Deck 13: Power and Politics

Question 1

Charisma is a type of referent power.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Coercive power tends to accompany legitimate power in an organization.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

One reason why power can be so easily abused is because individuals are quick to conform.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Hawthorne studies illustrate how important it is to create checks and balances to help individuals resist the tendency to conform or abuse authority.

Question 5

Coercive power works through fear and forces people to do things they otherwise would not consider.

Question 6

The more that a party is dependent upon you, the less power you have.

Question 7

The CEO of an organization has legitimate power because of his or her role.

Question 8

Meta-analysis suggests that the level of conformity in the United States has been increasing since the 1950s.

Question 9

The Asch experiments showed that a dissenting minority does not have much power.

Question 10

The more vital the resource you control, the greater the level of power you possess.

Question 11

The more substitutes available for a resource, the higher the power level of the person possessing that resource.

Question 12

Power distribution is usually not visible in organizations.

Question 13

The Zimbardo experiment was stopped early because all parties involved became too entrenched in their experimental roles.

Question 14

The greater the scarcity of a resource you control, the more power you possess.

Question 15

Conformity refers to people's tendency to behave consistently with social norms.

Question 16

Michael is the individual in the firm who knows everything about computer issues.When anyone has a problem, they go to Michael.Michael has referent power.

Question 17

Power is the ability to get things done the way you want them to be done.

Question 18

In the Milgram studies, participants were willing to administer harmful levels of voltage to learners when those learners provided incorrect answers.

Question 19

Power has negative consequences but never has positive consequences.

Question 20

Influence is getting others to do what we want them to do.

Question 21

Rational persuasion uses facts, data and logical arguments to influence a target person.

Question 22

When resources such as raises or promotions are limited, employees see the organization as more political.

Question 23

The tone of your voice, rate of speech, and how you deliver your message are relatively unimportant in the impression management area.

Question 24

Upward influence includes appealing to a higher authority or citing a firm's goals as a reason for others to follow your suggestion.

Question 25

Research shows that managers with high referent power tend to use pressure tactics much more frequently than those with low referent power.

Question 26

Research shows that individuals who lived near stairwells in dorms were the most well liked people in those dorms because they were seen most often by everyone who was coming and going.This is an example of the personal appeal influence tactic.

Question 27

Effective politics is about winning at all costs.

Question 28

Individuals high in internal locus of control tend to engage in more political behavior.

Question 29

When college students are told by a speaker seeking their support, "You can make a difference.Do this for future generations," that speaker is using inspirational appeals to convince students to join the cause.

Question 30

The most effective approach to impression management on the job is to build credibility and maintain authenticity.

Question 31

Compliance is when the target of influence not only agrees to your request, but actively supports it.

Question 32

Legitimating tactics are those whose appeal is based upon position power.

Question 33

The most commonly used influence technique is personal appeal.

Question 34

Managers report using personal appeals most frequently with other managers and rational persuasion most frequently with subordinates.

Question 35

Referent power is more effective than formal power bases and is positively related to employees' satisfaction with supervision.

Question 36

Using any form of flattery in an appeal is an example of the exchange influence tactic.

Question 37

Impression management is particularly salient in job interviews and promotional contexts.

Question 38

Impression management has been shown to be related to higher performance ratings by increasing liking and perceived similarity.

Question 39

Almost all managers surveyed suggest workplace politics exist in their organizations and that to be successful individuals must engage in politics.

Question 40

If employees feel their organizations are too driven by politics, they are less committed to the organization and perform worse on the job.

Question 41

Company presidents usually possess at least legitimate, coercive, and referent power.

Question 42

Social network analysis indicating strong ties suggests informational, not emotional support.

Question 43

Boundary spanners are people who are linked to the greatest number of people in the organization.

Question 44

The more democratic the decision making is in a firm, the more the firm will be perceived as political.

Question 45

*Jack Ma believes is finding employees that

A)he can intimidate.
B)know how to play office politics.
C)are smarter than he is.
D)will argue with him and never give in.

Question 46

*Which of these was a key to Jack Ma building Alibaba?

A)He chose to share his story and his vision rather than detailed business plans.
B)He did a lot of networking on social media.
C)He presented a detailed business plan personally.
D)He saw every other competitor as an enemy.

Question 47

Which of the following statements regarding the Asch studies is accurate?

A)Most of the participants in the Asch groups were unaware of the correct answer.
B)A dissenting minority influenced the nature of response given by participants.
C)Conformity with an incorrect answer was attributed to the perception that some members of the group were more intelligent.
D)A dissenting minority response caused the participants to give the correct answer only if that minority also gave the right answer.

Question 48

Which of the following statements regarding the Milgram experiment on conformity to authority is correct?

A)Participants believed they were engaged in an experiment on job design.
B)Over half of the participants refused to shock the learner at very high voltage levels regardless of the encouragement to do so provided by the experimenter.
C)Several learners were treated for depression at the conclusion of the study.
D)The researcher/experimenter's role was very important in obtaining group compliance with the experiment procedures/guidelines.

Question 49

Which of the following statements regarding the Zimbardo study is correct?

A)The experimental guards received training before they were told to keep order.
B)The guards became abusive and aggressive, but the prisoners exhibited little reaction.
C)Study participants refused to adapt to their roles.
D)The Zimbardo study was ended early due to the participant's deep entrenchment of the roles.

Question 50

Strong ties in a social network are especially useful for innovation.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is true regarding the positive and negative consequences of power?

A)Individuals are often quick to question the actions of those in power.
B)Powerful CEOs can align an organization to achieve goals.
C)The adage, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely" is rarely true.
D)Power often leads to corruption and the destruction of companies.

Question 52

In low power distance countries, decisions are often made based upon loyalty rather than some formal review process.

Question 53

People's tendencies to behave consistently with social norms is

A)culture.
B)conformity.
C)power.
D)dependency.

Question 54

Peripheral specialists in a social network are those with special expertise who can be called upon for advice even though they work independently from the group.

Question 55

The ability to influence the behavior of others to get what you want is

A)charisma.
B)power.
C)conformity.
D)pressure.

Question 56

Which of the following statements regarding power distribution research is accurate?

A)Power distribution is visible in organizations.
B)Individuals ranked themselves lower than their coworkers did.
C)In comparing rankings given to managers with regard to their influence, there was general agreement on the top five but no agreement on the bottom five.
D)Research indicates the ability to rank managers by influence is a underutilized practice in most industries and firms.

Question 57

When individuals feel role ambiguity in their jobs, they feel the organization is more political.

Question 58

High power distance countries are those where power is centralized in the hands of a few.

Question 59

The strategic contingencies model suggests

A)the more
B)the more unique your resource, the more power you will have.
C)the more vital the resources you control, the less power you hold.
D)the more dependent an individual is on another, the less power the one being depended on has in the situation.

Question 60

Social network analysis can reveal who can be trusted in an organization, who is important to decision making and even who is innovative.

Question 61

When negotiating a deal on the purchase of a new automobile, Bradley had manufacturing cost data from his neighbor who worked for the car manufacturer.Bradley got himself a good deal on his purchase due to his ___________ power in the negotiation.

A)referent
B)legitimate
C)information
D)coercive

Question 62

The ability to attract others, win their admiration, and hold them spellbound is

A)power.
B)influence.
C)charisma.
D)commitment.

Question 63

Whitt Company made a substantial monetary offer to Bob to leave his design job at Lincoln Industries and come to work at Whitt.The Whitt CEO, on hearing some complaints from members of the Whitt Board of Directors about the size of Bob's pay package, responded, "Bob is one of the few people in the industry who really understands what the customer wants and can design it into the product." Bob has ____________ power.

A)expert
B)legitimate
C)referent
D)legitimate

Question 64

Referent power

A)is the ability to take something away or punish someone for noncompliance.
B)is the ability to influence due to the possession of knowledge or skill.
C)stems from the personal characteristics of the person such as the degree to which we respect and want to be like them.
D)stems from one's organizational role or position.

Question 65

Al Dunlap was recognized as a turnaround artist for firms experiencing financial and performance

A)legitimate
B)likability
C)referent
D)informational

Question 66

According to surveys, the most frequently used influence tactic is

A)personal appeals.
B)rational persuasion.
C)legitimating.
D)pressure.

Question 67

A professor assigns grades due to _________ power.

A)coercive
B)referent
C)reward
D)legitimate

Question 68

Access to specific knowledge or skills is _______________ power.

A)expert
B)information
C)referent
D)reward

Question 69

The ability to grant an increase in pay, a perk, or an attractive job assignment is ___________ power.

A)referent
B)legitimate
C)expert
D)reward

Question 70

Power that comes from knowledge and skill is

A)expert power.
B)referent power.
C)legitimate power.
D)reward power.

Question 71

Which of the following is correct regarding aspects of the strategic contingency model?

A)If the resources you control are vital to the organization, you will be viewed as a threat to the others and will have less job security.
B)If there is a clear substitute that exists, the level of power held is greater.
C)The more
D)The more dependent you are on another, the less power you have.

Question 72

Professor Lamb is a fabulous speaker-funny, topical, and very knowledgeable about his subject.His classes are always filled as soon as they open for scheduling and the waiting list to get into them is long.Students never miss his class and they highly recommend him to their friends.Graduate students want to study with him to learn his techniques.Professor Lamb has ___________ power.

A)coercive
B)legitimate
C)referent
D)reward

Question 73

Mark is the only individual in his organization who speaks Spanish fluently.His firm just purchased a firm located in Mexico.Mark's boss just told him how valuable he is to the firm.This scenario is an example of what factor in the strategic contingency model?

A)scarcity
B)dependent
C)independence
D)substitutability

Question 74

Power that comes from one's organizational role or position is

A)expert power.
B)referent power.
C)legitimate power.
D)information power.

Question 75

The value of the resource is its

A)scarcity.
B)substitutability.
C)importance.
D)dependency.

Question 76

Attempting to get others to do what we want is

A)commitment.
B)power.
C)charisma.
D)influence.

Question 77

Coercive power

A)is the ability to take something away or punish someone for noncompliance.
B)is the ability to influence due to the possession of knowledge or skill.
C)stems from the personal characteristics of the person such as the degree to which we respect and want to be like them.
D)stems from one's organizational role or position.

Question 78

The organizational behavior course has a project as a key requirement in the course.As part of the course's evaluation, students must indicate which group member is the most valuable to the group.The designated individual will receive bonus points.Nick is the only one in his course project group who can create effective PowerPoint presentations.As the group's presentation must feature a visual aid, Nick is very confident he will be chosen as the most valuable group member.Elizabeth just arrived at the group meeting with ideas for depicting colorful poster boards with the same information.The group was very enthusiastic about her novel ideas.This scenario demonstrates the impact ___________ has on the level of power one has.

A)importance
B)dependency
C)scarcity
D)substitutability

Question 79

Managers at a pharmaceutical research and development firm have checkbooks that they carry around with them as they monitor their subordinates.If a manager notes outstanding behavior by a subordinate, they can write the high-level performer a check on the spot.This is an example of the manager's ___________ power.

A)referent
B)reward
C)expert power
D)information

Question 80

*Power can easily corrupt an organization, one reason being

A)no one pays attention.
B)people conform because they fear retaliation.
C)people are inherently evil.
D)it's impossible to remain ethical in a position of leadership.