Deck 3: Three Early Perspectives on Organizations and Communication

Question 1

Weber saw bureaucracy as a necessary reaction to

A) universalism.
B) "red tape."
C) particularism.
D) the human relations approach.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following individuals is said to be responsible for popularizing concepts of hard work, independence, and organizing life through work?

A) Karl Marx
B) Benjamin Franklin
C) Kenneth Burke
D) Albert Einstein

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The problematic features of our theories and narratives are most likely to bring out which of the following concepts?

A) Particularism
B) Dialogue
C) Creativity and constraint
D) Human resources

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the three P's associated with theory most directly encourages individuals to ask questions and enter into dialogue?

A) Partial
B) Postmodern
C) Problematic
D) Practical

Question 5

According to the classical approach to management, which of the following was the primary goal of organizations?

A) Effectiveness
B) Efficiency
C) Loyalty
D) Universalism

Question 6

Which of the following approaches to management values hierarchy?

A) Classical management
B) Human relations
C) Human resources
D) All of the options are correct.

Question 7

Which of the following theorists proposed Theory Y as an alternative to the bureaucratic style of management?

A) Rensis Likert
B) Chester Barnard
C) Mary Parker Follett
D) Douglas McGregor

Question 8

Which of the following approaches to management assumes that people are relatively self-directed and that they will exercise imagination and ingenuity when given the opportunity?

A) Classical management
B) Scientific management
C) Human resources
D) Theory Y management

Question 9

Which of the following is not a feature of Frederick Taylor's system of scientific management?

A) A focus on human relations
B) Carefully developed chains of command
C) Communication limited mainly to instructions and orders
D) Divisions of labor

Question 10

Which of the following theoretical approaches is characterized by a strict division of labor and the power and authority of management?

A) Theory Y management
B) Classical management
C) Critical postmodernism
D) Feminist theory

Question 11

As part of his hierarchy of needs, Maslow claimed that individuals are striving for which of the following concepts?

A) Resistance
B) Human relations
C) Self-actualization
D) Power

Question 12

In the realm of organizational theory, "the story we tell is one we favor." This describes which characteristic of organizational communication theory?

A) Problematic
B) Partiality
C) Practicality
D) Partisanship

Question 13

With which of the following concepts has the human resources approach faced the most difficulty in explaining the pragmatics and methods for implementation?

A) Participation
B) Control
C) Efficiency
D) Feedback

Question 14

The text identifies slave narratives as an example of resistance narratives. These stories were hidden from the slaveholders but motivated individual slaves to persevere. This is an example of which of the following concepts?

A) Hidden transcripts
B) Domination narratives
C) Performative spaces
D) Power plays

Question 15

In general, all theories share which two features?

A) Creative and constraining
B) Individual and organizational
C) Individual and cultural
D) Historical and metaphorical

Question 16

The Hawthorne effect refers to Mayo and Roethlisberger's finding that

A) increased compensation raises productivity.
B) increased attention given to workers raises productivity.
C) better environmental working conditions raise productivity.
D) decreased stress raises productivity.

Question 17

Which of the following events in American history marked the rise of bureaucracy in modern organizations?

A) World War II
B) The Civil War
C) The Industrial Revolution
D) The Revolutionary War

Question 18

Which of the following approaches to management is concerned with the total organizational climate as well as how an organization encourages employee participation and dialogue?

A) Human relations
B) Classical management
C) Bureaucratic
D) Human resources

Question 19

According to the text, the three P's associated with theory include all of the following EXCEPT

A) partisan.
B) partial.
C) problematic.
D) plausible.

Question 20

According to Maslow's hierarchy, which of the following needs still serves as a motivating factor, even if it has been fulfilled?

A) Food
B) Security
C) Self-actualization
D) Esteem

Question 21

Which of the following concepts explains how truth, power, and knowledge get constructed in everyday conversations?

A) Domination narratives
B) Classical approaches to management
C) Hidden transcripts
D) Postmodernism

Question 22

Hidden transcripts is the term that suggests that the stories of the less powerful should stay hidden from the larger story.

Question 23

Which of the following approaches to management supports the idea that an organization is the sum of relationships?

A) Human relations
B) Scientific management
C) Human resources
D) Classical management

Question 24

Bureaucracy argues for a rigid separation of personal life from work life.

Question 25

Women's roles were a key part of Taylor's theory of management.

Question 26

According to Rensis Likert, an exploitative/authoritative leadership style requires a high level of employee participation.

Question 27

Theories have less to do with thinking and more to do with doing.

Question 28

The Industrial Revolution set the stage for the classical approach to management, while World War II set the stage for the human relations approach.

Question 29

The Industrial Revolution marked a key turning point in the development of modern approaches to management.

Question 30

Henry Fayol's approach to management argues that a single employee should be accountable to multiple bosses and multiple plans of action.

Question 31

The human resources approach values employee participation and dialogue.

Question 32

Classical approaches to management suggest that decision making should be centralized. In other words, a few key people who are central to all organizational processes should be responsible for making the majority of decisions.

Question 33

According to Henri Fayol, the five elements of classical management are planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating, and controlling.

Question 34

Which of the following approaches to management recognized a strict division of labor and that some employees were better suited for "thinking" work, while others were better suited for "doing" work?

A) Theory X management
B) Scientific management
C) The human resources approach
D) Theory Y management

Question 35

Which of the following is one of the major critiques of the human resources approach?

A) It tends to over-prioritize efficiency.
B) It often ignores the pragmatics and politics of giving a voice to employees.
C) Most managers do not prefer it.
D) It is not really that distinct from the human relations approach.

Question 36

The Industrial Revolution gave rise to science, which values which two of the following concepts?

A) Effectiveness and efficiency
B) Creativity and constraint
C) Predicting and controlling
D) Organizing and communicating

Question 37

In many organizations, the division of labor can assist people in acknowledging the interdependent nature of their work.

Question 38

Bureaucracy is a key component of the human resources approach.

Question 39

Since there are so many new theories, the classical approach to management does not exist in our organizations today.

Question 40

All theories are historical and metaphorical.

Question 41

The three approaches to management outlined in Chapter 3 all characterize the relationships between superiors (i.e., managers) and subordinates (i.e., employees). Trace out how this relationship is constructed according to each of these three approaches. Provide an example of this relationship for each approach.

Question 42

How have certain historical events provided a context and a need for specific management styles?

Question 43

How does Maslow's hierarchy of needs apply to organizational communication?

Question 44

Describe the Hawthorne effect. Construct an example, different from those in the textbook, that illustrates this phenomenon.

Question 45

Theory X and Theory Y management have provided some useful descriptions of different management styles in modern organizations. Explain the differences between these two approaches, and construct an example of a Theory X manager and a Theory Y manager.

Question 46

Define what the text means by "theory." Give an example of a personal theory that you have developed to guide your actions.

Question 47

Identify the four types, or "systems," that come out of Likert's principle of supportive relationships.

Question 48

Differentiate between the human relations and the human resources approaches. Use examples to illustrate the differences.

Question 49

Explain the foundations of classical management. What are the benefits and drawbacks of this approach?

Question 50

Identify the principles of bureaucracy, and explain its relevance to organizational communication.

Question 51

How did Mary Parker Follett's arguments about organizations influence the development of the human relations approach?

Question 52

The emergence of the classical approach to management gave rise to the need to organize and manage labor. How has the history of managing labor (i.e., people performing work) also been a history of resistance and domination?

Question 53

Describe some of the limitations of the human relations approach.