Test 4 - Study Questions

The process of using multiple sources to evaluate the work of an individual is called:

360 degree feedback

What are performance gaps? A) The difference between the performance of the organization and that of its closest competitors B) Variations in individual performance among members of the same work team C) The decline in organizational performance from one time period to the next D) Discrepancies between real and expected levels of organizational performance

Discrepancies between real and expected levels of organizational performance

For Gnik Pharmaceuticals to be successful in the competitive drug-development industry, it must continue to boost the creativity of its scientists. Which of the following activities is most likely to encourage research creativity? A) Restricting each scientist to a specific task to encourage heightened concentration B) Enhancing the degree to which tasks are intrinsically interesting C) Closely monitoring each scientistʹs progress D) Assigning challenging creative goals for each scientist

Enhancing the degree to which tasks are intrinsically interesting

Jack Welch, retired CEO of GE, has been identified as a transformational leader. Why? A) He was able to achieve great things through others. B) He had a charismatic personality that drew others to him. C) He used a perfect match of reward and coercive power to get things done. D) He had a vision and inspired others to implement that vision.

He had a vision and inspired others to implement that vision.

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a healthy organizational culture? A) Commitment to doing things well B) Ongoing collaboration and integration between units C) Integrity is questioned as a normal part of work D) Mistakes are tolerated

Integrity is questioned as a normal part of work

________ programs are efforts to systematically improve the job experience.

QWL

The great person theory assumes that great leaders A) can be trained to command and influence others. B) must have a disposition that is compatible with their followers. C) possess key traits that set them apart from others. D) are successful if their personality matches the situational requirements.

possess key traits that set them apart from others.

Second-order change refers to

radical change

________ involves changes that are carefully planned and deliberate.

strategic planning

Which OD technique collects data, gives feedback, and develops action plans?

survey feedback

The ________ theory focuses on how leaders form different kinds of relationships with various groups of subordinates.

LMX

The ________ theory believes that a leader has a relatively fixed style that cannot be changed through training.

LPC contingency

Which personality variable is most closely related to creativity? A) Extraversion B) Introversion C) Neuroticism D) Openness to experience

Openness to experience

What are the targets that a manager can change? A) People, technology, and structure B) Demographics and governmental regulation C) Competition and economic conditions D) Demographics and competition

People, technology, and structure

For which of the following countries are the cultural values very different from most OD values? A) Peru B) Ireland C) Norway D) USA

Peru

Which of the following is true about an organization with a strong culture? A) Very little time is spent communicating the organizationʹs values and beliefs. B) Prospective employees are closely screened for fit with values. C) There are many subcultures within the organization. D) There is no need for a written creed or statement of values.

Prospective employees are closely screened for fit with values.

Which of the following is an example of a leaderʹs personal power? A) Cohesive followers B) Informational power C) Rational persuasion D) Coercive power

Rational persuasion

Denny has a low LPC score and was extremely ineffective in a group where situational control was moderate. What should be done to improve group effectiveness? A) Improve Dennyʹs relationships with his followers. B) Send Denny to a management training seminar. C) Increase Dennyʹs LPC score. D) Replace Denny with a high LPC leader.

Replace Denny with a high LPC leader.

The trustees of a small New England college, which had traditionally recruited its students from the local community, decided to diversify their student body by recruiting both nationally and internationally. What is the likely effect of this change on the collegeʹs culture? A) The students and faculty will embrace the change. B) The students will become even more closely knit. C) The collegeʹs culture can be expected to change significantly. D) There will be a loss of cultural symbols and jargon.

The collegeʹs culture can be expected to change significantly.

McKenzie quit her job claiming that the organization had a toxic culture. To what was she referring? A) The working environment was unsafe. B) The work was monotonous. C) The employees did not feel valued. D) The firm was filing for bankruptcy protection.

The employees did not feel valued.

What is the role of stories and legends in an organizationʹs culture? A) They are the special language that defines the culture. B) They illustrate key aspects of the organizationʹs culture. C) They reinforce the organizationʹs hierarchical structure. D) They invoke a longing for the ʺgood old days.ʺ

They illustrate key aspects of the organizationʹs culture.

________ is an OD technique that focuses attention away from an organizationʹs shortcomings and towards its capabilities and potential.

appreciative inquiry

OD seeks to enhance organizational performance by improving the quality of the work environment and the A) two-way flow of communications. B) attitudes and wellbeing of employees. C) commitment to goals and objectives. D) system of appraisal and rewards.

attitudes and wellbeing of employees.

To promote innovation management one should A) remove all time constraints to discourage a sense of urgency. B) carefully link goals to the corporate mission, but not so specific that they are restrictive. C) make it clearly understood that people who fail to produce will be replaced. D) implement a generous compensation system that directly rewards oneʹs contributions to achieving the goals

carefully link goals to the corporate mission, but not so specific that they are restrictive.

A small high-tech startup company, where management is highly informal and employees govern themselves, would be classified as having a ________ culture.

clan

Recognizing that there is no one-best-style of leadership is the philosophy behind the

contingency theory

Just as people have unique personalities that distinguish them from others, each organization has a unique

culture

Strategic planning is needed when A) the current equilibrium needs to be retained. B) the business is outperforming all expectations. C) there is a change in organizational leadership. D) current objectives no longer can be met.

current objectives no longer can be met.

A company has a competitive advantage over another when A) newly introduced goods are in high demand. B) customers perceive its products or services as being superior. C) its sales revenue is greater. D) it can produce the products or services at a lower cost.

customers perceive its products or services as being superior.

In the managerial grid, a country club management style describes a manager who A) scores moderately on both the concern for production and concern for people scales. B) is more concerned with having a good time than managing the group. C) demonstrates a high concern for people with little concern for production. D) is able to keep the employees happy while encouraging them to work hard.

demonstrates a high concern for people with little concern for production.

Creativity is enhanced when people are able to take a fresh look at even the most familiar things. This is known as

divergent thinking

The specific skills and abilities that an employee possesses which are necessary to perform certain tasks are called

domain-relevant skills

People who scored low on the consideration dimension A) are identified as impoverished management. B) are classified at middle-of-the road management. C) are primarily concerned with getting the job done. D) donʹt care much about how they get along with their subordinates.

donʹt care much about how they get along with their subordinates.

Organizational development is defined as a set of social science techniques designed to plan and implement change in work settings for purposes of improving the effectiveness of organizational functioning and A) generating additional resources for future advancement. B) ensuring the future growth and survival of the organization. C) improving the efficiency of organizational processes. D) enhancing the personal development of individuals.

enhancing the personal development of individuals.

________ is a highly effective method of developing leaders that involves custom-tailored, one-on-one learning aimed at improving an individual leaderʹs performance.

executive coaching

Reacting to political pressure, National Tobacco Company is adopting a(n) ________ strategy by withdrawing from the U.S. market and liquidating its assets.

exit

Change that is continuous in nature, involving no major shifts in how an organization operates is known as

first-order change

Organizations that are identified as having an adhocracy culture emphasize A) stability and attention to whatʹs going on inside the organization. B) flexibility while paying attention to the external environment. C) hierarchical control and attention to the external environment. D) adaptation to change while focusing on the needs of the employees.

flexibility while paying attention to the external environment.

Research has shown that transformational leaders raise their groupʹs cohesiveness, which in turn influences

group performance

Government agencies, which tend to have an internal focus and emphasizes stability and control, are classified as having a(n)

hierarchy culture

Fear of the unknown, threats to social relationships, and habit are all A) causes of structural inertia. B) pressures on organizations to change. C) indications of economic insecurity. D) individual barriers to change.

individual barriers to change.

ʺDoomsday managementʺ refers to A) coping with extreme, unpredicted events. B) introducing the idea that there is an impending crisis. C) gradual change. D) a change in the organizationʹs strategy.

introducing the idea that there is an impending crisis.

Although different companies have different organizational cultures, in all companies organizational culture serves each of the following vital functions, except A) it illustrates tangible outcomes for people who comply. B) it clarifies and reinforces standards of behavior. C) it provides a sense of identity for members. D) it generates commitment to the organizationʹs mission.

it illustrates tangible outcomes for people who comply.

The organizational development process will be perceived as unethical if A) management excludes input from lower-level employees. B) the results of the intervention are not measured. C) the organization has a strong ethical culture. D) it is viewed as coercive and manipulative.

it is viewed as coercive and manipulative.

The primary function of a(n) ________ is to provide the vision for the organization, while the ________ job is to implement that vision.

leader, manager's

ʺThe process by which an individual influences others in ways that help attain the group or organizational goalsʺ defines

leadership

Leadership training is based on the assumption that A) leadership makes a difference in organizations. B) leaders are born, not made. C) not everyone can develop leadership skills. D) there is only one way to train people to be leaders.

leadership makes a difference in organizations.

Organizations that have developed the capacity to adapt and change continuously are known as ________ organizations.

learning

Professor Collins is able to award grades to students at the end of each semester because the college has granted her

legitimate power

Which OD technique requires managers and subordinates to work together on setting and trying to achieve important organizational goals?

management by objectives (MBO)

General Electric is described as having a ________ culture that emphasizes competitiveness and productivity while taking a very hard-driving, results-oriented approach to getting things done.

market

Withdrawing from markets where the company is less effective and concentrating resources in markets where the company is likely to be more effective describes

market concentration strategies

________ is a leadership development tool designed to help leaders learn to whom they should turn for information.

networking

Many organizations have changed their structure by practicing ________, that is, they eliminated non-core sectors of their business and hired outside firms to perform these functions.

outsourcing

As a former president, George W. Bush is unable to command U.S. military operations. This is because he lacks

position power

People in ʺin-groupsʺ are more likely to A) resign from their jobs. B) be less satisfied with their jobs. C) receive more mentoring from their bosses. D) be dissimilar to their bosses.

receive more mentoring from their bosses.

A senior senator who is able to influence the behavior of newly elected representatives, because the younger representatives like and admire him, is exercising his

referent power

An organizationʹs dominant culture A) reflects the core values that generally are shared throughout the organization. B) flows from the values and personality of the organizationʹs founder. C) reinforces the organizations assumptions and core values and ensures that they are perpetuated over time. D) overwhelms the organizationʹs stakeholders, both internal and external.

reflects the core values that generally are shared throughout the organization.

The first step in the organizational innovation process is A) setting the stage. B) producing the ideas. C) assessing the outcome. D) setting the agenda.

setting the agenda.

The role of the leader is changing as organizations replace traditional work groups with teams. Team leaders are more likely to A) share the limelight with all their team members. B) relate to team members individually. C) work at reducing conflict between individuals. D) focus on training employees.

share the limelight with all their team members.

The term ʺorganizational cultureʺ refers to the A) set of rules, procedures and structures that make an organization unique. B) interpersonal network linking the organizational members together. C) collection of individuals and personalities who exist in an organization. D) shared beliefs, expectations, and core values of people in an organization.

shared beliefs, expectations, and core values of people in an organization.

The ________ Leadership theory argues that a leaderʹs style should depend on the maturity of followers -that is, their readiness to take responsibility for their own behavior.

situational

The basic assumption of the trait approach is that A) anyone can be trained to lead. B) managers need to develop certain traits before they can lead others. C) some people are naturally born leaders. D) followers need to respect their leaders if they are to be successful.

some people are naturally born leaders.

________ is the process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating organizational changes in ways that enable an organization to achieve its objectives.

strategic planning

The type of innovation that continues to improve an existing service or product, and has a minor impact on existing business, is called

sustaining innovation

A family-owned restaurant has many photos of the ownersʹ children displayed throughout the dining rooms. These ________ communicate the firmʹs values of family, friendliness, and continuity.

symbols

The managerial grid identifies high scores on both dimensions, the 9,9 pattern, as

team management

Having creative coworkers raises an employeeʹs level of creativity when A) rewards are closely linked to creative output. B) the employees are not closely monitored. C) the coworkers closely inspect each othersʹ work. D) compensation is tied to effort and not necessarily results.

the employees are not closely monitored.

In organizational behavior, creativity is defined as A) the introduction of new products to the market. B) designing the system of authority and responsibility for members. C) forming task forces and think tanks to investigate new trends. D) the process by which individuals or teams produce novel and useful ideas.

the process by which individuals or teams produce novel and useful ideas.

Innovation is defined as A) the process by which novel and useful ideas are produced. B) the development of new products and services to meet consumer needs. C) the successful implementation of creative ideas. D) the readiness and ability to change with the times.

the successful implementation of creative ideas.

Organizational development techniques wonʹt work globally if A) they are developed for U.S. organizations. B) they donʹt fit with the cultural styles of the nation. C) they are viewed as American interventions. D) the organization is part of a government monopoly.

they donʹt fit with the cultural styles of the nation.

To ensure group effectiveness, according to the LPC theory, a leaderʹs ________ must be matched to the A) needs; needs of the followers. B) competency; groupʹs task. C) personality; groupʹs culture. D) traits; various features of the situation.

traits; various features of the situation.

Southern Fried Fishʹs sales began to fall in response to reports about the dangers of a high-fat diet. In response, Southern Fried Fish changed its name to Southern Seafood and introduced non-fried items to the menu. They were adopting a(n)

turnaround strategy

For change to be accepted, it is necessary to A) facilitate direction from the senior management of the company. B) establish a system of rewards and punishments linked to participation. C) win the support of the most powerful and influential individuals in the company. D) reward the individuals who contribute the most to the strategy.

win the support of the most powerful and influential individuals in the company.

Amandaʹs team leader determined that she had the necessary skills to be creative. However, this alone was not sufficient for her to succeed in a creative environment. She also needed intrinsic task motivation, which refers to A) Amanda being able to cooperate with others and sharing the credit for outcomes. B) responding to failure with increased commitment. C) working because she found it to be interesting, engaging, or positively challenging. D) being able to think outside-the-box.

working because she found it to be interesting, engaging, or positively challenging.