Organizational Behavior Study Guide (from McGraw Hill)
During a group meeting, Nadia comments, ________. She is performing a maintenance role.
"Let's accept and praise the various points of view."
Maria needs to talk to her coworker, Wayne, about his offensive behavior at the group dinner. To discuss this effectively, which of the following should Maria avoid?
Accuse Wayne of improper actions.
Which of the following statements about mindfulness is false?
Mindfulness requires less effort than letting our minds wander.
Which of the following statements about norms is not true?
Norms are typically written down and discussed openly by groups
Why do we miss or lose so much of what we hear?
Our cognitive capacity to process words is a higher rate than what people speak.
Which of the following situations does not reflect mindfulness?
Pat is biking to school when someone cuts her off and causes her to fall. She gets up and starts kicking her bicycle.
Which of the following statements about groups is not true?
People who do not conform to group roles are given high status by the group.
Justin is deciding whether he should read his speech, deliver it from memory, or use bullet lists of important points using PowerPoint. What step of the TED protocol for effective presentations is he in?
Plan your delivery.
Which of the following statements is true about Tuckman's five-stage model of group development?
The five stages are not necessarily of the same duration or intensity.
Which of the following is not one of the suggestions coming out of the TED protocol?
Use the latest technology available to appear to be up to date.
During which stage of the five-stage development process does research show that conflict among group members is actually beneficial?
Forming
A person should ________ in order to develop hope.
Generate an important goal that is attainable yet challenging
Which of the following is true about balancing positive and negative emotions?
Ideally, we should try to have more positive experiences than negative.
Karla received an outstanding performance review and her manager encouraged her to further her education because she shows initiative and a willingness to do more than what she feels are her abilities. ________ is the emotion Karla is most likely experiencing.
Inspiration
Which of the following is not a tip for increasing goal commitment and success?
Keep your goals to yourself.
Why should you invest in PsyCap?
because you have the expectation of future returns or benefits
Malcolm's boss just came into his office, obviously upset, and said, "I'm tired of you being late all the time on these projects. You need to clean up your act!" Malcolm is likeliest to respond by
becoming defensive.
Alyson plans on applying Herzberg's theory to motivate her team of four customer service associates. The critical first step is to eliminate sources of dissatisfaction and the second step would be to
build motivators into the associates' jobs.
Prisha is attempting to reduce her inequity at work by attending night school for further job training. In other words, she is trying to
increase her inputs.
You are on a road cycling team where speed is critical to winning. It's important to measure ________ performance and give ________ rewards.
individual; competitive
A person who clarifies key issues for a group has taken on the role of
information seeker/giver.
Linguistic style includes all of the following except
nonverbal behavior.
A feeling of team spirit is sometimes experienced during the ________ stage because members believe they have found their proper roles. Group cohesiveness, defined as the "we feeling" that binds members of a group together, is the principal by-product of Stage 3.
norming
In which stage of the group development process do group members resolve their power struggles so that something can be accomplished?
norming
Teams with high levels of ________ and ________ deal with task conflict better than those without these characteristics.
openness; emotional stability
As part of a work team in his office, it is Lawrence's job to make photocopies of relevant materials and hand them out to the team members during meetings. Which of the following task roles is Lawrence performing in his work team?
procedural technician
Self-efficacy is a component of
psychological capital
What is the group development process called where groups establish periods of stable functioning until an event causes a dramatic change in norms, roles and/or objectives?
punctuated equilibrium
Dylan and Jack are playing a game of chess. Jack wins, and then he touches Dylan on the shoulder and says "good game." What does this communicate?
Jack likes Dylan.
During Vivek's meeting with his academic advisor, he is very distracted by a group chat that is happening on his phone. He knows he should change a class, but the advisor is taking so long to find an alternative section and he's already thinking that he'll change majors so the class doesn't matter. Vivek is exhibiting the ________ style of listening.
detached
As HR Director at a large manufacturing firm, it is Henry's responsibility to ensure that employees are properly compensated according to a biweekly time schedule. Many of Henry's employees chose to have their pay checks automatically deposited into their designated bank accounts. However, it is still necessary to inform these workers that their pay has been properly deposited. Which of the following communication media should Henry choose to convey this information?
There has been some confusion with the new lifeguard safety policy at the Shannondale Recreation Center. The director of personnel, Jerod, is deciding how to communicate to the lifeguards the new policy so that they are in compliance for an upcoming health department visit. Jerod's thoughts are an example of
encoding
Harry is thinking about meeting Connie. He writes a text message to Connie, inviting her for a drink at the local bar. This is an example of
encoding.
Masami is a member of a group that raises money for a homeless shelter. She feels that the group spends too much time arguing the merits of different fundraisers and needs to make a decision. She calls for a vote at today's meeting. Masami has taken on the role of
energizer.
The need for prestige and reputation is part of the need for
esteem
There are two competing explanations about the origin of linguistic styles between men and women: ________ and ________.
evolutionary psychology; social role theory
If a manager wants to reduce the chances of an employee becoming defensive, he or she should
exhibit empathy.
Shin recently completed his MBA degree. He has received two job offers. Which of the following theories is most useful in predicting the choice that Shin will make?
expectancy theory
Pietro is assigned to a team in his environmental science class. He is not comfortable with Sam, the team leader, but is not completely sure why. Which of the following behaviors would not build trust?
if Sam keeps information to himself
Assuming, based on somebody's gender or age, that he or she only likes one mode of communication is considered
implicit bias.
Sofia has been putting in a lot of overtime. Her supervisor keeps telling her that she will be rewarded. To date, Sofia has seen no change in her status or pay. This reflects a
low instrumentality.
In regard to differences in how men and women communicate, in general
males are expected to hide their emotions.
Dr. Riley, a professor in the economics department, finds that if he keeps his door open, people tend to stop in to say hello. This interruption is distracting. So now Dr. Riley keeps his office door open only a crack during his office hours, asking visitors to knock before entering. This small change allows him to grade exams more quickly and accurately. This is an example of his increasing his
mindfulness
Some companies now allow employees to use noise-canceling headphones at work, thinking that it prevents distractions. Others companies disagree, noting that concentration goes down. These companies want to encourage
mindfulness
Katie attended a party at her mother's office. She really didn't want to go and was not in a good mood. Her mother introduced Katie to her new assistant, Matthew. When Matthew said, "Hello," Katie responded, "Hi, Michael." Katie is acting in a(n) ________ manner.
mindless
Chris just finished a calculus test. Afterward, he walked all the way across campus without being aware of anything or anyone he passed. Chris is being
mindless.
Which is probably not an attainable goal (SMART goals) for a car salesman?
monthly sales of 150 new cars
Herzberg's theory predicts managers can motivate individuals by incorporating ________ into an individual's job.
motivators
Amanda is preparing for Jerome's annual review. He is a solid employee—with strong analytical, computer and critical thinking skills. Jerome needs to work on his timeliness and communication skills. Amanda only discusses Jerome's shortcomings during the review, making this a(n) ________ experience.
negative
Silvio is a member of the student ethics committee. In meetings, he sometimes appears to be paying attention, but at other times does not appear to be tracking the conversations. He rarely contributes to the discussions. He is exhibiting the ________ style of listening.
passive
The ________ stage is often characterized by a climate of open communication, strong cooperation, and lots of helping behavior. Cohesiveness and personal commitment to group goals help the group achieve more than could any one individual acting alone.
peforming
Wendy has been the team lead for a year-long mentorship development program in her community. The members of the committee worked hard during the process and overcame budget constraints and other conflicts to implement the program to aspiring musicians in the area. She felt fortunate to have a strong team that cooperated and handled disputes and feedback constructively. According to Tuckman's five-stage model of group development, which of the following stages is Wendy's group experiencing?
performing
Benny seems to want to control others and often manipulates people for his own gratification. He exhibits the need for
personal power.
Melissa has been out of work for eight months and is worried about providing for her family. She takes a job at a fast-food restaurant, even though the position is a step down from her previous job. According to Maslow's theory, Melissa is motivated by ________ needs.
physiological
Grace is going to be leading a meeting of her colleagues to discuss how they might redesign one of their work processes. She decides that she will use a PowerPoint presentation to lay out the problems with the existing workflow. She is in the ________ step of the TED protocol for effective presentations.
plan your multimedia
Kerry's manager asks her to head up a team reviewing office protocols. Kerry is in a great mood, having received a substantial bonus last week. This indicates that ________ experiences lead us to be more responsive to positive information.
positive
Valerie feels she is paid a lower salary than other project managers in her field. In reality, her salary is 10 percent above the market rate of others in her field of work. She is experiencing
positive inequity.
Jonathan is concerned about an important presentation that he will be making next week. He asks Roger to listen to it and give him feedback. He is in the ________ step of the TED protocol for effective presentations.
put it together
Research by the Gallup organization on employee strengths shows that employees who reported using their strengths every day at work are 15 percent less likely to
quit
The perceptual model of communication depicts communication as a process in which
receivers create meaning in their own minds.
Which of the following is not an example of a hygiene factor?
recognition
Armando has a goal of earning a B in his statistics course, but currently his grade is a C-. Therefore, he decides to study more hours for the next test and even get involved in a study group. Armando is experiencing
resilience
Jack, one of your subordinates, seems to care so much about being liked that he rarely states strong opinions in meetings of your department. Based on this, Jack probably has a
strong need for affiliation.
Which of the following is not a factor in media richness?
whether a medium involves electronic methods
________ is the act of sharing information and coordinating efforts to achieve a collective outcome.
Collaboration
Which of the following is not a step of the TED protocol for effective presentations?
Control your stress.
In the TED five-step protocol for effective presentations, TED stands for
Technology, Education, Design.
________ leads to more effective communication and interaction because people feel heard. It also sends the message that we care about others.
Empathy
Fiona wants to develop a program to increase employee productivity. She suggests doubling each employee's production quota and providing a 2 percent bonus for meeting these expectations. According to expectancy theory, what result can Fiona expect?
Employee efforts will probably decrease.
Which of the following is not an element of POB?
Employees are self-absorbed and anxious.
________ theory holds that people are motivated to behave in ways that produce desired combinations of expected outcomes.
Expectancy
________ is not a content theory of motivation.
Expectancy theory
________ theory focuses on the needs that drive intrinsic motivation, which is longer lasting and has a more positive impact on task performance than extrinsic motivation.
Self-determination
Strategies to increase positive experiences include all of the following except
accept negative thoughts.
Which of the following is not one of the most frequently experienced positive emotions?
accomplishment
Your top signature strengths are curiosity, love of learning, and social intelligence. Which of the following careers would probably not be a good match for you?
accountant
Which of the following is not a process theory of motivation?
acquired needs
Eileen is on a five-person team in her business strategy class. The team is responsible for participating in a 10-week simulation of a firm in the airline industry. Eileen contributes frequently in discussions in the twice-weekly team meetings. She is exhibiting the ________ style of listening.
active
Jaime wanted friendly and close interpersonal relationships with his colleagues. According to McClelland's need theory, this desire is the need for
affiliation
Communication competence is
an individual's ability to effectively use communication behaviors in a given context.
Reilly is the team lead for a project that is developing a new cell phone application. At the very first meeting, a list of roles and responsibilities for each of the 12 team members has been outlined. The list also identifies individual and team accountability roles. This is an example of which factor to foster collaboration?
communicate expectations
Dr. Meyers, an accounting professor, is concerned that he was not engaging his students as much as he would like. He asks his boss, the department chair, and two of his colleagues to sit in on one of his classes, to give him comments and suggestions for improvement. He also passes out student evaluation forms. Dr. Meyers is
conducting a 360-degree feedback process.
Which of the following is not an example of a crucial conversation?
conveying routine feedback
The team is generating a lot of ideas on how to approach the management case study problem. Everyone seems to have a plan. Joe stands up and says, "I will make a list on the board of all of our ideas." Joe is acting as a(n)
coordinator
Negative nonverbal communication skills include avoiding eye contact, ________, and speaking too fast.
crossing your arms
Doctor Bradley left a voicemail for his patient to go over the test results of his recent blood work. He asked his patient to promptly call him back. The patient receiving the voicemail interprets the message as urgent and his interpretation of the message is an example of
decoding
Charlie is concerned with what he considers to be an unfair situation at work. Although he put in 10 hours of overtime last week, he received the same pay as a coworker who didn't put in any overtime. This week he decided to take an extra hour for lunch every day. Using the terminology of equity theory, Charlie has decided to
decrease his inputs.
Raj is listening to his parents, who are unhappy about his grades. He is sitting in the chair, with his legs crossed and arms folded. Raj is communicating
defensiveness
Yuki was dissatisfied with his job. He said that the company policy, supervision, and working conditions were responsible for his
hygiene factors
An expectancy of zero means that the person
does not feel confident in his or her ability to do the job.
A low valence means that the person
does not value the outcomes.
Javier's supervisor asks him to create a PowerPoint presentation for the next staff meeting based on a series of note cards he provided. Javier is experiencing ________ because he is proficient at PowerPoint.
efficacy
Cyrus accepts a position as a part-time clerk at a small hardware store. His manager, Max, wants to confirm Cyrus's hours for the next 10 days. This is a fairly routine and predictable situation, so Max
emails a follow-up to Cyrus.
________ is the richest form of communication.
face to face
Sharon is the Director of Human Resources at a company that is undergoing a merger with another organization. As a result of the merger, a portion of the combined workforce will be laid off. Sharon understands that even with a lucrative severance package, the news will adversely affect the lives of these employees. Therefore, she wants to break the news to them in a sensitive manner so as to maintain the company's image. Which of the following is the most appropriate communication medium to use in this situation?
face-to-face conversation
Team member characteristics should ________ the responsibilities of the team if the team is to be effective.
fit
Which of the following is not a characteristic of high-performing teams?
focusing on group dynamics
Thinking about what your audience already knows about your subject is part of the ________ step of the TED protocol for effective presentations.
frame your story
A person in the ________ role will encourage all group members to participate.
gatekeeper
Manash pays attention in his management class, where the professor has entertaining, interesting visual aids. At times, he makes good eye contact with the professor, and occasionally raises his hand to ask questions. On other days, he is quiet and his eyes are on his notebook. He is exhibiting the ________ style of listening.
involved
Which of the following is not an outcome likely to result from positive emotions?
loss of focus
Imelda's life is difficult right now. Her husband and she recently decided to divorce and she is now a single parent of two preteenagers. They are good kids, but it is difficult taking care of them and managing her full-time job as a middle manager. Imelda has started taking work home at night and finishing projects at night after her children are in bed. Imelda is likely exhibiting
resilience.
During a class lecture, Mike finds himself thinking about an argument he had last night with his girlfriend. Mike is displaying
rumination.
In Maslow's need hierarchy theory, providing a work environment where employees are not worried about physical or psychological harm fulfills what level?
safety
Which of the following is an individual function of a group?
satisfy the person's need for affiliation
Women are more likely to ________ compared to men.
share credit
Your manager decides that everyone has worked really hard this week for a difficult client and is letting everyone go home at noon on Friday. This is an example of which type of reward?
spot
Michelle works for the government regulatory agency that ensures fuel storage tanks and dispensers are in compliance with environmental and commercial laws. Today, Michelle had to inform a convenience store owner that he could not sell fuel until he repaired the leak in his underground storage tank. The owner berated Michelle for several minutes because he was so upset about his business being temporarily closed. Michelle is likely to engage her
survival orientation.
Marion is frustrated with her OB project group. She frequently asks: "What's the problem with our group? We don't seem to be getting anywhere." This is a(n) ________ function.
task
Timmy is really nervous about his presentation to the board of directors. He tends to stand straight up, move from one foot to the other and hold on to the podium. A better strategy might be to
walk around or stand in particular spots for different lengths of time.
In McClelland's acquired needs theory,
we learn needs as we live our lives.
Sharon has to train several new freelancers on a fairly simple computer system used by XYZ Company. The freelancers are located in different states. Which of the following mediums best serves her purpose?
webinars
Jerry says ________. He is performing a task role.
"What are we trying to accomplish and how fast can we do it?"
Which of the following statements about goals and goal setting is not true?
Goals should be set at a level just beyond reachable "stretch" goals.
Ali's team recently completed a project, and Ali has to provide feedback to the different team members. He is nervous about doing this the right way. Which of the following should Ali avoid?
He should use the feedback to punish ineffective team members.
________ refers to the amount of effort that we invest in an activity.
Intensity
Rich is part of a newly formed work group. He has been introduced to all the group members, but he still feels like he cannot trust them. The group has not yet chosen a leader, and Rich feels unsure about his exact role within the group. According to Tuckman's five-stage model of group development, which of the following stages is Rich's group currently in?
forming
To enhance a worker's expectancy, a manager could
give feedback and coach the employee.
Susan, a management major, is taking an overload of classes this term. On a team project in one of her classes, one of her teammates sees how busy she is and does the final proofreading of the team project for her. Susan is most likely feeling
gratitude.
Belinda takes on the role of ________; she tends to mediate conflict through humor.
harmonizer
Kwan and Katherine are both computer programmers, but Kwan earns more money than Katherine. However, Katherine perceives an equitable relationship because Kwan
has more education and experience.
During the forming stage, team effectiveness is low and independence is
high
Recent research shows that in the forming and storming stages of team development, teams perform better when members exhibit which of the following personality traits?
high tolerance for uncertainty
People with high levels of positive psychological capital tend to display
hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism.
Which three roles are especially important to groups?
initiator, orienter, energizer
Sheila is a member of the community service group of her sorority. Traditionally, they pick a charity and run one fundraiser. Sheila suggests a new approach. In addition to the charity work, she wants to establish a new goal—that the members mentor inner-city children. Sheila is acting as
initiator.
Eileen signed up for a photography class after having seen some spectacular wildlife art pictures done by a local artist. She is most likely experiencing
interest
Karin has to make a presentation on the new social media policy. She wants to make it creative primarily because
it is more effective if you present your message more as a colorful story with emotion than as a detail-laden report.
In planning your multimedia, whether you chose to use PowerPoint or a more sophisticated programs with scaling features, be sure to
limit the number of words per slide.
Of the following, ________ is the most frequently experienced emotion.
love
Donald is on the production line for Medical Services Inc. He has been there for five years and has won Employee of the Month more than anyone else. Juan, his coworker, who has only been at Medical Services three years and hasn't even been nominated for Employee of the Month, just received a promotion. Donald perceives a
negative inequity.
Raul runs into heavy traffic every day while driving to work. Yesterday, he left home earlier than usual and did not run into heavy traffic. Again, today, he left earlier and avoided heavy traffic. His behavior of leaving earlier enabled him to avoid heavy traffic and reach the office on time. In which of the following processes did Raul engage?
negative reinforcement
In the zone of effective communication, all of the following are included except
noise
Marianna is in her business statistics class, sitting by Darren. Darren is holding his cell phone under the desk, texting someone, and it is distracting Marianna from listening to the professor's lecture. This is an example of
noise
Which of the following is a benefit of purposefully building a fun work environment?
optimism
The ________ keeps the group headed toward its stated goals.
orienter
"How much do I value the rewards I receive?" This question addresses
our valence.
Ever since Damien interned at an accounting firm the summer after his freshman year of college, he's wanted to become a CPA working at a large firm. Now, several years later after graduating from college, passing the CPA exam, and working at medium-sized firm, he's been offered a job at a large national firm with the potential to become a partner in five years. Which of the five needs has Damien attained?
self-actualization
A commentator will record and comment on group processes/dynamics, while a(n) ________ will evaluate the quality of group processes.
standard setter
As a manager, Haley has established a new work group to tackle a particular project. She has introduced all the members to each other and the group has elected a leader. However, lately Haley has noticed that some group members are procrastinating on their duties. Two cliques have formed within the group and they are frequently arguing with and challenging the group leader's opinions. Which of the following stages of group development process is Haley observing?
storming
Syndey takes over as CEO of Sandstorm Jeans, a company on the verge of bankruptcy. She institutes radical changes and eliminates 35 percent of the positions. Even after this, the remaining employees resist her ideas. This represent the ________ stage; it is a time of testing.
storming
Negative reinforcement is
strengthening a behavior by contingently withdrawing something displeasing.