Deck 10: Managing Conflict

Question 1

Dale and Wanda are experiencing work-family conflict when they ________.

A)have two or more of the same family members working
B)are forced to choose between taking care of the demands of personal life and their jobs
C)work for a family business in which family members should hold the power
D)work for an employer who does not provide enough health benefits

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Assume that General Motors (GM)merges with Ford Motor Company. During group meetings of the fused companies, two likely factional groups would be ________.

A)truck and automobile groups
B)finance and marketing groups
C)top-level management and middle management
D)former members of GM and Ford

Answer 2

D

Question 3

You can tell tech support specialist Tyler has passive-aggressive tendencies when he ________.

A)comes to work late at least once a month
B)accesses a sports website a few minutes every workday
C)did not warn you about a virus that he knew was going to destroy your desktop
D)purchases a $900 leather carrying case for his tools

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A problem noted with drama in the workplace is that it ________.

A)usually violates anti-discrimination legislation
B)takes the form of an obstacle to something you want to attain
C)usually is considered to be a form of sexual harassment
D)leads to work-family conflict

Question 5

Conflict attributed to diversity within teams ________.

A)is the most difficult type of conflict to resolve
B)often benefits the organization when managed well
C)is usually of short duration
D)often enhances teamwork

Question 6

Conflict occurs whenever ________.

A)you secretly dislike another person
B)two sets of demands are incompatible
C)you deal with coworkers
D)your job is demanding

Question 7

A major problem created by workplace bullies is that they ________.

A)have a high rate of absenteeism
B)receive most of the good assignments
C)create physical and mental stress symptoms for others
D)joke around so much that productivity suffers

Question 8

A recommended approach for a man to defend against false accusations of sexual harassment is to ________.

A)announce to others that he is involved in a monogamous relationship with a spouse or friend
B)head a committee to help prevent sexual harassment in the company
C)establish a reputation of never engaging in sexual harassment
D)let women know that he is represented by a lawyer specializing in false charges of sexual harassment

Question 9

A study about cross-national differences based on culture found that work interfering with family life was a bigger problem for people ________.

A)who earned an above-average income
B)who earned below-average income
C)from collectivistic cultures
D)from individualistic cultures

Question 10

An important reason that incivility leads to conflict is that ________.

A)it is fun to watch rude people
B)the uncivil person is likely to be fired
C)incivility is now classified as an illegal work behavior
D)uncivil behavior often leads to a dispute between two people.

Question 11

A major problem in controlling sexual harassment in the work place is that most workers ________.

A)don't regard a demand to exchange sex for favors as being harassment
B)don't agree on what constitutes hostile-environment harassment
C)think that managers have the right to harass subordinates
D)think that unless another worker has been assaulted, harassment has not taken place

Question 12

Which of the following behaviors is the most likely to be classified as hostile environment harassment?

A)A worker places a large poster outside his cubicle of women dressed in bikinis playing beach volleyball.
B)A male boss says to a male subordinate, "Men who give me a back massage often get the best performance appraisals."
C)A female coworker sends around a video of two squirrels apparently kissing.
D)A 75-year-old male CEO says to a 19-year-old female summer intern, "Kiss me once a day if you want to be offered a permanent position in our company."

Question 13

Cynthia and Chuck argue over who gets to use the new tablet computer. Their conflict is best classified as ________.

A)differences in goals
B)personal differences
C)competition over limited resources
D)the building of stone walls

Question 14

Two teammates, Kelly and Bella, basically detest each other which leads to many conflicts on the job. The two women are most likely experiencing a ________.

A)personality clash
B)bullying relationship
C)codependency
D)breakdown in organizational citizenship behavior

Question 15

Raul find that he needs to invest 60 hours per week in work to advance in his career so he resents the amount of time he has to spend with his wife and four children. The primary type of conflict Raul is facing is most likely ________.

A)family interfering with work
B)work interfering with family
C)flexible work arrangements interfering with a regular work schedule
D)the satisfaction of higher-level versus lower-level needs

Question 16

Incivility in the workplace is so frequent that it rarely contributes to conflict because most workers expect uncivil treatment from coworkers.

Question 17

Glen feels his manager does not like him because he consistently trivializes Glen's comments in meetings. This form of conflict is often referred to as ________.

A)micro-inequity
B)work-family conflict
C)hostile-environment harassment
D)competition for limited resources

Question 18

A major reason so much conflict exists in the workplace is that we cannot all have what we want.

Question 19

The easiest way to deal with sexual harassment is to ________.

A)file a formal complaint at the first hint of harassment
B)avoid all company social functions where alcohol is served
C)keep a plaque on your desk listing the various types of sexual harassment
D)speak up before it becomes serious

Question 20

In quid pro quo sexual harassment, the harassed person is ________.

A)intimidated with sexually-toned language
B)given favorable treatment because of refusal to grant a sexual favor
C)ignored because of refusal to grant a sexual favor
D)given favorable treatment because of granting a sexual favor

Question 21

Pat states clearly what she wants and how she feels in a given situation without being abusive, abrasive, or obnoxious. Pat would fall into the category of ________ people.

A)assertive
B)passive
C)aggressive
D)non-assertive

Question 22

A coworker annoys you by frequently asking how to carry out certain functions on a computer. To use the technique of cognitive restructuring you would say to yourself, ________

A)"It's fun being annoyed."
B)"Why worry? I'll soon find a way to get even."
C)"Teaching another person is a learning experience for me."
D)"I will breathe deeply each time I deal with this computer illiterate."

Question 23

Drama in the workplace often has the same effect as a personality clash in terms of disrupting work.

Question 24

Foster is well known by his employees to have the attitude of "My way or the highway," which is a typical attitude of a bullying boss.

Question 25

You can often find logistics manager Myron at his daughter's soccer games tapping away furiously on his smartphone to send and receive messages from the office. Myron is probably using multitasking to help resolve work-versus-family conflict.

Question 26

You ask Louise to gather some important statistical information for your report. Louise is being passive-aggressive when she responds, "What do I look like, an office temp? Go get the information yourself."

Question 27

A survey of faculty members found that work-group support tended to intensify work-family conflict because colleagues made the faculty members feel guilty about taking time from work to deal with family problems.

Question 28

Victoria is the subject of a micro-inequity because while at a meeting, the team leader says, "It's too bad we don't have any of our brightest team members in attendance today."

Question 29

The technique, disarm the opposition, assumes that ________.

A)the other side has less power than you
B)the other side has very little power
C)you are completely innocent
D)you have done something wrong

Question 30

Sending sexually explicit photos of oneself accompanying a text message is not classified as sexual harassment because the photo and message is sent to the other worker's personal smartphone.

Question 31

A positive side effect noted of workplace conflict is that the people involved often ________.

A)receive recognition from management
B)become more creative
C)give money to charity out of guilt
D)find better employment elsewhere

Question 32

Racial harassment in the workplace is considered legally acceptable so long as the harassment does not include a sexual element.

Question 33

An analysis of many studies indicated that the consequences of sexual harassment of women included decreased job satisfaction and lower commitment to the employer.

Question 34

A negative side effect noted of workplace conflict is that the people involved often ________.

A)receive attention from management
B)become united after the conflict
C)waste time and energy that could be to used in useful purposes
D)become more creative

Question 35

Sexually-oriented offensive behavior by customers directed toward employees does not classify as sexual harassment because of the widespread belief that the customer is always right.

Question 36

Gertrude's boss says to her one day, "You're looking sexy for an old gal." Gertrude retaliates by hiring a lawyer to sue the company for $300,000 for having been sexually harassed, as well as being the victim of age discrimination. Gertrude is using the technique of win-lose conflict resolution.

Question 37

An art professor who permits students in the class to draw pictures of a live nude model would almost automatically be charged with sexual harassment.

Question 38

A typical side effect from using the technique "disarm the opposition," is the person with whom you are in conflict will then be willing to assist you with your problem.

Question 39

A major cause of work-family conflict is when a person dislikes both his or her job and family.

Question 40

The final step in the grievance procedure is ________.

A)arbitration
B)involvement of higher-level manager and local union president
C)involvement of second-level manager
D)disarm the opposition

Question 41

Robert often loses his temper and swears at work. It sounds like Robert has a(n)________.

A)problem with assertiveness
B)problem with shyness
C)grievance problem
D)anger management problem

Question 42

Allowing too much room for compromise often leads to the error of making an implausible demand or offer.

Question 43

With respect to listening, a recommended negotiation tactic is to ________.

A)be the first to listen
B)be the last to listen
C)do the most talking, and let the other side listen
D)listen only as a last resort

Question 44

Diane still uses the old technique of counting to ten when she is angry, but this is no longer considered a valuable technique.

Question 45

Two office-bully specialists cited in the human relations text say the best tactic for dealing with a mean bully is to be mean toward that person, including insults about his or her appearance and behavior.

Question 46

Shelly cannot manage her anger, so it is likely she cannot take full advantage of her cognitive intelligence.

Question 47

A potential problem in dealing with difficult people, especially a high-maintenance person, is that he or she will become overly dependent on you for solutions to problems.

Question 48

Colby, a coworker of yours, is a high-maintenance person. A caution you might take is to guard against him becoming too dependent on you.

Question 49

The attitude, "take the problem professionally not personally" is based on the fact that many difficult people are out to get you.

Question 50

The grievance procedure is an informal process for resolving conflict in which the two parties in conflict work out the problems themselves without going to the company.

Question 51

Marco, a union representative, wins a bigger wage concession than management wanted. To engage in face saving, Marco might say at the end of negotiation, ________

A)"Management can't win all the time."
B)"Be happy. It's about time our workers got what they needed."
C)"Our workers will be getting a higher wage than you wanted. But don't worry. Your generosity will pay off in higher productivity to cover the increased costs."
D)"I've studied the annual report, and I know you can afford the salary increase."

Question 52

Maggie is classified as the office magpie, suggesting that she is too busy to engage in social conversations with others during the workday.

Question 53

One way of reframing a conflict situation is to step back, take a deep breath, and ask a question such as "Is the person really angry at me or just worried and anxious?"

Question 54

A person who resolves conflict through cognitive restructuring searches for the beneficial aspects in a negative situation, thereby decreasing the area for dispute.

Question 55

A problem in dealing with difficult people on the job is that many of them might be suffering from a personality disorder.

Question 56

An important feature of the confront-contain-connect technique of managing anger in others is to find a relatively private place where the angry person can vent his or her frustrations.

Question 57

Vanessa is a top sales representative, yet at the same time she is an egotist, prima donna, and a poor team player. Which type of difficult person best fits her description?

A)Destructive hero
B)Office magpie
C)Chicken little
D)Lone wolf

Question 58

Gisele, an office manager, decides to use the technique of "confront, contain, and connect" to deal with Jimmy, a clerk who is in an explosive, angry mood. To implement contain, Gisele will ________.

A)brings Jimmy to a conference room away from the center of activities
B)demand that Jimmy see a psychiatrist immediately
C)tells Jimmy that his behavior will not be tolerated
D)asks Jimmy, "How can we make you happier?"

Question 59

Effective negotiators tend to be the first to begin talking, and then continue the pattern of dominating the discussion.

Question 60

To use humor effectively in dealing with difficult people, show them ________.

A)how disturbed they really are
B)that they are a welcome team member
C)that they are creating synergy
D)how their behavior is blocking others