MGT 535 Midterm
in societies with low power distance __________.
managers and employees judge each other on a basis of equality. - In societies with low power distance, people believe in minimizing inequality. Managers and employees judge each other on a basis of equality. Managers are given authority only if they have expertise. See 2-2: Cultural Differences and Work-Related Attitudes
3.14. Jo is a courier delivering parcels throughout the metropolitan area. Although she considers herself law abiding, she often breaks the speed limit while making her deliveries. Which of the following statements does not reflect a likely response to the conflict between her attitude and her behavior?
"it's wrong to break minor laws, but i'll probably keep speeding anyway." - Jo seeing speeding as wrong and not providing a reason to continue does not logically fit into a method of reducing cognitive dissonance. Jo is able to justify her speeding just a little bit and still feel comfortable. Jo justifies her speeding because the limits are too low. Jo's cognitive dissonance is too strong, so she quits speeding. Jo reduces the dissonance by rationalizing her need to speed.
8.95. Which of the following statements is true regarding employee recognition?
Critics argue that employee recognition programs are highly susceptible to political manipulation by management. - Employee recognition is an intrinsic reward. Employee recognition programs are inexpensive. Some research suggests financial incentives may be more motivating in the short term, but in the long run it's nonfinancial incentives and according to research, recognition is the most powerful workplace motivator. Critics argue that employee recognition programs are highly susceptible to political manipulation by management.
5.17. You wish to hire a person who is innovative, individualistic, versatile, and entrepreneurial. Candidates for this position would ideally have ________ classification on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.
ENTP - The ENTP (Extraverted, Intuitive, Thinking, Perceiving) type is a conceptualizer, innovative, individualistic, versatile, and attracted to entrepreneurial ideas. This person tends to be resourceful in solving challenging problems.
5.69. Joe, a paramedic, is a very self-directed person and does not need step-by-step instructions in his work. According to the idea of situational strength, if Joe's supervisor gives him detailed instructions on how to bandage a broken finger, Joe will perceive this as ________.
His manager not having faith in his abilities. - A person who is usually self-directed may view step-by-step instructions (high clarity) for a simple task as a lack of faith in his ability.
Why is social perception important to the study of OB?
People's behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself.
Which of the following statements is true of people in cultures with high uncertainty avoidance?
They tend to seek consensus in an effort to moderate the threat of life's inherent uncertainty. - Cultures with high uncertainty avoidance are concerned with security and tend to avoid conflict. People in such cultures tend to seek consensus in an effort to moderate the threat of life's inherent uncertainty. See 2-2: Cultural Differences and Work-Related Attitudes
6.39. Which of the following statements best represents a halo effect?
We tend to draw a general impression about an individual on the basis of a single characteristic, such as intelligence, sociability, or appearance.
5.37 A high Mach would be most suited for which of the following positions?
a real estate broker negotiating the lease of large amounts of office space. - High Machs flourish (1) when they interact face to face with others rather than indirectly; (2) when the situation has a minimal number of rules and regulations, allowing latitude for improvisation; and (3) when emotional involvement with details irrelevant to winning distracts low Machs. - High Machs make good employees in jobs that require bargaining skills or that offer substantial rewards for winning (such as commissioned sales). The best job for them would be that of the broker negotiating the lease.
11.68. Which is the best manner in which to introduce information-security to an organization's employees?
meeting. - Information-security measures, such as email monitoring or video surveillance, can seem very invasive. A meeting provides for a channel rich environment for employees to ask questions and even participate in the policy creations.
7.99. When thinking about the progression of individual effort leading into individual performance, we see that an objective performance evaluation system plays a large role. Which individual element also plays an important role?
ability. - Regardless of what circumstances are in place, the opportunity for one to have goal achievement rests heavily on their actual abilities and thus potential to complete the tasks necessary for goal achievement.
Which of the following statements is true of cultures characterized by traditional masculinity?
achievement is admired. - In cultures characterized by traditional masculinity, assertiveness and materialism are valued. Achievement is admired. See 2-2: Cultural Differences and Work-Related Attitudes
7.26. McClelland's theory of needs concentrates on which three needs?
achievement, power, affiliation. - McClelland's theory of needs states that achievement (need for achievement, nAch), power (need for power, nPow), and affiliation (need for affiliation, nAff) are three important needs that help explain motivation.
The tendency to fixate on initial information and fail to adequately adjust for subsequent information is called:
anchoring bias (or first-impression error)
3.5. Which of the following is an example of an affective attitude?
anger at being unfairly accused of a wrongdoing. - Affective attitudes reveal emotion, such as anger. Belief and opinions are examples of cognitive or evaluative attitudes. Observation and avoidance are behaviors and are facets of behavioral attitudes.
The ___________ is our tendency to base judgments on readily available information.
availability bias
8.96. Connie works as a nurse at the local hospital. She was very pleased recently when she was awarded "Employee of the Month," received her picture on the wall, and a gift card to the hospital commissary. Which type of reward has Connie received?
both intrinsic and extrinsic. - Having her picture on the wall is intrinsic motivation, while the gift card is extrinsic.
Validity, one of the key characteristics of an effective performance appraisal system, means:
capturing multiple dimensions of a person's job performance. - Effective performance appraisal systems have five key characteristics: validity, reliability, responsiveness, flexibility, and equitability. Flexibility means staying open to modification based on new information such as federal requirements. Equitability means evaluating fairly against established criteria, regardless of individual differences.
3.12. Any incompatibility between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes results in ________.
cognitive dissonance. - Cognitive dissonance is defined as any incompatibility an individual might perceive between two or more attitudes or between behavior and attitudes. Organizational dissonance, attitudinal clarification, values clarification, and affective reactance are not types of attitude or behavior in OB.
6.13. Attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual's behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. That determination, however, depends largely on three factors. Which of the following is one of these three factors?
consistency. - Attribution theory suggests that when we observe an individual's behavior, we attempt to determine whether it was internally or externally caused. That determination, however, depends largely on three factors. These three factors are (1) distinctiveness, (2) consensus, and (3) consistency.
5.67. Lydia works as a 911 operator. Her job strength is dictated most likely by ________.
constraints. - Serving as a 911 operator, her job role is most likely very prescribed thus having a strong job strength.
2. 59. Jared was raised on a cattle farm and currently works as a civil engineer. When Jared recently represented his company at a formal dinner, his supervisor was surprised to see Jared wearing an expensive suit with cowboy boots. Jared's boots would be an example of his ________.
cultural identity. - Customs of dress are just as much a part of one's cultural identity as are their holidays and foods. Jared's boots were simply an expression of his cultural identity.
positive moods at work:
decrease deviance. - Moods may be particularly important in the workplace because they last longer than emotions. Positive moods at work lead to better work performance and organizational citizenship behaviors and decrease deviance.
9.66. Alberto is working with a group of fifteen people to coordinate the merger of two corporations. Everyone in the group is highly qualified, offers relevant information, and has high norms. Still, the group seems to be slow at outlining a definitive plan for the merger. With the information provided, what would be the fastest and best way for Alberto to increase cohesiveness and productivity?
decrease the size of the group. - If both cohesiveness and performance norms are high, the productivity tends to be high. The group already has high performance norms so Alberto should try to increase the cohesiveness of the group. Alberto should immediately decrease the size of the group, as fifteen people is too large, and a smaller group will increase cohesiveness. Instead of a social setting, the group should be isolated, and rewarded as a group, not individually. To increase cohesiveness of the group, members should spend more time together.
_____ is a type of emotional labor that involves attempting to feel the emotion one is displaying.
deep acting. - There are two primary types of emotional labor used to meet display rules: deep acting and surface acting. Deep acting involves attempting to feel the emotion one is displaying.
Sophie, an employee at Dandrill Corp., comes to office about an hour late. Morgan, Sophie's manager, asks her to inform him the next time she would be late. Sophie immediately starts ranting angrily at him. Which of the following will help Sophie avoid such an emotional response?
emotional intelligence. - Emotional intelligence helps you avoid amygdala hijacks, in which the emotional brain runs away with the rational brain. Such losses of self-control, if frequent or extreme enough, can cost people their careers.
In the Big Five personality traits, _____ means a person is calm, self-confident, and cool as opposed to insecure, anxious, and depressed.
emotional stability. - Early personality researchers believed that we must break down behavior patterns into a series of observable traits in order to understand individuals. In the Big Five personality traits, emotional stability means the person is calm, self-confident, and cool as opposed to insecure, anxious, and depressed. See 3-2: Personality and Organizations
3.38. Of the following attitudes, the best predictor of turnover is ________.
organizational commitment. - Research evidence demonstrates negative relationships between organizational commitment and both absenteeism and turnover. Pay, supervision, cognitive dissonance, and affective dissonance are not attitudes.
2.94. Which of the following is not a component of comprehensive workforce programs encouraging diversity?
encouraging their employees to learn foreign languages and culture to promote and attract a diverse workforce. - Effective, comprehensive workforce programs encouraging diversity have three distinct components. First, they teach managers about the legal framework for equal employment opportunity and encourage fair treatment of all people regardless of their demographic characteristics. Second, they teach managers how a diverse workforce will be better able to serve a diverse market of customers and clients. Third, they foster personal development practices that bring out the skills and abilities of all workers, acknowledging how differences in perspective can be a valuable way to improve performance for everyone.
5.14. A major concern with the use of the MBTI is that it ________.
forces individuals into one category or another. - Within the MBTI, there is no in-between within the categories forcing the participate to be either one way or another. When people retake the assessment, they often end up with a different result.
In countries with a high power distance, _____.
formality is the rule. - In countries with a high power distance, bosses are afforded more authority, which is seldom bypassed, titles are used, and formality is the rule. Managers and employees in such countries see one another as fundamentally different kinds of people. See 2-2: Cultural Differences and Work-Related Attitudes
6.22. Which of the following terms best describes the tendency to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal factors when making judgments about the behavior of others?
fundamental attribution error. - Errors and biases distort attributions. When a person makes judgments about the behavior of other people, he tends to underestimate the influence of external factors and overestimate the influence of internal or personal factors. This is called the fundamental attribution error.
which of the following is determinant of personality?
heredity. - Personality has several origins. One determinant is heredity. Researchers have found that identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in very different situations nevertheless shared personality traits and job preferences.
11.89. In ________, people rely heavily on nonverbal and subtle situational cues in communicating with others, and a person's official status, place in society, and reputation carry considerable weight.
high-context cultures. - people rely heavily on nonverbal and subtle situational cues in communicating with others, and a person's official status, place in society, and reputation carry considerable weight.
9.13. At the midpoint of a project, groups tend to experience all of the following except which?
increased group conflict. - The midpoint appears to work like an alarm clock, heightening members' awareness that their time is limited and they need to get moving. This transition ends phase 1 and is characterized by a concentrated burst of changes, dropping of old patterns, and adoption of new perspectives. There is no indication that group conflicts increase.
11.73. Miranda is a mid-level supervisor at a home improvement store. Over the last few weeks, Miranda has noticed that Lauren has not been doing well at his job and the sales in his area have been slipping. Which method of communication would be best for Miranda to use to address this matter with Lauren?
informal meeting. - At this point, Miranda does not know what might be causing Lauren difficulties at work. An informal meeting facilitates the highest levels of channel richness as it will allow both Miranda and Lauren to have an open discussion without formality.
4.7. When the team he supports wins the World Cup, Robert feels a surge of joy, which turns into a feeling of satisfaction that lasts for days. What is one of the reasons that the feeling of satisfaction might be categorized as a mood and not an emotion?
it has a lengthy duration. - Robert's general ambiguous feeling of happiness is ongoing or prolonged, which is a characteristic of mood. Contextual stimulus, strong feelings, and facial expression are characteristics of emotion. Both mood and emotion can be positive.
Which of the following is true of 360-degree feedback?
it is based on multiple sources of information. - Many organizations use 360-degree feedback, which is based on multiple sources of information, to improve the accuracy of performance appraisals. Evidence suggests that including self-evaluations in this process makes evaluation interviews more satisfying, more constructive, and less defensive. Adding a systematic coaching component can improve 360-degree feedback.
10.43. Which of the following is not one of the key components of effective teams?
large size. - The most effective teams have five to nine members. And experts suggest using the smallest number of people who can do the task. Managers often err by making teams too large.
10.90. You need to hire an analyst for an important project team. It is essential that the new employee work well on the already established team in order to meet the project's challenging deadlines. The most talented candidate doesn't have any team experience and when asked in the interview about his team experience he replied, "I prefer to work alone. I'm much more efficient alone." What should you do?
look for a different candidate. - The candidate should not be hired. Creating teams often means resisting the urge to hire the best talent no matter what. The project has looming deadlines, so training isn't an option. Hoping that he'll learn is too much of a risk to the project, and not fair to the existing team. Redesigning the job is not an option.
4.76. Diane Marshall is an office manager. Her awareness of her own and others' emotions is almost nil. She's moody and unable to generate much enthusiasm or interest in her employees. She doesn't understand why employees get upset with her. She often overreacts to problems and chooses the most ineffectual responses to emotional situations. Diane has ________.
low emotional intelligence. - Emotional intelligence or (EI) is a commonly accepted term based on three factors: a person's ability to (1) be self-aware (to recognize her own emotions when she experiences them), (2) detect emotions in others, and (3) manage emotional cues and information.
6.21. According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores ________, we tend to attribute it to internal causes.
low on distinctiveness. - Distinctiveness refers to whether an individual displays different behaviors in different situations. According to the attribution theory, if a behavior scores low on distinctiveness, we tend to attribute it to internal causes. The attribution theory does not take into consideration traceability and flexibility
6.1. ________ is the process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment.
perception. - Perception is defined as a process by which individuals organize and interpret their sensory impressions in order to give meaning to their environment. People's behavior is based on their perception of what reality is, not on reality itself. What we perceive can be substantially different from objective reality.
9.32. Which of the following types of norms are likely to be the most common?
performance norms. - Performance norms provide explicit cues about how hard members should work, what the level of output should be, how to get the job done, what level of tardiness is appropriate, and the like. Performance norms tend to be the most common.
5.96. Which of the following cultural dimensions identified by GLOBE does not have an equivalent in Hofstede?
performance orientation. - The main difference between the GLOBE framework and Hofstede's work is that GLOBE added dimensions, such as humane orientation (the degree to which a society rewards individuals for being altruistic, generous, and kind to others) and performance orientation (the degree to which a society encourages and rewards group members for performance improvement and excellence).
7.82. According to the expectancy theory, the degree to which an individual believes that performing at a particular level will generate the desired outcome is indicated by the ________ relationship.
performance-reward
8.91. Which of the following is a form of recognition?
personal congratulations
10.1. Research has shown that having a positive experience working within a team can also influence one's ________. Correct!
personal decision making. - While having a positive experience may allow specific individuals to experience any of the choices, research has shown that working within a team introduces a collaborative mindset into one's personal decision making processes.
2.36. One issue that does seem to differ between men and women, especially when the employee has preschool-age children, is ________.
preference for work schedules. - One issue that does seem to differ between men and women, especially when the employee has preschool-age children, is preference for work schedules.
Selena, the head architect of a government firm, is called for a meeting with her boss. Her boss expresses his concern about a collapsing dam at one of the hydroelectric power plants. If Selena wanted to use reflective/active listening, when responding to her boss, which of the following should NOT she do:
preparing an answer to fix the problem. - Active (or Responsive) listening includes removing distractions, leaning in, making eye contact, paraphrasing, and encouraging the speaker to continue. It helps to learn more and build trust.
10.17. A team consists of employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving the work environment but they do not have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions. This is most likely to be a ________ team.
problem-solving. - In a problem-solving team, members share ideas or suggest how work processes and methods can be improved; they rarely have the authority to unilaterally implement any of their suggestions.
8.92. According to research findings, which of the following is more likely to be motivating for the employees in the long run?
recognition. - A few years ago, 1,500 employees were surveyed in a variety of work settings to find out what they considered the most powerful workplace motivator. Some research suggests financial incentives may be more motivating in the short term, but in the long run, it's nonfinancial incentives.
7.72. At its core, reinforcement theory contends that ________ condition(s) ________.
reinforcement; behavior. - Reinforcement theory takes a behavioristic view, arguing that reinforcement conditions behavior.
2.93. The Tent Prine Inc. wishes to enhance its workforce diversity by targeting recruiting messages to specific demographic groups underrepresented in the workforce. If it wants to maximize its results, which of the following options should it not resort to?
rely on word of mouth marketing from its employees and resort to an e-mail campaign. - One method of enhancing workforce diversity is to target recruiting messages to specific demographic groups underrepresented in the workforce. This means placing advertisements in publications geared toward specific demographic groups; recruiting at colleges, universities, and other institutions with significant numbers of underrepresented minorities; and forming partnerships with associations like the Society for Women Engineers or the Graduate Minority Business Association.
9.21. Zach is devout and very active in his church. He is also a very dedicated employee. His manager offers him a promotion but the new role will require him to work Sundays. Zach would like the promotion, but realizes that it would force him to miss some church activities. In such a situation, Zach is most likely to experience ________.
role conflict. - When compliance with one role requirement may make it difficult to comply with another, the result is role conflict. Zach is feeling conflict between his role as a church member and his role as an employee.
7.13. If we consider Maslow's hierarchy of needs in the context of Japan, Greece, and Mexico, where uncertainty-avoidance characteristics are strong, then ________ needs would be on top of the hierarchy.
safety-security
11.77. Receivers in communication see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. This is called ________.
selective perception. - The receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. This is called selective perception. Receivers also project their interests and expectations into communications as they decode them.
6.23. ________ indicates the tendency of an individual to attribute his own successes to internal factors while putting the blame for failures on external factors.
self-serving bias. - Individuals and organizations tend to attribute their own successes to internal factors such as ability or effort, and place the blame for failure on external factors such as bad luck or unproductive co-workers. This is called a self-serving bias.
5.9. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) classification, people belonging to the "________" type are practical and prefer routine and order.
sensing. - Feeling types rely on their personal values and emotions while handling problems. Perceiving types are flexible and spontaneous. Extraverted individuals are outgoing, sociable, and assertive. Introverts are quiet and shy.
7.75. After receiving a new position, you are told that you will spend the first three days in training. While you expected to be sitting in the conference room being told what to do, you arrive your first day to find you will be following Puja around and watching her do the job you will be expected to do. On which theory is this type of training based?
social-learning theory. - Individuals can learn by being told or by observing what happens to other people, as well as through direct experience.
6. 34. When we judge someone on the basis of our perception of the group to which he/she belongs, it is called ________.
stereotyping. - Stereotyping is defined as judging someone on the basis of one's perception of the group to which that person belongs. Relying on this type of generalization helps a person make decisions quickly. They are a means of simplifying a complex world.
2.6. Which of the following statements is true regarding surface-level diversity?
surface-level diversity, not thoughts and feelings, is mostly reflected in demographics. - Demographics mostly reflect surface-level diversity, not thoughts and feelings, and can lead employees to perceive one another through stereotypes and assumptions. However, evidence has shown that as people get to know one another, they become less concerned about demographic differences if they see themselves as sharing more important characteristics, such as personality and values, that represent deep-level diversity
10.97. As compared to individual work, teamwork ________.
takes more time. - Teamwork takes more time and often more resources than individual work. Teams have increased communication demands, conflicts to manage, and meetings to run. So the benefits of using teams have to exceed the costs, and that's not always the case.
7.25. The two-factor theory proposes that ________.
the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job dissatisfaction. - The two-factor theory proposes that the factors that lead to job satisfaction are separate and distinct from those that lead to job dissatisfaction.
7.79. The expectancy theory proposes that ________.
the strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of our expectation of a given outcome and its attractiveness. -
9.7. Shehenna, Puja, and Miguel were all recently hired by Blair Industries as account representatives. During their orientation, these three discovered that they would not be receiving any paid vacation time for their first year of employment. Social identity theory tells us which of the following is likely to occur?
the trio will bond together closely. - Social identity theory tells us that shared events are important and are a catalyst for group formation. As the trio in question will receive the troubling news together, they will most likely form a bond with each other that others within the organization will not share.
3.60. Which of the following is generally considered the best predictor of job satisfaction?
the work itself. - The work itself is the most important predictor of job satisfaction because you have to like what you do.
which of the following statements is true of introverted and conscientious employees?
they are less likely to be absent from work. - The Big Five are broad, global traits associated with behaviors at work. For example, from preliminary research, we know that introverted and conscientious employees are less likely to be absent from work. Across many occupations, conscientious people are more motivated and perform better than others. See 3-2: Personality and Organizations
which of the following statements is true of low self-monitors?
they behave consistently across situations. - Low self-monitors pay less attention to situational cues and act from internal states instead. As a result, low self-monitors behave consistently across situations.
11.55. Generally, which of the following methods of communication should be used for communicating a complex and lengthy message when the message has to pass through a number of people?
written communication. - Written communication is often tangible and verifiable. When it's printed, both the sender and receiver have a record of the communication; and the message can be stored for an indefinite period. If there are questions about its content, the message is physically available for later reference. This feature is particularly important for complex and lengthy communications.