Deck 4: Understanding and Working Within Organizations

Question 1

More than 90% of nonprofit organizations that currently exist were created after 1950.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Values related to the means for achieving ends, such as self-sufficiency or honesty, are commonly referred to as instrumental values.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

By requirement of its bylaws, the executive director of the American Occupational Therapy Association must be an occupational therapy practitioner.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

An advantage of being a manager in a nonprofit organization is that you can focus on quality and need not worry about your department's contribution to an operating margin (e.g., profit).

Question 5

A view of organizations as different from other types of social groups, as benefiting from specific goals, as highly formalized, and as functioning through the implementation of rules would best be called:

A) An open systems perspective.
B) A natural systems perspective.
C) A logical systems perspective.
D) A rational systems perspective.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a commonly recognized result/outcome of shared values in the workplace?

A) Help turn commonplace, routine work into valued activities
B) Provide direction to establish the mission of the organization for middle managers
C) Create a connection between the mission of the organization and society's values
D) Provide a source of competitive advantage to the organization

Question 7

Which of the following was not identified in Chapter 4 as a level of analysis for understanding organizational culture?

A) Observable culture
B) Shared values
C) Common assumptions
D) Personal values

Question 8

Which of the following is a type of organizational structure in which personnel are organized according to the product that they produce rather than according to the specific function that they complete or according to departments based upon education or training?

A) Service line
B) Dual pyramid
C) Medical model
D) Mirror model

Question 9

In regard to an occupational therapy department manager concerned about his or her department, influencing factors from the legislative arena, the technology arena, and the sociocultural arena are most accurately described as factors from which of the following?

A) The internal environment
B) The organizational environment
C) The external environment
D) The cultural environment

Question 10

Which of the following is true in regard to AOTA and the concepts of associations and bureaucracies?

A) AOTA can be used to refer to both the association of voluntary members and the bureaucracy of paid staff members.
B) AOTA can only be used to refer to the association of voluntary members, as there is no bureaucracy associated with AOTA.
C) AOTA only appropriately refers to a bureaucracy, which includes the volunteer members of AOTA.
D) Neither the concept of association nor bureaucracy accurately relates to AOTA, because it is most accurately a type of organization referred to as a professional society.

Question 11

Which of the following is most accurate in regard to the differences between a nonprofit and a for-profit organization?

A) A nonprofit organization does not need to generate revenue beyond what it requires to cover expenses, whereas a for-profit organization must generate considerably more revenue than is needed to cover expenses.
B) In nonprofit organizations excess revenues are primarily reinvested in the organization, whereas in for-profit organizations excess revenues are distributed to investors as dividends.
C) Although both nonprofit and for-profit organizations are concerned with generating excess revenues, there is no difference in how the organizations must pay taxes on goods purchased.
D) Although both nonprofit and for-profit organizations are concerned with generating excess revenue, only nonprofit organizations bear the extra burden of providing indigent or uncompensated care.

Question 12

A visual representation of the major functions of an organization by department, the relationship of functions or departments, the channels of supervision, the lines of authority and of communication, and positions by job title within departments or units is most accurately called:

A) Service line chart
B) Human resources chart
C) Organizational chart
D) Responsibility chart

Question 13

A shared set of basic assumptions or shared way of doing things that is based upon the underlying values and beliefs of the members of a particular society or of a group might best be called a(n):

A) Organizational vision.
B) Strategic plan.
C) Code of ethics.
D) Organizational culture.

Question 14

Rebecca works part-time for AOTA as an associate in the Practice Department. When she functions in this paid work role, it is appropriate to say she is working within a structure most accurately described as a(n):

A) Association.
B) Bureaucracy.
C) Trade bureau.
D) Professional hierarchy.

Question 15

A type of system that is capable of self-maintenance within a larger context or environment, and in which the influences of internal and external environments are keenly recognized, is best called a(n):

A) Rational systems organization.
B) Natural systems organization.
C) Open systems organization.
D) Market economy systems organization.

Question 16

Two types of values related to the means to achieve the ends, as well as the ends a person wishes to achieve, are commonly referred to as:

A) Instrumental values and terminal values.
B) Personal values and cultural values.
C) Organizational values and societal values.
D) Formative values and summative values.

Question 17

An organizational chart is a management tool that:

A) Shows the location of an organization in a larger system such as a city or county.
B) Visually depicts the lines of authority, organization, and reporting in an organization.
C) Defines the sources of revenue and expenses and how these affect the tax status of an organization.
D) Helps leaders determine the impact of an organization's culture to guide leaders in choosing the most effective leadership styles.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a commonly cited purpose of the organizational structures discussed in this chapter?

A) Structures produce outputs to achieve organizational goals.
B) Structures minimize or regulate the influence of individuals on the organization.
C) Structures are the settings in which power is exercised, decisions are made, and activities are carried out.
D) Structures dictate administrative policies and procedures that guide organizational decision making.

Question 19

A commonly recognized form of organizing in hospital systems where a managerial hierarchy is duplicated for physicians and nonphysicians would best be called:

A) Dual pyramid.
B) Medical-model.
C) Mirror model.
D) Traditional administrative model.

Question 20

The primary characteristic of double-loop (generative) learning would best be described as which of the following?

A) It emphasizes concrete problem-solving and application of solutions in the here and now.
B) It emphasizes continuous experimentation and feedback in an ongoing examination of the very way organizations go about defining and solving problems.
C) It is most applicable for slow-paced environments where there is little change.
D) It focuses on learning from the past and applying that learning to the present.