OB Test #1 Practice Problems

which of the following psychologists believed that some people have a high need to connect socially with others, whereas other people have allow need? a. Maslow b. Alderfer c. Deci & Ryan d. McClelland

d. McClelland

the process of scheduling by which an individual starts from the deadline of a project, and then schedules the required time for each stage of the project is referred to as: a. back-end loading b. work breakdown structure c. forward-pass scheduling d. backward-pass scheduling

d. backward-pass scheduling

a person who does a task that is not fun, because s/he finds that task meaningful, is experiencing what type of motivation, according to Deci and Ryan? a. external b. interpersonal c. significant d. intrinsic

d. intrinsic

according to Equity Theory, ________ inequality may lead some people to feel guilty and the increase their efforts when the outcomes exceed the inputs, relative to others a. underpayment b. gender c. downward d. overpayment

d. overpayment

in the work breakdown structure of project management, what should you NOT do? a. break tasks into subtasks b. make appropriate time estimates c. estimate resources and costs d. start a schedule

d. start a schedule

Which of the following statements is true regarding goal-setting theory? a. goal commitment is more likely when individuals have an external locus of control b. externally generated feedback is more powerful than self-generated feedback c. generalized goals produce a higher level of output as compared to specific goals d. people do better when they get feedback on how well they are progressing toward their goals

D. people do better when they get feedback on how well they are progressing toward their goals

Imagine that you have to tell a member of your team that you are not satisfied with his/her performance. What are THREE things you will keep in mind to try to make your feedback most effective? (1) Name each piece of advice, (2) describe it, and (3) give an example of some phrase you might say, in quotes. (9 points)

Example "Be timely. it is important for feedback to occur as soon as possible after the positive or negative performance of the person. so, for example, you might say, 'hey John, that memo you put together yesterday was very thorough but it was much too long.'" "Be concrete. it is important for feedback to refer to specific behaviors and not to generalities. for example, you might say, 'Hey Riley, you were late to our meeting twice last week.'" "Focus on impact, not intentions. it is important for feedback to refer to the impact of the negative performance on the manager, team, or organization, instead of focusing on attributions about the reasons why the person performed poorly (instead of guessing, the manager should ask about the reasons). For example, you might say, 'Hey Frank, did you know that when you interrupted Kelly, she felt disrespected?' (Instead of saying, 'Hey Frank, you need to stop disrespecting Kelly')."

Organizational practices, even those based on research and/or theory, often have both benefits and pitfalls. Please identify TWO organizational practices we have learned in the course. For each organizational practice, (1) describe it, (2) link it to a key term or theory from the course, and (3) discuss a benefit and a (4) pitfall. (8 points)

Example "Setting Specific, Challenging Goals. according to goal-setting theory, managers should set specific, challenging goals for their employees. a benefit of this approach is that the challenge and specificity can motivate the employee to work very hard toward the goal if the goal is achievable and feedback and support is available. a pitfall of this approach is that if the challenge is too great, the person may adopt performance avoidance goals and then they may be tempted." "Making a work breakdown structure. according to theories of project management, teams should make a work breakdown structure before they begin a project, identifying all the major level 1 subtasks for the project and even subtasks under those. the benefit is that it makes people see all the steps to the goal and they may do a better schedule or division of labor. the pitfall is that people are tempted to be more detailed about the level 1 tasks that come earlier and less detailed about the level 1 tasks that come later, which could lead them to be overly confident about the amount of time a project will take."

Imagine that you are a mentor for a younger member of your organization. This young person is not showing very strong motivation to perform required tasks. List THREE things you could try with this person to increase his/her motivation, without offering him or her more money. Give a brief description of the tactic, link it to key term or theory from the course, and explain the reason why it might work. Use three different theories to come up with your tactics. (9 points)

Example "equity perceptions. the mentor could try to change the comparison standard that this person is using to judge whether or not he or she is underpaid. according to equity theory, if the mentor talked to other members doing similar work (other comparisons) who are getting the same pay or less pay, the feeling of inequity should be reduced, because the person now appears to be getting fair pay in relative terms." "Belongingness. according to Maslow's theory of needs, people have a strong need to belong to their communities, and they will be less motivated if their belongingness needs aren't met. the mentor could suggest that the person join in with more social activities with other workers, or even propose some social activities, to create more of a social connection and cohesiveness within the organization and make people want to be at work." "Challenging specific goals. according to goal-setting theory, people are not very motivated unless they set goals that are challenging and specific. the mentor could encourage the person to set a highly specific challenging goal, such as 'make 50 customers smile today.' the high challenge would increase the motivation to meet the challenge and the specificity would allow the person to judge their goal progress toward the challenge."

what model of group development is supported by research evidence? a. Tuchman's 5-stage model b. Campbell's Multi-Factor Model c. Fiedler's Contingency Theory d. Gersick's Punctuated-Equilibrium Model

d. Gersick's Punctuated-Equilibrium Model

according to the reading, "Teams with an Edge," which of the following activities is most important for a team "launch meeting" a. agreeing on mutual goals b. beginning the first task c. making a task schedule d. making a division of labor

a. agreeing on mutual goals

in job design, an example of high task identity would be a. cabinet maker who designs a piece of furniture, selects the wood, builds the object and finishes it to perfection b. a telephone installer who schedules his own work c. an electronic factory worker who assembles a radio then tests it to determine if it operates properly d. a nurse who cares for the sick on a hospital intensive care unit

a. cabinet maker who designs a piece of furniture, selects the wood, builds the object and finishes it to perfection

a creative team task is best described as a. disjunctive b. conjunctive c. additive d. none of the above

a. disjunctive

with _______ tasks the group is as strong as its strongest member, and with ________ tasks the group is as strong as its weakest member a. disjunctive; conjunctive b. conjunctive; disjunctive c. additive; disjunctive d. disjunctive; additive

a. disjunctive; conjunctive

Which part of Vroom's theory influences whether a person is likely to adopt an avoidance rather than an approach goal? a. expectancy b. instrumentality c. valence d. motivation

a. expectancy

According to Vroom's Expectancy Theory, the FEASIBILITY getting a reward is determined by _________ & _________, while the DESIRABILITY of the reward is determined by __________. a. expectancy & instrumentality, valence b. expectancy & valence, instrumentality c. instrumentality & valence, expectancy d. none of the above

a. expectancy & instrumentality, valence

when people fail to discuss important negative feedback with others, it is called a. the mum effect b. the positivity bias c. back-end loading d. hyper-vigilance

a. the mum effect

Which of the following is an example of a performance avoidance goal? a. "I want to avoid working hard on this project" b. "I want to avoid failing on this project" c. "I want to avoid focusing on performance, but rather focus on learning" d. "I want to avoid performing well on this project"

b. "I want to avoid failing on this project"

what theory would agree with the reading, "Teams with an Edge," in saying that shared goals must be linked to performance metrics? a. Maslow's Needs Theory b. Goal Setting Theory c. Gersick's Punctuated-Equilibrium Model d. Vroom's Expectancy Theory

b. Goal Setting Theory

__________ is a theory that states that employees are the most motivated when rewards match the employee' needs a. management by operation b. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs c. Equity Theory d. Locke & Latham's Goal Setting Theory

b. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

according to Stanford DeVoe's research on time and money, which of the following individuals would be most likely to spend time working for a charity? a. a lawyer who bills by the minute b. a waitress who earns and hourly wage plus tips c. a bank teller who is paid an annual salary d. a substitute teacher who is paid by the day

c. a bank teller who is paid an annual salary

According to Carol Dweck's "Mindset" article, a growth mindset is especially important for motivating people when a. deadlines are close b. a person has high self-efficacy c. a failure has occurred d. the task requires a lot of effort

c. a failure has occurred

according to Dan Ariely's theory of market and social norms, which two groups are likely to work the hardest? a. a person offered no money & a person offered a little money b. a person offered a little money & a person offered a lot of money c. a person offered no money & a person offered a lot of money d. all of the above will work equally hard

c. a person offered no money & a person offered a lot of money

a manager who treats an employee with disrespect is violating a. distributive justice b. procedural justice c. interactional justice d. all of the above

c. interactional justice

What is the problem with the sentence: "We just can't trust you, Bill," according to the "Actionable Feedback" article? a. it is negative b. it uses a personal pronoun c. it is vague d. it is hedged

c. it is vague

a danger of job enrichment is a. boring work b. poor communication c. job enlargement d. job participation

c. job enlargement

Deci and Ryan arge in their Self Determination Theory that there when a need is unfulfilled people may a. get "stuck" at that level b. eventually habituate to the need-frustration c. pursue a compensatory motive d. suppress the need

c. pursue a compensatory motive

good negative feedback should be a. brief b. unemotional c. timely d. sugar-coated

c. timely