WGU C715 - Organizational Behavior

studied byStudied by 0 people
0.0(0)
learn
LearnA personalized and smart learning plan
exam
Practice TestTake a test on your terms and definitions
spaced repetition
Spaced RepetitionScientifically backed study method
heart puzzle
Matching GameHow quick can you match all your cards?
flashcards
FlashcardsStudy terms and definitions

1 / 41

encourage image

There's no tags or description

Looks like no one added any tags here yet for you.

42 Terms

1

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

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.

New cards
2

Situation, target, and perceiver

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?

Choose 1 answer

Stimulation, task, and skills

Situation, target, and perceiver

Problem, criteria, and alternatives

Heredity, environment, and perceiver

New cards
3

Instrumental values

A person is broadminded, courageous, and forgiving.

Which type of values are these?

Choose 1 answer

Terminal values

Transitory values

Determinate values

Instrumental values

New cards
4

Intrinsic reward

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?

Choose 1 answer

Intrinsic reward

Extrinsic reward

Affiliation reward

Compensatory reward

New cards
5

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

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

Choose 1 answer

McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y

McClelland's Theory of Needs

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Two-Factor Theory

New cards
6

Equity 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?

Choose 1 answer

Equity theory

Inequity theory

Perception theory

Perceptual fairness theory

New cards
7

Specificity and feedback

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?

Choose 1 answer

Challenge and direction

Feedback and reflection

Specificity and feedback

Challenge and power

New cards
8

Norming

Which stage of the five-stage group development model is characterized by developing close relationships and cohesiveness?

Choose 1 answer

Forming

Norming

Storming

Performing

New cards
9

Group role

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

Choose 1 answer

Group role

Group norm

Group status

Group conformity

New cards
10

Formal group

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

Choose 1 answer

Unified group

Formal group

Informal group

Designated group

New cards
11

Physically isolate the 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?

Choose 1 answer

Make the group larger

Physically isolate the group

Establish more rigid roles for group members

Decrease the difficulty of becoming a group member

New cards
12

Authoritative command

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?

Choose 1 answer

Problem solving

Authoritative command

Altering the human variable

Altering the structural variables

New cards
13

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

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

Choose 1 answer

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.

New cards
14

Social loafing

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

Choose 1 answer

Social loafing

Independent effort

Selective perception

Employee disengagement

New cards
15

Increased diversity of views

What is a strength of group decision making?

Choose 1 answer

Power of groupthink

Increased diversity of views

Conformity pressures in groups

Reduced time for making decisions

New cards
16

Members of the group generate positive synergy through coordinated effort.

Which statement is true about work teams?

Choose 1 answer

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 group generate positive synergy through coordinated effort.

New cards
17

Cross-functional team

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?

Choose 1 answer

Virtual team

Diverse team

Divergent team

Cross-functional team

New cards
18

Overcome time and space constraints and create limited social context

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

Choose 1 answer

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

New cards
19

Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit.

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

Choose 1 answer

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

New cards
20

Technical expertise

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?

Choose 1 answer

Type D personality

Technical expertise

Authoritarian personality

Propensity for social loafing

New cards
21

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

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?

Choose 1 answer

A climate of 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 characteristic of extroversion, and effective leadership

New cards
22

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

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?

Choose 1 answer

Change work group roles at random

Assign individual roles rather than mutual team roles

Share information but not engage in collective performance goals

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

New cards
23

Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity

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?

Choose 1 answer

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

New cards
24

Virtual teams

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?

Choose 1 answer

Virtual teams

Quality teams

Self-managed teams

Cross-functional teams

New cards
25

Video conferencing technology

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

Choose 1 answer

Hard copy messaging

E-mail communications

Video conferencing technology

Unilateral communication techniques

New cards
26

Coach the team through the difficulty

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

How should the team leader attempt to resolve the problem?

Choose 1 answer

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

New cards
27

A shared system of meanings that is unique to the organization

Which option defines organizational culture?

Choose 1 answer

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

New cards
28

Attention to detail, innovation and risk taking, people orientation

Which attributes are included in the seven primary characteristics that define an organization's culture?

Choose 1 answer

Aggressiveness, competitive focus, innovation

Political attitude, attention to detail, team orientation

Team orientation, political orientation, people orientation

Attention to detail, innovation and risk taking, people orientation

New cards
29

Socialization process

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

Choose 1 answer

Socialization process

Individualized interaction

Personal background of key employees

Educational level achieved by key employees

New cards
30

By using material symbols and specific language

How can an organization transmit its culture to its employees?

Choose 1 answer

By analyzing employee gripes and complaints

By using material symbols and specific language

By requiring employees to memorize the mission statement

By influencing the balance of employees' cultural backgrounds

New cards
31

When cultural incompatibility deters making acquisitions or mergers

When is organizational culture considered dysfunctional?

Choose 1 answer

When strong organizational cultures prohibit prejudice

When core values are in agreement throughout the organization

When different employee groups communicate common problems

When cultural incompatibility deters making acquisitions or mergers

New cards
32

The company has low employee turnover.

What is an advantage of a strong organizational culture?

Choose 1 answer

Employee behavior is rarely affected.

There is a lack of behavioral consistency.

The company has low employee turnover.

Organizational purpose results in limited cohesiveness.

New cards
33

Articulate an appealing vision.

How might a charismatic leader work to increase performance in an organization?

Choose 1 answer

Articulate an appealing vision.

Demonstrate Type A behavior.

Avoid unconventional behavior.

Issue a memo calling for increased effort.

New cards
34

Leader-member exchange theory

Which contingency theory of leadership proposes that early in the interaction between a leader and a given follower the leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an "in" or an "out"?

Choose 1 answer

Path-goal theory

Leader-participation model

Situational leadership theory

Leader-member exchange theory

New cards
35

Provides vision and sense of mission and gains trust

What is a characteristic employed by transformational leaders?

Choose 1 answer

Contracts exchange of rewards for effort

Provides vision and sense of mission and gains trust

Practices management by exception

Intervenes only if performance standards are not met

New cards
36

Counseling and sponsorship

Which approach might be used to mentor a less-experienced employee?

Choose 1 answer

Coaching and threatening

Refereeing and counseling

Counseling and sponsorship

Threatening and sponsorship

New cards
37

Superordinate goals and altering the structural variables

Which conflict-resolution techniques might a manager use to control the level of conflict that has become dysfunctional?

Choose 1 answer

Roughing and compromise

Authoritative command and roughing

Expansion of resources and confrontation

Superordinate goals and altering the structural variables

New cards
38

With defensive behaviors

Recognize how workplace politics influence behavior within an organization.

How do employees often respond when feeling threatened by organizational politics?

Choose 1 answer

With defensive behaviors

With proactive behaviors

With high performance pressures

With organizational investment

New cards
39

To provide feedback and determine reward allocations

What is a purpose of employee performance evaluations?

Choose 1 answer

To provide feedback and determine reward allocations

To determine who is best tuned to organizational politics

To serve as a screening device for selecting new employees

To measure the physiological symptoms of organizational dysfunctionality

New cards
40

Supervisors must have confidence that the effort they exert will lead to a favorable employee performance.

What is true about the relationship between performance evaluation and motivation?

Choose 1 answer

The relationship is a function of the degree of indirect empowerment of the supervisor.

The relationship is negative because performance appraisals have no impact on employee behavior.

The relationship is acceptable but performance evaluations have little potential for impacting motivation.

Supervisors must have confidence that the effort they exert will lead to a favorable employee performance.

New cards
41

When both internal and external customer feedback is helpful

In which circumstances would the use of 360-degree performance evaluations apply?

Choose 1 answer

When only internal customer feedback is helpful

When only external customer feedback is helpful

When both internal and external customer feedback is helpful

When feedback from supervisors is helpful but customer feedback is not helpful

New cards
42

Team results being tied to important goals

A company has restructured around teams but performance has not met expectations.

What should be the main evaluation criterion in an appropriate performance evaluation for supporting and improving the performance of teams?

Choose 1 answer

Team activities

Team cooperativeness

Team members' attitudes

Team results being tied to important goals

New cards
robot