Deck 7: Power Politics and Leadership

Question 1

When a boss practices favoritism or cronyism, organizational politics tends to decrease.

Answer 1

False
When a boss practices favoritism or cronyism, organizational politics tends to increase. See "Exercising Control over Dysfunctional Politics."

Question 2

Establishing alliances with powerful people is a basic tactic of organizational politics.

Answer 2

True
Establishing alliances with powerful people is a basic tactic of organizational politics. See "Political Tactics and Strategies."

Question 3

The best example of personal power would be power stemming from the:

A) relevant expertise a person brings to the job.
B) ownership stake a person has in the firm.
C) rewards a manager can administer.
D) closeness to a key executive.

Answer 3

A
Expert power is the ability to influence others through specialized knowledge, skills, or abilities. Hence, it is a form of personal power. See "Sources and Types of Power."

Question 4

The major outcomes of the perception of politics are less commitment to the organization and a stronger intention to quit the company.

Question 5

Hiring people with high integrity tends to increase politics in the office because people with integrity tend to be very ambitious.

Question 6

When a state of goal congruence exists, workers are more likely to play organizational politics.

Question 7

Self-leadership occurs when the group members choose their own leader.

Question 8

An analysis of organizational politics reveals that political skill combines social awareness with the ability to communicate well.

Question 9

Rating a high performer as mediocre in order to prevent his or her transfer out of ones department is an example of playing territorial games.

Question 10

A pyramid-shaped organization fosters organizational politics because people feel compelled to compete for a limited number of powerful positions.

Question 11

Working on problems critical to the company's success helps provide a person with power.

Question 12

A variation of the embrace-or-demolish political technique is to terminate people who disagree with the management on major issues.

Question 13

An important component of full-fledged empowerment is that the manager decides which method the group members should use to accomplish their tasks.

Question 14

Empowerment is a broader concept than delegation because delegation is focused on a specific task.

Question 15

Managers who share their power with their group members would actually experience an increase in their own power.

Question 16

_____ power stems from a leader's authority to respond to the consequences of people's actions.

A) Information
B) Prestige
C) Expert
D) Reward

Question 17

Which of the following actions or events would bring a person legitimate power?

A) Obtaining an M.B.A.
B) Being appointed a corporate officer
C) Being well-liked by an honest executive
D) Developing charisma

Question 18

_____ power is a type of personal power.

A) Legitimate
B) Referent
C) Reward
D) Coercive

Question 19

Being tactless toward influential people has become a career booster because many managers invite honest feedback.

Question 20

A manager is being politically correct when he refers to a 70-year-old employee as "our most experienced worker," rather than "our oldest worker."

Question 21

A consequence of the resource dependence perspective is that when leaders start losing their ability to control resources, they:

A) shift to another source of power.
B) become dependent on the organization.
C) compensate by receiving additional position power.
D) lose power.

Question 22

A recommended way of reducing disruptive politics within the work group is to:

A) tightly control information on how rewards will be allocated.
B) prefer to work with the least political group members.
C) threaten to stab in the back those who play politics excessively.
D) avoid favoritism.

Question 23

Anika Bananga, a CEO, is a black woman raised in Africa. While introducing Bananga to work associates, it would be most politically correct to say, "I would like you to meet Anika Bananga, our _____."

A) beautiful lady CEO
B) CEO
C) CEO and first black person in this position
D) African-American CEO

Question 24

Which of the following factors is least likely to contribute to the political behavior in the workplace?

A) Environmental uncertainty and turbulence
B) Emotional insecurity of workers
C) A pyramid-shaped organization structure
D) Rejecting unwarranted compliments from subordinates

Question 25

A study of empowerment in a firm with operations in the United States, Mexico, Poland, and India found that empowerment was negatively associated with job satisfaction among the workers in:

A) India.
B) Mexico.
C) Poland.
D) the United States.

Question 26

A major political blunder is to:

A) be tactless toward influential people.
B) agree with everything the boss says in a public forum.
C) participate in dress-down days.
D) accept the first offer from top management.

Question 27

Which of the following is recommended as an effective empowering practice?

A) Providing ample information to workers
B) Allowing group members to establish their own limits to empowerment
C) Choosing work methods for group members
D) Separating work activities from organizational goals

Question 28

Which one of the following should be considered the least effective contributor to empowerment?

A) Starting with small changes and then building on the early success
B) Providing a positive emotional atmosphere
C) Encouraging employees to set their own limits to empowerment
D) Making rewards visible

Question 29

The higher a unit reports in a firm's hierarchy, the:

A) less dependent it is on organizational resources.
B) more likely it will be the first to go during downsizing.
C) more power it acquires.
D) less likely it is to accrue opportunity power.

Question 30

A recommended strategy for minimizing office politics is to:

A) set a good example at the top.
B) reward people for snitching on office politicians.
C) keep tighter control of information.
D) increase the competition for jobs.

Question 31

Middle manager Barney practices favoritism when he recommends for promotion:

A) a worker chosen at random.
B) a golfing buddy who is a poor performer.
C) a worker suggested by his boss.
D) the best performer in the department.

Question 32

Gus has been empowered by his manager to develop a new workflow design for the office. After completing the task successfully, Gus believes that he has the ability to perform another important task. The characteristic of empowerment just described is:

A) self-determination.
B) internal commitment.
C) meaning.
D) self-efficacy.

Question 33

Sending thank-you notes to large numbers of people is regarded as a:

A) basic, but effective, political technique.
B) way to make a quick showing.
C) method of keeping others informed.
D) method of controlling lines of communication.

Question 34

After creating a false catastrophe, a particularly devious political player:

A) apologizes and admits his or her falsehood.
B) claims to have resolved the problem.
C) openly laughs at management for believing the story.
D) asks another department to solve the problem.

Question 35

Two components of empowerment revealed by research are:

A) competence and self-determination.
B) command and control.
C) consideration and initiating structure.
D) risk taking and error correction.

Question 36

Roxanne, a manager, applies the dependence perspective toward power when she:

A) emphasizes empowering staff members.
B) proves to higher management that she is dependable.
C) acts dependent and weak in meetings.
D) makes her staff members dependent on her to pursue their ideas.

Question 37

Margaret has Machiavellian tendencies, so she is likely to:

A) reach out to less fortunate people.
B) rebel against macho men in the workplace.
C) manipulate other people for her personal gain.
D) avoid political tactics.

Question 38

Wanda, a team leader, is managing the critical role of selling company assets to raise cash and has, therefore, gained prominence. Which of the following is the explanation for the source of power Wanda is exercising?

A) Strategic contingency theory
B) Prestige power
C) Power stemming from being close to power
D) Power stemming from ownership

Question 39

A leader acquires prestige power through:

A) association with successful people.
B) making the right contacts.
C) developing an outside reputation.
D) skillful use of organizational politics.

Question 40

According to the dependence perspective, Alex has power over Ziggy when:

A) Alex and Ziggy work collaboratively.
B) Alex is dependent on Ziggy.
C) Ziggy is dependent on Alex.
D) Alex and Ziggy work independently of each other.

Question 41

When a floor manager empowers this team members, his power:

A) multiplies in direct proportion to the number of people receiving a power share.
B) increases.
C) remains approximately the same.
D) decreases.

Question 42

According to a consultant cited in the leadership text, after the group is empowered, the leader:

A) functions like a member of the group.
B) should still provide guidance.
C) gets involved mostly to provide discipline.
D) basically stays behind the scenes.

Question 43

Which of the following refers to a group's shared perception of its ability to successfully perform challenges and tasks?

A) Perceptual challenges
B) Skill capacity
C) Growth in competencies
D) Team potency

Question 44

In an research and development firm, the _____ has the most legitimate power.

A) lab manager
B) senior research analyst
C) head of research and developement
D) summer associate

Question 45

_____ is a political strategy that places subordinates in intense competition for resources and eventually leads them into a fight.

A) Playing territorial games
B) Resolving a false catastrophe
C) Divide and rule
D) Embrace or demolish

Question 46

Empowerment is most likely to create disharmony and dysfunction when workers _____.

A) accrue power and their subordinates are dependent on them
B) lack a clear perception of the boundaries of empowerment
C) possess the ability to influence others through specialized knowledge, skills, or abilities
D) are excessively dependent on their boss

Question 47

Which of the following examples represents a manager whose actions encourages organizational politics?

A) A manager who has led his firm to profits over the last year
B) A manager who relies on objective standards for judging performance
C) A manager who frowns everytime he receives criticism
D) A manager who creates a stable and predictable work environment

Question 48

Keith often resorts to excessive flattery to obtain favorable treatment from his boss. Which of the following is the factor motivating Keith toward such behavior?

A) Making a quick showing
B) Machiavellian tendencies
C) Emotional insecurity
D) Controlling vital information

Question 49

_____ refers to an individual's sense of having a choice in initiating and regulating actions.

A) Self-interest
B) Self-determination
C) Self-esteem
D) Self-efficacy

Question 50

Greta, the operations manager of a chain of retail stores, visits one of the stores for a meet and greet with the employees of that store. She notices that some employees appear stressed, while others frequently compliment the store manager. Some employees report that they do not feel like they have a voice in the administrative or operating outcomes on their job. What should Greta do in order to avoid negative consequences of political behavior? How can she make the employees feel that the employees can also participate in management?

Question 51

Why is political skill considered to be a constructive force?

A) It facilitates gaining power especially if practiced in the extreme.
B) It encourages employees to adopt a strategy of being blatantly tactless toward influential people.
C) It manifests itself in being socially astute and engaging in behaviors that lead to feelings of confidence and trust.
D) It requires that one pretend to be nice but all the while plan someone's demise.

Question 52

Ramos, a CEO, was recently made President and CEO of the company. Which of the following is a consequence of Ramos occupyingthis dual role?

A) The dependence theory dictates that his power will decrease
B) His personal power is weakened
C) The strategic contingency theory predicts that his moral identity will rise
D) His legitimate power is strengthened

Question 53

_____ refers to the idea that all organizational members are capable of leading themselves at least to some extent.

A) Leadership commitment
B) Internal commitment
C) Self-leadership
D) Organizational capability

Question 54

Jeff has been appointed as the new CEO of a banking company. Jeff is considered to be a "hands-off" leader, who encourages empowerment at all levels. He is also considered an expert in banking. However, the company is recovering from a prolonged period of losses during the economic downturn. The organization has also become more political. At this juncture, what are the leadership practices Jeff should focus on and implement?

Question 55

Which of the following is true of delegation?

A) It makes effective leadership more difficult than empowerment.
B) It involves less checking on subordinates than empowerment.
C) It is more motivational than empowerment.
D) It is a narrower concept than empowerment.

Question 56

According to the Law of Reciprocity (as it relates to organizational politics),:

A) hard work pays off in the long run.
B) everybody expects to be paid back.
C) workers who are wronged seek revenge.
D) leaders get even with disloyal group members.

Question 57

Taylor works as a supervisor in an information technology firm. In his quest for more power, he often resorts to manipulating others for his own personal advantage. Discuss the tendency that could have possibly contributed to this type of organizational politics. What should Taylor do if he wants to repair the relationships he has damaged and earn the trust and respect of his co-workers and team members?

Question 58

In which of the following cases demonstrates the gaining of power according to the dependence perspective?

A) Laverne rewards her team members with cash bonuses over Christmas.
B) Ted runs his own advertisement agency.
C) Raj is promoted to a vSenior Vice President in his firm.
D) Bill seeks Claras inputs and advice to improve his performance.

Question 59

_____ authorizes people at the highest levels in an organization to make a decision and expect compliance.

A) Referent power
B) Legitimate power
C) Prestige power
D) Expert power

Question 60

A rationale for empowerment is that the most successful organizations:

A) have highly knowledgeable managers in most positions.
B) invest heavily in research and development.
C) have highly knowledgeable leaders in most positions.
D) effectively use the talents of all players on the team.