OT Chapter 11

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding an organization that follows an r-strategy?

An organization following an r-strategy obtains first-mover advantages.

________ isomorphism results when organizations are forced to adopt nondiscriminatory equitable hiring practices because they are mandated by law.

Coercive

________ use their well-developed competences to compete for resources in many or all niches in an environment.

Generalist organizations

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true about generalists?

Generalists can often outcompete specialists when there is considerable uncertainty in the environment.

________ proposes that during the process of organizational growth each stage ends with a crisis that must be resolved before the organization can advance to the next stage.

Greiner's model

A large, established organization pursues a broad range of resources in many niches. This company created a new niche in which a new firm could enter and survive. Which of the following strategies is most likely to be used by the organization that enters the newly created niche?

K-specialist

A large video company observes that smaller companies are having success with pay-per-view movies and decides to enter the pay-per-view market. According to the population ecology theory, which of the following strategies is being followed by the large video company?

K-strategy

According to the population ecology theory, which of the following strategies advocates entering an environment late, after the uncertainty in that environment is reduced and the correct way to compete is apparent?

K-strategy

________ is the process that ensures the survival of the organizations that have the skills and abilities that best fit the environment.

Natural selection

_______ is the process by which organizations in a population become more alike or similar

Organizational isomorphism

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding an organization that follows a K-strategy?

Organizations following a K-strategy wait to enter a new environment until the uncertainty in that environment is reduced.

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, which of the following statements is true regarding the "growth through delegation" stage?

Organizations solve the crisis occurring in this stage by moving into the "growth through coordination" stage.

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true regarding organizational inertia?

Overly bureaucratic culture is one of the factors that cause organizational inertia.

________ concentrate their competences and skills to compete for resources in a single niche.

Specialist organizations

Which of the following statements is most likely to be true about specialists?

Specialists are often able to develop core competences that allow them to outperform generalists in that niche.

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, during the "growth through direction" stage an organization experiences a crisis of ________.

autonomy

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, which of the following is the first stage of decline?

blinded

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, the five stages of decline are ________.

blinded, inaction, faulty action, crisis, and dissolution

The term population density refers to the number of organizations that ________.

can compete for the same resources in a particular environment

An organization that increasingly depends on other organizations will tend to adopt their values and norms so it will become increasingly similar to them. This is an example of ________.

coercive isomorphism

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, to resolve the crisis of control, an organization enters into the "growth through ________" stage.

coordination

According to Greiner's model, an organization experiences crisis of leadership in "growth through ________" stage.

creativity

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, during which of the following stages of decline an organization has the least chance of survival?

crisis

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, an organization experiences a crisis of control in the "growth through ________" stage of Greiner's model.

delegation

In Greiner's model, the "growth through creativity" stage is immediately followed by the "growth through ________" stage.

direction

Many of the top software engineers in an organization left the company because they felt lost in the growing organizational bureaucracy and became frustrated with their lack of autonomy. According to Greiner's model of organizational growth and based on the given information, the company is most likely to be in the "growth through ________" stage of organizational growth.

direction

Which of the following is one of the five stages in Greiner's model of growth?

direction

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, when an organization reaches the ________ stage, its decline becomes irreversible.

dissolution

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, which of the following is most likely to halt the decline of an organization that has reached the crisis stage?

employing a new top-management team

Organizations are born when people called ________ recognize and take advantage of opportunities to use their skills and competences to create value.

entrepreneurs

Which of the following terms refers to a particular set of resources or skills?

environmental niche

A "population of organizations" comprises the organizations that are going through the same stage of organizational life cycle at the same time.

false

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, organizations experience a crisis of control during the "growth through creativity" stage.

false

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, the stage of "growth through collaboration" immediately follows the stage of "growth through direction."

false

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, "faulty action" is the first stage of decline.

false

All the organizations pass through the four principal stages of the organizational life cycle at the same rate.

false

Early in an environment, as a niche develops and new resources become available, new organizations that begin to operate in this niche tend to be K-generalists.

false

Isomorphism is normative when organizations intentionally imitate and copy one another to increase their legitimacy.

false

Managers and employees frequently move from one organization to another and bring with them the norms and values of their former employers. This leads to coercive isomorphism.

false

Organizations that follow a K-strategy are founded early in a new environment—they are early entrants.

false

Organizations that follow an r-strategy are usually established in other environments and wait to enter a new environment until the uncertainty in that environment is reduced and the correct way to compete is apparent.

false

Specialist organizations concentrate their competences and skills to compete for resources in a single niche.

false

Specialists can often outcompete generalists when there is considerable uncertainty in the environment.

false

The Institutional theory argues that the organizations operating in uncertain environments should use a tall hierarchy of authority.

false

The first stage of growth in Greiner's model of organizational growth is "growth through delegation."

false

The organizational growth stage in the organizational life cycle is associated with the greatest chance of failure.

false

The term "organizational inertia" refers to the forces outside an organization that make it difficult for the organization to change.

false

The term population density refers to the number of organizations that have the same rate of growth in a particular industrial segment.

false

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, if managers fail to halt decline at the inaction stage, the immediate next stage of decline into which the organization moves is the ________ stage.

faulty action

The benefits an organization derives from being an early entrant into a new environment are called ________.

first-mover advantages

Organizational ________ is the life cycle stage in which organizations develop value-creation skills and competences that allow them to acquire additional resources.

growth

In Greiner's model, "________" becomes the way to solve the crisis of red tape and push the organization up the growth curve.

growth through collaboration

Which of the following is the first stage of growth according to Greiner's model of organizational growth?

growth through creativity

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, which of the following stages immediately follows the "growth through direction" stage?

growth through delegation

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, if an organization does not realize it is in trouble in the blinded stage, its decline advances to the ________ stage.

inaction

The ________ is the set of values and norms that govern the behavior of a population of organizations.

institutional environment

Which of the following theories proposes that an organization must gain legitimacy in the eyes of stakeholders in order to grow and survive?

institutional theory

The dangers associated with being the first to operate in a novel environment is known as the ________.

liability of newness

A new organization tends to imitate the structure and processes of successful organizations when the environment is highly uncertain and so it needs to search for a structure, strategy, culture, and technology that will increase its chance of survival. This process of imitation results in ________ isomorphism.

mimetic

An auto manufacturer increased its effectiveness by implementing total quality management (TQM). Many other companies have intentionally imitated this manufacturer in order to increase their effectiveness. This is an example of ________ isomorphism.

mimetic

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, which of the following is most likely to help an organization in the blinded stage to become successful?

monitoring internal and external factors to get accurate information

Isomorphism is ________ when organizations come to resemble one another over time because they indirectly adopt the norms and values of other organizations in the environment.

normative

Managers and employees frequently move from one organization to another and bring with them the norms and values of their former employers. This leads to ________ isomorphism.

normative

Organizations indirectly acquire specific sets of values and norms through membership in industry, trade, and professional associations. Through meetings, personal contacts, and publications, these associations promote specific ideas and norms to their members. This leads to ________ isomorphism.

normative

Which of the following stages of the organizational life cycle is associated with the greatest chance of failure?

organizational birth

Which of the following controls an organization's behavior when it is in the "growth through creativity" stage of Greiner's model?

organizational culture

Which of the following terms refers to a sequence of stages of growth and development through which organizations may pass?

organizational life cycle

The term ________ of organization refers to the organizations that are competing for the same set of resources in the environment.

population

Which of the following theories seeks to explain the factors that affect the rate at which new organizations are born (and die) in a population of existing organizations?

population ecology theory

All the fast-food restaurants in Houston, Texas, compete to obtain environmental resources in the form of dollars that people are willing to spend on to obtain food conveniently. This group of restaurants is an example of a(n) ________.

population of organizations

An entrepreneur designs a new product. Which of the following strategies is most likely to be pursued by the entrepreneur?

r-specialist

Early in an environment, as a niche develops and new resources become available, new organizations that begin to operate in this niche are likely to be ________.

r-specialists

According to the population ecology theory, which of the following strategies advocates entering a new environment early?

r-strategy

Population ecologists have identified two sets of strategies that organizations can use to gain access to resources and enhance their chances of survival in the environment. Which of the following is one of these strategies?

r-strategy

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, during the "growth through coordination" stage an organization experiences crisis of ________.

red tape

Which of the following factors is most likely to cause organizational inertia?

risk aversion

According to population ecology theory, ________.

the number of organizations in a population is determined by the availability of resources

According to the population ecology theory, the number of organizational births in a new environment is rapid at first because ________.

there is an increase in the knowledge and skills available to generate similar new organizations

According to Greiner's model of organizational growth, during the "growth through direction stage" an organization experiences a crisis of autonomy.

true

According to Weitzel and Jonsson's model of organizational decline, when an organization reaches the dissolution stage, it cannot recover, and decline is irreversible.

true

According to population ecology theory, the availability of resources determines the number of organizations in a population.

true

According to population ecology theory, the rate of birth in a new environment increases rapidly at first and then tapers off.

true

Growth allows an organization to increase its division of labor and specialization.

true

Isomorphism is normative when organizations come to resemble one another over time because they indirectly adopt the norms and values of other organizations in the environment.

true

Natural selection is the process that ensures the survival of the organizations that have the skills and abilities that best fit with the environment.

true

Organizational isomorphism is the process by which organizations in a population become more alike or similar.

true

Population ecology theory seeks to explain the factors that affect the rate at which new organizations are born (and die) in a population of existing organizations

true

Specialists and generalists normally coexist in many environments.

true

The institutional environment is the set of values and norms that govern the behavior of a population of organizations.

true

The term "liability of newness" refers to the dangers associated with being the first to operate in a new environment.

true

The term environmental niche refers to a particular set of resources or skills

true