MGT practice question exam

What are the 5 core practices of exemplary leaders according to Kouzes and Posner?

1. Challenge the process 2. Inspire a shared vision 3. Enable others to act 4. Model the way 5. Encourage the heart

What is supervisory leadership?

Behavior providing guidance, support, and corrective feedback for day-to-day activities.

What is strategic leadership?

Behavior giving purpose and meaning to organizations by envisioning appealing futures and anticipating demand.

What is power in a leadership context?

The ability to influence other people.

What are the 5 sources of power in organizations?

1. Legitimate 2. Reward 3. Coercive 4. Referent 5. Expert

What is legitimate power?

Power derived from a leader's formal position or title.

What is reward power?

Power derived from controlling valued rewards and incentives.

What is coercive power?

Power derived from the authority to punish or assign undesirable tasks.

What is referent power?

Power derived from personal characteristics that inspire respect and admiration.

What is expert power?

Power derived from specialized knowledge or technical expertise.

What is the trait approach to leadership?

A leadership perspective focusing on individual characteristics shared by effective leaders.

What is the behavioral approach to leadership?

A leadership perspective attempting to identify specific actions and behaviors of effective leaders.

What are task performance behaviors?

Leader actions taken to ensure that the work group or organization reaches its goals.

What are group maintenance behaviors?

Leader actions taken to ensure member satisfaction and harmonious work relationships.

What is Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) theory?

Concept highlighting that leader behaviors differ toward different individuals on a personal level.

What is autocratic leadership?

A decision-making style where the leader makes decisions alone and announces them.

What is democratic leadership?

A decision-making style where the leader solicits input from subordinates before deciding.

What is laissez-faire leadership?

A leadership philosophy marked by a complete absence of managerial decision-making.

What is the situational approach to leadership?

Perspective proposing that effective leadership behavior varies depending on the situation.

What is Fiedler's contingency model of leadership?

Theory stating that leader effectiveness depends on leadership style and situational favorability.

What is path-goal theory?

Theory focusing on how leaders influence subordinates' perceptions of work goals and paths to achievement.

What are substitutes for leadership?

Workplace factors that replace or reduce the need for a leader's direct guidance.

What is a charismatic leader?

A dominant, self-confident leader whose strong convictions inspire and excite followers.

What is a transformational leader?

A leader who motivates followers to transcend self-interest for the good of the group.

What is a transactional leader?

A manager who uses legitimate, reward, and coercive powers to exchange rewards for performance.

What is Level 5 leadership?

A combination of intense professional will and personal humility.

What is authentic leadership?

Leadership based on honesty, integrity, genuineness, and strong ethical character.

What is a servant-leader?

A leader who focuses on serving the needs of others to build a stronger organization.

What is shared leadership?

Rotating leadership roles among team members based on who has the relevant skills.

What is lateral leadership?

Peer-to-peer collaboration across the same organizational level to solve joint problems.

What is motivation?

Forces that energize, direct, and sustain a person's efforts toward goals.

What is goal-setting theory?

Motivation theory stating that conscious goals energize and direct thoughts and behaviors.

What are SMART goals?

Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-based, and Time-specific.

What are stretch goals?

Exceptionally demanding targets designed to push performance boundaries.

What are the 4 characteristics of motivational goals?

They are meaningful, acceptable, challenging, and specific.

What should a personal statement of purpose include?

An inspiring distant vision, a mid-distant goal, and near-term objectives.

What is the Law of Effect?

Thorndike's law stating that behavior followed by positive consequences is likely to be repeated.

What is positive reinforcement?

Applying a desirable consequence to increase the likelihood of a behavior repeating.

What is negative reinforcement?

Withholding or removing an undesirable consequence when a desired behavior occurs.

What is punishment?

Administering an unpleasant consequence to eliminate an unwanted behavior.

What is extinction?

Withdrawing or withholding reinforcement so an unwanted behavior stops.

What is Expectancy Theory?

Theory stating motivation depends on expectations of effort leading to performance and rewards.

What is expectancy in Expectancy Theory?

The belief that effort will lead to successful task performance.

What is instrumentality in Expectancy Theory?

The belief that performance will be followed by a particular reward.

What is valence in Expectancy Theory?

The value an individual places on an outcome or reward.

What are Maslow's 5 levels of needs?

1. Physiological 2. Safety 3. Social 4. Esteem 5. Self-Actualization

What is Alderfer's ERG Theory?

Needs theory holding that Existence, Relatedness, and Growth needs operate simultaneously.

What is McClelland's Need for Achievement (nAch)?

A strong orientation toward accomplishment, goal attainment, and personal success.

What is McClelland's Need for Affiliation (nAff)?

A strong desire to be liked, accepted, and maintain harmonious relationships.

What is McClelland's Need for Power (nPow)?

A strong desire to influence, control, or have responsibility over others.

What are extrinsic rewards?

Rewards given by an external source, such as pay, bonuses, or promotions.

What are intrinsic rewards?

Internal rewards derived directly from performing the task itself, like pride or satisfaction.

What is job rotation?

Moving employees periodically between different tasks to reduce boredom.

What is job enlargement?

Assigning additional tasks at the same level of responsibility to broaden work scope.

What is job enrichment?

Redesigning a job to increase responsibility, autonomy, and intrinsic motivation.

What are Herzberg's hygiene factors?

Workplace factors (like pay and policies) that prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate.

What are Herzberg's motivators?

Job factors (like achievement and growth) that produce high job satisfaction and motivation.

What are the 5 core job dimensions in the Hackman & Oldham model?

1. Skill variety 2. Task identity 3. Task significance 4. Autonomy 5. Feedback

What is Equity Theory?

Theory stating people compare their outcome-to-input ratio against a comparison other to assess fairness.

What is procedural justice?

The perceived fairness of the processes and rules used to make organizational decisions.

What is Quality of Work Life (QWL)?

Programs designed to create a work environment that enhances employee well-being.

What is a psychological contract?

Unwritten perceptions regarding mutual expectations and commitments between employee and employer.

What type of organizational structure do companies like L.L. Bean, Lululemon, and W.L. Gore use?

Team-based structure

What is a group?

A collection of people who interact to undertake a task but do not necessarily perform as a unit or achieve significant performance improvements.

What is a team?

A small number of people with complementary skills committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and mutual accountability.

What type of skills do team members typically possess?

Complementary skills

What type of projects do project and development teams work on?

Long-term projects

What is a parallel team?

A team operating separately from the regular work structure of the firm on a temporary basis to solve specific problems.

What are work teams?

Teams that make or do things, such as manufacturing products or providing services on an ongoing basis.

What are management teams?

Teams that coordinate and give direction to the subunits under their jurisdiction.

What are transnational teams?

Work groups composed of multinational members whose activities span multiple countries.

What are virtual teams?

Physically dispersed teams that communicate primarily through electronic media rather than face-to-face.

What are quality circles?

Voluntary groups drawn from production teams that make recommendations regarding quality improvements.

What are self-managed teams?

Autonomous work groups where employees are trained to do all jobs and make decisions previously made by supervisors.

What are the 4 stages of group development in order?

Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing

What occurs during the Forming stage of group development?

Group members lay ground rules for acceptable behavior and get oriented.

What occurs during the Storming stage of group development?

Hostility, conflict, and jockeying for power and status arise.

What occurs during the Norming stage of group development?

Members agree on shared goals and team norms develop.

What occurs during the Performing stage of group development?

The group channels its energy into performing tasks effectively.

What is supervisory leadership in a team context?

Traditional direct management where the leader directs individuals and manages one-on-one.

What is participative leadership in a team context?

Leadership style where the manager seeks input from team members and coordinates efforts.

What is team leadership?

Leadership style focused on building trust, inspiring teamwork, facilitating decisions, and expanding team capabilities.

What is social loafing?

Working less hard and being less productive when working in a group than when working alone.

What is the social facilitation effect?

Working harder when in the presence of a group than when working alone.

What is a task specialist?

A team member who possesses advanced job skills and drives goal execution.

What is a team maintenance specialist?

A team member focused on developing morale, harmony, and positive group relationships.

What is team cohesiveness?

The degree to which a team is attractive to its members, members are motivated to remain, and members influence one another.

What is a gatekeeper?

A team member who stays abreast of external developments and provides relevant information to the team.

What is an informing team strategy?

Making decisions within the team and then telling outsiders of its intentions.

What is a probing team strategy?

Actively interacting with outsiders to investigate market needs and test ideas before finalizing decisions.

What is a workflow relationship?

A relationship where groups receive materials from one group, process them, and pass them on to the next group.

What is an audit relationship?

A relationship that develops when people not directly in the chain of command evaluate the methods and performance of other teams.

What is an advisory relationship?

A relationship involved when teams call on sources of expert knowledge to help resolve an issue.

What is a liaison relationship?

A relationship where intermediaries maintain communication across team or organizational boundaries.

What are the 5 conflict management styles?

Avoidance, Accommodation, Compromise, Competing, Collaboration

What is the avoidance conflict style?

Ignoring the problem or doing nothing; unassertive and uncooperative.

What is the accommodation conflict style?

Cooperating with the other party without asserting one's own interests; unassertive and cooperative.

What is the compromise conflict style?

Seeking a middle-ground solution with moderate attention to both parties' concerns.

What is the competing conflict style?

Forcing one's own solution; highly assertive and uncooperative.

What is the collaboration conflict style?

Emphasizing both high assertiveness and high cooperation to reach a win-win solution.