exam prep

Employees A and B work together on the same project team. When the team faces a complex problem, the team leader usually asks B to generate alternative solutions for the team to consider. Experience has shown that B is more likely to take initiative, to set ambitious goals, and to feel that the team can effectively influence its environment. Employee A tends to do well on jobs that are routine, is plagued with self doubt, and feels that the team is largely powerless over its environment.

Which statement is correct?

Employee A exhibits positive core self evaluation, and employee B exhibits negative core self evaluation

Employee A exhibits negative core self evaluation, and employee B exhibits positive core self evaluation

Employee A exhibits negative core self evaluation, and employee B exhibits negative core self evaluation

Employee A exhibits positive core self evaluation, and employee B exhibits positive core self evaluation

Employee A exhibits negative core self evaluation, and employee B exhibits positive core self evaluation

Employee B was upset by Employee A’s behavior at the department’s planning meeting

Which factors will influence Employee B’s perception in this situation

Stimulation, task, and skills

Situation, target, and perceiver

Problem, criteria, and alternatives

Heredity, environment, and perceiver

Situation, target, and perceiver

A person is broadminded, courageous, and forgiving

Which type of values are these

Terminal values

Transitory values

Determine values

Instrumental values

Instrumental values

An employee enjoys having a large span of responsibility and is motivated to do well because of personal feelings

Which kind of reward is this

Intrinsic reward

Extrinsic reward

Affiliation reward

Compensatory reward

Intrinsic reward

Which theory of motivation focuses on 5 levels of needs, and further separates those needs by lower-order needs and higher-order needs

McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y

McClelland’s Theory of Needs

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Two-Factor Theory

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Manager A supervises 10 district units with 100 employees and receives $100,000 in compensation. Manager B supervises 5 district units with 50 employees and also receives $100,000 in compensation. Manager A is upset by this relationship and is looking for a new job

Which theory explains A’s motivation to look for a new job

Equity theory

Inequity theory

Perception theory

Perceptual fairness theory

Equity theory

A manager challenged an employee to produce an average of 24 assemblies each day for a week. This production goal was higher than the employee had ever achieved during any week. The manager gave the employee a tally sheet to mark after each assembly was completed.

Considering the goal-setting theory of motivation, the manager was counting on which factors to influence the employee to achieve the production goal?

Challenge and direction

Feedback and reflection

Specificity and feedback

Challenge and power

Specificity and feedback

What defines a set of expected behavior patterns attributed to a person occupying a given position in a social unit

Group role

Group norm

Group status

Group conformity

Group role

Which type of group is defined by the organization's structure?

Unified group

Formal group

Informal group

Designated group

Formal group

Management has noticed that the quality improvement work group is struggling because members seem to be working in different directions.

Which suggested action can the company take to increase group cohesiveness?

Make the group larger

Physically isolate the group

Establish more rigid roles for group members

Decrease the difficulty of becoming a group member

Physically isolate the group

To resolve a conflict between the department staff and the janitorial staff, the department head informs the department staff of a new policy prohibiting the eating of food at the desk.

Which type of conflict resolution technique does this represent?

Problem solving

Authoritative command

Altering the human variable

Altering the structural variables

Authoritative command

What is an advantage of a cohesive group?

When organized by department, task subgroups compete within the group

When performance-related goals are low, a cohesive group is more productive

When performance-related goals are high, a cohesive group is more productive

When organized by department, task subgroups do not form and command groups emerge

When performance-related goals are high, a cohesive group is more productive

What is an advantage of a group that is not very cohesive?

There is less need for giving rewards as group rewards

When making a group decision groupthink is more likely to occur

When performance norms are high, productivity will be higher than in a cohesive group

When performance norms are low, productivity may be higher than in a cohesive group

When performance norms are low, productivity may be higher than in a cohesive group

Which term describes the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually?

Social loafing

Independent effort

Selective perception

Employee disengagement

Social loafing

What is a strength of group decision making?

Power of groupthink

Increased diversity of views

Conformity pressures in groups

Reduced time for making decisions

Increased diversity of views

Which statement is true about work teams?

Members work together to neutralize synergy

The members’ primary focus is on improving individual effort

The primary goal is to share information that is helpful to individual efforts

Members of the groups generate positive synergy through coordinated effort

Members of the groups generate positive synergy through coordinated effort

What type of team is formed when employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas come together to accomplish a task?

Virtual team

Diverse team

Divergent team

Cross-functional team

Cross-functional team

What are primary factors that differentiate virtual teams from face-to-face teams?

Reduce paraverbal cues and create more frequent social context

Reduce telecommunications costs and increase paraverbal cues

Improve employee satisfaction and create more frequent social context

Overcome time and space constraints and create limited social context

Overcome time and space constraints and create limited social context

What is a characteristic of problem-solving teams that is different than cross-functional teams?

Problem-solving team members meet only on a virtual basis

Problem-solving team members come from different work units

Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit

Problem-solving teams use only computer technology to tie them together physically

Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit

A team was assigned a project. Halfway through the project it was obvious that the team was failing to meet expectations. Management had made sure that individuals assigned to the team had good interpersonal skills as well as good problem-solving and decision-making skills. However, they overlooked other abilities of team members required for accomplishing the work.

Which ability necessary for team members was overlooked?

Type D personality

Technical expertise

Authoritarian personality

Propensity for social loafing

Technical expertise

When organizing a team to develop a new quality control system, management wanted to assign team members having characteristics common to effective teams.

Which list specifies common characteristics of effective teams?

A climate trust, members who fill role demands, and a large team size

Group performance evaluation, absence of conflict, and members who fill role demands

A manageable level of conflict, members who are conscientious, and effective leadership

Group performance evaluation, members who score low on the personality characteristics of extroversion, and effective leadership

A manageable level of conflict, members who are conscientious, and effective leadership

A company switched from assembly lines to self-managed work teams.

What can team members do to improve the synergy and success of their teams?

Change work group roles at random

Assign individual roles rather than mutual teal roles

Share information but not engage in collective performance goals

Take action on problems as individuals members as well as in work teams

Take action on problems as individuals members as well as in work teams

A company is changing their work organization from employees working individually to the use of teams.

Which reward system could be used to foster long-term team effectiveness?

Reward system that recognizes only group activity

Reward system that rewards only individual performance

Reward system that discourages collaboration by individuals

Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity

Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity

Management is considering a reorganization of sales regions and plans to allow employees to live and work in their respective sales territories throughout the United States. However, the vice president of sales wants the regionally-dispersed agents to participate in weekly sales meetings.

Which type of teams should be organized?

Virtual teams

Quality teams

Self-managed teams

Cross-functional teams

Virtual teams

What is the optimal method for maximizing team member participation in a global meeting?

Hard copy messaging

In-person meeting

Video conferencing technology

Unilateral communication techniques

Video conferencing technology

A team is struggling to become productive but cannot decide who should do what.

How should the team leader attempt to resolve the problem?

Resign as team leader

Coach the team through the difficulty

Disband the team because the problem cannot be solved

Research the problem and impose a solution without argument

Coach the team through the difficulty

Which option defines organizational culture?

A diverse cultural subset working together to strengthen impact

A shared system of meanings that is unique to the organization

An organizational segmentation according to cultural background

A human resources department program for recognizing diversity

A shared system of meanings that is unique to the organization

A company has acquired new software to improve productivity and expects its employees to familiarize themselves with it quickly. This requires employees to work extra hours to complete the mandatory training. All employees perform this requirement in the expected timeframe.
 
Which characteristic of organizational culture is emphasized with all the employees completing the training as planned?

Adaptability

Results orientation

Integrity

Team orientation

Adaptability

What is one of the forces that plays a particularly important role in sustaining an organization's culture?