Deck 18: Organization Culture

Question 1

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.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The first step in creating organizational culture is to

A)reinforce cultural behaviors.
B)formulate strategic values.
C)create a vision of its direction.
D)initiate implementation strategies.
E)develop cultural values.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Organizational sociologists' study of organization culture involves all of the following EXCEPT:

A)questionnaires.
B)systematic interviews.
C)quantitative research methods.
D)typologies of cultural attributes.
E)intensive study and analysis by immersing themselves in the culture.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

The last step in creating organizational culture is to

A)reinforce cultural behaviors.
B)formulate strategic values.
C)create a vision of its direction.
D)initiate implementation strategies.
E)develop cultural values.

Question 5

Which of the following statements accurately describes a difference between organizational culture and organizational climate?

A)Culture is more easily manipulated than climate.
B)Culture has more to do with traditions and less to do with values than climate does.
C)Culture teaches employees what is acceptable in the organization; climate teaches employees what is unacceptable.
D)Culture is based on the history of the organization; climate is concerned with the current atmosphere.
E)Research has shown that culture and climate is really the same thing.

Question 6

The study of organization culture has ____ since the early 1980s.

A)skyrocketed
B)fluctuated
C)remained constant
D)waned
E)consistently increased

Question 7

A surprising aspect of the recent rise in interest in organization culture is that the concept, unlike virtually every other concept in the field

A)is based on assumptions that are fairly easy to articulate.
B)has no widely accepted definition.
C)reflects organizational symbols.
D)is easily changed.
E)is mandatory for organizations.

Question 8

Organizational culture and organizational climate are similar in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

A)they both affect the way people behave in organizations.
B)they both focus on an organizations norms and values.
C)they both deal with the social context.
D)they are both concerned with the work atmosphere.
E)they are both of interest to managers.

Question 9

Whole Foods Market has a unique organizational culture. The attributes of its unique culture includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A)its culture is democratic.
B)its culture is egalitarian.
C)its culture links its strategic values and its cultural values.
D)its culture is innovative.
E)its culture is transparent.

Question 10

Creating a vision

A)involves the actions taken to accomplish the vision.
B)involves the values that employees need to have and act on for the organization to carry out its strategic values.
C)is a picture of what the organization will be like at some point in the future.
D)is the means through which people learn the organization's norms and values.
E)is formulated after the organization's vision is determined.

Question 11

With respect to anthropological contributions to organization culture, which of the following is NOT true?

A)Anthropologists study people in social systems such as organizations and societies.
B)Anthropologists look at culture from a native's point of view.
C)Anthropologists immerse themselves in the cultures they study.
D)Anthropologists seek to understand how culture affects the structure of societies.
E)Anthropologists usually produce book-length descriptions of the cultures they study.

Question 12

Sociologists have had a long-term interest in studying

A)the replication of culture.
B)the causes and consequences of culture.
C)the transferability of culture.
D)the halo effect in culture.
E)the learning curve effect on culture.

Question 13

Social psychological contributions to organization culture have focused on

A)values and beliefs.
B)thick description.
C)the creation and manipulation of symbols.
D)learning theory.
E)social structure.

Question 14

T.E. Deal and A.A. Kennedy define a firm's culture

A)"by the newest members of the organization."
B)"in the company's annual report."
C)"through stories and symbols."
D)"as the way we do things around here."
E)"in rumors started by competitors."

Question 15

The values that make up organization culture are often

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

Question 16

Organizational climate includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A)is based on individual perceptions.
B)feelings that characterize life in the organization.
C)includes values needed to act on the strategic values.
D)refers to current situations in an organization.
E)is often defined as the recurring patterns of behavior.

Question 17

All of the following are ways to reinforce cultural behaviors EXCEPT:

A)tell stories about employees who behaved in desirable ways.
B)reward desired behaviors.
C)make a big deal out of employees doing the right things.
D)hold ceremonies that emphasize those employees exhibiting the desired behavior.
E)imitate the cultural behaviors of the company's most successful competitor.

Question 18

All of the following are true of the sociological study of culture EXCEPT:

A)it sometimes involves studying rituals.
B)it is the study of people in social systems.
C)it is the basis of certain popular business press depictions of culture, such as Peters and Waterman's In Search of Excellence.
D)it often results in typology of cultural attributes, which then is used to analyze the culture of a relatively large number of firms.
E)it attempts to link the cultural attributes of firms with their performance.

Question 19

Research into organization culture can be traced back to the origins of

A)philosophy.
B)social science.
C)economics.
D)psychiatry.
E)psychology.

Question 20

In the early ____, organization culture became a central concern in the study of organizational behavior.

A)1970s
B)1990s
C)1960s
D)1980s
E)2000s

Question 21

Ouchi found that, in most typical U.S. firms, decision making

A)is individual.
B)is complex and irregular.
C)is simple and straightforward.
D)is explicit and formal.
E)is implicit and informal.

Question 22

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 23

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 24

Systems innovations

A)are rarely necessary for radical and 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 25

Ouchi proposed that Japanese and Type Z U.S. firm use an employee evaluation process that was

A)semiannual.
B)quantitative.
C)fast.
D)qualitative and quantitative.
E)annual.

Question 26

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 27

Ouchi's research found that careers most valued by typical U.S. firms

A)offer the opportunity for quick promotions.
B)span multiple functions.
C)are considerably narrower.
D)have implicit mechanisms.
E)are very generalized.

Question 28

Which of the following is NOT reported to be a critical cultural value in In Search of Excellence?

A)Bias for action
B)Managing hands-on
C)Simultaneously exercising loose and tight organization
D)Maintaining implicit and informal control
E)Sticking to the knitting

Question 29

The notion of "one best culture" for all organizations has been replaced with the idea of

A)appropriate cultures.
B)"one best climate."
C)radical innovation.
D)empowerment.
E)type Z cultures.

Question 30

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 31

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 32

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 33

Both American Type Z firms and typical Japanese firms use the ____ approach to the concern for people.

A)holistic
B)narrow
C)synergistic
D)sociohumanistic
E)symbiotic

Question 34

According to research performed by William G. Ouchi, all of the following was true EXCEPT:

A)organizational climate and organizational culture have similar impacts in both Japanese and American firms.
B)differences in culture explain the relative success of the firms studied.
C)the culture of the typical Japanese firm was similar to that of successful American Type Z firms.
D)the culture of the typical Japanese firm was different from that of the typical American firm.
E)the culture of successful American Type Z firms was different from that of typical American firms.

Question 35

ABC International is classified as a Type Z organization. As such, all of the following elements would be present at ABC EXCEPT:

A)committed to retaining employees.
B)exercises control through informal, implicit mechanisms.
C)emphasizes concern for people.
D)encourages intrapreneurship.
E)emphasizes broad career paths.

Question 36

The process of enabling employees to set their own goals, make decisions, and solve problems is known as

A)organizational democracy.
B)type Z management.
C)value-based climate.
D)organizational culture.
E)empowerment.

Question 37

Like Ouchi, Peters and Waterman believe successful firms recognize that their most important assets are their

A)strategies.
B)products.
C)people.
D)services.
E)competitive weapons.

Question 38

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 39

According to Peters and Waterman, successful firms tend to have

A)few administrative layers and small corporate staff groups.
B)lifetime employment.
C)a holistic concern for people.
D)an attitude of staying close to employees.
E)group consensus.

Question 40

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)observing competitors in the industry.

Question 41

All definitions of organization culture, in the text, refer to some set of values held by individuals in a firm.

Question 42

One simple definition of corporate culture is "the way we do things around here."

Question 43

As an entrepreneur, Ajay is interested in developing the organizational culture in his company, AJ Services. Once he has formulated the strategic values, what should be his next step to focus on?

A)Reinforce cultural behaviors
B)Hire consultants
C)Create a vision of its direction
D)Initiate implementation strategies
E)Develop cultural values

Question 44

Organization culture is based on what some authors call "myths" and "fairy tales."

Question 45

Which of these is the study of people in social systems such as organizations and societies?

A)Sociology
B)Anthropology
C)Psychology
D)Economics
E)Social psychology

Question 46

______ is the study of human cultures.

A)Sociology
B)Anthropology
C)Psychology
D)Economics
E)Social psychology

Question 47

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

Question 48

_______ are the basic beliefs about an organization's environment that shape its strategy.

A)Strategic values
B)Radical innovation
C)Incremental innovation
D)Implementation strategies
E)Cultural values

Question 49

Interestingly, there is no single widely accepted definition of organization culture.

Question 50

Which of these attempts of link the cultural attributes of firms with their performance?

A)Sociology
B)Anthropology
C)Psychology
D)Economics
E)Social psychology

Question 51

_______ are the values that employees need to have and act on for the organization to act on the strategic values.

A)Ouchi values
B)Radical innovation
C)Incremental innovation
D)Implementation strategies
E)Cultural values

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

Question 54

______ is the study of groups and the influence of social factors on individuals.

A)Sociology
B)Anthropology
C)Psychology
D)Economics
E)Social psychology

Question 55

Anthropologists frequently adopt the "native's point of view" when studying culture.

Question 56

Economists seek to understand the causes and consequences of culture.

Question 57

Of all the social sciences, anthropology is most closely related to the study of culture.

Question 58

In the early 1960s organization culture became one of the most central concerns in organizational behavior.

Question 59

The third step in creating organizational culture is to

A)reinforce cultural behaviors.
B)formulate strategic values.
C)create a vision of its direction.
D)initiate implementation strategies.
E)develop cultural values.

Question 60

Social psychologists claim stories become the basis that individuals in organizations use to make judgments.

Question 61

The sociological approach sees culture both as a tool used to manage and as a determinant of performance.

Question 62

No single widely accepted ______ of organization culture exists.

Question 63

Empowerment can be viewed as liberating employees, but sometimes empowerment entails little more than delegating a task to an employee and then watching over the employee too closely.

Question 64

The fourth step to creating organization culture is reinforcing the cultural behaviors of employees.

Question 65

The sociological study of culture has often been focused on the ______ social structure.

Question 66

Most descriptions of organization climate do not deal with values and norms.

Question 67

In order to study culture, many ______ immerse themselves in the values, symbols, and stories that people use to bring order and meaning into their lives.

Question 68

Organization _____ deals with the set of values held by the members of an organization.

Question 69

Research on organization culture exploded onto the OB scene in the early _____.

Question 70

Culture is more easily manipulated by management to directly affect employee behaviors than is climate.

Question 71

Innovation and organization culture are not generally related.

Question 72

The social psychological contributions to the study of organization culture have emphasized the economic advantages of cultural values.

Question 73

The second step a manager must take to create organization culture involves developing cultural values.

Question 74

Organization culture is the set of ______, often taken for granted, which helps employees understand which actions are considered acceptable.

Question 75

Peters and Waterman found that excellent companies encourage autonomy and entrepreneurship.

Question 76

There is generally no difference between organization culture and climate.

Question 77

Ouchi's research suggests Type Z American firms outperform typical American firms.

Question 78

Researchers Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones have supported the idea that there is one best organization culture for a company.

Question 79

The meaning of organization values is perhaps best communicated through _______.

Question 80

There is significant agreement about how to define organization culture.