Deck 13: Conflict, Power, and Politics

Question 1

Which statement best describes what is known about horizontal power?

A) It is reflected on the organizational flow chart.
B) The sales department invariably carries a higher power rating than other departments.
C) Its relationships change as strategic contingencies change.
D) The concept of vertical linkages explains relative power.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What term is used for being located in a part of the organization giving one access to information and people who are critical to the company's success?

A) decision premises
B) strategic contingencies
C) network centrality
D) power sources

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which statement best describes how formal authority compares to power?

A) Formal authority is more narrow in scope.
B) Formal authority is the umbrella term that includes all power.
C) Formal authority is the same as power.
D) Formal authority is more dependent on personality.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Where does legitimate power come from?

A) the positions in the organization
B) skill and knowledge
C) personal characteristics
D) resources controlled by managers

Question 5

Applying what you know about sources of conflict, which of the following might you conclude would happen as task interdependence moves from pooled interdependence to reciprocal interdependence?

A) Conflict would decrease and competition would increase.
B) The potential for cooperation would increase.
C) The potential for conflict would increase.
D) Greater goal incompatibility would arise.

Question 6

Which term is defined as the behaviour that occurs among organizational groups when participants identify with one group and perceive that other groups may block their group's goal achievement or expectations?

A) goal incompatibility
B) intergroup conflict
C) political conflict
D) strategic contingencies

Question 7

What is dependency power derived from?

A) being dependent on others for something
B) having something someone else wants
C) becoming paternalistic in your management style
D) immature subordinates

Question 8

Which type of power do managers enjoy because of their right to promote subordinates?

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

Question 9

Which organization model can managers use when goals are in alignment, there is little differentiation, departments are characterized by pooled interdependence, and resources seem abundant?

A) a political model
B) an open systems model
C) an authoritarian model
D) a rational model

Question 10

Which of the following denotes the ability of one person/department to influence other persons/departments to carry out orders or do something they would not otherwise have done?

A) cooperation
B) authority
C) power
D) personal position

Question 11

Which of the following attributes, that often generate intergroup conflict, relates to organizational departments with different outcome expectations?

A) differentiation
B) task interdependence
C) goal incompatibility
D) personality

Question 12

Which of the following best describes how network centrality relates to lower-level employees?

A) It is out of reach because they cannot have access to critical information.
B) It can be gained by becoming knowledgeable about certain activities or taking on difficult tasks and acquiring specialized knowledge.
C) It makes no difference, because they cannot increase power.
D) It takes on different meaning than it does for top managers; it means nothing more than being physically located next to those with power.

Question 13

What does the term strategic contingencies refer to?

A) events and activities essential for attaining organizational goals
B) environmental factors that have an indirect influence on goal attainment
C) alternative strategic plans to cope with possible environmental changes
D) competitors that may damage corporate standing

Question 14

Which of the following is a vertical source of power?

A) control of limited resources
B) network centrality
C) formal authority
D) manipulation

Question 15

Which of the following is probably the greatest cause of intergroup conflict in organizations?

A) goal incompatibility
B) differentiation
C) task interdependence
D) limited resources

Question 16

Which statement best distinguishes power from authority?

A) Power is vested in people.
B) Power can be exercised upward, downward, and horizontally.
C) Power flows down the vertical hierarchy.
D) Power is more narrow in scope than authority.

Question 17

What will happen if managers decide to control decision premises?

A) They will tell subordinates the expected decision in advance.
B) They will restrict the budget allocated to decision making.
C) They will force subordinates to spend more time on decision making.
D) They will place constraints on decisions made by lower-ranking persons.

Question 18

Which of the following is difficult to measure because power differences are NOT defined on the organizational chart?

A) a strategic contingency
B) horizontal power
C) dependency
D) a decision premise

Question 19

Putting together what you know about the sources of potential conflict and about interdependence, which of the following attributes will create the greatest potential for conflict?

A) pooled interdependence
B) functional interdependence
C) reciprocal interdependence
D) technology interdependence

Question 20

Why do people have authority in an organization?

A) because of the positions they hold
B) because of skill and knowledge they possess
C) because of personal characteristics
D) because of resources they control

Question 21

Which of the following best describes collective bargaining?

A) It cannot be used to describe today's union-management relations, but does apply to general vertical conflict.
B) It is one type of negotiation used to resolve disagreements between workers and management through a union, and establishes fixed responsibilities for the next two to three years.
C) It is considered an integration device that results in contracts establishing flexible responsibilities for the next ten to fifteen years.
D) It is considered on of the more innovative cooperative approaches.

Question 22

Which of the following is a tactic to increase power?

A) reducing dependencies
B) satisfying strategic contingencies
C) creating integrating devices
D) increasing department size

Question 23

Which of the following is a mechanism for arriving at consensus when uncertainty is high and there is disagreement over goals or problem priorities?

A) power
B) authority
C) politics
D) decision premise

Question 24

Legitimate power is the authority to punish or recommend punishment, whereas expert power derives from a person's greater skill or knowledge about the tasks being performed.

Question 25

Limited resources refer to the dependence of one unit on another for materials, resources, or information.

Question 26

Harold Ballard used his coercive power to control the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Question 27

Intergroup conflict requires three ingredients: group identification, observable group differences, and commitment.

Question 28

Which of the following is one measure of the extent to which the work of the department affects the final output of the organization?

A) dependency
B) financial resources
C) nonsubstitutability
D) centrality

Question 29

Differentiation refers to the dependence of one unit on another for materials, resources, or information.

Question 30

The following statement is a correct usage of the terms power and authority. "Some secretaries are likely to have a great deal of power in the organization even though they have little authority."

Question 31

Intergroup conflict can occur horizontally across departments, vertically between different levels, and between divisions or business units within the organization.

Question 32

Which of the following best describes the win-win strategy of negotiation?

A) It avoids confrontation.
B) It finds creative agreements that satisfy both groups.
C) It encourages each group to pursue its own outcomes.
D) It communicates a high commitment to your own position.

Question 33

When is confrontation as a method of reducing conflict likely to be more effective?

A) when all other forms of collaboration have failed
B) when no mutually acceptable outcomes can be envisioned
C) when the conflict is viewed as a win-win situation and the groups avoid threats
D) after a process of negotiation

Question 34

Goal incompatibility can be a kind of "built-in" conflict between departments-especially marketing and manufacturing-that are faithfully attempting to accomplish their own missions.

Question 35

Fred tends to have a lot of power in his organization. He thinks it is because everyone likes him, whereas everyone else thinks it is because he is the only person who can make changes to the organization's software. What is the real basis for Fred's power?

A) coping with uncertainty
B) financial resources
C) dependency
D) nonsubstitutability

Question 36

What was uncovered by surveys of managers regarding what they think about political behaviour?

A) Managers believe political behaviour is not common in organizations.
B) Managers believe political behaviour arises when certain types of decisions need to be made, such as structural change, but is absent from other types, such as handling employee grievances.
C) Most managers have a positive view of politics, and believe that it will more often help than hurt an organization in achieving its goals.
D) Most managers think political behaviour occurs less often at upper rather than lower levels in organizations.

Question 37

A lack of trust within the organization can magnify natural differences and increase the potential for conflict among departments and between top managers.

Question 38

Which of the following is a domain of political activity?

A) management succession
B) expanded networks
C) resource dependence
D) complex change

Question 39

Which of the following is a political tactic for using power?

A) expanding networks
B) scheduling intergroup consultation
C) creating integration devices
D) satisfy strategic contingencies

Question 40

Formal authority is exercised downward along the hierarchy and is the same as vertical power and legitimate power.

Question 41

One of the three primary domains of political activity is structural change.

Question 42

The use of power should always be obvious in order to get tasks accomplished.

Question 43

Strategic contingencies are succession plans that are made within the organization.

Question 44

Horizontal power is NOT defined by the formal hierarchy or the organizational chart.

Question 45

Departments can cope with critical uncertainties by prevention, absorption, and obtaining prior information.

Question 46

The allocation of power to middle managers and staff is dangerous because it hinders those employees from being productive.

Question 47

Nonsubstitutability means that departmental power will be decreased with the loss of control over resources.

Question 48

Describe the conditions under which a rational model of behaviour might work. How does the rational model compare to the political model?

Question 49

During your job interview for a position in purchasing with Ideal Corporation, the interviewer poses the following question for you to answer: If the two departments of marketing and manufacturing have been experiencing considerable conflict, what explanation could you offer?

Question 50

"She who has the gold makes the rules" refers to control of financial resources as a strategic contingency that influences horizontal power among departments.

Question 51

The advantage of intergroup consultation is that individuals become submerged in the values, attitudes, problems, and goals of the other department.

Question 52

The campus printing department was declared in university policy to be the only printer that the departments could use. They could not go off campus to have services provided, even though off-campus printers could do the work at about half the cost of the campus printer. Needless to say, the campus printing department became quite profitable, because it could bill the departments very high fees regardless of its costs. Analyze the power of the campus printing department, utilizing principles from the textbook.

Question 53

Why will the rational choice model not always work? Under what circumstances will it work?

Question 54

In most organizations, are decisions more likely to be made using the rational or political model of organization? Explain and defend your position.

Question 55

A win-win strategy means that both departments adopt a positive attitude and strive to resolve the conflict in a way that will benefit each other.

Question 56

Two of the four tactics suggested in the textbook for increasing management's power are (1) answer every challenge and (2) get those who can help you indebted to you.

Question 57

Why is it that some employees may obtain power disproportionate to the level of their formal position?

Question 58

Political activity is effective only when goals and needs are made explicit so the organization can respond.

Question 59

People at the bottom levels of an organization can never obtain more power than those at higher levels of the organization.

Question 60

Network centrality means that managers have access to information and people who are critical to the company's success, and thereby increase their power base.

Question 61

Describe the steps of a win-win strategy and a win-lose strategy.

Question 62

Explain what is meant by strategic contingencies that influence horizontal power among departments, and provide examples.

Question 63

Do you agree with the manager who made the following statement? "As a proponent of cooperative relationships within the organization, I believe that there is no place for the application of power and politics. They are dirty processes that set conflict in motion." Explain your position.

Question 64

Assume that you are called to mediate a conflict between the players and the management of the National Hockey League. The players wanted different salary caps and were turned down. Now they are about to go out on strike and neither side is talking to the other. What might you do to try to resolve this conflict so that the season is not lost as it was in 2004-05.

Question 65

What political tactics are recommended for using power?

Question 66

Put labour-management teams on a continuum ranging from cooperative to competitive; defend your position. Then put labour-management teams on a continuum ranging from win-win strategy to win-lose strategy; defend your position.

Question 67

Today, e-commerce departments have growing power in many organizations. Explain why, on the basis of the strategic contingencies and power sources that apply to horizontal sources of power.

Question 68

Working in the offices of the provincial legislature was an aspiring young man who provided clerical research services for legislators on a wide range of issues. He always provided easy-to-read summary sheets on current issues at the top of their in-baskets, and always tried to attend every social event so that they would know him personally. When he realized that water safety was a key issue in the province, he became an expert on water safety. Finally it got to the point that whenever legislation came up that dealt with water safety, he provided information that was exclusive because they did not look elsewhere for detail. Analyze this young man's use of power, utilizing principles from the textbook.

Question 69

From reading the chapter on power and politics, what political tactics for increasing power (if any) did you glean that you would be willing to use?

Question 70

Contrast three tactics for enhancing collaboration with three tactics for increasing power.

Question 71

When faced with uncertainty, some departments end up losing power, and others end up gaining power. What makes the difference? What are the actions and techniques of those departments that end up gaining power?

Question 72

Describe when political activity is used.

Question 73

Members of the marketing department have become aware that manufacturing is inflating its expense forms. If marketing decides to report manufacturing to the vice president, it will need to proceed with care. What recommendations would you give to marketing, on the basis of your reading of the chapter on power and politics?

Question 74

What are the similarities and differences between power and politics in organizations?