Deck 11: Supervisory Leadership and the Management of Change

Question 1

According to Robert Greenleaf, a servant-leader leads first and serves second.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Delegation is the process of entrusting duties and related authority to peers.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Members of a work group do not assume leadership roles.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

There are no jobs that a supervisor cannot delegate to someone else.

Question 5

Leadership is based on what the supervisor does, not what the followers think and do.

Question 6

People want leaders who are passionate about their convictions.

Question 7

Factors such as the size of the work group and the type of people involved have no significant impact on the effectiveness of supervisory leadership.

Question 8

When supervisors delegate work they are no longer responsible.

Question 9

A store clerk should have the authority to give a customer's money back within specified limitations.

Question 10

Employees want hope from their leaders, meaning that when leaders believe, they kindle the fire of optimism in followers.

Question 11

Under some circumstances, the amount of authority a delegated employee can have may exceed the amount of authority a supervisor possesses.

Question 12

Waiting until the supervisor is certain failure will not occur is necessary when delegating work assignments.

Question 13

Supervisors who empower others to act strengthen their employees and promote teamwork among them.

Question 14

Contingency-style leadership proposes that no one leadership style is best and that the appropriate style depends upon a multitude of factors in the situation.

Question 15

Delegation gives employees a greater voice in how a job is to be done; the employee is empowered to make decisions.

Question 16

When practicing the process of delegation, one must assign duties and grant authority as well as create responsibility and accountability for completion of those duties.

Question 17

Before delegating work the supervisor needs to provide direction and grant authority.

Question 18

Great leaders are known as great communicators and impeccably credible.

Question 19

Successful supervisors tend to be somewhat more intelligent than the average subordinate.

Question 20

The ability to trust a leader was much more important in the past, when people were not as independent as they are today.

Question 21

The autocratic approach to supervision is the most effective long-run approach for ensuring better work performance.

Question 22

All employees eagerly anticipate and want their supervisors to delegate some responsibilities to them.

Question 23

The acceptance of change is more likely if there is a relationship of confidence and trust between the employees and the supervisor.

Question 24

A supervisor may not delegate work assignments for fear of being replaced by a subordinate.

Question 25

The autocratic style of supervision is associated with a participatory management style.

Question 26

Supervisors who practice participative management do not issue directives.

Question 27

A good supervisor sometimes shows how a job can be done more efficiently, promptly, or courteously.

Question 28

Effective delegation should increase the quantity and improve the quality of work being completed by the responsible employee.

Question 29

Employee resistance to change is based upon the change itself rather than the manner in which the change is introduced.

Question 30

Delegation often results in greater employee motivation, as well as better job performance.

Question 31

A supervisor who uses participative management must never demonstrate authority lest the trust that has been built between him/her and the employees be broken.

Question 32

One of the best tactics for a supervisor when introducing a change is to hide reasons for the change from the employees.

Question 33

Participative management style is similar to the Theory X style of management.

Question 34

Principles of empowerment are more conducive to the general supervisory style.

Question 35

Resistance to change in the workplace is very uncommon because employees pride themselves upon being up to date.

Question 36

Delegation of authority really means that the supervisor should run his/her department by consensus or vote.

Question 37

General supervision and participative management are grounded in Theory Y assumptions.

Question 38

Survival of a company may depend on the abilities of its managers to make fundamental changes.

Question 39

Free-reign supervision is usually the best approach because it allows the subordinates to make the decisions.

Question 40

A directive is the communication approach by which a supervisor tells employees what, how, and why something is to be done.

Question 41

Research has indicated that most people want all of the following from their leaders EXCEPT:

A) Direction.
B) Trust.
C) Dominance.
D) Results.

Question 42

Which of the following supervisory styles is most compatible with Theory Y assumptions?

A) The autocratic management style.
B) The participative management style.
C) The bureaucratic management style.
D) The free-reign management style.

Question 43

Accountability is:

A) The power to influence or command employees.
B) The obligation one has to one's boss and the expectation that employees will accept credit or blame for the results achieved in performing assigned tasks.
C) The process of entrusting duties and related authority to subordinates.
D) The ability to guide and influence the behavior of others.

Question 44

In order to overcome normal employee resistance to change, the supervisor should:

A) Keep the details of the change from employees for as long as possible to avoid upsetting them needlessly.
B) Meet any and all resistance with a firm disciplinary hand.
C) Consult with employees ahead of time and explain to them the reasons and needs for the change.
D) Threaten employees that if they do not change, they will lose their jobs.

Question 45

According to Kouzes and Posner, which of the following is NOT one of the practices of effective leaders?

A) Challenging the process.
B) Knowing one's "place" in the organization.
C) Encouraging the heart.
D) Envisioning the future.

Question 46

Participative management is most closely associated with:

A) Autocratic supervision.
B) Democratic supervision.
C) General supervision.
D) None of the above.

Question 47

Higher-level managers who reject a supervisor's proposal for change usually begin to look unfavorably upon the supervisor.

Question 48

When delegating tasks a supervisor should:

A) Maintain total control.
B) Define limitations.
C) Micro-manage the employee.
D) All of the above.

Question 49

Which of the following is a CORRECT statement regarding leadership?

A) The best leaders are promoted from within.
B) Leadership is something that an individual can develop if he or she has a real desire to do so.
C) Leadership always resides in the person in charge of a group of people.
D) Most effective leaders tend to be far above average intelligence.

Question 50

Probably the most important factor in reducing employee resistance to change is:

A) The relationship between the supervisor who is introducing the change and the employees.
B) Having employees understand corporate culture.
C) Not permitting affected employees to share in decision making about the change.
D) Concealing the underlying reasons that surround the change.

Question 51

Alan delegates virtually all authority and decision making to subordinates and refuses to become involved in workplace decisions unless requested to do so. What style of supervision is Alan following?

A) Bureaucratic style.
B) Autocratic style.
C) General style.
D) Free-reign style.

Question 52

Which of the following statements regarding the assignment of duties is NOT correct?

A) Each employee must be assigned a specific task or job to perform.
B) Routine duties can usually be assigned to almost any employee.
C) Any of a supervisor's duties can be assigned.
D) Much of a supervisor's success will depend on the assignment of job duties.

Question 53

All of the following are reasons that supervisors may be reluctant to delegate tasks to their employees, EXCEPT:

A) A fear of mistakes.
B) The "do it myself" mentality.
C) The feeling that employees might perform the job better than them.
D) Upper management might not like that they are delegating tasks.

Question 54

In practice, supervisors usually blend their leadership approaches, based on a number of considerations including all of the following, EXCEPT:

A) The situation at hand.
B) The employee or employees who are involved.
C) To satisfice.
D) The supervisor's skill and experience.

Question 55

A manager who believes in contingency-style leadership believes:

A) Leadership is only necessary during a crisis.
B) That leadership can be learned in terms of behaviors to do and not do.
C) Leaders need to serve first and lead second.
D) That no one leadership style is best, and that the appropriate style depends upon several factors.

Question 56

If a supervisor believes he/she has a really great idea, he/she should schedule a meeting with top management.

Question 57

It is not always necessary to receive total approval, but a supervisor should at least consult with those who might be impacted by the change.

Question 58

With a participatory style of management, which of the following is TRUE?

A) The supervisor consults with employees before making a decision.
B) Employees can make all the decisions.
C) The supervisor must follow the recommendations provided by others.
D) The supervisor will use Theory X principles.

Question 59

Change affects individuals in different ways.

Question 60

Brynne has always been an advocate of the autocratic approach to management. As such, she has had to make several assumptions about her employees. Which of the following is NOT one of those assumptions?

A) Most employees only work to earn money.
B) Most employees are motivated by a feeling of accomplishment.
C) Most employees will work hard only if they are in fear of losing their job.
D) Most employees are lazy.

Question 61

When making a change, what should the supervisor be sure to do?

Question 62

All of the following are reasons that employees resist change, EXCEPT:

A) Fear of economic loss.
B) Fear of loss of status quo.
C) Fear of loss of security.
D) Fear of being up to date.

Question 63

If an employee believes he/she has a great idea he/she should:

A) Share the idea with family and friends.
B) Share the idea with others who may be impacted by the idea.
C) Share the idea with upper management immediately.
D) All of the above.

Question 64

What are some traits shared by most successful supervisory leaders?

Question 65

Why are supervisors reluctant to delegate responsibility?

Question 66

Dino works in a complex factory environment. As the supervisor of the factory, he takes satisfaction in knowing how to operate every machine in the building with particular expertise. However, he is wearing himself thin by trying to do too many tasks by himself. He knows that he should be delegating many of the things that he currently does himself to his subordinates, yet he is reluctant to do so. Describe why Dino may be reluctant.

Question 67

According to Warren Bennis, what do employees typically want from their leader?

Question 68

Employees are most likely to accept change if the supervisor is:

A) Confident and trustworthy.
B) Demanding.
C) Aggressive.
D) Employees are never accepting of change.

Question 69

Describe what free-reign supervision is.