Lecture Notes on Power, Conflict, Organizational Culture, and Change Management

Flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on power, conflict, organizational culture, and change management.

A powerful person begins to lose power when…

People begin to rely on themselves or have other alternatives.

Which type of power is based on the fear of the negative results from failing to comply?

Coercive Power

The two bases of personal power are and the respect and admiration of others.

Expertise and the respect and admiration of others.

Gerald's specialized knowledge depicts his .

Expert power.

Which of the following, if true, would best explain why Joanna's employees do not proactively approach her for help?

The sole criterion for Joanna's promotion was her effectiveness in meeting individual targets.

Dependence would be low when .

the goods have substitutes

involves increasing the target's support by involving him or her in decision making.

Consultation

Which of the following power tactics is being used when Mike offers to settle the accounting problems for a board member in exchange for a nomination to the board?

Exchange

Which of the following 'softer' power tactics can be used most effectively for exerting lateral influence?

Inspirational appeal

For a person to be recognized as having a high degree of political skill, he or she must have the .

ability to influence others to enhance their own objectives

Which of the following, if true, would help Hartford Mills avoid situations where employees take actions that conflict with company policy?

Specifying the permissible and prohibited aspects of an employee's formal role in the organization

Conflict that hinders group performance is destructive or conflict.

dysfunctional

Studies demonstrate that conflicts are almost always .

relationship; dysfunctional

Mike and Keith are on the same team; they work well with other people in the same team but don't get along with each other. This type of conflict can best be described as .

dyadic

Which of the following, if true, would most strengthen the conservationists' argument that the United States must reduce its consumption level of natural resources?

The United States accounts for one-third of the total world resource consumption.

Stage II of the conflict process deals with the conflict being .

perceived and felt

In the stage of the conflict process intentions intervenes between people's perceptions and emotions and their overt behavior.

intention

A person is using the conflict handling technique of when the one person seeks to satisfy his or her own interests regardless of the impact on the other parties to the conflict.

competing

The conflict-handling intention is unassertive and uncooperative.

avoiding

A party who seeks to appease an opponent may be willing to place the opponent's interests above his or her own, sacrificing to maintain the relationship. We refer to this conflict-handling intention as .

accommodating

Conflict becomes visible in the stage of the conflict process.

behavior

According to a newly added office smoking regulation, only employees who have an enclosed office may smoke at their desks, creating conflict. Which of the following strengthens the argument that lower-level employees should be offered enclosed offices?

The smoking regulations allow all employees who smoke an equal opportunity to do so, regardless of an employee's job level.

Which of the following conflict management techniques is most likely to be used by a collectivist Chinese manager?

Avoiding

Which of the following is not a necessary condition for integrative bargaining to succeed in organizations?

Opposing parties have a zero-sum outlook.

The negotiations between Santiago and management are likely to use bargaining.

distributive

Which of the following statements is true regarding distributive bargaining?

It operates under zero-sum conditions.

The first step in the negotiation process is .

preparation and planning

Which of the following activities in the negotiation process is most likely to be included in the definition of ground rules step?

Determining time constraints, if any, applicable to negotiation

During of the phase of the negotiation process the parties have the actual discussion to hash out an agreement.

bargaining and problem-solving

A paper sales company designs and offers a new method of purchasing and shipping commercial quantities of paper through its Web site. Which statement suggests that the labor union will accept Richard's suggestion to lower the wages?

Many people who work for manufacturing plants live in areas in which the manufacturing plant is the only source of employment.

Which of the following categories in the Organizational Culture Inventory groups cultures that are competitive, perfectionist, and power-oriented?

Aggressive-defensive

Which of the following is not an outcome of a strong organizational culture?

Resistance

An aircraft manufacturer with a strong presence in the United States plans to merge with a British aircraft manufacturer. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the company's decision to merge with QueenAir?

There is a striking difference in the organizational cultures of the two firms.

Which of the following is most likely to result from a strong organizational culture?

High organizational commitment

Which of the following can act as a common denominator to unite members of a given culture or subculture?

Jargons and acronyms that are specific to the organization

The regular distribution of lollipops, toys, or treats every Friday is an example of a that helps reinforce Ask Socrates' culture.

ritual

The process helps candidates learn about the organization, and if employees perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization, they can remove themselves from the applicant pool.

selection

The process that helps new employees adapt to the prevailing organizational culture is known as .

socialization

Which stage of the socialization process explicitly recognizes that each individual the organization comes across during the selection process has a set of values, attitudes, and expectations about both the work to be done and the organization?

Prearrival

When you start to accept the differences between your expectations and the reality of the organization, you move into the stage of socialization.

metamorphosis

Which of the following statements is true regarding the functions of culture in an organization?

It conveys a sense of identity for organization members.

Based on this information, we can say that Grace is experiencing the effects of .

organizational climate

Which method of maintaining an ethical culture is Pam's company pursuing?

Visibly punish unethical acts

Which aspect of creating a positive organizational culture is Liz utilizing?

Emphasizing individual vitality and growth

A paper sales company designs and offers a new method of purchasing and shipping commercial quantities of paper through its Web site. This is an example of a(n) change.

planned

is a change process based on systematic collection of data and selection of a change action based on what the analyzed data indicate.

Action research

Organizations are increasingly adjusting their processes and positioning their products as environment friendly and sustainable in order to increase their appeal to consumers. This is a response to changes in .

social trends

Which of the following, if true, would most weaken the argument that Fony Corp. should upgrade its technology?

The technology which the company is considering adopting was recently developed and has not yet been successfully implemented in a real business context.

A paper sales company designs and offers a new method of purchasing and shipping commercial quantities of paper through its Web site. This is an example of a(n) change.

planned

Management of a company threatens to close a manufacturing plant in the company whose employees are resisting an across-the-board pay cut. But this threat is actually untrue. In this case, which of the following tactics of overcoming resistance to change is being used by the management?

manipulation

Organizations have built-in mechanisms—like their selection processes and formalized regulations—to produce stability. When an organization is confronted with change, these mechanisms act as a counterbalance to sustain stability. Which of the following organizational sources of resistance to change is represented by these mechanisms?

structural inertia

Selective information processing is a major source of resistance to change. It indicates that .

individuals hear what they want to hear and they ignore information that challenges the world they've created

Which of the following tactics for overcoming resistance to change is most likely to be beneficial when employees' fear and anxiety are high?

building support and commitment

Which tactic to overcome resistance to change is a relatively inexpensive way to gain the support of adversaries, but may backfire if the targets become aware of the tactic?

manipulation

is one way to achieve unfreezing of an organization's status quo.

Increasing the driving forces directing behavior away from the status quo

John Kotter built on Lewin's three-step model to create a more detailed approach for implementing change. Which of the following steps in Kotter's eight-step plan for implementing change represents the unfreezing stage in Lewin's three-step model?

Create a new vision to direct the change and strategies for achieving the vision.

The step in the action research process where information is gathered about problems, concerns, and needed changes is known as the stage.

diagnosis

During the design step of appreciative inquiry, participants .

find a common vision of how the organization will look in the future

Brian is a(n) within his company.

idea champion