Deck 16: Organizational Culture

Question 1

A nonadaptive culture is a culture that encourages confidence and risk taking among employees.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The key to understanding culture through artifacts lies in:​

A)​analyzing how values are consciously articulated in conversations.
B)​identifying the unconscious assumptions of people.
C)​figuring out the meaning of the symbols.
D)​figuring out how values are communicated through culture.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

An early fall semester picnic can be considered a:​

A)​rite of integration.
B)​rite of renewal.
C)​rite of enhancement.
D)​rite of success.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Values reflect a person's inherent beliefs of what should or should not be.

Question 5

_____ are the most visible and accessible level of culture.​

A)​Values
B)​Artifacts
C)​Assumptions
D)​Socialization processes

Question 6

Assumptions are at the deepest and most fundamental level of an organization's culture.

Question 7

A retirement dinner is a good example of a rite of enhancement.

Question 8

According to Edgar Schein, the three levels of organizational culture are:​

A)​behavior, rights, and beliefs.
B)​artifacts, values, and assumptions.
C)​adaptations, consequences, and faith.
D)​demands, communications, and informal groups.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true of organizational ceremonies and rites?​

A)​They reflect the essence of organizational culture.
B)​They primarily involve the deeply held beliefs that guide behavior and tell members of an organization how to perceive situations and people.
C)​They provide opportunities to reward and recognize employees whose behavior is congruent with the values of a company.
D)​They are best described as everyday, repetitive, organizational practices.

Question 10

A company's espoused values are known as its enacted values.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is true of artifacts?​

A)​They are the least visible level of culture.
B)​They are the least accessible level of culture.
C)​They are the most frequently studied manifestation of organizational culture.
D)​They are unconscious assumptions that guide a firm's actions and decisions.

Question 12

Kimi, the president of a corporation, upholds the organization's belief in corporate philanthropy.During a corporate blood drive, she is the first employee to donate blood.This is an example of:​

A)a ritual.​
B)​symbolism.
C)​a rite of integration.
D)​personal enactment.

Question 13

The dean of a university awards scholarships to the honor students of the university at a banquet every year.This is an example of:​

A)​personal enactment.
B)​a ritual.
C)​anticipatory socialization.
D)​a ceremony.

Question 14

Symbols of organizational culture are called assumptions.

Question 15

Norms that guide behavior are part of culture.

Question 16

Stories that aren't backed by reality can lead to cynicism and mistrust.

Question 17

Newcomers whose values match a company's values are more satisfied with their new jobs.

Question 18

The fit perspective argues that a culture is good only if it matches the style of the leader of a team.

Question 19

Grievance hearings and the negotiation of union contracts are examples of:​

A)​rites of renewal.
B)​rites of enhancement.
C)​rites of integration.
D)​rites of conflict reduction.

Question 20

Enacted values are what the members of an organization say they value.

Question 21

Which of the following is an example of perception-shaping mechanisms?​

A)Profits​
B)​Strategies
C)​Fixed costs
D)​Policies

Question 22

Leaders can use _____ to help employees understand the changing nature of their organizational identity.​

A)​rites of conflict reduction
B)​organizational assumptions
C)​enacted values
D)​organizational symbols

Question 23

Stories give meaning and identity to organizations as they:​

A)​are retold.
B)​are based on myths.
C)​do not transcend political boundaries.
D)​do not transcend cultural boundaries.

Question 24

The fit perspective argues that:​

A)​a culture is good only if it fits an industry or a firm's strategy.
B)​a culture is appropriate when it fits market characteristics.
C)​an organization adapts its strategy to fit its culture.
D)​a lean or flat organization is the best fit in the current market.

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true of stories about how a company deals with crisis situations?​

A)​These stories may reflect whether the boss in the company is "human" or how he or she reacts to mistakes.
B)​These stories relate to the company's attitude toward employees who have to move to another company.
C)​These stories describe a person who started out at the bottom and eventually became the CEO of the company.
D)​These stories show how the company overcomes obstacles.

Question 26

Which of the following is a perplexing question about the strong-culture perspective?​

A)​What can happen when strong cultures provide control without the oppressive effects of a bureaucracy?
B)​What can hold true when motivation is not enhanced even if values are shared by the members of an organization?
C)​What can be said about evidence showing that strong economic performance can create strong cultures, rather than the reverse?
D)​What can result in goal alignment when all the employees of an organization share common goals?

Question 27

Corporate leaders can greatly influence and shape organizational culture by:​

A)​delegating crisis management authority and instituting layoffs during crises.
B)​rewarding behavior that is consistent with the values of the organization.
C)​discouraging employees from undertaking risks.
D)​employing a nonadaptive approach.

Question 28

To be effective cultural tools, stories must:​

A)be credible.​
B)​have a single interpretation.
C)​be based on myths.
D)​be cynical.

Question 29

_____ are characterized by cautious management that tries to protect its own interests.​

A)​Linear organizations
B)​Adaptive cultures
C)​Matrix organizations
D)​Nonadaptive cultures

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true of stories?​

A)​Stories are very specific and do not allow listeners to draw differing conclusions.
B)​Stories are typically part of rites of degradation.
C)​Stories help in orienting new employees.
D)​Stories are always based on myths.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true of crisis management?​

A)All leaders quickly institute major layoffs at the first signal of an economic crisis.​
B)​Leaders' reactions toward a crisis do not reflect organizational culture.
C)​Leaders have different ways of dealing with a crisis.
D)​Organizations with an adaptive perspective avoid laying off workers at all costs.

Question 32

Identify a true statement about organizational culture.​

A)​It is overwhelming and has an adverse effect on the productivity of an employee.
B)​It can lead to dysfunctional conflict in an organization.
C)​It serves as a safety valve to indicate problems in an organization.
D)​It provides a sense of identity to members of an organization.

Question 33

In terms of core values, which of the following is a difference between adaptive organizational cultures and nonadaptive organizational cultures?​

A)​In adaptive organizational cultures, most managers care deeply about customers, while in nonadaptive organizational cultures, most managers care mainly about themselves.
B)​In adaptive organizational cultures, managers value the orderly and risk-reducing management process, while in nonadaptive organizational cultures, managers strongly value people and processes that can create useful change.
C)​In adaptive organizational cultures, managers are often corrupt, while in nonadaptive organizational cultures, managers are mostly honest.
D)​In adaptive organizational cultures, managers are reluctant to change their strategies to adjust to changes, while in nonadaptive organizational cultures, managers initiate change when needed.

Question 34

 _____ begins with the careful selection of newcomers who are likely to reinforce a firm's organizational culture.​

A)Cultural socialization​
B)​Culture reinforcement
C)​Cultural adaptation
D)​Culture assessment

Question 35

An adaptive organizational culture is one that:​

A)​changes its environment to fit its organizational strategies.
B)​encourages confidence and risk taking among employees.
C)​believes a strong economic performance is the only factor that determines the culture of an organization.
D)​values an orderly management process more highly then leadership initiatives.

Question 36

Identify a true statement about strong cultures.​

A)​Strong cultures typically lead a firm down the wrong path.
B)​Strong cultures are deeply held and widely shared.
C)​Strong cultures provide control with the oppressive effects of a bureaucracy.
D)​Strong cultures create a low level of motivation among employees.

Question 37

In Kotter and Heskett's study, compared to nonadaptive firms, adaptive firms:​

A)​showed greater success in changing the business environment to align with their firm's strategies.
B)​were less likely to encourage risk taking among employees.
C)​showed significantly better long-term economic performance.
D)​were more keen on protecting their own interests.

Question 38

In the context of the fit perspective, which of the following industry characteristics affects culture?​

A)​The variable assets
B)​The number of managers
C)​The number of subordinates
D)​The competitive environment

Question 39

When employees internalize the values of a company, they:​

A)​tend to spend less hours at work.
B)​find their work intrinsically rewarding.
C)​identify themselves as individual workers rather than team players.
D)​get demotivated easily.

Question 40

The strong-culture perspective states that organizations with strong cultures:​

A)​promote different individual goals for each employee.
B)​have low turnover.
C)​facilitate performance.
D)​tend to be bureaucratic.

Question 41

Which of the following is a challenge to managers in their pursuit of positive, cohesive cultures?​

A)​Recession
B)​Triangulation
C)​Ethics
D)​Role demand

Question 42

In the context of changing organizational culture, which of the following is a step that a manager should take after he or she has examined the justifications for the changed behavior of the employees?​

A)​The manager should send a consistent message about the new values and beliefs.
B)​The manager should hire and socialize members who fit in with the new culture.
C)​The manager should find out if the employees are buying into the new set of values.
D)​The manager should remove members who reject the new culture.

Question 43

Leaders should pay attention to the _____ more so than structural positions in leading organizational change.​

A)​formal network channels
B)​informal social networks
C)​personal motivation factors of employees
D)​job profile of employees

Question 44

In which of the following stages of socialization do newcomers begin to master the demands of a job?​

A)​Encounter
B)​Change and acquisition
C)​Anticipatory socialization
D)​Realistic socialization

Question 45

 _____ is the degree to which a newcomer to an organization holds realistic expectations about the job and organization.​

A)​Competence
B)​Realism
C)​Mutuality
D)​Congruence

Question 46

_____ are examples of the qualitative method of assessing organizational culture.​

A)​Observations
B)​Statistical surveys
C)​Graphical analyses
D)​Questionnaires

Question 47

​Which of the following is involved in the last step of the process of changing the organizational culture of a firm?

A)It involves changing the external behavior of existing employees within the organization.​
B)​It involves the use of multiple methods to measure organizational culture.
C)​It involves assessing whether current members in the organization buy into a new set of values.
D)​It involves shaping the workforce to fit the intended culture of the organization.

Question 48

Cultural change effort in an organization can be deemed successful if:​

A)​employees who do not conform to the new values are removed.
B)​the change in the behavior of employees persists only in the presence of rewards.
C)​newcomers are not required to go through the anticipatory socialization process.
D)​employees automatically respond to a crisis in ways consistent with the corporate culture.

Question 49

_____ involve the expectations placed on newcomers in an organization.​

A)​Role demands
B)​Rituals
C)​Rites of passage
D)​Task analyses

Question 50

The focus of the Organizational Culture Inventory is on:​

A)​artifacts.
B)​behaviors.
C)​values.
D)​assumptions.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is true of triangulation?​

A)​It is used by behavioral scientists to study organizational culture.
B)​It is used solely in the quantitative research method.
C)​It involves the exclusive use of obtrusive observations by eight trained observers for an outsider perspective.
D)​It involves the exclusive use of self-administered questionnaires to provide quantitative insider information.

Question 52

In the context of the Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey, which of the following areas is an example of long-term human orientation norms?​

A)​Personal freedom
B)​Task innovation
C)​Social relationships
D)​Task support

Question 53

The underlying dimensions of the Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey are:​

A)​task/people and job security/job satisfaction in an organization.
B)​behavior and task specifications.
C)​artifacts and assumptions.
D)​technical/human orientation and short-term versus long-term time.

Question 54

The use of multiple methods to measure organizational change is known as:​

A)​convergence.
B)​the multitrait-multimethod matrix.
C)​triangulation.
D)​the two-layered study.

Question 55

Individuals may change their behavior but not the:​

A)​values that drive it.
B)​focus of their behavior.
C)​comfort zone that they are used to.
D)​norms associated with it.

Question 56

Even when behavior in an organization changes, the change is not sufficient for cultural change to occur because:​

A)individuals may change their behavior but not the values that drive it.​
B)​behavior is an assumption of culture and it keeps fluctuating.
C)​human behavior is extrinsically motivated.
D)​change in organizational behavior always results in chaos.

Question 57

In the context of the current business environment, managers must focus on:​

A)​a nonadaptive culture.
B)​a bureaucratic approach.
C)​maintaining rigidity in the work environment.
D)​reinforcement of ethical behavior.

Question 58

Changing an organization's culture is difficult because:​

A)​attitudes cannot be changed.
B)​culture is deeply ingrained.
C)​norms are determined by the top management.
D)​individuals cannot change their behavior.

Question 59

Qualitative methods, such as interviews and observations, are valuable because of their _____.​

A)​objectivity
B)​uniqueness
C)​precision
D)​comparability

Question 60

Which of the following is a type of congruence between an individual and an organization at the anticipatory socialization step in the socialization process?​

A)Congruence between the individual's values and the authenticity of the job​
B)​Congruence between the individual's adaptive nature and the changing external environment
C)​Congruence between the individual's abilities and the demands of the job
D)​Congruence between the individual's past experience and the salary offered for the new job

Question 61

In the context of developing an ethical organizational culture, which of the following statements is true?​

A)​Managers who preach ethical behavior witness more instances of whistle-blowing and consequently increasing incidents of unethical behavior.
B)​Managers who tolerate unethical behavior make good role models for employees.
C)​Managers can encourage ethical behavior by communicating that rationalizations for unethical behavior are not tolerated.
D)​Impact of implementing a code of ethics is always positive.

Question 62

​Which of the following reinforces the values of empowerment and quality in the organizational culture?

A)​Discouraging delegation of decision-making powers among employees
B)​Promoting a global view 
C)​Discouraging instances of whistle-blowing
D)​Communicating the value of product quality to the employees

Question 63

Provide an organizational example of each of the following artifacts: ceremony and story.​

Question 64

Which of the following steps would enable organizations to develop an effective global organizational culture?​

A)​Management should award employees who support the global view.
B)​Management should ensure that their global strategies are flexible enough to be emulated by their competitors.
C)​Management should keep altering its attitude toward a global organizational culture.
D)​Management should only appreciate the employees who support the global view but not reward them.

Question 65

 _____ serves to unleash employees' creativity and productivity.​

A)​Triangulation
B)​Acquisition
C)​Socialization
D)​Empowerment

Question 66

Briefly discuss the three perspectives or theories about the relationship between organizational culture and performance.​

Question 67

Companies that value _____ and continuous improvement have cultures that promote high product and service quality.​

A)​triangulation
B)​empowerment
C)​acquisition
D)​socialization

Question 68

Briefly explain anticipatory socialization and how an organization can facilitate one's entry into the organization.​

Question 69

A heavy reliance on a strict set of rules may:​

A)​reduce the perceived need for employees to be involved in ethical decision making.
B)​lead to strong and superior choices in the long run.
C)​lead to increase in instances of whistle-blowing.
D)​institute the philosophy that ethical behavior makes good business sense.

Question 70

Which of the following is a reason that leads to less ethical behavior among employees even after the institution of formal ethics codes?​

A)​Employees see the code of ethics as simply a management showpiece.
B)​Employees believe that only top-level managers should portray ethical behavior.
C)​Employees are self-centered and do what they believe is right.
D)​Employees tend to work better when they do not have rules to follow.

Question 71

Managers can encourage ethical behavior in an organization by:​

A)​controlling instances of whistle-blowing.
B)​listening to rationalizations for unethical behavior.
C)​promoting the philosophy that ethical behavior makes good business sense.
D)​promoting the belief that the impact of implementing a code of ethics is always positive.

Question 72

List a few ways how leaders deal with crises.​