Management Final Review

A tool for determining what is done on a given job and what should be done on that job is known as job:

Analysis Job analysis is a tool for determining what is done on a given job and what should be done on that job. It involves job description and job specification.

Referent power is described as the power that exists through having ____.

Appealing Personal Characteristics A leader with referent power has personal characteristics that appeal to others; people comply because of admiration, personal liking, a desire for approval, or a desire to be like the leader.

The use of a neutral third party to resolve a labor dispute is known as:

Arbitration Arbitration is the use of a neutral third party, typically jointly selected, to resolve the dispute. U.S. companies use arbitration while an agreement is in effect to avoid wildcat strikes (in which workers walk off the job in violation of the contract) or unplanned work stoppages.

Roland University requires all applicants to its Masters of Business Administration programs to take the Roland Aptitude Test. This exam measures the test taker's aptitude for management by measuring things like verbal comprehension, mathematical calculations, and other necessary management skills. This type of test is considered as a(n):

Cognitive ability test Cognitive ability tests measure a range of intellectual abilities, including verbal comprehension (vocabulary, reading) and numerical aptitude (mathematical calculations).

The most difficult part of human resources planning is conducting:

Demand Forecasts The most difficult part of human resources planning is conducting demand forecasts, that is, determining how many and what type of people are needed.

_____ leadership is a form of leadership in which the leader solicits input from subordinates.

Democratic Democratic leadership solicits input from others. Democratic leadership seeks information, opinions, and preferences, sometimes to the point of meeting with the group, leading discussions, and using consensus or majority vote to make the final choice.

A job _____ refers to the essential tasks, duties, and responsibilities involved in performing a job.

Description Information about the job itself, including the essential tasks, duties, and responsibilities involved in performing the job, is contained in a job description.

According to the expectancy theory, which of the following is the correct order of events?

Effort, performance, outcome In the expectancy theory, the order of events is effort, performance, outcome. Expectancy is people's perceived likelihood that their efforts will enable them to attain their performance goals. Eventually, performance results in some kind of outcome, or consequence, for a person.

The legal concept that an employee may be terminated for any reason is known as:

Employment-at-will The concept that an employee may be fired for any reason is known as employment-at-will or termination-at-will and was upheld in a 1908 Supreme Court ruling.

Failure to provide positive feedback for a job well done, resulting in lower motivation thereafter is an example of a(n):

Extinction Extinction is withdrawing or failing to provide a reinforcing consequence. When this occurs, motivation is reduced and the behavior is extinguished, or eliminated. Ways that managers may unintentionally extinguish desired behaviors include not giving a compliment for a job well done.

A manager who implements an absenteeism policy that administers disciplinary actions to offending employees is using expert power.

False A manager who implements an absenteeism policy that administers disciplinary actions to offending employees is using coercive power, which is the power to control punishments.

A nondirective interview is a selection technique that involves asking all applicants the same questions and comparing their responses to a standardized set of answers.

False A structured interview is a selection technique that involves asking all applicants the same questions and comparing their responses to a standardized set of answers. In an unstructured (or nondirective) interview, the interviewer asks different interviewees different questions.

Accommodation means cooperating with the other party in exchange for part of what one wants.

False Accommodation is a style of dealing with conflict involving cooperation on behalf of the other party but not being assertive about one's own interests.

While all five sources of power are potentially important, bosses who have high legitimate power get far superior performance from their employees.

False Although it is easy to assume that the most powerful bosses are those who have high legitimate power and control major rewards and punishments, it is important not to underestimate the more "personal".

An assessment center is a testing area for lower-level employees used to examine work abilities.

False An assessment center is a managerial performance test in which candidates participate in a variety of exercises and situations.

Autocratic leadership solicits input from others while making decisions.

False Autocratic leadership makes decisions and then announces them to the group. Democratic leadership.

Because of the tendency to abuse power, effective leaders should avoid using it.

False Central to effective leadership is power, the ability to influence other people. In organizations, this influence often means the ability to get things done or accomplish one's goals despite resistance from others.

It is best if leadership resides in one or two superstars at the top.

False Effective leadership must permeate the organization, not reside in one or two superstars at the top. The leader's job becomes one of spreading leadership abilities throughout the firm.

Applying a consequence that decreases the likelihood of the person repeating the behavior that led to it is referred to as extinction.

False Extinction is withdrawing or failing to provide a reinforcing consequence. When this occurs, motivation is reduced and the behavior is extinguished, or eliminated. Punishment is the delivery of an aversive consequence.

The human resources planning process occurs in three stages: planning, organizing, and adapting.

False HR planning involves three stages: planning, programming, and evaluating. These stages accomplish the goal "to get the right kind and the right number of people at the right time."

Managers have responded to the labor shortage by decreasing training budgets.

False In the United States, demographic trends have contributed to a shortage of workers with the appropriate skills and education level. One response managers have made to deal with the skills shortage has been to increase significantly the remedial and training budgets within their own organizations.

The best leaders are cautious or even reticent about showing people their appreciation.

False James Kouzes and Barry Posner suggest that the best leaders encourage the heart by showing appreciation, providing rewards, and using various approaches to motivate people in positive ways.

As long as leaders know what they want for their organizations, others do not need to understand what that is.

False Leaders must know what they want, and other people must understand what that is. The leader must be able to articulate the vision clearly and often. Other people throughout the organization should understand the vision and be able to state it clearly themselves.

Level 5 leadership is a combination of strong professional will and intense personal pride.

False Level 5 leadership is a combination of strong professional will (determination) and personal humility that builds enduring greatness. Thus a Level 5 leader is relentlessly focused on the organization's long-term success while behaving with modesty, directing attention toward the organization rather than him- or herself.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs include psychological, growth, cultural, existence, and self-realization.

False Maslow's need hierarchy illustrates his conception of people satisfying their needs in a specified order, from bottom to top. The needs in ascending order are as follows: physiological, safety or security, social, ego, and self-actualization.

Negative reinforcement is the actual delivery of an aversive consequence.

False Negative reinforcement can involve the threat of punishment and not delivering the punishment when employees perform satisfactorily. Punishment is the actual delivery of the aversive consequence.

Leadership works best when it is reserved for those at the top.

False Organizations need people at all levels to be leaders. Leaders throughout the organization are needed to do the things that their people want, but also to help create and implement strategic direction.

Organizations place people in formal leadership roles primarily to help these leaders achieve their personal goals.

False Organizations place people in formal leadership roles so that these leaders will achieve not their personal goals, but the organization's goals.

The process of laying off large numbers of managerial and other employees is referred to as outplacement.

False Outplacement is the process of helping people who have been dismissed from the company regain employment elsewhere.

People are a source of competitive advantage when competitor admire and copy their capabilities and contributions.

False People are a source of competitive advantage when their capabilities and contributions cannot be copied by others.

As a team strategy, probing involves a focus on internal relations.

False Probing involves a focus on external relations. This strategy requires team members to interact frequently with outsiders; diagnose the needs of customers, clients, and higher-ups; and experiment with solutions before taking action.

Despite new options, most jobs are still filled through newspaper advertising.

False Recent surveys suggest that employers place the greatest emphasis on referrals by current employees and online job boards. Surveys show that word-of-mouth recommendations are the way most job positions get filled.

Recruitment involves decisions about whom to hire.

False Selection builds on recruiting and involves decisions about whom to hire. Recruitment activities help increase the pool of candidates that might be selected for a job.

The term human capital is often used today to describe the total value of the benefits package for an employee.

False The term human capital, or more broadly intellectual capital, often is used today to describe the strategic value of employee knowledge and abilities.

The behavioral approach is the oldest leadership perspective which focuses on the personal characteristics that great leaders share.

False The trait approach is the oldest leadership perspective; it focuses on individual leaders and attempts to determine the personal characteristics (traits) that great leaders share. In the behavioral approach, personal characteristics are considered less important than the actual behaviors that leaders exhibit.

Training usually refers to teaching managers and professional employees broader skills needed for their present and future jobs.

False Training usually refers to teaching lower-level employees how to perform their present jobs, while development involves teaching managers and professional employees broader skills needed for their present and future jobs.

Transactional leadership approaches tend to be more effective for collectivists than for individualists.

False Unlike transformational leadership, transactional leadership does not excite, transform, empower, or inspire people to focus on the interests of the group or organization. However, transactional approaches may be more effective for individualists than for collectivists.

Visions are usually small, and exist only at the highest organizational levels.

False Visions can be small or large and can exist at any organizational level as well as at the very top.

While providing important information, applications and résumés tend to be useful as a basis for final selection decisions.

False While providing important information, applications and résumés tend not to be useful as a basis for final selection decisions. The most popular selection tool is interviewing, and every company uses some type of interview.

Outplacement involves:

Helping laid off workers find other employment Outplacement is the process of helping people who have been dismissed from the company regain employment elsewhere.

When managers and executives describe the strategic value of skills and knowledge of employees, they use the term:

Human capital Increasingly, organizations are recognizing that their success depends on what people know, that is, their knowledge and skills. The term human capital (or more broadly, intellectual capital) often is used today to describe the strategic value of employee knowledge and abilities.

Which of the following is true of negative reinforcement?

It involves removing or withholding an undesirable Negative reinforcement is removing or withholding an undesirable consequence. For example, a manager takes an employee off probation because of improved performance.

_____ is a process in which specific performance goals set by a subordinate and a supervisor must be reached within a given time period.

Management by objectives Management by objectives (MBO) involves a subordinate and a supervisor agreeing in advance on specific performance goals (objectives). They then develop a plan that describes the time frame and criteria for determining whether the objectives have been reached.

Which of the following is one of the concerns of human resources managers?

Managing employee layoffs HR managers have many concerns regarding their workers, including attracting talent; maintaining a well-trained, highly motivated, and loyal workforce; managing diversity; devising effective compensation systems; managing layoffs; and containing health care and pension costs.

Incentive plans are devised to:

Motivate employees to be more productive Various incentive systems have been devised to motivate employees to be more productive. Individual incentive plans are the most common type of incentive plan.

Which of the following statements is true about a 360-degree appraisal?

Often the person being rated can select the appraisers. In a process known as 360-degree appraisal, feedback is obtained from every level involved with the employee: subordinates, peers, and superiors. Often the person being rated can select the appraisers.

NewsTime Channel 7 wanted to hire a new morning news anchor. As part of the interview process, candidates were asked to read several impromptu news stories from the teleprompter. This type of test is known as a _____ test.

Performance In a performance test, the test taker performs a sample of the job. Most companies use some type of performance test, typically for administrative assistant and clerical positions.

According to Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, which of the following forms the lowest level of needs?

Physiological Physiological needs, which include the need for food, water, sex, and shelter are at the bottom of Maslow's need hierarchy. According to Maslow, people are motivated to satisfy the lower needs before they try to satisfy the higher needs.

The human resources planning process occurs in three stages:

Planning, programming, and evaluating The HR planning process occurs in three stages: planning, programming, and evaluating. First, HR managers need to know the organization's business plans to ensure that the right number and types of people are available.

According to organizational behavior modification, which of the following is a key consequence of behavior?

Punishment The four key consequences of behavior that either encourage or discourage people's behavior are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.

Strategic leadership primarily gives:

Purpose and meaning or organizations Strategic leadership gives purpose and meaning to organizations. Strategic leadership involves anticipating and envisioning a viable future for the organization, and working with others to initiate changes that create such a future

Firms can create a competitive advantage when human resources are:

Rare Firms can create a competitive advantage when they possess or develop resources that are valuable, rare, inimitable, and organized. The same criteria are used in reference to the strategic impact of human resources.

_____ activities increase the pool of candidates that might be selected for a job.

Recruitment Recruitment activities help increase the pool of candidates that might be selected for a job. Recruitment may be internal to the organization (considering current employees for promotions and transfers) or external.

Visions can be inappropriate, or fail, when they:

Reflect only the leader's needs An inappropriate vision may reflect merely the leader's personal needs. Such a vision can be unethical, or it may fail because of lack of acceptance by the market or by those who must implement it.

Positive consequences that motivate behavior are referred to as:

Reinforcers In 1911, psychologist Edward Thorndike formulated the law of effect: behavior that is followed by positive consequences probably will be repeated. This powerful law of behavior laid the foundation for countless investigations into the effects of the positive consequences called reinforcers that motivate behavior.

_____ power is held by a manager who has control over the size of an employee's raise.

Reward The leader who has reward power influences others because he or she controls valued rewards; people comply with the leader's wishes to receive those rewards.

Legislation that allows employees to work without having to join a union is known as:

Right-to-work Right-to-work states, through restrictive legislation, do not permit union shops; that is, workers have the right to work without being forced to join a union. The southern United States has many right-to-work states.

Which of the following traits distinguishes effective leaders from other people?

Self-confidence One of the leadership traits is self-confidence. Self-confidence is important because the leadership role is challenging, and setbacks are inevitable. A self-confident leader overcomes obstacles, makes decisions despite uncertainty, and instills confidence in others.

The skills, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform a job are detailed in a job:

Specification A job analysis describes, in part, the skills, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform the job. This is called the job specification.

The selection technique that involves asking all applicants the same questions and comparing their responses to a standardized set of answers is a(n):

Structured interview The structured interview is a selection technique that involves asking all applicants the same questions and comparing their responses to a standardized set of answers. In an unstructured (or nondirective) interview, the interviewer asks different interviewees different questions.

_____ leadership refers to leadership behavior that provides guidance, support, and corrective feedback for the day-to-day activities of work unit members.

Supervisory Supervisory leadership is behavior that provides guidance, support, and corrective feedback for day-to-day activities. Strategic leadership gives purpose and meaning to organizations.

Leaders who emphasize quality, accuracy, quantity of output, and following the rules are most likely to be ____.

Task oriented Task performance behaviors are the leader's efforts to ensure that the work unit or organization reaches its goals. These leaders focus on work speed, quality and accuracy, quantity of output, and following the rules.

Actions taken to ensure that the work group or organization reaches its goals are referred to as ____.

Task performance behaviors Leadership requires getting the job done. Task performance behaviors are actions taken to ensure that the work group or organization reaches its goals.

A motivation theory stating that people have conscious goals that energize them and direct their thoughts and behaviors toward a particular end is:

The goal setting theory Goal-setting theory states that people have conscious goals that energize them and direct their thoughts and behaviors toward a particular end. Goal setting works for any job in which people have control over their performance.

Teaching lower-level employees how to perform their present jobs is referred to as:

Training Training usually refers to teaching lower-level employees how to perform their present jobs, while development involves teaching managers and professional employees broader skills needed for their present and future jobs.

According to proponents of the situational approach to leadership, universally important traits and behaviors do not exist.

True According to proponents of the situational approach to leadership, universally important traits and behaviors don't exist. They believe effective leader behaviors vary from situation to situation. The leader should first analyze the situation and then decide what to do.

According to the expectancy theory, people develop important beliefs that link efforts, performances, and outcomes.

True According to the expectancy theory, the person's work efforts lead to some level of performance. Then performance results in one or more outcomes for the person. People develop two important beliefs linking these three events: expectancy, which links effort to performance, and instrumentality, which links performance to outcomes.

People tend to accept and pursue goals willingly if they are involved in setting them.

True Allowing people to participate in setting their work goals, as opposed to having the boss set goals for them, tends to generate goals that people accept and pursue willingly.

Good followers help produce good leaders.

True As one of the leadership scholars puts it, "Executives are given subordinates; they have to earn followers." But it's also true that good followers help produce good leaders.

Authentic leadership is a style in which the leader is true to himself or herself while leading.

True Authentic leadership is a style in which the leader is true to himself or herself while leading.

Autonomous work groups are fully responsible for an entire product or an entire part of a production process.

True Autonomous work groups control decisions about and execution of a complete range of tasks, such as acquiring raw materials and performing operations, quality control, maintenance, and shipping. They are fully responsible for an entire product or an entire part of a production process.

Coaching is usually the most effective and direct way to develop managers.

True Coaching, which is being trained by a superior, is usually the most effective and direct management development tool.

Effective followers hold performance standards that are higher than required.

True Effective followers distinguish themselves from ineffective ones in a number of ways, including holding higher performance standards than those required.

Poor supervisory practices can influence workers to vote for a union.

True Four factors play a significant role in workers voting for a union. One of them is job dissatisfaction which encourages workers to seek out a union. Poor supervisory practices, favoritism, lack of communication, and perceived unfair or arbitrary discipline and discharge are specific triggers of job dissatisfaction.

According to James Kouzes and Barry Posner, the best leaders challenge conventional practices and create change.

True James Kouzes and Barry Posner suggest that the best leaders challenge conventional beliefs and practices, and they create constructive change.

Job analysis gives managers the job description and job specification.

True Job analysis gives managers a job description that tells about the job itself, including the essential tasks, duties, and responsibilities involved in performing the job. It also provides a job specification that describes the skills, knowledge, abilities, and other characteristics needed to perform the job.

Leadership involves unique processes that are distinguishable from basic management functions.

True Management must deal with the ongoing, day-to-day complexities of organizations, but true leadership

Norms are shared beliefs about how people should think and behave.

True Norms are shared beliefs about how people should think and behave. For example, some people like to keep information and knowledge to themselves, but teams should try to establish a norm of knowledge sharing because it can improve team performance.

Visions can be inappropriate and even fail.

True Not just any vision will do. Visions can be inappropriate, or fail, for a variety of reasons. For example, an inappropriate vision may reflect merely the leader's personal needs.

Adverse impact is one of the common reasons why employers are sued.

True One common reason why employers are sued is adverse impact, when a seemingly neutral employment practice has a disproportionately negative effect on a group protected by the Civil Rights Act.

Cohesiveness refers to how attractive the team is to its members, how motivated members are to remain in the team, and the degree to which team members influence one another.

True One of the most important properties of a team is cohesiveness. Cohesiveness refers to how attractive the team is to its members, how motivated members are to remain in the team, and the degree to which team members influence one another. In general, it refers to how tightly knit the team is.

Performance appraisals serve two purposes: administrative and developmental.

True Performance appraisal has two basic purposes. It serves an administrative purpose by providing managers with the information they need to make salary, promotion, and dismissal decisions; and it serves a developmental purpose by gathering information to identify and plan additional training, learning, experience, or other improvement employees require.

Examples of positive reinforcers include compliments and pay raises.

True Positive reinforcement involves applying a positive consequence that increases the likelihood that the person will repeat the behavior that led to it. Examples of positive reinforcers include compliments, letters of commendation, favorable performance evaluations, and pay raises.

Stretch goals are targets that are exceptionally demanding, sometimes even thought to be impossible.

True Some firms today set stretch goals, which are targets that are exceptionally demanding and that some people would never even think of. Impossible though stretch goals may seem to some, they often are in fact attainable.

There are situations in which leadership is unnecessary or has little impact, and other factors in workplace may effectively act in its place.

True Sometimes leaders don't have to lead, or situations constrain their ability to lead effectively. The situation may be one in which leadership is unnecessary or has little impact. Substitutes for leadership can provide the same influence on people as leaders otherwise would have.

Strategic leadership refers to behaviors that give purpose and meaning to an organization.

True Strategic leadership gives purpose and meaning to organizations. It involves anticipating and envisioning a viable future for the organizations, and working with others to initiate changes that create such a future.

The behavioral approach to leadership attempts to identify what good leaders do.

True The behavioral approach is a leadership perspective that attempts to identify what good leaders do, that is, what behaviors they exhibit.

The best visions are both ideal and unique.

True The best visions are both ideal and unique. If a vision conveys an ideal, it communicates a standard of excellence and a clear choice of positive values. If the vision is also unique, it communicates and inspires pride in being different from other organizations.

In leadership, charisma can be used positively or negatively.

True The term charisma can be associated with the negative charisma of evil leaders whom people follow blindly. Yet charismatic leaders who display appropriate values and use their charisma for appropriate purposes serve as ethical role models for others.

A personal skill that is most important to leadership success is the ability to perceive the needs and goals of others and to adjust the leadership approach accordingly.

True There is one personal skill that may be the most important: the ability to perceive the needs and goals of others and to adjust one's personal leadership approach accordingly. Effective leaders do not rely on one leadership style; rather, they are capable of using different styles as the situation warrants.

Being a good leader includes taking reasonable risks.

True To be a good leader, individuals need the courage to create a vision of greatness for their unit; identify and manage allies, adversaries, and fence sitters; and execute their vision, often against opposition. This means taking reasonable risks, with the good of the firm at heart, in order to produce constructive change.

In the present organizational setup, having a vision for the future and communicating that vision to others are known to be essential components of great leadership.

True Until a few years ago, vision was not a word one heard managers utter. But today, having a vision for the future and communicating that vision to others are known to be essential components of great leadership.

If used properly, teams can be powerfully effective as a building block for organization structure.

True Used appropriately, teams can be powerfully effective as a building block for organization structure. Organizations such as Semco, W. L. Gore, and Kollmorgen, manufacturer of printed circuits and electro-optic devices, are structured entirely around teams.

Work teams, when they exist, are typically a part of the formal organization structure.

True Work teams make or do things such as manufacture, assemble, sell, or provide service. They typically are well defined; a clear part of the formal organizational structure; and composed of a full-time, stable membership.

Surveys show that _____ are the way most job positions get filled.

Word-of-mouth recommendations Surveys show that word-of-mouth recommendations are the way most job positions get filled. Not only is this method relatively inexpensive, but employees also tend to know who will be a good fit with the company.

Teams that make or do things like manufacture, assemble, sell, or provide service are known as _____ teams.

Work Work teams make or do things such as manufacture, assemble, sell, or provide service. They typically are well defined; a clear part of the formal organizational structure; and composed of a full-time, stable membership.

The reward a worker derives directly from performing the job itself is referred to as a(n) _____ reward.

intrinsic An intrinsic reward is a reward a person derives directly from performing the job itself. An interesting project, an intriguing subject that is fun to study, a completed sale, and the discovery of the perfect solution to a difficult problem all can give people the feeling that they have done something well.

Giving people additional tasks at the same time to alleviate boredom is referred to as:

job enlargement Job enlargement means that a worker has multiple tasks at the same time. Thus an assembly worker's job is enlarged if he or she is given two tasks rather than one to perform. In a study of job enlargement in a financial services organization, enlarged jobs led to higher job satisfaction, better error detection by clerks, and improved customer service.

Instrumentality is the:

perceived likelihood that performance will be followed by a particular outcome Instrumentality is the perceived likelihood that performance will be followed by a particular outcome. It is the link between performance and outcome.

Targets that are particularly demanding and can generate a major shift away from mediocrity and toward tremendous achievement are known as:

stretch goals Some firms today set stretch goals, which are targets that are exceptionally demanding and that some people would never even think of. Stretch goals can generate a major shift away from mediocrity and toward tremendous achievement.