_____focuses on providing an efficient flow of resources to an organization
Supply chain management
Most jobs at Acme were redesigned to allow the employees to complete a whole and identifiable piece of work. This fits ______, a core dimension of the job characteristics model. a. Skill variety b. Task identity c. Task significance d. Autonomy
Task identity
Acme managers explained how important their product was to the world economy. Which core dimension in the job characteristics model is this? a. Skill variety b. Task identity c. Task significance d. Autonomy
Task significance
Self-managed work teams
Teams composed of individuals who function without a supervisor are called __________________
_________ is defined in situational leadership theory (SLT) as a high task, low relationship leadership role.
Telling
The iPhone 5s costs more than the iPhone 5c. What can we assume about its value?
That the features of the 5s have more value to customers.
value chain
The ________ is the series of work actions that add value to a product as it is being transformed from inputs to finished product
Forming
The ___________ stage of the group development process is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group
Value chain
The _____________ is the series of work actions that add value to a product as it is being transformed from inputs to finished product
what is Operations Management?
The application of the transformation process
Context, composition, work design, and processes
The characteristics that make a team effective include ___________________
On ebay, brand-new red espresso machines routinely sell for $50 more than identical white machines. What can you conclude?
The color red has value
Job involvement
The degree to which an employee identifies with his or her job or actively participates in it refer to the employee's __________________
Customers; pay for
The durability an expensive pair of shoes provides has value since ____________ are willing to _____________ it
The JCM, motivation and satisfaction increase when this is true. a. The employee feels about herself b. The employee cares about the task c. The employee feels rewarded d. The employee feels like she belongs
The employee cares about the task
Attain a certain level of performance
The first variable in expectancy theory involves how much effort a person must exert to ____________________
Toward planning or flexibility
The judging versus perceiving scale on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator A determines whether a person is oriented ___________________
Leadership style and situation
The key to the Fiedler contingency model of leadership is to match _____________________
The key to any job in a successful value chain is that it ____
best helps the chain create costumer value
What is one way to not increase workplace diversity
employee referrals
Equity theory
A theory that suggests that employees compare their inputs and outputs from a job to the ratio of relevant others is known as _____________
Directive
A(n) ___________ leader in path-goal theory gives specific guidance in performing tasks
85) Goal-setting tends to do well in ________, where its basic ideas align well with general cultural values.
A) North America
79) ________ is defined in situational leadership theory (SLT) as a high task, low relationship leadership role.
A) Telling
148) Aaron is what type of manager?
A) Theory X-oriented
All of the following are common rationalizations that workers use to justify workplace theft EXCEPT ________.
"I owe money from gambling"
A GPS that tells you that you are making a wrong turn is an example of concurrent control. A) True B) False
(A)
Controlling provides a critical link back to planning that compares actual outcomes to planned outcomes. A) True B) False
(A)
Some control criteria, such as employee satisfaction and absenteeism, are applicable to almost any management situation. A) True B) False
(A)
When a budget is used for controlling, it provides ______ against which resource consumption can be compared. A) quantitative standards B) qualitative standards C) flexible standards D) non-numerical standards
(A) A budget provides definite, quantitative standards that can be used for comparison with actual consumption data, making "quantitative standards" the correct response. Budgets provide precise quantities that are clearly not nonnumerical, flexible, or qualitative.
When a customer gets frustrated from being put on hold for 30 minutes during a call, the company is having problems with which service quality dimension? A) Timeliness B) Consistency C) Convenience D) Courtesy
(A) How long it takes for service to occur and whether the service task gets completed in its designated time period is a measure of timeliness, making this choice the correct response. Consistency is providing the same customer experience from time to time. Courtesy is providing a helpful, polite, cheerful customer experience. Convenience measures how accessible service is.
Organizational processes in value chain management organizations need to eliminate _______. A) Non value-adding activities B) demand forecasting C) ties between customers and suppliers D) organizational core competencies
(A) Organizational processes require that such things as demand forecasting and customer-supplier ties be increased rather than decreased. Core competencies are exploited by an organization in this situation, not eliminated. What managers must do is get rid of any activities that are not adding value to the value chain, making "nonvalue-adding activities" the correct response.
Durability and features are measures of ______. A) product quality B) service quality C) product value D) service value
(A) Product quality measures such dimensions as durability, performance, and features, making this choice the correct response. Service quality measures dimensions such as timeliness, courtesy, and consistency, so this choice is not correct. Product and service value are not quantifiable measurements that managers make in assessing quality.
A car company that puts more effort into measuring quality than total units sold most likely wants to excel at ________. A) customer satisfaction B) employee satisfaction C) cost per unit D) efficiency
(A) The company is showing its priorities by what it chooses to measure. Since it is concerned with quality, the company is clearly less interested in efficiency and unit cost than how satisfied its customers are, making "customer satisfaction" the correct response. Employee satisfaction is not directly related to measuring quality, so it is not a correct response.
Which of the following is NOT an example of a service organization? A) a lens maker B) a hospital C) a military force D) a university
(A) The products or outputs of a hospital (care), a military force (protection), and a university (knowledge) are all nonphysical entities, making these organizations service organizations. A manufacturer of lenses, on the other hand, is creating tangible, physical objects as output, so it is not a service organization, making "a lens maker" the correct response.
Which of the following is not suggested by goal-setting theory? A) "Do-your-best" goals outperform specific goals. B) Good feedback is an important aspect of goal setting. C) Moderately-difficult goals increase motivation and performance. D) Goals set by the manager and employee usually result in higher motivation and performance.
A) "Do-your-best" goals outperform specific goals.
39) Motivation is NOT ________.
A) a permanent personal trait
3) The three key elements in the definition of motivation are energy, direction, and achievement.
False; energy/direction/persistence
120) In the integrated model for motivation (Exhibit 10-9, page 277), how do reinforcement theory and equity theory figure in?
A) Appropriate rewards reinforce a high level of performance.
Equity theory compares your own outcomes-to-input to that of __________________. a. Your boss b. A referent c. The input-to-output ratio of another worker d. The input-to-output ratio of an idealized worker
A referent
In its entirety, the value chain can encompass the supplier's ________ to the customer's ________. A) suppliers; customer B) suppliers; suppliers C) customers; suppliers D) customers; customers
(A) This statement takes the value chain for a given company beyond the limits of the company itself. For example, the tractors used by Starbucks coffee growers in Guatemala are suppliers of suppliers. Clients of a design firm who enjoy Starbucks coffee during a meeting are customers of customers. This situation clearly describes "suppliers; customers" as the only answer that makes sense for this question.
A well-run company that has well-thought-out plans, motivated and productive workers, and an efficient organizational structure ________. A) may not always attain its goals B) rarely attains its goals C) has no reason to monitor its performance D) always attains its goals
(A) Though it is likely that a well-run company will attain its goals, only monitoring an organization's activities and comparing them to standards can confirm whether or not those goals have been met. This rules out "rarely attains its goals," since most well-run companies do attain goals, and it also rules out "always attains its goals" because a company may seem to do everything right and still not attain its goals. "Has no reason to monitor its performance" is incorrect because monitoring is the one way in which a company can determine for sure whether it has achieved its goals. Since all other choices have been eliminated, "may not always attain its goals" is the correct response since it correctly identifies the unlikely but still possible eventuality that a company that does all the right things could still fail to attain its goals.
In a transformation process, people are considered to be inputs because they ________. A) perform tasks that are needed to create outputs B) are costly C) are material beings D) have knowledge and information
(A) What makes people qualify as inputs in the transformation process is not that they are costly or are material beings. Some inputs, such as information, for example, are nonmaterial, so being material is not a necessary characteristic of an input. The fact that people have knowledge and information also does not qualify them as inputs. People are inputs only because they use that knowledge and information to perform tasks that turn goods and services into outputs, making "perform tasks that are needed to create outputs" the correct response. People are inputs because they help the transformation process transform raw inputs into finished products.
As a product, piano lessons are _____. A) a good because you can purchase them B) a service because they are nonmaterial C) a good because they can be divided into discrete lessons D) a service because someone needs to give them
(B)
Manufacturing organizations produce both physical and nonphysical outputs. A) True B) False
(B)
Operations management includes service industries but not manufacturing firms. A) True B) False
(B)
Personal observation as a form of control measurement requires little time. A) True B) False
(B)
A laptop computer company is a ________ organization because its product is ________. A) service; a computer B) manufacturing; a computer C) manufacturing; electronic D) service; electronic
(B) A computer company takes raw materials and makes a physical product, a computer, so it is a manufacturing organization, making "manufacturing; a computer" the correct response. "Service; electronic" and "service; a computer" can be ruled out because they identify the company as a service organization, which is not true since it makes a physical product. "Manufacturing; electronic" is incorrect because the company's product is a computer, not an electronic product.
Immediate corrective action is designed ________. A) to punish employees for poor performance B) to get performance back on track C) to get to the root cause of a problem D) to shake up an organization
(B) Immediate corrective action is the simplest corrective action a manager can take. It solves the problem at hand quickly and effectively without necessarily getting at root causes or shaking up the organization. While immediate corrective action may include punishment, it would not necessarily require punishment, so that choice is not a correct response. These factors make "get performance back on track" the correct response as it is the only choice that deals purely with performance.
This type of performance measurement format would most likely include graphs, tables and computer outputs. A) Oral report B) Statistical report C) MBWA D) Written report
(B) Since neither an oral report nor MBWA includes written material, neither would be likely to feature charts and graphs, making those two choices incorrect responses. A written report might include quantitative data, but quantitative data would not be an essential element of the report as it would be in a statistical report. This makes "statistical report" the correct response and eliminates "written report" as a correct response.
Value is any aspect of a product that customers ________ in the product. A) want to see B) will pay for C) like or admire D) notice
(B) The key to value is that it is not simply something that customers notice, admire, or would like to have in a product. Value is something that customers are willing to pay for in one way or another, either with money or some other resource. This makes "will pay for" the correct response.
A major part of the controlling function of management is to __________. A) formulate strategies B) set standards C) correct performance problems D) structure an organization
(C) In addition to making sure that goals have been met, a major function of controlling is to correct performances that are not up to standards, making "correct performance problems" the correct response. Both formulating strategies and setting standards fall primarily under the planning function, while structuring an organization is part of the organizing function.
_______ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services. A) Control B) Systems C) Operations D) Planning
(C) Operations management is defined as the process that oversees every step of the transformation process, making "operations" the correct response and ruling out the other responses. The transformation process is what turns material and nonmaterial inputs into goods and services, so operations management is the management of this process that converts raw inputs into finished product outputs.
creator-innovator
A team that lacks new, interesting, exciting ideas needs someone to fulfill this team role.
128) A ________ is characterized by high performance orientation.
A) German leader
A fast-food restaurant is querying prospective customers about the features they would like to see in a new sandwich. What kind of control is being used? A) Concurrent control B) Feedback control C) Feedfoward control D) Anticipation control
(C) Since the company is asking for input before the actual product exists, feedforward control is being used, making this choice the correct response. Feedback control would have participants making comments about the sandwich after it was created, while concurrent control would have customers participate in the actual creation of the sandwich. Anticipation control is not a recognized control term.
Which of the following is NOT a way to increase productivity? A) decrease costs B) increase outputs C) increase efficiency D) increase inputs
(D) Increasing efficiency is an effective way to increase productivity. Decreasing costs and increasing outputs are ways to increase efficiency, so both also increase productivity. Increasing inputs usually decreases efficiency since efficiency is defined as the ratio of outputs to inputs, so "increase inputs" is the correct response.
A manager measuring actual performance is like a teacher ________. A) making an assignment B) composing a test C) helping a student study for a test D) grading a test
(D) When a teacher composes a test, gives an assignment, or helps a student prepare for a test, she is not actually assessing or measuring performance. Instead, she is creating the tools for assessing performance. Only when a teacher evaluates the test is she measuring actual performance, making "grading a test" the correct response.
Orgs with successful quality improvement programs rely on 2 important approaches to their employees:
1. cross-functional work teams 2. self-managing teams
3 reasons why Transformation Process is important
1. encompasses all orgs 2. key to effectiveness and efficiency 3. strategic role
3 main HR requirements for value chain management
1. flexible approaches to job design 2. effective hiring process 3. training
It is estimated that in the United States, ____ of all economic output is toward making tangible,physcial objects
20%
Consultant estimates state that __team leaders
85 percent of managers are not natural
According to the University of Michigan studies, leaders who were ____were associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction. A) Employee oriented B) Initiating structure C) Considerate D) Production oriented
A
Organizational processes in the value chain management organizations need to eliminate _____ A. Non value-adding activities B. Demand forecasting C. Ties between customers and suppliers D. Organizational core competencies
A
When a customer gets frustrated from being put on hold for 30 mins during a call, the company is having problems with which service quality dimension? A. Timeliness B. Consistency C. Convenience D. Courtesy
A
A strategic design for how a company intends to make profit
A "business model" is ______________________.
Whether all four goals are met
A balanced scorecard approach creates goals in four key performance areas and assesses ___________________
service; transportation
A bus company is a ________ organization because its product is ________.
Seeks input and shares the final decision
A democratic participative leader ______________
Subjective
A disadvantage of a statistical report is that it may leave out ________ measurements of performance.
Be good at playing different roles
A high self-monitoring individual would tend to ___________________
Who should never use jargon?
A judge telling a witness how to testify
Different rewards motivate people in different ways
A key element of expectancy theory might be summarized by saying ____________________
Delegating
A leader who pretty much leaves employees on their own is assuming this SLT role
Modified Gantt Chart
A load chart is a _________________ that schedules capacity by workstation.
correct performance problems
A major part of the controlling function of management is to
Correct performance problems
A major part of the controlling function of management is to ____________________
analyzed and processed
A management information system (MIS) provides managers with ________ data.
High risk-taking
A manager who takes very little time to make a decision probably has the trait of _____________
Risk
A member of a global team from a country that has high uncertainty avoidance may have problems dealing with this
**72) Which of the following is true of the three early theories of motivation?
A) Herzberg focuses on job satisfaction.
Outline three additional steps a manager can take to effectively deliver performance feedback.
Answer: 1. Make sure the employee gets ample opportunity to speak. Get the employee's perceptions of the situation, and make the employee feel that he or she is engaging in a two-way dialogue, not a lecture. In many cases, the employee will provide information that is unknown to the manager and may significantly alter the manager's view of the overall situation. 2. Ensure that the employee has a clear and full understanding of the feedback. Feedback must be concise and complete enough so that the employee clearly and fully understands what the manager has said. Consistent with active listening techniques, have the employee rephrase the content of the feedback to check whether it fully captures the meaning that was intended. 3. Detail a future plan of action. Have the employee leave the session with a clear sense of how to proceed in the future.
Outline three steps a manager can take to effectively deliver performance feedback.
Answer: 1. Schedule the feedback session in advance and be prepared. For feedback to be effective, you must plan ahead. Identify the issues you wish to address and cite specific examples to reinforce what you are saying. Furthermore, set aside the time for the meeting with the employee. Make sure that you have the time, space, and privacy to complete the session without interruptions. 2. Put the employee at ease. Create a supportive climate for the employee. Recognize that giving and getting this feedback can be a trying emotional event even when the feedback is positive. 3. Make sure the employee knows the purpose of this feedback session. There should be no surprises in performance feedback sessions. The employee should know exactly why he or she has been summoned. Clarifying what you are going to do sets the appropriate stage for what is to come.
88) Teams composed of individuals with skills that are highly complementary to one another are called ________. A) cross-functional teams B) self-managed work teams C) problem-solving teams D) virtual teams
Answer: A Explanation: A) A cross-functional team selects individuals with highly complementary skills and functions who work together on a project with a common goal, making it the correct response. A self-managed work team functions without a supervisor and is responsible for managing itself so it is not a correct response. Problem-solving teams are teams with limited authority that are composed of individuals from a single functional department, so it is not a correct response. A virtual team combines individuals electronically so it is not a correct response.
A disadvantage of a statistical report is that it may leave out ________ measurements of performance. A) subjective B) objective C) positive D) negative
Answer: A Explanation: A) A statistical report is objective rather than subjective and is no more likely to leave out positive or negative performance evaluations than any other form of assessment, making objective, positive, and negative all incorrect responses for this question. Since a statistical report is objective it tends to disregard subjective information, making subjective the correct response.
100) When a team can't agree on who does what, it is having this kind of contextual problem. A) leadership and structure B) adequate resources C) climate of trust D) reward system
Answer: A Explanation: A) Adequate resources are a question of having an appropriate amount of equipment, manpower, and funds for a team, not disagreements about who does what, so adequate resources is an incorrect response. A climate of trust involves team members having faith and confidence in one another, not disagreements about who does what, so climate of trust is an incorrect response. A good reward system involves fair payment, not disagreements about who does what, so reward system is an incorrect response. Only leadership and structure are involved with figuring out who does what, so that is the correct response.
When actual performance falls outside of an acceptable range of variation, it is termed a(n) ________. A) significant deviation B) insignificant deviation C) acceptable deviation D) large deviation
Answer: A Explanation: A) Any measure of actual performance that does not fall within the limits of what the manager has termed an acceptable range of variation is termed a significant deviation, making this choice the correct response and eliminating all other responses. Note that a significant deviation is defined entirely by the situation and the manager. The same deviation in two different situations, or when evaluated by two different managers, may be assessed differently.
For addressing unemployment, this is an example of basic corrective action. A) a task force to see why jobs were lost B) food stamps C) unemployment compensation D) a job training program
Answer: A Explanation: A) Basic corrective action gets at root causes of performance deviations. Food stamps, unemployment compensation, and training programs do not identify root causes of unemployment, they simply remedy unemployment. A task force can determine root causes of unemployment, making that choice the correct response.
81) The main difference between work groups and work teams is that ________. A) work teams have a common goal B) work groups have a common goal C) work teams share information D) work groups share information
Answer: A Explanation: A) Both work groups and work teams share information, which rules out work teams and work groups sharing information as correct responses. The key difference between the two is that work teams have a shared goal that they work together to accomplish, while work groups merely help group members accomplish their own separate goals. This makes work teams having a common goal the correct response for this question and work groups having a common goal incorrect.
95) Deborah's work team has its own separate office, does its own planning and scheduling, and is even responsible for evaluating each other's performance. Deborah is part of a ________ team. A) self-managed B) virtual C) problem-solving D) work group
Answer: A Explanation: A) Deborah's team cannot be a virtual team because it has its own office. It cannot be a problem-solving team because it has authority to plan, schedule, and carry out decisions. It cannot be a work group because the team has common goals.
93) Which of the following would a self-managed work team be LEAST likely to do? A) select all projects they work on B) make decisions C) implement decisions they make D) assign tasks
Answer: A Explanation: A) Self-managed work teams can make and implement decisions and assign tasks within their own team structure. One thing a self-managed work team might not always have the freedom and autonomy to do is to choose its projects, making "selecting all projects they work on" the correct response. Most likely, the group would be given its assignment from management and then be held responsible for its successful completion.
The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable. The first day little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. 134) When the management group was determining standards and establishing how they would make decisions, they were in the ________ stage of group development. A) norming B) storming C) forming D) adjourning
Answer: A Explanation: A) During norming, the group becomes cohesive as it establishes the rules and standards it will operate by. This stage is clearly norming because group members are devising rules by which the group will function.
Which kind of control takes place after the actual work has been carried out? A) feedback B) forward C) feedforward D) concurrent
Answer: A Explanation: A) Feedback control occurs after an activity has taken place, in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes, making feedback the correct response for this question. Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur. Concurrent control occurs during the activity itself, in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Forward control is not a recognized control term.
131) This is one thing that global teams usually fail to attain. A) team cohesiveness B) consensus C) team goals D) organizational goals
Answer: A Explanation: A) Global teams are at least as successful at reaching team goals, organizational goals, or consensus in decision making as are non-global teams. Where global teams tend to fall is in achieving a sense of cohesiveness. Studies show that global teams are usually driven by mistrust, miscommunication, and stress, all of which function to limit cohesiveness.
A family that is using a computer program to create a formal household budget is using the budget as a(n) ________. A) planning tool B) controlling tool C) organizing tool D) leading tool
Answer: A Explanation: A) Here, the budget is being used as a planning tool because the family is creating a household spending plan, making "planning tool" the correct response for this question. The budget is not being used as a controlling tool because it is simply a plan at this stage; it is not allowing family members to adjust their behavior, making "controlling tool" an incorrect response. Later, if the budget gets used to guide spending it will be used as a leadership tool. Similarly, if the budget is referred to to help determine who is going to buy what and when, it will be used as an organizing tool.
123) A member of a global team from a country that has high uncertainty avoidance may have problems dealing with this. A) risk B) authority C) following orders D) sharing information
Answer: A Explanation: A) High uncertainty avoidance cultures tend to shy away from risky and unpredictable situations, making them likely to be more risk-averse than other team members. This makes risk the correct response. Uncertainty avoidance should not negatively influence a team member's ability to follow orders, deal with authority, or share information so those choices are incorrect.
In which country would highly centralized decision making be more likely to be prevalent? A) Mexico B) Scotland C) Japan D) Australia
Answer: A Explanation: A) In less technologically advanced countries such as Mexico, direct supervision and highly centralized decision making are more common than in advanced countries, where computer technology takes care of many monitoring functions. This makes Mexico the correct response for this question and rules out more technologically advanced countries like Scotland, Japan, and Australia.
The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable. The first day little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. 135) In the third and fourth days of the retreat, the managers were in the ________ stage of group development. A) performing B) storming C) forming D) adjourning
Answer: A Explanation: A) In the third and fourth days of the retreat, managers were actively working on the task they had set out to accomplish. The stage of the group development process that involves working actively and directly toward the group's goals is the performing stage, making this the correct response.
________ is a measure of how readily a company can use its assets to generate profits. A) Profitability B) Leverage C) Liquidity D) Activity
Answer: A Explanation: A) Profitability, the ratio of net after-tax profits to total sales, is a measure of how good a company is at using its assets to generate profits, making that choice the correct response. Liquidity, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its debt payments. Activity, the ratio of sales to inventory, is a measure of how well a company uses its assets. Leverage, the ratio of total debt to total assets, is a measure of how much debt a company acquires to finance its assets.
The control process is a two-step process that measures and compares.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The control process is a three, not a two-step process that includes measuring performance, comparing performance against a standard, and taking action, if necessary.
104) These are the Big Five personality traits that seem to have the greatest influence on team performance. A) conscientiousness and openness to experience B) agreeableness and emotional stability C) emotional stability and extraversion D) extraversion and conscientiousness
Answer: A Explanation: A) Studies show that teams that include team members who are conscientious and open to experience tend to perform best, making that the correct response. Though agreeableness has also been shown to be a factor in team performance, emotional stability is not a factor, ruling out those two choices as correct responses. Extraversion has not been identified as a factor for team productivity, so that choice can be ruled out as a possible correct response.
114) A certain amount of this is usually required for effective teams. A) conflict B) dysfunction C) social loafing D) distrust
Answer: A Explanation: A) Surprisingly, a modicum of conflict is an important ingredient for successful teams, making conflict the correct response. To be constructive and have beneficial effects, team conflicts should be healthy disagreements over task issues, not personal rancor or disagreements. Though dysfunction, social loafing, and distrust are ever-present in teams, they do nothing to increase team productivity so they are all incorrect responses for this question.
A car company that puts more effort into measuring quality than total units sold most likely wants to excel at ________. A) customer satisfaction B) efficiency C) employee satisfaction D) cost per unit
Answer: A Explanation: A) The company is showing its priorities by what it chooses to measure. Since it is concerned with quality, the company is clearly less interested in efficiency and unit cost than how satisfied its customers are, making customer satisfaction the correct response. Employee satisfaction is not directly related to measuring quality so it is not a correct response.
56) Al is given two different "top priorities" from two different managers. Al is experiencing ________. A) role conflict B) role reversal C) efficiency conflict D) personal conflict
Answer: A Explanation: A) The conflict Al experiences comes from a work situation, so it is clearly not a personal conflict. Nor is Al's situation a role reversal which would require him to assume the role of someone else he is dealing with, eliminating role reversal as a correct choice. The conflict Al is experiencing is role conflict, making it the correct choice and eliminating efficiency conflict because the conflict has nothing to do with efficiency.
Which statement about employee privacy is correct? A) Employers have a legal right to monitor on-the-job employee phone calls. B) Employers have no legal right to monitor on-the-job employee phone calls. C) Employers have the legal right to monitor all employee phone calls. D) Employers do not have the right to monitor any employee phone calls.
Answer: A Explanation: A) The correct statement is that employers have the right to monitor any workplace activity, whether it is phone calls, computer use, or some other activity. This right makes the choice indicating no legal right to monitor on-the-job phone calls an incorrect response. What employers don't have is the right to intrude in employees' lives outside of the workplace, making the choice indicating a legal right to monitor all phone calls an incorrect response. Employers not having the right to monitor any phone calls is not correct because it rules out all phone calls, and clearly employers can monitor in-house workplace calls.
After an extended period of unseasonably warm and sunny weather, revenues are down sharply during the month of November at an indoor tennis club. The best strategy for the club manager is to ________. A) do nothing B) run a sale on hourly rates C) raise hourly rates to increase revenue D) change her monthly goals for December
Answer: A Explanation: A) The deviation in this case falls within an acceptable range. The drop in customers had an explainable cause—unusually nice weather—that is not likely to become a chronic problem. There is no reason to assume that December will be just as warm as November, so the manager should not change her goals, run a sale, or raise rates. The best strategy is to sit tight and wait for the normal customers to come in during December, making doing nothing the correct response
47) The ________ stage of the group development process is complete when members begin to think of themselves as part of a group. A) forming B) storming C) norming D) performing
Answer: A Explanation: A) The forming stage of the group development process is the first stage of the process. It begins with group members getting together to establish group goals, structure, and purpose. The forming stage is considered complete when members feel like they are official members of the group. This makes forming the correct response and rules out all other responses.
97) The characteristics that make a team effective include ________. A) context, composition, work design, and processes B) context, resources, leadership, and trust C) composition, diversity, personality, and size D) work design, autonomy, skill variety, and task significance
Answer: A Explanation: A) The four characteristics are context, composition, work design, and processes, making this the correct response. The choice indicating resources lists context characteristics only, so it is an incorrect response. The choice indicating diversity lists composition characteristics only, so it is an incorrect response. The choice indicating autonomy lists work design characteristics only, so it is an incorrect response.
Managers always use these for performance standards during the control process. A) goals created during the planning process B) plans created during the planning process C) generic performance standards for the industry D) standards developed by performance experts
Answer: A Explanation: A) The performance standards to which the actual performance of the organization is compared during the control process are simply the goals that were created during the planning stage of organizational activity. This makes "goals created" the correct response and eliminates generic or expert-developed standards as correct responses. "Plans created" is incorrect because the standards are goals, not plans.
Jessie's whole work section that consists of three work groups was assessed by this method of performance measurement and informally judged to be "creative, innovative, hard-working, and fun-loving." A) MBWA B) written report C) statistical report D) oral report
Answer: A Explanation: A) The subjective, informal character of the assessment rules out a written and statistical report as possible right answers for this question, since written and statistical methods tend to be formal. The assessment is more impressionistic than specific, more a sense of an entire work area than an evaluation of an individual or a specific group, making MBWA the correct response and ruling out oral report.
94) The team that meets each week in room 201 has a goal of creating a new cell phone model. The team consists of an engineer, a designer, a computer software specialist, and a marketing specialist. The team has full authority to make and implement its own decisions. This is likely to be a ________. A) cross-functional team B) problem-solving team C) virtual team D) work group
Answer: A Explanation: A) The team has individuals who specialize in different complementary skills, suggesting that it is a cross-functional team. The team could not be virtual because it meets in room 201. The team could not be a problem-solving team because it has authority to carry out its own decisions. The team could not be a work group because it has a common goal, to create a new phone.
109) A team that lacks discipline needs someone to fulfill this team role. A) controller-inspector B) linker C) explorer-promoter D) upholder-maintainer
Answer: A Explanation: A) The team role that provides discipline and enforces rules is the controller-inspector, making that the correct response for this question. Rather than enforce rules and discipline, a linker coordinates the team, an explorer-promoter champions new ideas for the team, and an upholder-maintainer fights outside battles for the team, making those three answers all incorrect choices.
In general, the greater the distance between the home office of a global company and its branch, the ________. A) more formalized the controls B) less formalized the controls C) more automated the controls D) less automated the controls
Answer: A Explanation: A) Though branches of global companies like Seven-Eleven do use automated controls to keep tabs on such things as inventory, there is no predictable relationship between distance and automation, so both choices regarding automation are incorrect responses. There is a clear relationship between distance and the formalization of control—longer distances tend to require more formal control mechanisms making more formalized the correct response and eliminating less formalized.
An effective feedforward strategy for dealing with employee theft is ________. A) screen workers before they are hired B) openly state the real costs of stealing C) have managers set good examples D) hire professional investigators
Answer: A Explanation: A) Though stating costs and setting good examples may be helpful, these are concurrent, not feedforward measures so they are incorrect responses. Hiring investigators is a feedback response, so is an incorrect response. Of the choices given, only pre-screening workers is a feedforward strategy, so screening workers before they are hired is the correct response for this question.
43) Of the following, which is NOT thought to be an advantage of teams within an organization? A) increased organizational coherence B) employee job satisfaction C) more innovation D) new products developed faster at lower costs
Answer: A Explanation: A) Use of teams has definitely been associated with job satisfaction, innovation, and faster turnaround in developing new products, eliminating these choices as correct responses for this question. Teams do not typically bring various organizational parts together, making increased organizational coherence the only item that is not true, and therefore causing it to be the correct response.
When feedback control shows that planning goals and actual performance were dramatically different, the most likely conclusion is that ________. A) planning was not on-target B) performance measurements were unreliable C) planning was on-target D) goals do not need to be changed
Answer: A Explanation: A) When goals and actual performance are wildly different, one can conclude that the goals were off in some way, making "planning not being on-target" the correct response and ruling out that it was on-target. Concluding that honest measurements were inaccurate is possible, but not a likely or reasonable assumption, so "performance measurements being unreliable" is not correct. "Goals not needing to be changed" is incorrect because if anything, when goals and performance are very different, goals do need to be changed.
144) In a short essay, describe the characteristics of cross-functional teams.
Answer: A cross-functional team combines individuals who have skills or expertise in various areas who work together on a task or tasks. A cross-functional team whose task is to come up with a new sports video game, for example, might include an artist, a story writer, a computer programmer, a marketer, and an athlete. All of these team members lend their skills to accomplish the goal of creating the new game.
In a short essay, explain why what managers choose to measure can be more important than how they measure.
Answer: A premium coffee bean company, for example, may choose to measure total sales in a given geographical region as a reflection of how well the company is doing. This company might see rising sales of their product as a sign that they are highly successful in this geographical region. However, the sales totals may not tell the whole story. If premium coffee in the geographical area is a rapidly expanding market, the sales of all premium coffees would be expected to be rising. It is possible that the company is actually losing market share to a competitor even as its total sales rise impressively. So in this case deciding what to measure—market share as opposed to total sales—may make a huge difference in how the company evaluates its performance. If it measures total sales it sees its performance as good. If it measures market share it may see its performance as worrisome.
146) In a short essay, discuss how the work of Solomon Asch might affect managerial behavior.
Answer: Asch's work showed that individuals have a strong desire to conform to a group, even in the event that the group is wrong in some respect. Knowing this tendency to conform, managers can seek out ways to encourage employees to state their true feelings, not the feelings they feel pressured into adopting by the group. To encourage openness, managers might foster a climate in which no idea or viewpoint is deemed "weird" or inappropriate. Tolerance and encouragement of unconventional thinking can help managers and teams "think outside the box" and come up with creative and innovative solutions to problems rather than be stuck with conforming to conventional points of view.
A balanced scorecard approach creates goals in four key performance areas and assesses ________. A) whether all four goals are met B) whether all four goals are met equally C) whether any of the four goals are met D) which goals are exceeded
Answer: B Explanation: B) A balanced approach sets goals in four performance areas—financial, customer, internal processes, people/innovation/growth—and assesses how well balanced the company's performance is, making "whether all four goals are met equally" the correct response and eliminating all other responses.
9) Maslow contends that lower-order needs are satisfied internally and higher-order needs are satisfied externally.
False; lower order - externally/higher order - internally
During a performance feedback session, managers should make an effort to create a ________ environment. A) high-pressure B) supportive C) personal D) fun
Answer: B Explanation: B) A feedback session is not a place for fun, so fun can be ruled out as a correct response. Feedback ideally should focus on impersonal rather than personal comments, so personal is not a correct response. Instead of a high-pressure atmosphere, the manager should try to make the employee feel at ease in a supportive and empathetic environment, making supportive the correct response for this question.
76) High cohesiveness combined with a very weak alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this. A) a small productivity increase B) a productivity decrease C) a large productivity increase D) no productivity change
Answer: B Explanation: B) A group that is cohesive with goals that clearly do not align with organizational goals will tend to show a significant decrease in productivity, making this the correct response. The cohesiveness allows the group to produce an effective, coordinated, collective effort. However, when group goals do not align with organizational goals, this strong effort ends up being aimed in the wrong direction and promoting the wrong things, thereby detracting from overall organizational goals and ultimately causing a productivity drop.
) Steve has a taped record of this one-on-one meeting with his boss. A) a statistical report B) an oral report C) MBWA D) a written report
Answer: B Explanation: B) A one-on-one meeting is a personal interaction, not a written-out document, so both a statistical and written report can be ruled out as correct responses, since both are characterized by written documents. Oral reports and MBWA are both personal interactions, but MBWA is a group interaction rather than a one-on-one meeting so MBWA cannot be a correct response. An oral report is the correct response because it is a personal interaction and because it was taped—a characteristic of an oral report but not MBWA.
91) Teams composed of individuals who function without a supervisor are called ________. A) cross-functional teams B) self-managed work teams C) problem-solving teams D) virtual teams
Answer: B Explanation: B) A self-managed work team functions without a supervisor and is responsible for managing and evaluating itself and its own performance, making it the correct response. A virtual team combines individuals electronically rather than in-person, so it is not a correct response. Problem-solving teams are teams with limited authority that are composed of individuals from a single functional department, so it is not a correct response. A cross-functional team combines individuals with highly complementary skills and functions, so it is not a correct response.
) ________ is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its current debt obligations. A) Profitability B) Activity C) Leverage D) Liquidity
Answer: B Explanation: B) Activity, the ratio of sales to inventory, is a measure of how well a company uses its assets, making that choice the correct response. Leverage, the ratio of total debt to total assets, is a measure of how much debt a company acquires to finance its assets. Liquidity, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its debt payments. Profitability, the ratio of net after-tax profits to total sales, is a measure of how good a company is at using its assets to generate profits.
99) A major compositional factor that contributes to making a team effective is ________. A) adequate resources B) personality C) team efficacy D) task identity
Answer: B Explanation: B) Adequate resources are a context factor, not a compositional factor, so that is an incorrect response. Team efficacy is a work design factor, not a compositional factor, so that is an incorrect response. Task identity is a process factor, not a compositional factor, so that is an incorrect response. Personality is a compositional factor, so that is the correct response for this question.
Controlling is the ________ in the management process. A) first step B) final step C) most important step D) least important step
Answer: B Explanation: B) All four steps in the management process are more or less equal in importance, making both choices regarding importance incorrect responses for this question. Controlling comes after planning, organizing, and leading in the management process, so it is the final, not the first step in the management process, making final step the correct response.
A law firm manager finds that one lawyer constitutes a significant deviation because she consistently outperforms other lawyers at the firm. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take? A) none B) make a compensation change C) disciplinary action D) study to see why she outperformed others
Answer: B Explanation: B) Although no action might sound like a reasonable response, this performance is recognized as a significant deviation so some kind of corrective action is required. Disciplinary action can be ruled out since it is a punishment rather than a reward, while a study is a basic corrective action, not an immediate corrective action. The only action that makes sense is a monetary reward, making a compensation change the correct response.
129) A global team member from Israel would be ________ to engage in social loafing as a team member from Canada. A) somewhat more likely B) less likely C) equally likely D) much more likely
Answer: B Explanation: B) As a collectivist society, social loafing is frowned upon in Israel, so a team member would be less likely to engage in social loafing than a person from individualistic Canada, making "less likely" the correct answer and ruling out all other choices.
63) Asch's results are attributed to the tendency of people in groups to ________. A) try to distinguish themselves B) go along with the pack C) stand up for what they know is right D) "swim against the current"
Answer: B Explanation: B) Asch's results clearly indicate that people in groups have a strong tendency to want to conform, or go along with the pack, even when they know the pack is misguided. This makes going along with the pack the correct response. Distinguishing oneself, standing up for what is correct, or swimming against the current are all examples of refusing to conform—exactly what did not occur in Asch's studies—so those three choices are all incorrect responses
87) Which type of team is rarely given the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested actions? A) cross-functional B) problem-solving C) self-managed D) virtual
Answer: B Explanation: B) Of the four types of work teams, problem-solving teams have the least amount of authority, making it the correct response. Cross-functional and virtual teams are often versions of self-managed teams that are provided with explicit authority to implement the decisions they suggest.
103) Team diversity generally leads to ________ in overall team performance. A) an immediate increase B) an eventual increase C) a dramatic decrease D) an eventual decrease
Answer: B Explanation: B) At first, the minor difficulties that arise from having a diverse team with respect to such things as race and gender can decrease the performance of a work team. However, over time, problems get ironed out and diversity is seen to have a positive effect on performance, making an eventual increase the correct response and ruling out an immediate increase. The remaining two choices can both be ruled out as correct answers because the ultimate effect of diversity on performance is an increase, not a decrease.
74) Group cohesiveness is largely a measure of how ________. A) clear the group's goals are B) much individuals share the group's goals C) attainable the group's goals are D) much the group's goals match organizational goals
Answer: B Explanation: B) Cohesiveness is a measure of how much attraction there is between group members and the extent to which they share the group's goals, making the choice regarding individuals sharing the group's goals the correct response. How clear, attainable, or well-matched the group's goals are to the organization have little to do with group cohesion, since none of these factors has much influence over how strongly group members identify with the group and with each other.
All of the following are dangers of revising production goals downward EXCEPT ________. A) it destroys incentive to work harder B) it increases incentive to work harder C) it gives employees an excuse to be less productive D) it gives employees something to blame for their lack of effort
Answer: B Explanation: B) Destroying incentive, or giving employees excuses or something to blame are all legitimate reasons not to revise production goals downward, so they are incorrect responses. Revising goals downward does not increase incentive, so increasing incentives is the correct response here since it is untrue.
) Which kind of control takes place while the actual work is carried out? A) feedback B) concurrent C) reverse D) feedforward
Answer: B Explanation: B) Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur. Feedback control occurs after the activity has taken place, in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes. Concurrent control occurs during the activity itself, in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Reverse control is not a recognized control term.
44) Formal groups ________. A) meet at a regular time and place B) are defined by an organization's structure C) include people who share a common interest D) include people who eat lunch together each day
Answer: B Explanation: B) Formal groups are groups that are officially defined and recognized by the organizational hierarchy, making that the correct response. The meeting time of a group does not determine whether the group is formal or not, making that an incorrect choice. People who meet for lunch or share a common interest are forming informal, not formal groups.
126) Research shows that a great deal of tension and difficulty arises in global teams due to ________. A) groupthink B) miscommunication C) diversity D) time zone differences
Answer: B Explanation: B) Groupthink and diversity are benefits of global teams, not drawbacks, so those choices cannot be the correct answer. Time zone differences conceivably could be the source of difficulties; however, studies do not identify time zone differences as a problem. A major problem that does arise in global teams is miscommunication, due to language and cultural differences, making miscommunication the correct response for this question.
Immediate corrective action is designed ________. A) to get to the root cause of the problem B) to get performance back on track C) to shake up the organization D) to punish employees for poor performance
Answer: B Explanation: B) Immediate corrective action is the simplest corrective action a manager can take. It solves the problem at hand quickly and effectively without necessarily getting at root causes or shaking up the organization. While immediate corrective action may include punishment, it would not necessarily require punishment so that choice is not a correct response. These factors make getting performance back on track the correct response for this question as it is the only choice that deals purely with performance.
For addressing the hardships accompanying unemployment, this is an example of immediate corrective action. A) a job training program B) food stamps C) a task force to see why jobs were lost D) a job placement agency
Answer: B Explanation: B) Immediate corrective action should directly remedy the problem at hand. While training programs, task forces, and job agencies might help a person who lost a job in the long term, over the short term only food stamps address the problem at hand, which is the lack of the ability to feed one's family, making food stamps the correct response for this question.
119) Team skills ________. A) are inborn B) can be learned C) can never be learned D) cannot be picked up through training
Answer: B Explanation: B) Learning to function as a part of a team involves a set of behaviors that can be learned through careful training. This makes it the correct answer. Skills being inborn and never being learned can be ruled out because both maintain that team skills are innate, intrinsic skills that cannot be learned. Skills not being picked up through training can be ruled out because it indicates that training cannot impart team skills to an employee, a position that is manifestly untrue.
) In many cases, immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action is taken by managers because they ________. A) want to be thorough B) lack time C) lack information D) don't understand the situation
Answer: B Explanation: B) Many managers occupy their time "putting out fires" and don't have the time to get to the root causes of deviations so they take immediate corrective action rather than basic corrective action to solve problems. This makes lacking time the correct answer and rules out other choices.
) During a performance feedback session, making sure that negative comments are ________ can prevent employees from getting the feeling that they are being attacked. A) subjective B) job-related C) general D) non-job-related
Answer: B Explanation: B) Negative comments are much more likely to be accepted when they are objective rather than subjective, specific and fact-based rather than general, and job-related rather than non-job-related, making job-related the correct response.
A management information system (MIS) focuses on providing managers with the raw data that pertains to the organization.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The goal of an MIS is to give managers access to useful, processed data that has been organized and interpreted, not raw data.
This type of performance measurement format would be most likely to include graphs, tables, and computer outputs. A) oral report B) statistical report C) MBWA D) written report
Answer: B Explanation: B) Since both an oral report or MBWA include written material, neither would be likely to feature charts and graphs, making those two choices incorrect responses. A written report might include quantitative data, but quantitative data would not be an essential element of the report as it would be in a statistical report. This makes statistical report the correct response and eliminates written report as a correct response.
A cell phone maker tests its new model with a sample audience when it is fully operational. What kind of control is this? A) pre-market control B) feedback control C) concurrent control D) feedforward control
Answer: B Explanation: B) Since the phone has already been created, the company is using feedback control because the samplers are reporting on features that already exist. Concurrent control would have samplers participate in the designing and manufacturing processes themselves. Feedforward control would have samplers participate in the planning of the phone. Pre-market control is not a recognized control term.
) A comedy show producer has a read-through of a half-written show in which actors, writers, producers, and the director are free to make comments and changes as the show progresses. What kind of control is being used? A) feedback control B) concurrent control C) spontaneous control D) feedforward control
Answer: B Explanation: B) Since the show is being edited in a "live" performance, concurrent control is being used because the participants can make changes in the show as it is being created, making concurrent control the correct response. Feedback control would have participants making comments about the show after it was finished, while feedforward control would have participants talk about what they would like to see in the show before it was written. Spontaneous control is not a recognized control term.
78) Teams are increasingly popular among successful organizations because they have been found to ________. A) match the performance of individuals in every kind of task B) outperform individuals in many tasks C) match the performance of individuals in many tasks D) outperform individuals in every kind of task
Answer: B Explanation: B) Teams are effective and have been found to exceed the performance of individuals in many, but not all types of organizational tasks. This makes "outperforming individuals in many tasks" the correct response. Matching the performance of individuals in every kind of task and in many tasks can be ruled out because teams actually exceed, rather than match, the performance of individuals in many tasks. Outperforming individuals in every kind of task can be ruled out because it refers to every kind of task when it is clear that teams outperform individuals only in some tasks.
108) The "two-pizza" rule holds that work teams should ________. A) include a homogeneous group of people who all like just one or two kinds of pizza B) be small enough to be fed by two pizzas C) have 16 people or 2 eight-slice pizzas D) always have two alternatives when they make a decision
Answer: B Explanation: B) The "two-pizza" rule has nothing to do with homogeneity or decision alternatives, ruling out those two choices. Instead, the rule is concerned with team size. The "two-pizza" rule translates to about five to nine individuals as the ideal size for a team, making being small enough to be fed by two pizzas the correct response and eliminating having two alternatives as the right answer.
51) Permanent work groups are not likely to go through this stage. A) storming B) adjourning C) forming D) norming
Answer: B Explanation: B) The adjourning stage of the group development process takes place only in groups that are disbanding. That means that permanent work groups don't typically go through an adjourning stage of the group development process, making that the correct response, and eliminating all other responses.
) A software company that puts almost all of its performance measurement effort into measuring the total number of units that the company and its competitors sell most likely wants to excel at ________. A) efficiency B) market share C) cost per unit D) labor per unit
Answer: B Explanation: B) The company is showing its priorities by what it chooses to measure. Since it is concerned with the total sales of itself and its competitors, the company is clearly more interested in market share than efficiency, cost per unit, or labor per unit.
43) The control management function ensures that ________ in an organization. A) goals are set B) goals are met C) plans are made D) plans are realistic
Answer: B Explanation: B) The control function does not involve making plans or setting goals for the future. Instead, control is involved with looking back after plans have been made and seeing that goals have been successfully met, making "goals being met" the correct response for this question.
The first step in the control process is to ________. A) take action B) measure actual performance C) compare performance against a standard D) compare a standard against an ideal
Answer: B Explanation: B) The first step in the control process is to find out how the organization went about its business—that is, to measure the actual performance of the organization, making "measuring actual performance" the correct response. Comparing actual performance against a standard is the second step of the control process, while taking action is the final step in the process. Comparing the standard against an ideal is not a step in the control process, making that choice an incorrect response.
89) Problem-solving teams usually ________. A) have full authority to implement their decisions B) lack the authority to implement their decisions C) avoid making decisions D) manage themselves and have no supervisor
Answer: B Explanation: B) The flaw in problem-solving teams is that though they are productive in reaching goals and making decisions, they lack the authority to have their decisions impact the organization as a whole. For example, if a problem-solving team determines that its parent company should buy carbon offset credits, the team lacks the power to enforce that decision. These factors taken together make "lacking authority to implement decisions" the correct response and make "avoiding making decisions" and "having full authority to implement decisions" incorrect responses. The remaining choice is an incorrect response because it describes a self-managed work team, not a problem-solving team.
What fraction of U.S. employees do personal website surfing every day? A) less than one-quarter B) slightly less than half C) more than half D) almost all
Answer: C Explanation: C) A recent survey indicated that over 50 percent of employees did personal web surfing on the Internet everyday, making more than half the correct response.
64) Asch could feel fairly confident that his results were legitimate because ________ pressured by the group. A) 35 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not B) only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were not C) only 1 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were D) 90 percent of respondents gave wrong answers when they were
Answer: B Explanation: B) The key to Asch's results was that respondents made errors only 1 percent of the time when no group pressure was applied. This indicates that the test was easy, and that people had no problem getting the correct answer as long as no group pressure was applied. This means that 35 percent must be eliminated as the correct response for this question and "only 1 percent giving wrong answers when they were not" is the correct response. Both of the remaining choices are incorrect responses for this question because both are factually incorrect—much more than 1 percent, and much less than 90 percent gave wrong answers in Asch's studies when they did receive group pressure.
46) This kind of work group brings individuals together from different work disciplines with different knowledge and skills. A) formal group B) cross-functional team C) command group D) self-managed team
Answer: B Explanation: B) The key to a cross-functional team is not that it is formal, which it likely is, or a type of command group, which means it is part of the organizational hierarchy, or that it manages itself, making it a self-managed team. What defines a cross-functional team is that it brings together workers with different skills and abilities to complement one another and work on a single project or goal. This makes cross-functional team the best answer for this question and eliminates the other three choices.
Actual performance falls far short of planned goals, yet a manager takes no action. Assuming this manager is a reasonable person and is not mistaken, what is the most likely cause of his inaction? A) He does not trust the data. B) He does not consider the deviation significant. C) He does not trust the goals that were set. D) He does not believe in corrective action.
Answer: B Explanation: B) The operative word here is reasonable—one assumes that the possibility of the manager failing to believe in corrective action, failing to trust goals that were set, or failing to believe performance data are all fairly unreasonable assumptions, making "not considering the deviation significant" the only reasonable choice and therefore the correct answer. Why would a manager fail to see a large deviation from a standard as significant? It could be anything—special circumstances, new developments, etc. What matters here is that the manager expanded his or her range of acceptable deviation for some legitimate reason and the performance fell within that expanded range.
To carry out the second step of the control process, managers at an electric shaver company need to compare the number of actual shavers sold to ________. A) a competitor's sales totals B) planning goals for sales totals C) sales totals from last year D) the number of possible shaver customers
Answer: B Explanation: B) The second step of the control process compares actual performance to goals that have been determined in the planning stage of the managerial process, making planning goals the correct response. This means that while sales totals from last year, a competitor, or a comparison with the total number of potential customers may all be meaningful, they are not the stated goals laid out in the planning process so they are incorrect responses for this question.
The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable. The first day little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. 133) The group was in the ________ stage when they were competing to see who would lead the group. A) performing B) storming C) forming D) adjourning
Answer: B Explanation: B) The stage of the group development process that is marked by conflict is the storming stage. During the storming stage, group members struggle over who will lead the group and what the direction of the group will be. This makes storming the correct response and rules out all other choices.
48) This stage involves the most conflict during the entire group development process. A) forming B) storming C) norming D) performing
Answer: B Explanation: B) The storming, or second stage of the group development process, is characterized by a struggle for control of the group and a search by members for their roles within the group. When storming is complete, a fairly orderly hierarchy will be evident within the group. These factors make storming the correct response and rule out all other responses.
107) A team that lacks new, interesting, exciting ideas needs someone to fulfill this team role. A) linker B) creator-innovator C) thruster-organizer D) upholder-maintainer
Answer: B Explanation: B) The team role that provides creative ideas is the creator-innovator, making that the correct response for this question. Rather than providing creative ideas, a linker coordinates a team, a thruster-organizer provides structure for a team, and an upholder-maintainer fights outside battles for a team, making those three answers all incorrect choices.
42) Many managers in today's business world have restructured work ________. A) around individuals rather than teams B) around teams rather than individuals C) around both individuals and teams. D) around groups rather than teams
Answer: B Explanation: B) The trend in today's dynamic global business environment is to focus work around teams rather than hierarchies of individuals, making that the correct response. This shift to teams has also served to make organizations more decentralized, since teams are often decision-making entities, and more organic as teams take some authority away from the top managers. Note that teams rather than groups are the trend, reflecting that teams are more task-oriented.
The key to feedforward controls is taking action while the problem is occurring.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The key to feedforward control is taking action before the problem occurs, not while it occurs.
Among the choices below, this is the most common reason for companies firing employees. A) misuse of office phones B) inappropriate computer use C) watching online video D) leaking company secrets
Answer: B Explanation: B) Though abuse of office telephones is a major concern for companies, it is small compared to overall inappropriate computer use, which includes shopping, video, emailing, and web surfing. Watching online video is incorrect because watching online video comprises part of overall inappropriate computer use. Leaking company secrets is also a major problem, but there are no statistics that show the problem is even remotely as widespread as computer abuses.
A well-run company that has well-thought-out plans, motivated and productive workers, and an efficient organizational structure ________. A) always attains its goals B) may not always be attaining its goals C) rarely attains its goals D) has no reason to monitor its performance
Answer: B Explanation: B) Though it is likely that a well-run company will attain its goals, only monitoring an organization's activities and comparing them to standards can confirm that those goals have been met. This rules out "rarely attaining its goals," since most well-run companies do attain goals, and it also rules out "always attaining goals" because a company may seem to do everything right and still not attain its goals. "Having no reason to monitor performance" is incorrect because monitoring is the one way in which a company can determine for sure whether it has achieved goals. Since all other choices have been eliminated, "not always attaining goals" is the correct response for this question since it correctly identifies the unlikely but still possible eventuality that a company that does all the right things could still fail to attain its goals.
This has proved to be very helpful in establishing culpability in sexual harassment cases. A) monitoring phone calls B) monitoring emails C) monitoring employee whereabouts D) monitoring Internet use
Answer: B Explanation: B) Though the monitoring of phone calls might be marginally helpful in combatting sexual harassment, emails have proved to be a major way to find out what really happened in these cases, making monitoring emails the correct response. A common way for alleged harassers and victims to communicate is via email, so harassment cases almost always leave an email trail. If companies keep email records, they can recreate events and often eliminate ambiguity in these cases. Monitoring employee whereabouts and overall Internet use have no real bearing on harassment cases, so these are not correct choices.
One advantage of feedback control over other forms of control is that it lets managers focus on ________. A) what is about to take place B) how on-target their planning efforts were C) how effective their organizing efforts were D) the task as it is being carried out
Answer: B Explanation: B) What is about to take place identifies feedforward rather than feedback control, so it is incorrect. The task as it is being carried out identifies concurrent rather than feedback control, so it is also incorrect. Feedback requires managers to compare actual performance to goals. When goals and performance match closely, managers can conclude that their planning efforts were on-target. This makes "how on-target their efforts were" the correct choice and rules out "how effective they were" since it refers to the organizing, rather than the planning process.
66) A low-ranking employee having the best parking space in the company parking lot is an example of ________. A) status congruence B) status incongruence C) a status category D) a status level
Answer: B Explanation: B) When a status symbol, such as a parking space, is "incorrectly" conferred upon an employee with respect to the organizational hierarchy, employees tend to be confused and even upset. This disruption in a status pattern is called status incongruence, making that the correct response and ruling out status congruence as the correct response. A status category and level identify degrees or levels of status, not a disruption in a status hierarchy, so neither is a correct response for this question.
The controlling function helps managers protect an organization's ________. A) reputation for honesty B) assets C) standing D) good name
Answer: B Explanation: B) While protecting an organization's good name, standing in the community, or reputation for honesty are all important, none of these functions requires explicit use of the controlling function. Controlling does, however, explicitly protect organizational assets against disruptions and harm of any kind, making assets the correct response.
84) Which statement is true of accountability? A) Work team members are individually accountable only. B) Work team members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another. C) Work group members are mutually accountable to one another. D) Work group members are both individually and mutually accountable to one another.
Answer: B Explanation: B) With respect to accountability, work groups are accountable only in an individual sense while work teams have both group and individual accountability, making "work team members as both individually and mutually accountable to one another" the correct response for this question. This is the only choice that matches a group correctly with its sense of accountability. Both choices regarding work group members are incorrect because work group members are accountable only in an individual, not in a mutual sense. The remaining choice is incorrect because work team members are accountable not just individually but also to the team.
55) Individuals within a group ________. A) never play more than one role B) frequently play more than one role C) always play more than one role D) never play the same role for long
Answer: B Explanation: B) Within a group, individuals are not limited to playing a single role only or always playing multiple roles, eliminating those two choices as correct responses. Depending on the group, an individual may be a single role or multiple roles, making "frequently playing more than one role" the correct answer. Switching roles is not a common aspect of groups, so "never playing the same role for long" is an incorrect response.
77) Low cohesiveness combined with a strong alignment between group goals and organizational goals typically results in this. A) a small productivity increase B) a productivity decrease C) a moderate productivity increase D) no productivity change
Answer: C Explanation: C) A group that is not cohesive with goals that clearly align with overall organizational goals will tend to show a moderate increase in productivity, making that the correct response. The lack of cohesiveness causes the group to register a less than maximally effective effort with respect to its own goals. However, if its own goals are very strongly aligned with company goals, it means that whatever the group does manage to accomplish will be highly "on-target" and therefore likely to result in small but measurable productivity gains.
14) Most people enjoy work and responsibility and generally have a Theory X view of life.
False; theory Y
115) Which of the following should a team try to completely eliminate, if possible? A) conflict B) disagreement C) social loafing D) individual accountability
Answer: C Explanation: C) A small amount of conflict and disagreement are inevitable, unavoidable, and often beneficial in successful teams, so it would be unwise to try to eliminate these things. Individual accountability is something that teams actively require, so it should definitely not be eliminated. Social loafing, though also often inevitable, nevertheless serves no constructive purpose, so teams should try to totally eliminate it, if possible, making social loafing the correct response.
106) With respect to skills, most teams need this most. A) members who all excel at one particular skill B) members who have only general skills C) members who excel at different skills D) members who have interpersonal skills
Answer: C Explanation: C) A team needs expertise, so teams that include members with only general skills are not ideal, making that an incorrect response. Members having interpersonal skills is incorrect for the same reason as interpersonal skills are important, but a team also usually needs expertise. The best composition that a team can have is a balance of members who have different types of expertise, making members excelling at different skills the correct response, and ruling out the remaining choice because all members sharing the same skill would not be a good balance.
79) Which statement is true of Fortune 500 companies? A) Half have 100 percent of their employees on teams. B) 100 percent have half of their employees on teams. C) 80 percent have half of their employees on teams. D) Half have 80 percent of their employees on teams.
Answer: C Explanation: C) About 80 percent of all Fortune 500 companies employ at least half of their employees as members of teams, making "80 percent having half of their employees on teams" the correct response, and ruling out all other responses. This means that fewer than 20 percent of these companies are made up mostly of non-team employees.
124) In a global team, team members should guard against ________, which can be a source of discord and resentment among team members. A) ambiguity B) risk C) stereotyping D) diversity
Answer: C Explanation: C) Ambiguity and risk can cause concerns for a team, but they are highly unlikely to foster hard feelings or resentment among team members, so these two choices can be ruled out as correct responses. Diversity, for the most part, cannot be avoided in a global team, so it is highly unlikely to be a source of bad feelings. Stereotyping, on the other hand, can easily arise in diverse groups, so group members should guard against its corrosive effects, making it the correct response.
62) Asch's subjects were seen to give incorrect answers that they knew were incorrect in ________ of his studies. A) about half B) more than half C) about 35 percent D) about 90 percent
Answer: C Explanation: C) Asch's subjects gave answers that they knew to be erroneous in about 35 percent of the trials, making that the correct response and ruling out the other three choices as being overestimates.
This kind of performance measurement method is fast and is a good platform for feedback, yet it can be private and scheduled for a single employee ahead of time. A) written report B) MBWA C) oral report D) statistical report
Answer: C Explanation: C) Both statistical and written reports are slow and do not allow for immediate feedback, so those two choices can be eliminated as correct responses. MBWA and oral reports are both fast and allow for feedback, but MBWA is not private and cannot be personally scheduled, making oral report the correct response and ruling out MBWA.
117) Specific goals are a ________ factor that contributes to overall team effectiveness. A) context B) work design C) process D) composition
Answer: C Explanation: C) Context factors involve the situation in which the team functions, not how well it coordinates toward a common goal, so context is not a correct response. Work design factors involve how workers go about their jobs, not how well the team coordinates toward a common goal, so work design is not a correct response. Composition factors involve who team members are, not how well team members coordinate toward a common goal, so composition is not a correct response. Identifying specific goals is a process factor since it gives all team members an objective, making process the correct response.
Which of the following is NOT a recognized possible course of action for managers to take when actual performance falls outside of an acceptable range of variation? A) take corrective action B) change the standards C) ignore the performance data D) do nothing
Answer: C Explanation: C) Corrective action, doing nothing, and changing standards are all recognized ways of dealing with significant deviations. Ignoring the data is neither a recognized way of dealing with deviations nor a responsible way for a manager to behave, making ignoring the data the correct response.
In any given week about ________ workers are attacked by coworkers or former coworkers and seriously injured. A) 1 percent of all B) 10 C) 25 D) 100
Answer: C Explanation: C) Every year, about 1300 workers are assaulted by current or former coworkers and seriously injured. This comes out to about 25 of these incidents per week, making 25 the correct response and ruling out all other responses for this question.
An advantage of management by walking around is ________. A) perceptual biases B) obtrusiveness C) personal contact D) objectivity
Answer: C Explanation: C) Few would try to make the claim that MBWA does not usually suffer from personal biases, as one person's outstanding trait might go unnoticed by another observer. Interfering in the daily activities of the workplace can also be the source of misconception in MBWA, making obtrusiveness an incorrect response. MBWA is highly subjective rather than objective, so objectivity is not correct. Finally, personal contact is the correct response because MBWA involves a great deal of personal interaction, which gives managers a valuable view of their workplace.
) Managers exert financial control on an organization using ________ analysis. A) activity B) productivity C) ratio and budget D) productivity and resource
Answer: C Explanation: C) Financial controls on organizations are applied using ratio and budget analyses, making that choice the correct response and ruling out all other responses. Ratio analysis includes the computation of such things as liquidity, leverage, and profitability.
What is measured in the control process is often less critical than how it is measured.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The opposite is true—what is measured is usually more, not less important than how it is measured. The criteria that managers choose to measure often define how an organization will operate.
All of the following are important in efforts to protect information in an organization EXCEPT ________. A) firewalls B) encryption C) search engines D) data backups
Answer: C Explanation: C) Firewalls protect information by providing barriers that prevent hackers and other unauthorized users from accessing organizational files. Encryption protects information by encoding data into a form that can't be penetrated or accessed by unauthorized users. Data backups protect information by saving valuable files that can get lost or damaged in a computer system. Search engines are the one choice in this question that are not explicitly used for protecting information so this choice is the correct response.
83) Which statement is true? A) The main goal of work teams is to share information. B) The main goal of work groups is collective performance. C) The main goal of work teams is collective performance. D) The main goal of work groups is synergy.
Answer: C Explanation: C) For goals, work teams and work groups differ. Work groups seek to share information only while work teams typically work together on a common task, or collective performance. This makes "work teams as collective performance" the correct response for this question because it is the only choice that matches a group correctly with its goal. Work groups do not have collective performance or synergy as any goal, much less a main goal, so both those choices can be ruled out as a correct response. The remaining choice is wrong because sharing information is a minor, not a main goal of work teams.
Workplace violence is likely to occur in ________ A) open organic workplaces B) functional workplaces C) dysfunctional workplaces D) both functional or dysfunctional workplaces—violence shows no pattern
Answer: C Explanation: C) Functional and organic workplaces are unlikely sites for violence. Violence tends to occur in rigid, high-pressure, abusive dysfunctional workplace atmospheres in which employees are shown little respect and have little power over their own activities, making dysfunctional workplaces the correct response for this question. Note that both functional and dysfunctional workplaces is incorrect because violence does have a greater probability in dysfunctional locales.
127) A major benefit of global teams is ________. A) minimal distrust B) groupthink C) idea diversity D) little stereotyping
Answer: C Explanation: C) Global teams tend to show little groupthink and a great deal of distrust and stereotyping, making those three choices all incorrect. A positive feature of global teams is the diversity in ideas the group gets from having members from different cultures. These diverse views often allow team members to see points of view they would otherwise not see and employ ideas that they wouldn't have otherwise come up with.
A major part of the controlling function of management is to ________. A) formulate strategies B) set standards C) correct performance problems D) structure an organization
Answer: C Explanation: C) In addition to making sure that goals have been met, a major function of controlling is to correct performances that are not up to standards, making "orrecting performance problems" the correct response. Formulating strategies and setting standards both fall primarily under the planning function, while structuring an organization is part of the organizing function.
68) Small groups appear to perform better when it comes to ________. A) problem solving B) getting diverse input into a problem C) speed of performing tasks D) finding facts
Answer: C Explanation: C) Large groups are better than small groups when it comes to amassing data or facts, general problem solving, or providing diverse input into a problem. What small groups tend to excel at is speed at solving problems, even if the solution provided by a small group is often not as comprehensive as one from a larger group.
121) One way to emphasize team cohesion is for employers to distribute rewards based on a team's productivity to ________. A) selected team members B) all teams C) the entire team D) the team leader
Answer: C Explanation: C) Lockheed Martin uses this approach—rather than reward all teams, individual team leaders, or selected team members, the company bases rewards on the entire team's performance. This sends out the message that team performance is the company's most important goal, and gives employees the incentive to make the team succeed first, followed by their own individual success.
110) Work teams that perform at a high level typically fill ________ different team roles. A) six B) eight C) nine D) ten
Answer: C Explanation: C) Nine different team member roles have been identified as important to successful team performance, making that the correct response. Roles include a linker, who coordinates and integrates team activities, a creator-innovator, who initiates ideas for the team, an explorer-promoter, who champions specific ideas, an assessor-developer, who analyzes options to help the team make decisions, a thruster-organizer, who provides team structure, a concluder-producer, who provides team direction, a controller-inspector, who enforces team rules, an upholder-maintainer, who defends the team against outside interests, and a reporter-adviser, who seeks data and information for the team.
A law firm manager finds that the firm loses too many of its civil cases while it wins an inordinately high number of its criminal cases. Which basic corrective action can the manager take? A) pay criminal lawyers more B) pay civil lawyers less C) analyze civil and criminal cases D) fire civil lawyers
Answer: C Explanation: C) Paying lawyers more or less, or firing lawyers are all immediate corrective actions that will not get at the root cause of the problem. Only an analysis of the situation, a basic corrective action, might uncover the disparity in the two kinds of cases, making analysis the correct response.
Comments in a performance feedback session ideally should be ________. A) both personal and specific B) personal C) both impersonal and specific D) both personal and general
Answer: C Explanation: C) Performance feedback sessions should avoid personal comments and keep comments job-related, specific, and impersonal, making "both impersonal and specific" the correct response. The other three choices can all be eliminated because they specify personal comments, which are not recommended because they tend to be subjective and focus on character traits that are much more difficult to change than specific work-related issues.
Performance feedback should focus on general rather than specific employee work behaviors.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: The reverse is true—in order to be well understood and accepted, performance feedback should be specific rather then general, giving the employee specific items to consider and improve
All of the following are barriers to effective interpersonal communication EXCEPT ______________
Feedback
86) Teams composed of individuals from the same department or functional area are called ________. A) cross-functional teams B) self-managed work teams C) problem-solving teams D) virtual teams
Answer: C Explanation: C) Problem-solving teams are teams with limited authority that are composed of individuals from a single functional department, making it the correct response. A self-managed work team is a team that functions without a supervisor and is responsible for managing itself so it is not a correct response. A cross-functional team combines individuals with highly complementary skills and functions, so it is not a correct response. A virtual team combines individuals electronically rather than in-person, so it is an incorrect response.
) Losses from organizational theft and fraud amount to about ________ per worker. A) $500 B) $2500 C) $4500 D) $6000
Answer: C Explanation: C) Shockingly, the losses from workers taking equipment, software, supplies, and filing false expense reports comes to about $4500 per person per year, making that choice the correct response and ruling out all other responses. These abuses include everything from loading company software on home computers to stealing a copy machine from a store room.
A state motor vehicles agency that is interested in serving the public might choose to measure ________. A) total revenue rather than customer wait time B) total customers rather than total revenue C) customer wait time rather than total customers D) employee turnover rather than customer wait time
Answer: C Explanation: C) Since the agency is interested in serving the public, its priority should be something that the public cares about—how long it needs to wait to be processed at the agency, making customer wait the correct response. The number of customers or revenue they generate are clearly secondary concerns for an organization whose primary aim is to serve the public. Employee turnover rate does not involve customers so it can also be ruled out as a correct response.
73) The only effective way to guard against social loafing is for managers to make special efforts to do this. A) be fair to all group members B) treat all group members equally C) assess individual contributions of group members D) assess the group as a whole exclusively
Answer: C Explanation: C) Social loafing is not a question of fair treatment for all group members. Groups can be treated with absolute fairness and still end up with a significant amount of social loafing. Assessing the group as a whole is the opposite of what might combat social loafing, as a group assessment allows loafers greater, not less, opportunity to hide behind collective group accomplishments, making "assessing the group as a whole exclusively" an incorrect response. The only real way to fight social loafing is to make group members responsible for both the group's performance and their own individual performance, making "assessing individual contributions of group members" the correct response.
113) Team efficacy is a measure of how ________ a team is. A) efficient B) cooperative C) confident D) skilled
Answer: C Explanation: C) Team efficacy is ultimately a measure of how confident a team feels that it can succeed, making confident the correct response. How efficient, cooperative, or skilled a team is can of course affect team efficacy since each of these factors can increase or decrease how confident the team is. However these three choices are incorrect because they only indirectly affect team efficacy, while confidence directly affects it.
The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable. The first day little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. 132) The official forming stage of the group development process wasn't complete until group members ________. A) experienced conflict B) introduced one another C) felt themselves a part of the group D) got acquainted with one another
Answer: C Explanation: C) The end of the forming stage of the group development process is marked not by conflict, introductions, or a sense of knowing one another but rather by a sense of belongingness to the group that members feel. This makes "feeling themselves a part of the group" the correct response.
The second step in the control process is to ________. A) compare a standard against an ideal B) measure actual performance C) compare performance against a standard D) take action
Answer: C Explanation: C) The first step in the control process is to find out how the organization went about its business—that is, to measure the actual performance of the organization. Comparing that actual performance against a standard is the second step of the control process, making that choice the correct response for this question. Taking action is the final step in the process. Comparing the standard against an ideal is not a step in the control process, making that choice an incorrect response.
49) Norming is a stage of group development that occurs when ________. A) the group struggles for leadership B) the group defines its purpose C) the group develops cohesiveness D) the group defines its goals
Answer: C Explanation: C) The group defines its purpose and goals during the forming, not the norming stage, so the choices regarding purpose and goals are both incorrect. Group members vie for leadership during the storming, not the norming stage, making the choice regarding leadership incorrect. Norming is characterized by a strong sense of group cohesiveness, group identity, and camaraderie, making the choice regarding cohesiveness the correct response.
Due to a recent construction of an upscale housing community near a tennis club, customer use has skyrocketed during the year and the club is operating at all-time high levels, far beyond the goals set the previous year. The best strategy for the manager is to ________. A) do nothing B) run a sale to increase customers C) advertise D) change goals for the following year
Answer: D Explanation: D) In this situation, advertising or running a sale is likely to increase customers that the club can't handle, so those choices can be ruled out. Doing nothing may not harm the situation, but a better response to increased demand is to change the club's goals so performance and goals once again fall within an acceptable range of variation.
82) The use of work teams creates the potential for an organization to generate ________. A) greater outputs with greater inputs B) fewer outputs with fewer inputs C) greater outputs with fewer inputs D) fewer outputs with greater inputs
Answer: C Explanation: C) The potential that causes managers to create work teams is that they increase efficiency—providing greater outputs with fewer inputs, making that the correct response. All other choices can be ruled out because they result in a decrease, rather than an increase, in efficiency. Note that the efficiency boost is only a potential advantage—when done well, team formation in organizations increases efficiency. When done poorly, team formation may not increase efficiency and in fact may cause a decrease in efficiency.
The more a control system helps an organization ________, the more successful it is judged to be. A) make a profit B) help employees achieve job satisfaction C) meet its goals D) help employees be productive
Answer: C Explanation: C) The purpose of a control system is first and foremost to help a company achieve its goals, whatever they are, making "meeting its goals" the correct response. Though productivity, profit, and job satisfaction are all important to many organizations, they may not be specific goals of a given organization, so they are not correct responses for this question.
Giving an employee ample time to speak during a performance feedback session allows the employee to ________. A) make excuses B) be empathetic C) give his or her side of the situation D) blame circumstances for any shortcomings
Answer: C Explanation: C) The purpose of giving an employee ample opportunity to speak is not to allow excuses to be made or place blame. Being empathetic is the manager's job, not the employee's job, so being empathetic is incorrect. Being allowed to speak freely often brings up information that might otherwise not come out during a feedback session and gives the employee the chance to present his or her case, making "giving one's side of the situation" the correct response for this question.
Which of the following would constitute basic corrective action for employees whose production has dropped? A) changing the pay scale B) taking away employee privileges C) looking for causes of the production drop D) changing how the work is carried out
Answer: C Explanation: C) The three incorrect choices are short-term immediate corrective actions that address the problem but not the cause of the problem. Changing pay, removing privileges, and changing work practices may increase production, but these acts may not get at the cause of the production drop. Only looking for causes gets at causes of the production drop, so it is the correct response.
58) Group norms are typically established ________. A) by organizational leadership B) formally by group leaders C) informally by the entire group D) in the official organizational bylaws
Answer: C Explanation: C) Though some group norms can be formally established, such as official company dress codes, norms are typically not set in any formal way, eliminating all three incorrect choices because they all refer to formal, official establishment of norms. Instead, norms are usually established over time by the entire group in a very organic and informal manner, indicating which kinds of behaviors and efforts are acceptable and expected, and which are not, making "informally by the entire group" the correct response.
116) The best way to eliminate social loafing is to make sure that team members are ________ for the team's goals. A) individually accountable B) jointly accountable C) both individually and jointly accountable D) not accountable
Answer: C Explanation: C) To get rid of social loafing, teams should make sure that all team members are accountable for both their own individual goals and the team's goals, making that the correct response. Individual accountability alone might cause team members to ignore team goals, while group accountability without individual accountability encourages social loafing. Not being accountable at all is the worst option and would promote both social loafing and overall team failure.
When a budget is formulated, it is being used as a(n) ________ tool. A) organizing B) controlling C) planning D) leadership
Answer: C Explanation: C) When first formulated, a budget functions as a planning tool because it is used to estimate costs and allocate resources in the future. This makes planning the correct response and eliminates the other three choices because they refer to management functions that occur later in the sequence.
85) Which statement is true of the skills that members of work groups and work teams must have? A) Work group members need complementary skills. B) Work team members need random skills. C) Work team members need complementary skills. D) Work group members need random skills.
Answer: C Explanation: C) With respect to skills, work groups are not specific and will include members with a wide variety of skills that are fairly random and not necessarily complementary. Work teams, on the other hand, try to assemble workers whose skills complement one another and work together to allow the team unit to accomplish its collective goal. This makes "work team members needing complementary skills" the correct response for this question because it is the only choice that matches a group correctly with its skill requirements.
) In a short essay, describe the second step in the control process.
Answer: Comparing is the second step in the control process. Comparing involves taking the data from the measurement stage of the control process and comparing it to a standard. Typically, the standard is a performance goal set during the planning process. Variation between actual performance and the prespecified standard is to be expected. How much variation is acceptable is what managers must determine by identifying an acceptable range of variation. Performance outside of this range is deemed unacceptable and merits a response or corrective action of some type. Performance within the acceptable range of variation typically requires no action at all on a manager's part.
) In a short essay, describe concurrent control and give an example of its use.
Answer: Concurrent control, as its name implies, takes place while an activity is in progress. Direct supervision is the best-known form of concurrent control. A good example of a company using concurrent control to increase profits is done by Google. Each time a user clicks on a Google ad the click is registered and reflected in the data that Google collects. If the ad is unsuccessful, Google can report back to the sponsor quickly to change the ad's placement or composition
The behaviors required for successful team performance cannot be gained through training.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Over time, careful training does tend to produce successful team members. Some team members cannot pick up necessary skills to function within the team, so those individuals typically need to be dismissed.
In a brief essay, define and describe the management function of control.
Answer: Control is the process of monitoring organizational activities and making sure that they are being done correctly and successfully. The typical control process has managers evaluate work performance and compare actual performance outputs to performance standards. These standards are typically the goals set by management during the planning process. If the actual performance measures up favorably to the standards, managers do little or nothing to change the course of action. If performance fails to fall within acceptable standards, managers take corrective action to make sure tasks are performed satisfactorily. The effectiveness of control is seen in goals. The better the control function is, the more likely that organizational goals will be successfully met.
Which of the following performance measurement categories must be measured subjectively rather than in objective or quantifiable terms? A) budget B) absenteeism C) efficiency D) job satisfaction
Answer: D Explanation: D) A budget, absentee data, or efficiency data can all be tallied and quantified using objective numerical values. Job satisfaction, on the other hand, is a more subjective thing to rate that often relies on feelings and impressions rather than quantifiable facts, making job satisfaction the correct response.
101) When team members complain that they aren't being paid enough, the team has this kind of contextual problem. A) leadership and structure B) adequate resources C) climate of trust D) performance evaluation and reward system
Answer: D Explanation: D) A climate of trust involves team members having faith and confidence in one another, not disagreements about compensation, so climate of trust is an incorrect response. Leadership and structure is about figuring out who does what in the group, so that is an incorrect response. Adequate resources are a question of having an appropriate amount of equipment, manpower, and funds for a team, not disagreements about compensation, so that is an incorrect response. A good reward system involves fair payment and compensation, so performance evaluation and reward system is the correct response.
45) This kind of work group is brought together to accomplish a specific job or single activity, such as the development of a new product. A) command group B) formal group C) informal group D) task group
Answer: D Explanation: D) A group that is brought together for a specific task is called a task group, making that the correct response. A command group refers to whether or not a work group has been formed as a part of the company structure, ruling it out as a correct response. A task group is typically a formal work group, but task groups are not defined by whether they are formal or informal, eliminating formal and informal groups as correct responses.
92) A self-managed work team would be likely to have the authority to ________. A) hire and fire top organizational managers B) determine organization-wide pay scales for team employees C) disband a competing work team D) make schedules and plans
Answer: D Explanation: D) A self-managed work team has the authority to run itself, plan, schedule, and make decisions for its own team, making the choice regarding schedules and plans the correct response. The authority of a self-managed work group would not extend beyond the scope of its own immediate concerns to such things as hiring and firing managers, determining organizational pay scales, or eliminating competing teams—so all of those choices would be incorrect.
90) Teams composed of individuals who have never actually met one another in person are called ________. A) cross-functional teams B) self-managed work teams C) problem-solving teams D) virtual teams
Answer: D Explanation: D) A virtual team combines individuals electronically rather than in-person, making it the correct response. A self-managed work team functions without a supervisor and is responsible for managing itself so it is not a correct response. A cross-functional team combines individuals with highly complementary skills and functions, so it is not a correct response. Problem-solving teams are teams with limited authority that are composed of individuals from a single functional department, so it is not a correct response.
60) Solomon Asch carried out pioneering studies in understanding ________. A) group status B) group roles C) group size D) group conformity
Answer: D Explanation: D) Asch's studies explored how strong the tendency was for a group member to conform to the values of other group members, even when those other members appeared to be misguided. Asch's work had little to do with status, group roles, or group size, leaving conformity as the correct response.
80) Which of the following is NOT generally thought to be an advantage of teams over traditional work arrangements? A) Teams are flexible and responsive. B) Teams are easy to assemble. C) Teams are easy to disband. D) Teams are highly mechanistic.
Answer: D Explanation: D) Being flexible, easy to put together, and easy to dissolve when they have finished their task are all major advantages, not disadvantages of teams, so they are incorrect responses for this question. Forming teams is a way of decentralizing an organization, so it becomes much more organic then mechanistic, making teams being highly mechanistic the correct answer for this question because it is a false statement and therefore not a valid advantage of teams.
When should a manager's course of action be to do nothing? A) if the cause of the variation has been identified B) if the standard is acceptable C) if the standard is not acceptable D) if the variance is acceptable
Answer: D Explanation: D) By definition, if the variance of performance is within an acceptable range, it means that the manager finds that performance level to be functional or better, so there is no need to take corrective action. This makes acceptable variance the correct response for this question and rules out all other responses.
102) The knowledge, skills, and abilities of team members is a ________ factor that contributes to team effectiveness. A) context B) work design C) process D) composition
Answer: D Explanation: D) Context factors involve the situation in which the team functions, not who makes up the team, so context is not a correct response. Work design factors involve how workers go about their jobs, not a list of who makes up the team, so work design is not a correct response. Process factors involve how well the team works together and who does what, not a list of who makes up the team, so process is not a correct response. Composition factors are specifically about who makes up the team, so a list of team skills and abilities is a composition factor, making composition the correct response.
Personal observation as a form of control measurement requires little time.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Personal observation in fact requires a great deal of time, so the statement is false.
Controlling compares ________ to see if goals are being achieved. A) planned performance to standard performance B) standard performance to ideal performance C) actual performance to competitor performance D) actual performance to planned performance
Answer: D Explanation: D) Controlling compares how the organization actually performed to the goals and plans that were set during the planning stage of the management process, making "actual performance to planned performance" the correct response and ruling out all other responses. If the actual performance matches what was planned, goals are considered met and the organization in most cases can consider itself successful. However, if actual performance is judged to be insufficient for some reason, then the organization will consider its performance to be inadequate and take some kind of action to remedy the situation.
96) Dan in New York is part of a team that is creating new software for the One Laptop Per Child program. The graphic designer for Dan's team is in Uruguay. The programmers for the team are in different parts of California. The team meets by videoconference once a week. Dan's team is likely to be a ________. A) work group B) functional team C) cross-functional team D) virtual team
Answer: D Explanation: D) Dan's team meets by videoconference, so it is more a virtual team than anything else, making this the correct response and eliminating the other responses. Being so far apart forces the team to communicate electronically rather than in person.
105) How agreeable or disagreeable team members are affects team performance, especially when ________. A) the team is diverse B) the team is large C) the team has only one disagreeable member D) the team has more than one disagreeable member
Answer: D Explanation: D) Disagreeableness can be a factor that severely drags down team performance, especially when teams have two or more disagreeable members, making the team having more than one disagreeable member the correct response and eliminating having only one disagreeable member. Whether the team is either large or diverse has no known effect on performance when combined with agreeableness or disagreeableness, making those two choices incorrect responses.
98) A major contextual factor that contributes to making a team effective is ________. A) diversity B) autonomy C) having specific goals D) trust
Answer: D Explanation: D) Diversity is a composition factor, not a contextual factor, so this is an incorrect response. Autonomy is a work design factor, not a contextual factor, so this is an incorrect response. Having specific goals is a process factor, not a contextual factor, so this is an incorrect response. Trust is a context factor, so this is the correct response for this question.
A professor gives a new test to an otherwise normal class and finds that only 10 percent of the students get grades of C or above. What is the most appropriate and fair response? A) do nothing B) revise the grading curve downward C) revise the grading curve upward D) revise the test itself
Answer: D Explanation: D) Doing nothing would leave most of the class with a poor grade, so that is an unappealing and probably unfair response. Revising the curve upward is inappropriate since it would mean even fewer students get acceptable grades. Revising the curve downward would remedy the grading problem, but it would not be the best response because there is probably something wrong with the test itself—since a normal class performed so poorly. So the best response would be to change the test itself, making that choice the correct response.
A performance feedback session should end with this. A) promises to improve B) an apology C) mutual pledges to change D) a plan of action for the future
Answer: D Explanation: D) Feedback doesn't stop when all issues have been covered. In order to remedy deficiencies and improve performance, a plan of action for the future should end all sessions, making a plan of action for the future the correct answer. Promises, apologies, and pledges are all fairly inappropriate measures for a performance feedback session because they focus on the negative rather than the positive and offer no systematic or organized path to improvement.
Which kind of control takes place before the actual work is carried out? A) feedback B) concurrent C) recurrent D) feedforward
Answer: D Explanation: D) Feedforward control occurs prior to the actual activity taking place in an attempt to prevent problems before they occur, making feedforward the correct response. Feedback control occurs after the activity has taken place, in an attempt to correct actions that have already occurred and prevent future mistakes. Concurrent control occurs during an activity, in an attempt to get live input into the process itself. Recurrent control is not a recognized control term.
50) In the group development process, the group carries out its primary work during this process. A) storming B) forming C) norming D) performing
Answer: D Explanation: D) Forming, storming, and norming are all preludes for the performing stage of the group development process. The group forms, identifies its goals, figures out how it will operate, and then it is finally ready for performing—to carry out the task it was created for, whether it is developing a new product or achieving some other organizational goal. This makes performing the correct response.
57) Most workers learn what is expected from them on the job from group ________. A) roles B) size C) cohesiveness D) norms
Answer: D Explanation: D) Group size, cohesiveness, or roles that group members take on determine how groups function collectively, but they do not establish standards for things like dress codes and performance levels. Those standards are created by group norms, making that the correct response.
) Direct supervision as a basic means of control is much more common in ________ A) small countries B) democracies C) more technologically advanced countries D) less technologically advanced countries
Answer: D Explanation: D) In countries that are technologically advanced, computers often play an important role in monitoring basic transactions. For example, supermarket bar codes monitor sales and inventories in places where they are available. In less technologically advanced places there is no choice but for direct supervision and monitoring to be used instead of these electronic forms of control, making less technologically advanced countries the correct response and ruling out more advanced as a correct response. Whether a country is small or a democracy has no bearing on how technologically advanced it is, so these choices are not correct.
The problem with many problem-solving teams is that they don't have the authority to act on their decisions.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Problem-solving teams often come up with good ideas, but lack the managerial authority to implement their ideas. Many people feel that problem-solving teams don't allow team members to make decisions that have impact.
) ________ is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its current debt obligations. A) Profitability B) Liquidity C) Activity D) Leverage
Answer: D Explanation: D) Leverage, the ratio of total debt to total assets, is a measure of how much debt a company acquires to finance its assets, making that choice the correct response. Profitability, the ratio of net after-tax profits to total sales, is a measure of how good a company is at using its assets to generate profits. Liquidity, the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its debt payments. Activity, the ratio of sales to inventory, is a measure of how well a company uses its assets.
MBWA stands for management by ________. A) work area B) work action C) written action D) walking around
Answer: D Explanation: D) MBWA is an informal examination of the workplace that the manager carries out by "walking around," making walking around the correct answer and ruling out the other three choices. MBWA allows the manager to get a feel for the work area and the moods and attitudes of the people who work there.
This is the most informal form of performance measurement. A) oral reports B) written reports C) statistical reports D) personal observation
Answer: D Explanation: D) Oral reports, statistical reports, and written reports all have specific formats and conventions that are required, making them formal types of performance measurement. For example, a statistical report must include statistical tables or graphs showing how the standard categories of data compare. Personal observations, on the other hand, can take on a variety of different forms and examine a variety of different characteristics and attributes of an organization, making personal observation the correct response.
72) The primary reason for why social loafing occurs is that output contributions from ________ easily be measured. A) the entire group can B) the entire group cannot C) individuals can D) individuals cannot
Answer: D Explanation: D) Output from the entire group is not hard to measure, so social loafing cannot be attributed to ease or difficulty in measuring group outputs, making both choices regarding the entire group incorrect answers for this question. Output from individuals within a group are hard to measure, making it easy for individuals to get a "free ride," making the choice indicating that output contributions from individuals cannot easily be measured the correct response.
) If a manager of a tennis store sees sales totals for a particular racquet significantly exceeding goals and deviating from acceptable range of variation, she might ________. A) do nothing since sales exceeded goals B) run a sale on the racquet C) run a sale on other products D) inquire about ordering more racquets
Answer: D Explanation: D) Since the totals were outside of an acceptable range of variation, the manager clearly must do something, so doing nothing can be ruled out. Running a sale on the racquet would decrease profits so that choice can also be ruled out. Running a sale on other products is irrelevant since other products are not outside an acceptable range of deviation. The best thing for the manager to do is find out about ordering more racquets—if demand increases she may be caught without enough supply in the months to come.
67) Status incongruence can be upsetting to employees because it sends a signal that organizational accomplishments ________. A) are rewarded fairly and justly B) are always rewarded C) are never rewarded D) are not always rewarded fairly and justly
Answer: D Explanation: D) Status incongruity sends a signal to employees that the system of rewards within the organization is not always fair and just, making that the correct response and eliminating all other responses. Status incongruities cause employees to doubt whether their own efforts will be properly noticed and appreciated. When high or low status is mistakenly conferred upon the wrong person, employees tend to question whether the managerial administration is competent, fair, and intelligent.
128) A Latin-American member of a global team might show undue respect to another team member because of that member's ________. A) age B) physical ability C) ethnicity D) family heritage
Answer: D Explanation: D) Such things as age, ethnicity, and physical ability have no more influence over people from a Latin-American culture than from a North American culture. However, status and family heritage do seem to carry weight in Latin societies, making family heritage the correct answer to this question.
Which of the following employer practices is NOT legal? A) reading employee email B) monitoring employees in a bathroom C) tracking an employee's whereabouts D) monitoring an employee's personal home computer
Answer: D Explanation: D) Surprisingly, employers can legally read email, monitor employees anywhere in the workplace, including the bathroom, and track employees' whereabouts in the workplace. What employers cannot do is monitor anything of a personal nature at home or away from the workplace, making monitoring an employee's personal home computer the correct response for this question.
The first-line managers of ELH Inc. were sent on a retreat to Silver Falls for their inaugural strategic planning meeting. Few people knew each other, but their task was clear: design a new performance appraisal system for subordinates that would be effective and usable. The first day little was accomplished except for the jockeying to see who would be the official leader. Finally, Jim seemed to wrangle control and helped provide the first real direction for the group. By the second day, the group seemed to begin working well. They spent the morning determining group standards with respect to how they would make decisions within the group and how to manage the idea-generation process. On the third and fourth days, the managers got down to work and moved amazingly quickly, with ideas flowing freely. By the end of the fourth day, they had a workable system developed, and they felt satisfied. That night they all signed off on a new document to be presented to the regional manager the next day. They all felt a twinge of regret at having to break up the group and return to normal work life. 136) When the management team left Silver Falls to return to their own teams and departments, they had just completed the ________ stage of group development. A) performing B) storming C) forming D) adjourning
Answer: D Explanation: D) The disbanding of a group is termed the adjourning stage, making this the correct response. Note that not all groups go through an adjourning stage. If the group is going to stay together for future tasks, it will not go through the adjourning stage of group development.
Collectivist societies tend to have an enormous problem with social loafing.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Social loafing is less common in collectivist societies than individualistic societies, so this statement is false.
Correcting a problem before it occurs.
Feedforward control
120) An organization that is composed predominantly of teams should reward employees primarily for ________. A) individual efforts B) competitive efforts C) being team leaders D) cooperative efforts
Answer: D Explanation: D) The focus of rewards for an organization that consists mostly of teams should be on cooperation. Individuals should be rewarded primarily, but not exclusively, for how much they helped their team succeed, rather than themselves individually. This makes cooperative efforts the correct response. The other three choices can be ruled out as correct answers because they lack a cooperative element.
54) A group that has gone through the norming stage of the group development process ________. A) never returns to the storming stage B) always returns to the storming stage C) never returns to the forming stage D) may return to the forming or storming stage
Answer: D Explanation: D) The group development process is not necessarily sequential. Groups can pass through one stage, then return to that same stage, or an earlier stage, later on in their development. This makes the choice regarding returning to the forming or storming stage the correct response, as it is the only response that indicates this flexibility in the group development process.
The most comprehensive form of performance measurement is this. A) MBWA B) oral report C) statistical report D) written report
Answer: D Explanation: D) The informality of MBWA and oral reports make them less complete and thorough than statistical and written reports, making those two choices incorrect responses. Statistical and written reports are both readable documents, but a written report is likely to be more comprehensive since it could include both quantitative and qualitative information, while a statistical report would be quantitative only (or primarily), making written report the correct response and ruling out statistical report.
When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action to remedy a significant performance deviation? A) when performance exceeds the standard B) when performance falls slightly short of the standard C) when performance falls far short of the standard D) when the standard is unrealistic
Answer: D Explanation: D) The only reason to revise standards is when they are proven to be unreasonable or unrealistic for some reason, making that choice the correct response. Whether or not performance measures up to the standard are reasons to take corrective action, not change standards—unless of course, those standards are flawed in some way.
111) A team that is suffering attacks by managers from another division needs someone to fulfill this team role. A) reporter-adviser B) controller-inspector C) thruster-organizer D) upholder-maintainer
Answer: D Explanation: D) The team role that defends the team against outside interests is the upholder-maintainer, making that the correct response for this question. Rather than defend the team against outside interests, a controller-inspector enforces team rules, a thruster-organizer provides structure for the team, and a reporter-adviser searches for data and information for the team, so these three responses are all incorrect choices.
All of the following are common rationalizations that workers use to justify workplace theft EXCEPT ________. A) "Everyone does it." B) "They'll never miss it." C) "I deserve this." D) "I owe money from gambling."
Answer: D Explanation: D) The three incorrect choices are commonly heard rationalizations that people use to justify stealing from large organizations. They all make sense and sound plausible, but they do not in any way morally or legally justify theft. Owing gambling money, on the other hand, is not an after-the-fact rationalization but rather an actual reason for stealing—the person needs the money—making that choice the correct response for this question. Note that though this choice provides a reason for stealing, it still doesn't in any way justify stealing in a moral or legal sense.
The value of the controlling function is seen in three specific areas: planning, ________. A) organizing, and leading B) protecting employees, and empowering the workplace C) protecting employees, and protecting the workplace D) empowering employees, and protecting the workplace
Answer: D Explanation: D) The value of the controlling function is seen in planning, the empowering of employees, and the protecting of the workplace, making "empowering employees and protecting the workplace" the correct response and ruling out all other responses.
) In the second step of the control process, actual performance can be considered acceptable as long as the performance doesn't fall ________. A) short of goals by more than 15 percent B) short of goals by more than 30 percent C) inside of an acceptable range of variation D) outside of an acceptable range of variation
Answer: D Explanation: D) There are no hard and fast rules with respect to deviation. One situation might allow a 50 percent deviation, while a second might determine that a 5 percent deviation is too high. Therefore, all that is required is that deviation fall within the individual manager's accepted variation range, making outside an acceptable range the correct response and ruling out inside an acceptable range. The other two choices are not correct because they quantify performance limits.
52) During a recent meeting, a shouting match arose between a design manager and a marketing representative about a marketing plan for a new product. This team seems to be at the ________ stage of group development. A) conflict B) forming C) norming D) storming
Answer: D Explanation: D) This group appears to be in conflict for control and leadership, suggesting that the group is in the storming stage of the group development process. Storming is the stage that is most associated with conflict, making it the correct response, and eliminating the other responses.
) An effective concurrent strategy for dealing with employee theft of supplies and equipment is ________. A) establish theft policies B) redesign all control measures C) "lock-out" options on electronic devices D) video surveillance
Answer: D Explanation: D) Though establishing theft policies and redesigning all control measures may be helpful, these are not concurrent measures so they are incorrect responses. "Lock-out" options would work for electronic crimes, but not theft of material equipment, so this choice is not a correct response for this question. Of the choices given, only video surveillance would be a deterrent to stealing tangible material equipment and supplies, so video surveillance is the correct response for this question
There is no way to reduce social loafing within a team.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Social loafing probably cannot be eliminated, but it can be reduced by monitoring team performance carefully and holding team members accountableindividually as well as collectivelyfor their output.
118) When assembling a team, managers should look for individuals who ________. A) can fulfill team roles and have team skills B) have required job skills C) are team players D) have both team and job skills
Answer: D Explanation: D) When putting a team together, a manager must first look for individuals who have two things, job skills and team skills, making that the correct response. For individuals who lack team skills or team experience, managers can work to see if the person can be brought up to speed with respect to fulfilling team roles. These factors eliminate the other three choices since none of these choices identifies both job and team skills.
In a short essay, describe workplace privacy concerns for managers today. What are managers doing to control this issue?
Answer: Employers can (and do), among other things, read employee email, tap telephones, and monitor computer use. This may sound like an illegal invasion of privacy, but in the workplace the employer in a sense "owns" the worker's time and has a right to make sure that it is not wasted or abused. Recreational on-the-job Web surfing is thought to cost billions of dollars in lost work productivity annually and employers have a right to try to minimize those losses. Employers also monitor employee email to provide unambiguous evidence for discrimination and sexual harassment cases. Finally, companies monitor computer use to ensure that company secrets aren't being leaked either deliberately or inadvertently. Although employees may think that it's unfair for a company to monitor their work electronically, the courts have ruled that since the computer belongs to the company, managers have a right to view everything on it. Because of all of the serious issues listed above, many companies are developing and enforcing workplace monitoring policies. There should be a balance between management's need to know and the effect employee monitoring may have on employee morale.
The control function is not intended to protect the organization from threats.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: A major function of a control system is to protect the organization from threats that might arise from disruptions, security breaches, unexpected financial events, and other similar problems.
A problem-solving team is likely not to have a supervising manager to oversee it.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: A self-managed team is likely not to have a supervisor, not a problem-solving team.
A spell-checker that corrects words as you type in a word processing program is an example of feedforward control.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: A spell-checker that corrects words as they are being typed is making the correction as the event occurs, so it is an example of concurrent control, not feedforward control.
A single business cannot experience both underperformance and overperformance at the same time.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: As the example on page 356 shows, one part of a business can exceed goals while another segment can underperform. Therefore, both phenomena can occur at the same time.
A major advantage of feedforward control is that it increases employee motivation.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Feedback control, not feedforward control, is best for motivation, because it provides information so employees can know exactly how their performance measures up.
The criterion that determines the effectiveness of a control system is how well it reduces unnecessary costs.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Goals, not costs, determine the effectiveness of a control system. The more a control system helps the organization achieve its goals, the more effective and successful it is.
Effective teams should avoid conflict at all costs.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Good teams usually thrive on conflict, as long as it is not of a personal nature. Conflict over tasks and goals tends to bring out the best arguments in people in supporting their positions.
Performance feedback should avoid reference to hard data.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Hard data is preferable over other forms of information for performance feedback. When presented with clear facts and hard data, resistance on the part of the employee is much less likely.
A Japanese manager with the biggest office is likely to have the most power within an organization.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: In Japan, office size does not correlate to company prestige, so the person with the largest office would not necessarily have the highest rank in an organization.
Control measures in two different locations in different parts of the world are always comparable.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: In fact, control measures are often not comparable. Profit per worker, for example, may be wildly different in Mexico than it is in France, so control measures must reflect these differences.
A scorecard with respect to organizational performance should always focus on all four performance areas equally.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Many organizations choose not to use a balanced approach, but rather to focus disproportionately on one (or more than one) particular area, such as customer relations, and de-emphasize other areas.
Motivation and leadership are two primary parts of the control function.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Motivation and leadership are part of the managerial function of leading, not the controlling function
A major drawback of an oral report is that there is no way to store the information in the report for later reference.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: New technologies, such as videotaping oral reports, mean that documentation of an oral report is no longer impossible to carry out.
On successful teams, individuals rarely play more than one role.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Nine roles have been identified for teams. Since teams often have fewer than nine members they frequently need to function with team members taking on multiple roles.
Disagreeable team members rarely decrease team performance.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: One or more disagreeable team members are known to drag down the performance of an entire team.
A gap between actual performance and planned goals that falls within an acceptable range of variation usually requires managerial action.
Answer: FALSE Explanation: Only when the gap between actual performance and goals falls out of an acceptable range of variation is action required.
90) The most important conclusion from the leader-participation model is that ________.
B) a leader must change his or her leadership style depending on the situation
In a short essay, describe feedforward control and give an example of its use.
Answer: Feedforward control is the most desirable type of control because it heads off problems before they actually occur. Feedforward control is any controlling activity that takes place before problematic behaviors are likely to occur. An example of feedforward control occurs when sports venues ban the sale of alcohol during certain events that are likely to result in fighting or similar incidents. By eliminating a factor that always exacerbates and is sometimes the primary cause of violence ahead of time, managers avoid the trouble that violence brings.
In a short essay, explain the difference between immediate corrective action and basic corrective action.
Answer: Immediate corrective action is action that a manager takes to fix a problem in the short-term to get performance on track. An example of taking immediate corrective action would include a building contractor hiring extra carpenters when the people he has on the job aren't working fast enough. Basic corrective action goes beyond fixing the problem at hand and attempts to find—and correct—the underlying causes of the problem. For example, there might be a number of reasons why a building project gets behind schedule: not enough labor, having to wait for materials, conflicts in scheduling, inefficient workers or supervision, and so on. Getting to the bottom of the situation can save managers time, trouble, and money. For example, rather than hire (expensive) extra carpenters on a building project, a manager might learn that she simply needs to schedule them better and the problem will be solved.
149) In a brief essay, discuss how managers can use training to shape team behavior.
Answer: Managers can rely on training to shape team behavior in the event that team members lack either technical or team skills. Training specialists can spend time working with new team members on technical deficiencies to get them up to the level they will need for team function. Training can also be used to teach employees about teams and teamwork. Workshops typically cover such topics as team problem solving, communications, negotiations, conflict resolution, and coaching skills.
142) In a short essay, describe the characteristics of a problem-solving team.
Answer: Problem-solving teams are teams from the same department or functional area of an organization who are involved in efforts to improve work activities or to solve specific problems. In problem-solving teams, members share ideas or offer suggestions on how work processes and methods can be improved. However, these teams are rarely given the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggested solutions to problems, so they are not as effective at problem solving as they could be.
148) In a brief essay, discuss how managers can use selection to shape team behavior.
Answer: Selection is a natural place to start in shaping team behavior, as some individuals already possess the interpersonal skills to be effective team players before they join the team. When assembling a team, a manager should look for two things—the technical skills to carry out the task, and the team skills to function successfully within the team. If the prospective team member has technical skills but not team skills, the manager may choose not to hire the person, or to hire on a provisional basis, requiring that the applicant demonstrate team skills before he or she is officially included as part of the team. In either case the manager can use her discretion to include individuals who enhance, rather than detract from the team. A team with members that have requisite technical skills that can function efficiently as a unit has a very high probability of successfully achieving its goals.
143) In a short essay, describe the characteristics of a self-managed team.
Answer: Self-managed teams are formal groups of employees who operate without a manager and are responsible for a complete work process or segment. A self-managed team is responsible for getting its work done and for managing itself. This usually includes planning and scheduling of work, assigning tasks to members, collective control over the pace of work, making operating decisions, and taking action on problems.
In a short essay, explain how managers determine what a significant deviation is.
Answer: Significant deviations from an acceptable range of variance are entirely up to the manager him- or herself to determine. In some cases, goals may be technically met, but a manager will still feel that some kind of corrective action needs to be taken. A manager of a gelato store, for example, might look at monthly sales totals and see that hazelnut gelato performed well below its goal. The manager might greet this finding in more than one way. She might decide to terminate the sale of this flavor and move on to develop a new flavor. She might decide that hazelnut simply needs more time and exposure to the public and its sales will pick up—eliciting a "sit tight" and do nothing response. Or, she might also decide that hazelnut simply needs some extra promotion to increase sales—posters, free samples, special prices, etc. The point of the preceding shows that the interpretation of performance data lies entirely in the eye of the manager who is observing it. One person's acceptable deviation might be another person's unacceptable deviation.
147) In a short essay, discuss how social loafing can affect a team and how it can be combatted.
Answer: Social loafing is a very natural response to a special situation—when individuals join a group they tend to "take cover" from the group and rather than work hard to distinguish themselves, coast on the merits and accomplishments of the group. The result of social loafing is that while a team may be productive, its average output per team member is less than the output would be for those same team members individually. This affect of decreasing individual productivity gets more pronounced as group size increases: the larger the group the less productive individual group members tend to be. Since it is such a natural inclination, social loafing is hard to combat. To minimize social loafing managers should focus on recognizing the contributions and accomplishments of group members both in an individual and in a group sense. For example, managers can urge group members to constantly evaluate themselves with respect to pulling their own weight and repeatedly ask themselves: What did I do to help the group? Am I truly pulling my own weight?
A self-managed team is responsible for both completing tasks and managing itself.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: A self-managed team is responsible for managing itself as well as carrying out the tasks it has been given. Typically, no supervisor is assigned to oversee a self-managed team because it supervises itself.
The "two pizza" rule states that the best teams should be small enough so that they can be satisfied with no more than two pizzas.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Amazon follows the two-pizza rule, typically limiting team size to five to seven team members.
) Negative performance feedback should focus on behaviors that the employee can control.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Little benefit can come from suggestions that are beyond an employee's control. Improvement can occur only if feedback focuses on behaviors that can be changed, rather than innate or immutable traits.
Control is the process of monitoring and evaluating activities to ensure that they are being accomplished as planned.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Managers can't know how successful operations are until they have been compared to a standard.
Control is the only managerial function that allows managers to make sure that organizational goals are being met.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Plans can be carried out with motivated employees, but without monitoring there is no way to be sure that goals are actually being met.
) Profitability ratios are a traditional way for a company to measure success.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Profitability ratio, identified as net profit after taxes over total sales or assets, is a useful traditional way to measure how efficiently company assets produce profit.
An example of revising a standard is a teacher who changes a grading scale because students do poorly on an exam.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Rather than blame poor performance on the students themselves, the teacher in this case assumes that the standard, the grading scale for the test, was too high and adjusts it downward.
A rigid, militaristic, high-pressure workplace that includes intimidation is likely to be a dysfunctional work environment.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Rigidity, pressure, and intimidation are key signs that a workplace is dysfunctional.
Rewards for team members should be distributed strictly on team performance.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Team performance should be an important element in rewarding team members. However, the contributions of individuals should not be ignored.
A GPS that tells you that you are making a wrong turn is an example of concurrent control.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: The GPS is operating in real-time and correcting the situation as the event is occurring, making it a concurrent form of control.
The development or identification of objectives or standards must precede the control process.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: The measurement of performance during the control process must have some standard to measure against. Usually the standard is set during the planning phase of the operation being carried out, before the control process begins.
A team's upholder-maintainer would likely submit the team's request for a large increase in resources to top management.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: The upholder-maintainer represents the team and its interests to the outer world, so she would be likely to take a request for more resources to top management.
Firewalls, data backup, and encryption help prevent security breaches in organizations.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: These measures can prevent ordinary breaches for the most part. In rare cases, even with these measures, compromising information can leak out into the world at large, so most organizations need all of the security instruments they can get.
Diversity tends to have a positive effect on team performance.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Though initially performance seems to suffer when teams are formed with highly diverse individuals, as time passes studies show that diverse teams outperform homogeneous teams.
Some organizational tasks are better done individually than in a team or group.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: To find out whether a task is best performed by a group or an individual, three tests are recommended, using the following questions: (1) Can the work be done better by a single person? (2) Does the work include a common set of goals that a group can share? (3) Will the tasks involved rely on interdependence among individuals?
) Direct supervision is the best-known form of concurrent control.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: When managers overlook what workers are doing and make corrections in real-time they are using concurrent control.
Conscientiousness seems to be a key ingredient in successful teams.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: When team members care about results, team performance typically rises.
Management of a global company often relies on highly formalized reports as controls for distant operations.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Without being able to observe a distant operation directly, managers of global companies often need to rely on formal reports and other formal measures.
Controlling provides a critical link back to planning that compares actual outcomes to planned outcomes.
Answer: TRUE Explanation: Without the assessment that takes place during the controlling function, there is no accurate way to determine whether or not planning goals have been carried out and met.
In a short essay, describe the first step in the control process.
Answer: The first step in the control process is measuring, or determining the actual performance of an individual or an organization. Basic job performance for most jobs can be measured in simple, objective, and easily quantifiable terms. However, to get a deeper and more meaningful analysis, managers frequently employ a variety of methods to gauge performance, such as personal observation, statistical reports, oral reports, and written reports. For most managers, using a combination of approaches increases the probability of getting meaningful and reliable information
140) In a short essay, discuss the last two stages of group development.
Answer: The fourth stage of the group development process is the performing stage. The group structure at this point is fully functional and accepted. Group energy has moved from getting to know and understand each other to performing the task at hand. Performing is the last stage in the development of permanent work groups. Temporary groups that have a limited task to perform have a fifth stage, adjourning. In the adjourning stage, the group prepares to disband. High levels of task performance are no longer the group's top priority. Instead, attention is directed at wrapping up activities.
49) The key to motivation, according to Maslow, is to identify ________.
B) a person's level in the needs hierarchy
________ is the deliberate manipulation of information by the sender to make it appear more favorable to the receiver.
Filtering
) In a short essay, describe feedback control and give an example of its use.
Answer: The most popular type of control relies on feedback. In feedback control, the control takes place after the activity is done. Feedback control tells managers about the effectiveness of their planning effort and can provide information that enhances employee motivation. Any performance measurement for a company is an example of feedback control. Plans are made and standards are set. Those standards are compared to actual sales totals. If sales totals and standards generally agree, managers consider their plans accurate and their performance successful. If standards and totals do not agree, managers can take action to remedy the situation.
138) In a short essay, discuss the second stage of group development.
Answer: The storming stage is one of intragroup conflict. Members may accept the existence of the group but resist the control that the group imposes on individuality. Furthermore, there is conflict over who will control the group and what direction the group will take when it becomes functional and begins to address its goals. When the storming stage is complete, there will be a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within the group and agreement on the group's direction.
139) In a short essay, discuss the third stage of group development.
Answer: The third stage of group development, the norming stage, is one in which close relationships develop and the group demonstrates cohesiveness. There is now a strong sense of group identity and camaraderie among group members. During the norming stage the group establishes its norms—expectations and standards that both group members and the group as a whole will adhere to. This norming stage is complete when the group structure solidifies and the group has assimilated a common set of expectations of what defines correct member behavior.
In a short essay, describe the third step in the control process.
Answer: The third step in the control process involves taking managerial action. When actual performance falls outside of an acceptable range of deviation managers must somehow fix the situation. Generally, managers can choose among three possible courses of action: do nothing, correct the actual performance, or revise the standards. Managers choose to do nothing when performance measures up favorably to standards. Managers choose corrective action when performance does not measure up. Examples of corrective actions might include changing strategy, structure, compensation plans, training programs, redesigning jobs, or firing employees. Revising standards is an appropriate response if the variance was the result of unrealistic, erroneous, or unreasonable expectations. Standards can be faulty, especially when the situation changes. During boom times, managers sometimes adjust standards up. During times of trouble, such as recessions, managers may revise standards downward.
150) In a brief essay, discuss how managers can use rewards to shape team behavior.
Answer: To shape behavior, managers can use a reward system that encourages cooperative efforts that help achieve team goals rather than competitive efforts that help achieve team goals. Promotions, pay raises, and other forms of recognition should be given to employees who are effective collaborative team members. Taking this approach shouldn't ignore individual contribution, but rather managers should try to balance individual recognition with recognition of efforts that further the team. Examples of behaviors that should be rewarded include training new colleagues, sharing information with teammates, helping resolve team conflicts, and mastering new skills in which the team is deficient.
145) In a short essay, describe the characteristics of virtual teams.
Answer: Virtual teams use computer and electronic technology to link physically dispersed members in order to achieve a common goal. In a virtual team, members collaborate using communication links such as wide area networks, screen-sharing technology, videoconferencing, email, and websites to communicate and collaborate with one another. In a virtual team, team members may never meet one another in person even though they can be close collaborators on an ambitious and complex project.
141) In a short essay, compare work groups and work teams.
Answer: Work teams are different from work groups and have their own unique traits. Work groups primarily interact to share information and to make decisions that help each member do his/her job more efficiently and effectively. These groups have no need or opportunity to engage in work that requires joint effort and a collective goal or task. Work teams are groups whose members work intensely on a specific, common goal. All efforts in a work team are directed toward achieving this goal. Members of a work team focus entirely on the team goal rather than on their own individual goals. In a successful work team, the combined individual efforts of team members result in a level of performance that is greater than the sum of those individual inputs.
As a product, piano lessons are _____. A. a good because you can purchase them B. a service because they are nonmaterial C. a good because they can be divided into discrete lessons D. a service because someone needs to give them
B
Which description best characterizes a 9,1 leadership style on the managerial grid? A) impoverished management B) Task management C) Middle of the road management D) country club management
B
127) A ________ would avoid publicly praising a productive employee.
B) Dutch leader
133) ________ can improve employee performance by sharing the financial circumstances of the organization with the employee.
B) Open-book management
81) Which is the best summary of goal-setting theory?
B) Specific goals increase performance.
Which is the best summary of goal-setting theory? A) Goals make no difference in performance. B) Specific goals increase performance. C) Always make your goals a bit higher than you can reach. D) Easy goals make for happier employees.
B) Specific goals increase performance.
91) In the JCM, motivation and satisfaction increase when this is true.
B) The employee cares about the task.
53) ________ assumes that employees have little ambition, dislike work, and avoid responsibility.
B) Theory X
149) Zach is what type of manager?
B) Theory Y-oriented
130) Which of the following does NOT describe the effect of flexible work arrangements on employees?
B) a drastic decrease in job satisfaction
92) Job enrichment in the JCM seems to work best with people who have ________.
B) a high growth need
Attitudes, Past experiences, Expectations
Factors that can influence the perceiver of a situation include _____________________
Equity theory is based primarily on ideas about which of the following? a. Objectivity b. The importance of work c. Fairness d. Automation
Fairness
**20) McClelland proposed that people with a high nAch simply want to do things better than other people.
False
10) In Maslow's system, a person takes care of social needs before worrying about personal safety.
False
13) Maslow's empirical studies provided substantial proof of the validity of his hierarchical model.
False
16) McGregor holds the opinion that managers are less successful when they adopt a Theory Y view of human nature.
False
18) In Herzberg's view, removing a factor of dissatisfaction makes a person more satisfied with his or her job.
False
2) Motivation is a drive that some people have and others don't have.
False
21) McClelland thinks that having a high nAch guarantees that a person will be a good manager.
False
23) Goal-setting theory shows that feedback from a superior provides better motivation than self-generated feedback.
False
28) Transformational leadership and charismatic leadership are identical.
False
29) Charismatic and visionary leadership are the same thing.
False
30) According to expectancy theory, managers should give all workers the same rewards.
False
31) Motivation theories do not work well in U.S. organizations because of the emphasis Americans place on individualism and achievement.
False
32) Job sharing improves production by allowing people to fit their jobs better into their lifestyles.
False
32) Team leadership is becoming less important in today's world because teams don't need leaders.
False
34) Telecommuting satisfies the needs of employees to interact socially.
False
36) Professionals are best motivated by extra pay and promotion within the organization.
False
38) Pay-for-performance programs pay employees for their time rather than for their output.
False
6) Most U.S. employees are excited about their jobs.
False
7) Maslow's hierarchy of needs proposes that all needs are sought after to an equal degree at all times.
False
A leader with an autocratic style often delegates authority to subordinates.
False
Active listening requires making super-quick judgments immediately after a person begins speaking
False
Ideally, all managers should not be leaders.
False
Individuals tend to attribute their own successes to external factors.
False
Manufacturing organizations produce both physical and nonphysical outputs. True or false.
False
Motivation is a drive that some people have and others don't have.
False
Operations management includes service industries but not manufacturing firms.
False
Operations management includes service industries but not manufacturing firms. True or false.
False
The group is likely to work on its primary task during the adjourning stage of group development
False
To find the planned duration of a project on a Gantt chart, simply look at the width of the bar that represents actual progress.
False
A leader with an autocratic style often delegates authority to subordinates.
False - Democratic style delegates
The Michigan studies suggested that the most successful leaders were production oriented.
False - Employee oriented
18) Fiedler concluded that task-oriented leaders tended to perform better in favorable situations and worse in unfavorable situations.
False - Good in both
The Ohio State studies suggested that leaders who were high in structure and low in consideration were most successful.
False - High High
40) Of the five dimensions that make up the concept of trust, loyalty seems to be the most critical.
False - Integrity is the most critical
16) Fiedler's contingency model focused on having employees describe their ideal coworker.
False - Least preferred coworker
41) A sizeable majority of American employees trust the leaders of the companies they work for.
False - Only 39%
Traits such as honesty and integrity are not very useful for identifying who is suited and who is not suited to be a leader.
False - They are!
Trait research has given managers the ability to pick out leaders from the group.
False - Traits alone are not sufficient
4) Persistence is the amount of drive and intensity a person applies to a task.
False; energy
Successful managers tend to be better at _______________. a. Doing their own work than helping others b. Identifying their own goals than identifying goals of subordinates c. Helping others achieve goals than achieving their own goals d. Accomplishing goals than identifying goals
Helping others achieve goals than achieving their own goals
Successful managers tend to have this more than any other trait. a. Low nPow b. High nPow c. High nAch d. High nAff
High nPow
Take risks
High self-esteem individuals tend to ________________
The job characteristics model (JCM) maintains that ________ is critical to motivating workers. a. How workers are treated b. How jobs are designed c. Equal treatment for all d. Setting goals
How jobs are designed
outside an acceptable range of variation
In the second step of the control process, actual performance can be considered acceptable as long as the performance doesn't fall
Outside an acceptable range of variation
In the second step of the control process, actual performance can be considered acceptable as long as the performance doesn't fall ____________________
Both the ability and willingness
In the situational leadership theory (SLT), readiness is defined as _______________ to perform a task
Inputs -->
Inputs --> Transformation Process --> Outputs (ice cream ingredients --> mix and chill --> finished product)
Both material and non-material items
Inputs in the transformation process include ________________________.
One factor that seems to motivate workers all cultures is seeking _______. a. High status b. Shorter working hours c. Interesting work d. Easy work
Interesting work
Supply chain management is ___ oriented.
Internally
Inequity exists when one's own outcomes-to-input ratio ____________________________________ that of the referent. a. Is greater than but not less than b. Is less than but not greater than c. Is equal to d. Is greater than or less than
Is greater than or less than
Produce physical goods
It is easier to see the transformation process at work in manufacturing organizations than in service organizations because manufacturing organizations
Which fact best illustrates how disruptive email can be?
It takes 64 seconds for a person to regain his or her train of thought following an email interruption.
Outside of a specialized, close-knit group
Jargon tends to cause problems when it is used _______________
How does jumping to conclusions affect the communication process?
Jumping to a conclusion causes the listener to stop listening because he or she has already formed a view of what the speaker is attempting to express
You would expect an undeveloped country like ______ to have a predominately____ economy
Laos; nonservice
When a team is considering joining forces with another team in the organization, the team leader takes on the role
Liaison
________ is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its current debt obligations.
Liquidity
__________ is a measure of an organization's ability to meet its current debt obligations
Liquidity
Jessie's assigned work section consists of three work groups who were assessed by this method of performance measurement and were informally judged to be "creative, innovative, hard-working, and fun-loving."
MBWA
These forms of performance measurement provide the best and most immediate forms of feedback
MBWA and oral report
These forms of performance measurement provide the best and most immediate forms of feedback.
MBWA and oral report
A person who believes that "the ends justify the means" would be likely to have a high level of which personality trait?
Machiavellianism
Implementations of a value chain should be driven by______
Management
goals created during the planning process
Managers always use these for performance standards during the control process.
Ratio and budget
Managers exert financial control on an organization using ________ analysis
Manufacturing v. Service transformation
Manufacturing: transformation is readily evident Service: less evident
A laptop computer company is a ____ organization because its product is _____.
Manufacturing; a computer
Which of the following is true of three early theories of motivation? a. Maslow focuses on job satisfaction b. McGregor focuses on the basic needs of the individual c. Both McGregor and Maslow focus on hierarchies d. McGregor focuses on postive and negative assumptions and human nature
McGregor focuses on positive and negative assumptions and human nature
This is the PRIMARY reason for why managers often travel long distances to have a face-to-face meeting with someone.
Most communication is done through body language.
According to Herzberg's Motivation-Hygiene theory, ________ are associated with job satisfaction
Motivators
Eliminating fear
Of all the emotions that affect a workplace, Deming felt that ___________ was most important for increasing productivity.
A law firm manager finds that one lawyer who consistently outperforms other lawyers at the firm is threatening to leave. Which immediate corrective action should the manager take?
Offer a bonus
9,9
On the managerial grid, a leader who is high in both concern for people and concern for production would rate _______________
Demand forecast
One key measurement that managers in value chain management companies strive to make is an accurate __________________.
Refuses to share information
One of the biggest obstacles to successful chain management on the organizational level is an organization that ___________________.
refuses to share information
One of the biggest obstacles to successful value chain management on the organizational level is an organization that
Clearly communicate expectations
One of the most important things a leader can do in a value chain management company is ___________________.
Restate the message in his or her own words
One particularly effective form of providing feedback is for the receiver to ________________
Reinforcement from reward or punishment
Operant conditioning is any behavior that occurs as a result of _____________________
_____ management oversees the transformation process that converts resources such as labor and raw materials into finished goods and services.
Operations
Managers in the United States today see this as the path to establishing and maintaining global leadership.
Operations management
___ oversees the transformation process.
Operations management
Nonvalue-adding activities
Organizational processes in vale chain management organizations need to eliminate ____________________
In a transformation process, people are considered to be inputs because they ____.
Perform tasks that are needed to create outputs
Which company would be least likely to use video conferencing for a meeting of its designers and marketers?
Perfume company
________ is the unique combination of psychological traits that describe a person.
Personality
When a manager gives an employee a bonus for a job well done, which behavior-shaping method is the manager using?
Positive reinforcement
Timelines, courtesy and consistency are all dimensions of a service's ____.
Quality
Which category of follower is considered to be both unable and unwilling to complete a task
R1
A participating leadership style works best with which type of follower
R3
Which category of follower is considered to be able but unwilling to complete a task?
R3
A delegating leadership style works best which type of follower
R4
According to goal-setting theory, which of the following in the best kind of feedback? a. Feedback from a superior b. Feedback from a peer c. Self-generated feedback d. Group feedback
Self-generated feedback
A leader who provides maximum supportive behavior and a great deal of explicit instructions for how to carry out a task is assuming this SLT role.
Selling
Which leadership works best with an R2 type of follower
Selling
Which communication sequence is correct?
Sender -> Encoding ->Channel ->Decoding-> Receiver
which of the following attributes of a communication method will be the most important for a scientist who has to send large amounts of data to a colleague? A) complexity capacity B) feedback C) formality D) interpersonal warmth
a) complexity capacity
when a communication requires employees to follow their job description, or to comply with company policies, communication is being used to ______. A) control B) motivate C) provide a release for emotional expression D) persuade
a) control
the process through which the symbols of a message are translated by the receiver into a form that he or she can understand is called ____. A) decoding B) encoding C) reinstating D) expanding
a) decoding
which of the following is a way for managers to overcome the barriers to communication? A) feedback B) decoding C) encoding D) filtering
a) feedback
when a person tells his or her manager what the manager wants to hear, which of the following barriers to effective interpersonal communication is the person using? A) filtering B) selective perception C) feedback D) defensiveness
a) filtering
the _____ communication system within an organization permits employees to satisfy their need for social interaction with their peers. A) informal B) upward C) formal D) downward
a) informal
in order to increase face-to-face communication among employees, the workplace design should ______. A) maximize visibility and density B) maximize visibility and minimize density C) minimize visibility and density D) minimize visibility and maximize density
a) maximize visibility and density
When a customer service customer gets frustrated from being put on hold during a service call for 30 minutes, the company is having problems with which service quality dimension? a. timeliness b. consistency c. convenience d. courtesy
a. timeliness
Jargon can be very useful for communication _____. a. within a specialized, close-knit group b. between people who speak different languages c. outside of a specialized, close-knit group d. between males and females
a. within a specialized, close-knit group
Members of an organization typically ________ the status of other organizational members.
agree about
Because leading is one of the four basic managerial functions, ________ leaders.
all managers should be
Value chain
all the activities that add value as raw materials are transformed into finished products (maximize value for customers and companies)
Attitudes that value collaborating, openness, and mutual respect are requirements for ________
all value chain management companies
A spelling mistake in a message is an example of _________
an encoding error
After a thorough company-wide self-examination, company Y decides to set up work teams. This is an example of ________.
an internal change causing another internal change
Steve has a taped record of this one-on-one meeting with his boss.
an oral report
Kurt Lewin's "calm waters" metaphor sees change as _______
an usual event
A law firm manager finds that the firm loses too many of its civil cases while it wins an inordinately high number of its criminal cases. Which basic corrective action can the manager take?
analyze civil and criminal cases
In general, ____ that falls outside an acceptable range of variation must be dealt with by a manager.
any deviation
In general, ________ that falls outside an acceptable range of variation must be dealt with by a manager.
any deviation
Formal groups ________.
are defined by an organization's structure
New measures
are needed for performance evaluation
Visionary leaders are leaders who guide by
articulating a vision of the future
Visionary leaders are leaders who guide by _________.
articulating a vision of the future
The controlling function helps managers protect an organization's_______
assets
Theory X
assumes that employees have little ambition, dislike work, and avoid responsibility
Because rumors that flow along the grapevine can never be eliminated entirely, managers can minimize the negative consequences of rumors by ________. A) ignoring them completely B) communicating openly and honestly with employees C) encouraging an all-channel communication network D) using filtering wherever possible
b) communicating openly and honestly with employees
when an organization has an interest in increasing the efficiency and speed of communication between managers at different levels and in different departments, then ______. A) upward communication works best B) diagonal communication should be used C) lateral communication is ideal D) upward communication works the fastest
b) diagonal communication should be used
Jon is the manager of the Finance department. He has to inform the employees in the department about the introduction of a new analytical software and the resultant changes in procedures. Which of the following types of communication does he use? A) upward B) downward C) lateral D) diagonal
b) downward
which of the following helps an individual to understand the actual content of a message? A) antipathy B) empathy C) apathy D) empowerment
b) empathy
during the communication process, the message is converted to a symbolic form. this process is called _____. A) decoding B) encoding C) deciphering D) expanding
b) encoding
which of the following methods of communication should be used when the sender requires quick and accurate feedback? A) publications B) face-to-face C) postal mail D) fax
b) face-to-face
Sarah needs funding to research the efficacy of a certain drug for the treatment of cancer. Though her initial trials have been inconclusive, Sarah is sure that the drug will prove to be effective. However, the organizations she plans to approach for funding will not be very impressed with the results of the previous trials and may withhold funding. Sarah has to structure her proposal in such a way that she emphasizes the positives about the drug and minimizes the negative information. Which of the following best describes Sarah's technique of writing her proposal? A) diagonal communication B) filtering C) defensiveness D) jargon
b) filtering
A(n) _____ occurs when the amount of data provided exceeds the recipient's processing capacity. A) perceptual barrier B) information overload C) conceptual block D) physical barrier
b) information overload
which of the following is true of nonverbal communication? A) It is synonymous with body language. B) It carries greater impact than verbal communication. C) It is absent in spoken communication. D) It is involuntary; it cannot be used deliberately.
b) it carries greater impact than verbal communication
which of the following is true for organizational communication? A) It uses formal but not informal communication techniques. B) It includes informal communication via the grapevine. C) Information flows according to the organization's chain of command. D) It does not include interpersonal communication.
b) it includes informal communication via the grapevine
George prepares a memorandum explaining the objectives of a newly created work team that he is expected to manage, and makes sure it reaches each team member. He is involved in _______. A) deciphering the message B) organizational communication C) lateral communication D) decoding the message
b) organizational communication
Though IT has improved organizational communications in recent years, ________ remains a major concern. A) timeliness B) security C) cost D) breadth potential
b) security
which of the following is true for active listeners? A) They should avoid making eye contact and nodding as this will distract the speaker. B) They should not interrupt the speaker, but should feel free to ask questions about the topic. C) They should listen for full meaning and avoid paraphrasing what the speaker is saying. D) Developing empathy for the speaker is not advised as it proves an emotional barrier to listening.
b) they should not interrupt the speaker, but should feel free to ask question about the topic
CISCO's Unified Personal Communicator allows fast and easy access to voice, video, instant messaging, web conferencing, voicemail, and presence capabilities through a single, multimedia interface on your PC or Mac. Which of the following aspects of communication problems does this personal communicator address? A) security concerns arising from the use of the Internet B) time-space constraint C) decoding errors D) encoding errors
b) time-space constraint
Alec is hired as a senior analyst at Tech Research Institute and is assigned to a project with four other researchers. He soon realizes that two of his teammates do not see eye-to-eye on many issues. Far from being solved, the situation escalates over the next couple of months. This bothers Alec a great deal because he is expected to coordinate his work with them. He decides to speak to his manager about the problem and seek his advice. In this example, communication is being used ________. A) informally B) to control C) to motivate D) to inform
b) to control
downward communication is used ______. A) by employees to give managers progress reports B) to coordinate and evaluate employees C) between employees at the same organizational level D) between people of different departments and organizational levels
b) to coordinate and evaluate employees
Contingency Theory/ LPC (Least Preferred Co-worker) is: a. Maslow's b. Fiedler's c. McGregor d. Herzberg
b. Fiedler
On eBay, brand-new red espresso machines from Francis Francis routinely sell for $50 more than identical white machines. What can you conclude? a. The color white has no value. b. The color red has value. c. Color has no value since it does not add to the function of the machine. d. There is something different about the red machines.
b. The color red has value.
An example of nonverbal communicaiton is ____. a. an email b. a smile c. a whisper d. a voice mail
b. a smile nonverbal communication usually means body language.
A business model is ________. a. a competitor that a company seeks to emulate b. a strategic design for how a company intends to make profit c. a theoretical ideal that a company seeks to emulate d. an unrelated organization whose practices a company seeks to emulate
b. a strategic design for how a company intends to make profit
A product such as an iPod that has a design that is appealing to customers is said to have good ________. a. durability b. aesthetics c. features d. conformance
b. aesthetics
ISO 9000 is a series of standards that ensure that products ________. a. are of minimal quality b. conform to customer requirements c. conform to industry rules d. exceed government requirements
b. conform to customer requirements
In value chain management, ultimately the ________ have power to make changes. a. suppliers b. customers c. employees d. managers
b. customers
Of all the emotions that affect a workplace, Deming felt that ________ was most important for increasing productivity. a. making workers fear failure b. eliminating fear c. making employees happy d. eliminating anger
b. eliminating fear
your boss has total control over hiring, firing, and promotions in your department. he has ___. a. low position pwer b. high position power c. high task structure
b. high position power
Most countries in today's global business climate see ________ as the key to success. a. maintaining productivity b. increasing productivity c. higher wages d. shorter working hours
b. increasing productivity
Managers often travel long distances to have a face-to-face meeting with someone for this reason. a. it shows respect. b. most communication is done through body language. c. other forms of communication have security concerns. d. it communicates a sense of power, rank, and mobility.
b. most communication is done through body language
To find out how many activities are taking place at a given time in a Gantt chart, ________. a. read across a single row b. read down a single column c. count the total number of bars d. count the total number of actual progress bars
b. read down a single column
Courtesy and timeliness are measures of ________. a. product quality b. service quality c. product appeal d. service cost
b. service quality
The promise of behavioral theories of leadership held that this would be possible.
being able to train a person to be a leader
The promise of behavioral theories of leadership held that this would be possible.
being able to train a person to be leader
The University of Iowa studies discussed all of the following leadership styles EXCEPT leadership.
benevolent
Mike has always been driven by the need to work more efficiently, solve problems, and master complex tasks. According to McClelland, Mike is classified as driven by a need for: a) power. b) safety. c) achievement. d) affiliation. d) none of the above
c) achievement.
listening for full meaning without making premature judgements or interpretations is called _______. A) passive hearing B) lateral communication C) active listening D) decoding
c) active listening
In the all-channel network, communication flows ________. A) downward from a strong leader to his subordinates in the work group B) in a parallel fashion until all of the members of a work group have been informed C) freely among all members of a formal work team D) among the managers of a functional area of an organization
c) freely among all members of a formal work team
organizational communication that is not defined by the organization's structural hierarchy is known as _____ communication. A) external B) passive C) informal D) controlled
c) informal
Pat manages the customer care department of her firm. She is very happy with her team of 15 customer care executives who've all been consistently performing well. Customer feedback was impressive and Pat is planning to give them good bonuses this time around. As a manager, Pat believes it is important to let your subordinates know when you are happy with their work. She does so, and also calls a meeting to discuss what they can do to improve further. Pat is using communication for ________. A) decision making B) negotiation C) motivation D) expressing emotion
c) motivation
_____ consists of all the patterns, networks, and systems of communication within an organization. A) The grapevine B) Interpersonal communication C) Organizational communication D) Formal communication
c) organizational communication
which of the following management styles will most likely encourage upward communication? A) dictatorial B) paternalistic C) participative D) authoritarian
c) participative
Adam has to tell the members of his department that the office timings have changed from flexible timings to a strict nine-to-five day. He calls a meeting to explain the change. Participants begin arguing and asking multiple questions about the new timing policy. The next day, Adam realizes that most people still do not have a clear idea about the change, as a result of the confusion at the meeting. Which of the following explains why the message was not understood? A) The sender did not decode the message appropriately. B) The recipients did not encode the message correctly. C) The noise in the process interfered with the transmission of the message. D) The channel was not appropriate for the delivery of this message.
c) the noise in the process interfered with the transmission of the message
Since Deming first proposed his 14 points for improving productivity, his prescriptions have ________. a. been largely discredited b. fallen into disuse c. been confirmed repeatedly d. been confirmed for U.S. workers only
c. been confirmed repeatedly
Each work activity in a Gantt chart is represented by two horizontal bars that identify the ________. a. goal and the date b. the date and the manager's name c. goal and actual progress d. actual progress and manager's name
c. goal and actual progress
The critical path in a PERT is the ________ sequence of events that is required to complete the project in the ________ period of time. a. longest; longest b. shortest; shortest c. longest; shortest d. shortest; longest
c. longest; shortest
According to Herzberg, favorable hygiene factors can cause an employee to feel ________. a. not satisfied b. dissatisfied c. not dissatisfied d. unsatisfied e. not unsatisfied
c. not dissatisfied
communication via email: a. accurately reflects verbal and non-verbal cues of the sender. b. Tends to be a mroe efficient way of communicating to another individual within an office environment c. often allows for different interpretations of the intended message d. all of the above.
c. often allows for different interpretations of the intended message
In a transformation process people are inputs because they ________. a. are material beings b. are costly c. perform tasks that are needed to create outputs d. have knowledge and information
c. perform tasks that are needed to create outputs
Tannenbaum and Schmidt's continuum studies suggested that managers should move toward ________ leadership styles
employee-centered
Simplifying language is most important when _______. a. the speaker has little time b. the audience is sympathetic c. the audience is unfamiliar d. the message is simple
c. the audience is unfamiliar
A new cell phone battery doubles battery life but also increases the cost of the phone. This battery adds ________. a. no value to the phone since it increases the cost b. value to the phone only if the cost can be cut c. value to the phone if more customers buy the phone d. no value to the phone if more customers buy the phone
c. value to the phone if more customers buy the phone
Deming felt that any new skills that employees needed should be acquired ________. a. when they are hired and trained b. by the employees on their own c. when the job required it d. years ahead of time
c. when the job required it
Feedback ____________
can be spoken, nonverbal, or written
The path-goal theory sees the job of an effective leader as ________.
clearing the path between followers and their goals
The path-goal theory sees the job of an effective leader as _____________.
clearing the path between followers and their goals
When a manager attempts to buy off a key leader who opposes change by offering her a promotion, he is using which of the following methods of reducing resistance to change?
co-optation
Since all partners in a value chain benefit when value is added, partners ideally should
collaborate closely
The second step in the control process is to____
compare performance against a standard
the is the dimension of trust that includes technical skills
competence
Value impacts
competitive advantage
Direct supervision of employees is a form of ________ control.
concurrent
Direct supervision of employees is a form of____ control
concurrent
Which kind of control takes place while the actual work is carried out?
concurrent
Team efficacy is a measure of how ________ a team is.
confident
When two members of a team are having a personal confilct, the team leaders takes on the role.
conflict manager
A major part of the controlling function of management is to_______
correct performance problems
strengths of functional structure
cost saving advantages, form specialization
American standard improve the quality of its value chain by getting rid of partners who_______
could not meet expectations
In the value chain management, ultimately the ____ have power to make changer
customer
An especially difficult part of the coordination and collaboration requirement for successful value chain management is identifying things that ________.
customers value but you do not value
An especially difficult part of the coordination and collaboration requirement for successful value chain management is identifying things that____
customers value but you may not value
The durability an expensive pair of shoes provides has value since ___ are willing to ______ it
customers; pay for
in which of the following cases has communication occurred? A) Gary updates his blog regularly, even though no one reads it. B) Brian attends all the Algebra lectures, but is unable to understand the subject. C) Jen has sent an urgent e-mail to her Japanese colleague, but a translator is not yet available. D) Ana tells her manager that she needs a new computer, but he says that the company can't afford it.
d) Ana tells her manager that she needs a new computer, but he says that the company can't afford it
Tannenbaum and Schmidt's continuum studies suggested that mangers should move toward ___________ leadership styles.
employee-centered
The requirement for value chain management that is most closely associated with learning on the job is___
employee/human resources
An org's most important resource
employees
An organization's grapevine works as ________. A) a method for managers to communicate official policy B) a method for management to control the dissemination of information C) both a formal and an informal communication method D) a filter and a feedback mechanism for managers
d) a filter and a feedback mechanism for managers
If a company is concerned with achieving high member satisfaction for all the participants in a network, which of the following communication networks is best? A) chain network B) horizontal network C) wheel network D) all-channel network
d) all-channel network
for communication to be successful, meaning must be imparted and _____. A) received by the other person B) force action from the receiver C) feedback must be established D) understood by the receiver
d) understood by the receiver
A(n) _____ is a location where Internet users can gain wireless access to the Internet. A) extranet B) LAN C) intranet D) wi-fi hot spot
d) wi-fi hot spot
Motivation-Hygiene Theory is: a. Maslow's b. Fiedler's c. McGregor d. Herzberg
d. Herzberg
In the Six Sigma system, this is the highest level of quality. a. Zero Sigma b. One Sigma c. Four Sigma d. Six Sigma
d. Six Sigma
which of the following best describes transformational leadership: a. have a charismatic personality b. challenges followers to perform at a high level c. pay attention to followers on an individual level d. all of the above
d. all of the above
A high quality product that doesn't break down and doesn't suffer from significant performance deterioration over a long period of time is said to have ________. a. conformance b. aesthetics c. features d. durability
d. durability
A ___________leader in path-goal theory gives specific guidance in performing tasks.
directive
In a ________ structure each business unit has complete autonomy to reach its goals.
divisional
In a ________ structure each business unit has complete autonomy to reach its goals.
divisonal
Active listening is enhanced by developing ____________ with the speaker.
empathy
What are three key component's of emotional intelligence (EI)?
empathy, self-awareness, and social skills
Health insurance is an example of which of the following?
employee benefits
According to the University of Michigan studies, leaders who were ___________ were associated with higher group productivity and higher job satisfaction.
employee oriented
The third step in the control process is to_____
take action
Manufacturing organizations produce
tangible, physical goods (cars, phones, food)
Fiedler's LPC ratings concluded that leaders were either _________.
task oriented or relationship oriented
Which leadership style works best with an R1 type of follower
telling
Quality
the ability of a product or service to reliably do what it's supposed to do and to satisfy customer expectations
Simplifying language is most important when __________
the audience is unfamiliar
Attribution theory is primarily concerned with explaining ________
the behavior of others
Feedback is the process of verifying the message that was sent to confirm that it was received and is
the final step in the communication process
Networked communication capabilities include all of the following EXCEPT _____________
the grapevine
Organizational orientation informs a new employee about ________.
the history and philosophy of the organization
Organizational barriers
the most difficult to handle
White-water rapids" metaphor sees change as
the natural state of things
Feedback is a message that travels from ___________
the original receiver to the original sender
Value
the properties of goods and services for which customers are willing to give up resources (usually $)
If a trait theory of leadership were true, then all leaders would possess ________.
the same traits
In an orchestra, a horizontal boundary exists between which of the following?
the string section and the horn section
The purpose of operations management is to manage____
the transformation process
As economies develop
they become more service-oriented
Walmart hires contingent workers because
they can be used when needed
Which of the following is a disadvantage of written communication?
time-consuming
Which of the following is NOT a reason that managers put a lot of importance into developing a good compensation system?
to avoid breaking the law
Immediate corrective action is designed _____.
to get performance back on track
Immediate corrective action is designed____
to get performance back on track
organizations that don't formally plan may be more likely
to have multiple people working on the same task
The most successful early trait theories focused on ________.
traits associated with leadership
All organizations produce goods and services through the ____ process
transformation
This type of leader tends to be a superb motivator, not poor motivator, and has workers who are productive and low in turnover rates.
transformational
When a design team is having problems getting it's new simulation software to work correctly, the team leader takes on this role
troubleshooter
An aggressive new competitor in the marketplace is an external force that creates a need for organizational change that companies frequently face today.
true
An example of a change in structure is an organization becoming more decentralized.
true
Departmentalization is how jobs are grouped.
true
Equity theory holds that employees who feel underpaid will decrease their level of effort and performance in response to feelings of inequity. tf
true
In a realistic job preview (RJP), an applicant might be told that the likelihood for promotion for the job he is applying for is slim.
true
Few people are ever selected for a job without this.
undergoing an interview
This is the primary goal of active listening.
understanding the full meaning of the speaker's message.
Core competencies
unique skills, capabilities, resources
The ___ is the series of work actions that add value to a product as it is being transformed from inputs to finished product
value chain
Technology investment is necessary for
value chain management
A new cell phone battery doubles battery life but also increases the cost of the phone. This battery adds
value to the phone if more customers buy the phone
A live singing perfromance allows the audience to percieve ______________ Forms of communication.
verbal, body language, and verbal intonation as
Team leadership and traditional leadership in hierarchial ogranizations are thought to be
very different
An effective concurrent strategy for dealing with employee theft of supplies and equipment is____
video surveillance
Dan in New York is part of a team that is creating new software for the One Laptop Per Child program. The graphic designer for Dan's team is in Uruguay. The programmers for the team are in different parts of California. The team meets by videoconference once a week. Dan's team is likely to be a ________.
virtual team
Dan's team meets by videoconference, this is an example of what type of team ?
virtual team
MBWA stands for management by_______
walking around
What managers choose to measure is largely determined by___
what an organization does well
Coordination and collaboration: identification of
what customers value
Behavioral theories of leadership focused on ________.
what effective leaders did
When might a manager be justified in revising a standard rather than taking corrective action to remedy a significant performance deviation?
when the standard is unrealistic
A reject error occurs when an applicant ________.
who is not hired and would have performed well on the job
Value is any aspect of a product that customers ____ in the product.
will pay for
Jargon can be very useful for communication ________.
within a specialized, close-knit group
The jobs of assembly-line employees are to be changed to allow more tasks to be done by individual workers. This is a reduction in ________.
work specialization
Which of the following is an example of a technology change within an organization?
workers using a new software
Job redesigns are good ways to reduce stress that employees feel from ________.
workload and boredom