Deck 15: Organizational Culture

Question 1

Employees are socialized into organizations through observation alone.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Symbolic stories effectively transmit the complex concepts of an organization's culture.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Innovation involves targeted aspects of the organization.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Research into the process of socialization indicates that socialization programs change new employees' values,

Question 5

Most managers are not in a position to create an organizational culture.

Question 6

Myths may be part of an organization's culture.

Question 7

Managers interested in changing cultures should attempt to substitute stories and myths that support old cultural values with stories and myths that support new ones.

Question 8

The values that make up an organization's culture are often taken for granted.

Question 9

A company intranet that is rarely updated can still have a strong effect on company culture as long as its content is good.

Question 10

Not all firms have cultural values that are consistent with high performance.

Question 11

An organization's culture can vary across divisions and even across managers.

Question 12

Due to the difficulty of changing organizational culture, no major company has ever managed to change its culture.

Question 13

A major obstacle to changing an organization's culture is that upper-level managers may sometimes inadvertently revert to old patterns of behavior.

Question 14

A major obstacle to changing an organization's culture is that even if the culture is successfully changed, it's likely to change back shortly after.

Question 15

When an organization's enacted values contradict its espoused values, new employees adopt the espoused values.

Question 16

Entrepreneurial types of activitiesare typically welcome within large organizations.

Question 17

Intranets that contain "like it or not?" feedback tools and features that allow employees to contribute reflect a participative culture that values employee contributions.

Question 18

Strong organizational cultures are always better than weak organizational cultures.

Question 19

Innovation and organization culture are not generally related.

Question 20

The statement "the customer is always right" is an example of a cultural value.

Question 21

If a company's top managers engage in illegal or unethical behavior, these are the enacted values and norms of the firm.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a common theme of organizational culture?

A) being casual or formal
B) innovation
C) ethics
D) collaboration
E) All of these are common themes of organizational culture.

Question 23

Assumptions are highly resistant to change.

Question 24

Culture resists change for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) it is typically communicated through stories and symbols.
B) it embodies the basic values in the firm.
C) it changes so frequently that employees begin to resist further change.
D) it is often taken for granted.
E) it involves changing basic assumptions.

Question 25

Organizational culture helps people in an organization understand

A) which actions are considered acceptable and which are considered unacceptable.
B) why their firm is outperforming the competition.
C) how to improve their relations with customers.
D) when to best socialize new employees.
E) which types of problems are likely to arise in their company.

Question 26

Strong cultures are always better than weak cultures.

Question 27

Organizational culture is independent of organizational performance.

Question 28

All of the following are mechanisms that can affect the socialization of workers EXCEPT

A) reading corporate statements about organization culture.
B) observing experienced employees.
C) reading corporate pamphlets.
D) attending formal training.
E) All of these are mechanisms.

Question 29

A(n) _________ is aphysical manifestation of an organization's culture.

A) enacted value
B) espoused value
C) artifact
D) assumption
E) formal practice

Question 30

All of the following statements are true about socialization EXCEPT

A) it is usually something that can be accomplished in a day-long new employee orientation program.
B) it occurs in organizations in much the same way as it occurs in society.
C) it is the process through which individuals learn acceptable behavior.
D) socialization programs do not necessarily change employees' values.
E) employees who are socialized into an organization usually accept the actual cultural values rather than the formal values of the organization.

Question 31

A dominating conflict culture is passive and disagreeable.

Question 32

Incremental innovations

A) are rarely necessary for radical or systems innovations.
B) are major breakthroughs that change or create industries.
C) occur much less frequently than radical and systems innovations.
D) force organizations to continuously improve their products.
E) create new functionality by assembling parts in new ways.

Question 33

An organization's culturetakes a _________ time to evolve, and it takes a _________ time to change it.

A) short, long
B) long, short
C) short, short
D) long, long
E) moderate, moderate

Question 34

Organization culture can be managed by

A) sticking to the knitting.
B) conducting in-depth research and evaluation.
C) allowing autonomy and entrepreneurship.
D) taking advantage of the culture that is already there.
E) staying close to the customer.

Question 35

According to Fortune magazine, the most admired organizations are those that are the most ____.

A) profitable.
B) successful.
C) innovative.
D) functional.
E) improved.

Question 36

The values that make up organization culture are often ____.

A) discussed among employees.
B) popularized in the company.
C) taken for granted.
D) used a strategic planning tool.
E) celebrated on a monthly basis.

Question 37

All of the following statements are true about innovation EXCEPT

A) there are many risks associated with being an innovative company.
B) innovation is the process of creating and doing new things that are introduced into the marketplace.
C) one of the biggest challenges is using innovative technology in a cost-effective manner.
D) true organizational innovation is pervasive throughout the organization.
E) only small organizations can truly be innovative.

Question 38

_________ is a system of shared norms and assumptions that guides organization members' attitudes and behaviors.

A) An enacted value
B) An espoused value
C) An artifact
D) Organizational culture
E) Diversity

Question 39

Intrapreneurship

A) is most effective as a rare event in the organization.
B) is most effective when it occurs in the research and development department alone.
C) occurs both inside and outside the organization.
D) gives new organizations an edge over existing organizations.
E) is entrepreneurial activity that takes place within the organization.

Question 40

Ben wants to take advantage of the existing culture of his organization.To do this, Ben must first

A) achieve productivity through people.
B) empower his employees.
C) be fully aware of the culture's values.
D) practice hands-on management.
E) implement cultural innovations.

Question 41

In a ______________ culture, employee values and behaviors are consistent with the organization's values, and the culture is receptive to change.

A) strong negative
B) strong positive
C) weak negative
D) weak positive
E) moderate neutral

Question 42

_________ are thoseorganizational values that have become so taken for granted over time that they become the core of the company's culture.

A) Enacted values
B) Espoused values
C) Artifacts
D) Assumptions
E) Formal practices

Question 43

_________ conflict management norms resolve conflict in a competitive manner.

A) Active
B) Passive
C) Agreeable
D) Disagreeable
E) Strategic

Question 44

The strength or weakness of a culture reflects the degree to which the culture

A) produces year-over-year bottom line growth.
B) is consistent with the organization's business strategy.
C) is consistent with employee behaviors and values.
D) promotes ethical behavior.
E) resists change.

Question 45

Rather than dealing openly with conflict, a(n) _________ conflict culture resists conflict with tactics such as withholding information or withdrawing from contact with coworkers.

A) dominating
B) collaborative
C) strategic
D) avoidant
E) passive-aggressive

Question 46

_________ values and norms are the preferred values and norms explicitly stated by the organization.

A) Enacted
B) Espoused
C) Artifact
D) Assumed
E) Formal

Question 47

In a ______________ culture, the reaction to the arrival of the plant manager is: "Heads up! The plant manager is coming onto the production floor: look busy!"

A) strong negative
B) strong positive
C) weak negative
D) weak positive
E) moderate neutral

Question 48

An organization's culture of _________ reflects the extent to which majority members value efforts to increase minority representation, and whether the qualifications and abilities of minority members are questioned.

A) diversity
B) strategy
C) conflict
D) inclusion
E) multiculturalism

Question 49

In a(n) _________ conflict culture, employees actively manage and resolve conflicts cooperatively to find the best solution for all involved parties.

A) dominating
B) collaborative
C) strategic
D) avoidant
E) passive-aggressive

Question 50

An organization's assumptions are _________ and_________ resistant to change.

A) written down, moderately
B) explicit, not
C) explicit, highly
D) implicit, not
E) implicit, highly

Question 51

In a ______________ culture, employee values and behaviors are consistent with the organization's values, and the culture is resistant to change.

A) strong negative
B) strong positive
C) weak negative
D) weak positive
E) moderate neutral

Question 52

Origin stories, ceremonies, rituals, and dress codes are all examples of

A) enacted values.
B) espoused values.
C) artifacts.
D) assumptions.
E) formal practices.

Question 53

If a business strategy and corporate culture are pulling in two different directions, the _________ will win _________.

A) strategy, unless the culture is really strong
B) strategy, no matter how strong the culture is
C) culture, unless the strategy is extremely good
D) culture, no matter how good the strategy is
E) none of these

Question 54

A(n) _________ conflict culture strives to preserve order and control and/or to maintain harmony and interpersonal relationships.

A) dominating
B) collaborative
C) strategic
D) avoidant
E) passive-aggressive

Question 55

_________ values and norms are the values and norms that employees exhibit based on their observations of what actually goes on in the organization.

A) Enacted
B) Espoused
C) Artifact
D) Assumed
E) Formal

Question 56

_________ conflict management norms resolve conflict in a cooperative manner.

A) Active
B) Passive
C) Agreeable
D) Disagreeable
E) Strategic

Question 57

_________ conflict management norms tend to avoid addressing conflict.

A) Active
B) Passive
C) Agreeable
D) Disagreeable
E) Strategic

Question 58

In a(n) _________ conflict culture, open confrontations are accepted, as are heated arguments and threats.

A) dominating
B) collaborative
C) strategic
D) avoidant
E) passive-aggressive

Question 59

_________ conflict management norms resolve conflict openly.

A) Active
B) Passive
C) Agreeable
D) Disagreeable
E) Strategic

Question 60

A conflict culture is a

A) culture that is characterized by a lot of disagreement.
B) set of shared norms for managing conflict.
C) culture that attempts to avoid conflict as much as possible.
D) set of shared norms for avoiding conflict.
E) culture that is internally inconsistent.

Question 61

In complex societies, the socialization process takes many

A) days.
B) weeks.
C) months.
D) years.
E) centuries.

Question 62

A(n) _________ innovation creates a new functionality by assembling existing parts in new ways.

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 63

Which type of innovation is the most common?

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 64

_________ is the process of creating and doing new things that are introduced into the marketplace as products, processes, or services.

A) Organizational culture
B) Intrapreneurship
C) Entrepreneurship
D) Innovation
E) Strategy

Question 65

Because workgroups develop their own subcultures, _________ can be used to build a common cultural foundation.

A) mass emails
B) instant messaging programs
C) bulletin boards
D) intranets
E) IRC channels

Question 66

When the culture they observe contradicts the culture formally espoused in corporate pamphlets, new employees come to accept

A) a mixture of the two.
B) the pamphlets, unless they prefer the observed culture.
C) the pamphlets, unless they're really badly written.
D) the actual cultural values rather than those formally espoused.
E) the actual cultural values rather than those formally espoused, unless the pamphlets are particularly convincing.

Question 67

Which type of innovation do other innovations often rely on?

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 68

Which type of innovation is the least common?

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 69

What is the most important mechanism of organizational socialization?

A) formal training
B) observing the behavior of others
C) corporate pamphlets
D) corporate statements
E) none of these

Question 70

_________is the process through which children learn to become adults in a society.

A) Entrepreneurship
B) Intrapreneurship
C) Innovation
D) Organizational socialization
E) Socialization

Question 71

What should a top manager who works in a company with performance-reducing values do?

A) try to change the culture
B) try to fire as many people as possible
C) use restructuring to put all of the bad people in the same division
D) use restructuring to dilute all of the bad people throughout the organization
E) try to sell off the company to a competitor

Question 72

The most common means of developing innovation in the traditional organization is through

A) entrepreneurship
B) intrapreneurship
C) radical innovation
D) corporate research
E) a chief innovation officer

Question 73

The internet was an example of which kind of innovation?

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 74

A(n) _________ innovation is a major breakthrough that changes or creates whole industries.

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 75

_________ is the process through which employees learn about their organization's culture.

A) Socialization
B) Organizational socialization
C) Innovation
D) Entrepreneurship
E) Intrapreneurship

Question 76

When the gasoline engine was combined with bicycle and carriage technology to create automobiles, that was an example of which kind of innovation?

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 77

A(n) _________ innovation continues the technical improvement and extends the applications of other innovations.

A) strategic
B) radical
C) systems
D) incremental
E) cultural

Question 78

The profile of an entrepreneur typically includes each of the following EXCEPT

A) a focus on concrete results
B) a willingness to take risks
C) an appreciation for the status quo
D) a desire to assume responsibility
E) a need for achievement

Question 79

Intranets with a narrow scope can reinforce a culture of

A) wisdom and humility.
B) laziness and cheapness.
C) focus and operational excellence.
D) economy and efficiency.
E) secrecy and information hoarding.

Question 80

The positivity or negativity of a culture reflects the degree to which the culture

A) produces year-over-year bottom line growth.
B) is consistent with the organization's business strategy.
C) is consistent with employee behaviors and values.
D) promotes ethical behavior.
E) resists change.