ch 8 quiz

Centralized authority occurs when decision making is done ______.

at the top level of management

When a company compares its practices, processes, and products against the world's best organization it is ______.

benchmarking

An important reason why companies ____ authority is to be more responsive to customer needs.

decentralize

An advantage of a ______ organization structure is that lower level employees have authority to respond more quickly to customer needs.

flat or decentralized

Remaining __ is the key to an organization's success in changing times.

flexible

The current trend in organizations is to ____ the span of control.

increase

A large organization might use a flat organization structure in order to ______.

match the flexibility of small firms

If a team is empowered to make decisions without management approval then it is said to be ______.

self-managed

______-______ means that a team is empowered to make decisions without management approval.

self-managed

Identify the four ways to structure an organization.

Cross-functional self-managed teams Matrix-style organizations Line-and-staff organizations Line organizations

When designing responsive organizations, what decisions do firms have to make?

Decide the span of control Decide between centralization versus decentralization Choose between tall or flat structures

True or false: The key to success for companies in a capitalist economy is to remain inflexible during times of change.

False

Which statement regarding a self-managed team is accurate?

It is empowered to make decisions without management approval.

Which is a true statement about the principles of organization?

Regardless of the business size the principles are similar.

During the most recent economic crisis, Macy's department store switched to a decentralized structure by giving local managers more authority to buy, price, and promote merchandise. Why would the company take such measures?

To merchandise appropriately for each area

True or false: Networking is the process of establishing and maintaining contacts with key managers in one's own organization and other organizations and using those contacts to weave strong relationships that serve as informal development systems.

True

An organization structure in which decision-making authority is maintained at the top level of management is called a(n) ______ organization.

centralized

An important decision to be made while designing a responsive organization is about the size of the span of

control

Fill in the blank question. Those functions that the organization can do as well as or better than any other organization in the world are called its ______ ________.

core competencies

Because Nike is superior at designing and marketing athletic shoes, this is considered to be their:

core competency

Company X focuses on one attribute of its business that it performs as well or better than its competitors. This attribute is Company X's:

core competency

Because of the evolving business environment, including more global competition, technological innovations, and changing customer expectations, what has become a critical management function?

learning how to manage change

A _____ structure, also called a project management structure, sets up teams from different departments, thereby creating two or more intersecting lines of authority.

matrix

Four organizational designs include: line, line and staff, ______, and cross-functional teams.

matrix

In a _______ organization, project managers are in charge of teams made up of members from several departments.

matrix or matrix-style

Using communications technology and other means to link organizations and allow them to work together on common objectives is referred to as ________.

networking

Today's trend is to expand the span of control because:

organizations save by reducing the number of middle managers the workforce is better educated at all levels

Regardless of the size of the organization, the principles of organizing include:

recognizing employee strengths deciding what work needs to be done dividing up the tasks to be done

The result of the increase in the rate of change in the business environment from causes such as natural disasters and global competition has been that companies must:

adapt to new technologies change more quickly than ever before

Comparing an organization's practices, processes, and products against the world's best is called _______.

benchmarking