Deck 10: Power and Influence in the Workplace

Question 1

Countervailing power refers to:

A)a second source of power held by the power holder in case the main source of power is ineffective.
B)the initial feeling of power employees experience when they are given more freedom and control over their jobs.
C)the capacity to keep someone who is more powerful than you in the exchange relationship.
D)a method of measuring the number of times an employee uses his or her power each day.
E)the ability of a person or department to gain more power through unethical organizational politics.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

An employee has power in the organization only when he or she:

A)has the authority to influence others.
B)possesses all five sources of power.
C)has one or more contingencies of power.
D)has one or more sources of power.
E)possesses one or more sources of power,and the contingencies that support that power base.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A 360-degree feedback system gives employees which source of power over their bosses?

A)Referent
B)Reward
C)Legitimate
D)Expert
E)360-degree feedback is not a source of power for employees over their bosses

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In organizational settings,power is defined as:

A)the practice of trying to influence another person.
B)the capacity to influence others.
C)the act of changing another person's attitudes and behaviours.
D)the extent to which one person is required to follow another person's commands even though he or she does not want to follow those commands.
E)any situation where one person is dependent on another person,who is not at all dependent on the first person.

Question 5

Which source of power can employees potentially have over their supervisors?

A)Legitimate power
B)Coercive power
C)Expert power
D)Employees can potentially have all of these sources of power over their supervisors.
E)Employees never have any of these sources of power over their supervisors.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a distinct source of power?

A)Legitimate power
B)Centrality power
C)Referent power
D)Coercive power
E)Expert power

Question 7

Power is only ______________ and not _____________.

A)good; bad
B)weak; strong
C)potential; behaviour
D)apparent; hidden
E)intended; unintended

Question 8

Which of these statements about legitimate power is FALSE?

A)Legitimate power depends on more than job descriptions.
B)Employees in Canada are generally less likely to accept legitimate power than employees in high power distance cultures.
C)Your boss's power to make you work overtime partly depends on your agreement to this power.
D)Employees are generally more tolerant of legitimate power today than were employees a few decades ago.
E)All employees have some degree of legitimate power.

Question 9

A manager's legitimate power over subordinates exists when:

A)the organization grants formal authority over the employees.
B)the manager is able to reward or punish the employees.
C)employees agree to let the manager have power over them.
D)employees are blinded by the manager's charisma.
E)the organization grants formal authority AND employees agree to let the manager use this authority.

Question 10

The capacity to influence others in organizational settings is known as:

A)organizational politics
B)coercion
C)impression management
D)organizational influence
E)organizational power

Question 11

Which of the following statements about power is FALSE?

A)Power exists only when the dependent party is aware that the power holder controls valued resources.
B)Power requires interdependence in the relationship.
C)Power is the capacity to influence,rather than the actual practice of influencing others.
D)Power exists only when one person has something of value for a second person,but the second person has nothing of value for the first person.
E)People sometimes gain power by convincing others that they have something of value for them.

Question 12

Control over information flow is a power base when:

A)others are dependent on that resource.
B)it is disseminated throughout the organization.
C)the organization has an all-channel communication structure.
D)it is associated with the coercive power base.
E)the 'wheel' communication structure exists.

Question 13

Which source of power might non-management employees have over their supervisors?

A)Reward power
B)Expert power
C)Referent power
D)All of these are employee sources of power over their supervisors.
E)None of these are employee sources of power over their supervisors.

Question 14

Legitimate,referent,and expert are:

A)different types of organizational politics
B)different forms of visibility.
C)different sources of organizational power
D)different types of substitutability
E)different contingencies of organizational power

Question 15

Which of these sources of power originates mainly from the powerholder's own characteristics rather than the position?

A)Expert power
B)Legitimate power
C)Coercive power
D)Reward power
E)All of these

Question 16

Which of the following is one of the five main sources of power?

A)Discretion
B)Visibility
C)Substitutability
D)All of these are sources of power
E)None of these are sources of power

Question 17

Employees have more expert power today than a few decades ago because:

A)fewer people now attend university than a few decades ago.
B)referent and legitimate power are no longer valued in organizations.
C)union density has been reduced in the private sector.
D)employers have a higher power distance than in the past.
E)None of the above explanations are correct.

Question 18

Employees are more likely to comply with a supervisor's legitimate power when:

A)the employees have a high power distance value.
B)the power holder gives orders outside the employees' normal role requirements.
C)the company encourages people to disobey orders that interfere with their work.
D)the employees have a low power distance value.
E)the employees have low collectivism.

Question 19

The power that the dependent party has over the dominant party in order to maintain the exchange relationship is known as:

A)reverse dependence
B)substitutability
C)countervailing power
D)visibility
E)legitimate power

Question 20

Which of the following statements about countervailing power in organizational relationships is TRUE?

A)Countervailing power is like an umbrella; it prevents anyone else from having any power over you.
B)Countervailing power is used by the stronger party to prevent the weaker party from leaving the relationship.
C)Countervailing power is the weaker party's power to maintain the stronger party's continued participation in the relationship.
D)Countervailing power is one of the ways that people have power by coping with uncertainty.
E)Countervailing power is a personality characteristic of people who crave power.

Question 21

Employees have LESS power in the organization when:

A)their work has an immediate impact on organizational effectiveness.
B)their work can be outsourced.
C)their work reduces organizational uncertainty.
D)their work is central to the organization's goals.
E)they are able to help the organization to secure scarce resources.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for coping with uncertainty?

A)Prevention
B)Substitution
C)Forecasting
D)Absorption
E)None of these is a strategy for coping with uncertainty.

Question 23

Your team has been put in charge of a major project involving a client.Although the organization has many clients,this is the largest source of revenue and affects the work of several other teams in the organization.The project requires continuous involvement with the client,so any problems with the client are immediately felt by others in the organization.According to the model of power,your team has:

A)very little power in the organization
B)a high degree of centrality
C)a high degree of substitutability
D)a low level of visibility
E)a lot of referent power

Question 24

A new employee in the finance department prominently displays diplomas and past awards indicating his financial expertise.What contingency of power is this person trying to increase?

A)Countervailing power
B)Non-substitutability
C)Centrality
D)Discretion
E)Visibility

Question 25

By going on strike at a critical time in the company's business cycle,unions are mainly applying which contingency of power?

A)Visibility
B)Discretion
C)Centrality
D)Indiscretion
E)Coercive

Question 26

In most countries,a national accounting profession controls access to the profession while legislation prevents anyone other than its members from auditing public corporations.These conditions increase the accounting profession's power through which of the following?

A)Visibility
B)Non-substitutability
C)Centrality
D)Discretion
E)Referent power

Question 27

Which of the following would potentially increase someone's power through non-substitutability?

A)Avoiding documenting unique knowledge about organizational processes.
B)Increasing the number of people affected by your work.
C)Increasing the amount of autonomy granted to you to accomplish your work.
D)Using impression management strategies to increase your popularity with colleagues.
E)All of these.

Question 28

Which of the following IS a contingency of power?

A)Coercive
B)Legitimate
C)Referent
D)All of these are contingencies of power.
E)None of these are contingencies of power.

Question 29

Until recently,a large sales organization gave supervisors all key information for further distribution to their employees.But with the introduction of a company intranet and other information technologies,this information is now mostly available directly to employees.By distributing corporate information directly to employees rather than through their supervisors,the company has:

A)increased the legitimate power of supervisors.
B)decreased the power of supervisors by moving to an all-channel formation of information flow.
C)increased the centrality of supervisors.
D)decreased the company's ability to cope with uncertainty.
E)increased the power of supervisors by moving to a wheel formation of information flow.

Question 30

Control over information flow is a form of which source of power?

A)Referent power
B)Expert power
C)Coercive power
D)Reward power
E)Legitimate power

Question 31

As organizations increasingly rely on knowledge rather than on machines and physical resources as the means of production,employees will:

A)gain expert power in the workplace.
B)lose power in the labour market.
C)gain more referent power in the workplace.
D)become more tolerant of their boss's legitimate power.
E)become less willing to use organizational politics to get their way.

Question 32

A clothing manufacturer has been very successful in the marketplace because one of its designers has a keen ability to determine what styles young people will want to wear over the next year or two.The designer's ability to understand the fashion preferences of young customers is highly valuable because clothing tastes change quickly and manufacturing too much unwanted product can put the company out of business.In terms of power,this designer has organizational power mainly because she:

A)copes with uncertainty through forecasting.
B)has plenty of coercive power.
C)has plenty of referent power.
D)leverages power through an all-channel information flow rather than the wheel formation.
E)copes with uncertainty through absorption.

Question 33

Which of the following conditions would maximize your power through visibility?

A)You successfully deter the organization from hiring others with your valued skills.
B)You become a member of a committee consisting mainly of senior people who must select a new university vice-chancellor.
C)You are given the right to ignore formal rules and regulations when deciding this year's work schedule for employees in your department.
D)You move into a job where your work affects other organizational members very quickly.
E)You redesign a piece of equipment and avoid documenting these changes.

Question 34

Which kind of power is derived from the person's ability to control the allocation of valued resources and to remove negative sanctions?

A)Allocative power
B)Coercive power
C)Reward power
D)Ingratiation.
E)All of the above

Question 35

Coping with uncertainty is a variation of:

A)legitimate power.
B)expert power.
C)coercive power.
D)referent power.
E)none of these.

Question 36

Referent power is typically associated with:

A)reward systems.
B)educational systems.
C)knowledge management.
D)peer pressure.
E)charisma.

Question 37

Axel wants to punish a subordinate that he personally dislikes.However,the subordinate fulfils all his job duties and produces excellent work.Both Axel and the subordinate are governed by very comprehensive policies and rules negotiated by a union in a collective agreement.Which contingency does Axel lack thereby preventing him from to punishing the subordinate?

A)Counterproductive power
B)Non-substitutability
C)Centrality
D)Discretion
E)Visibility

Question 38

Three general strategies for coping with uncertainty include:

A)visibility,discretion,prevention
B)visibility,immediacy,pervasiveness
C)prevention,forecasting,absorption
D)discretion,immediacy,prevention
E)None of these lists strategies for coping with uncertainty.

Question 39

Which of the following is a contingency of power?

A)Legitimacy
B)Referent
C)Visibility
D)Suitability
E)None of these are contingencies of power.

Question 40

The ______________ is a felt obligation and social expectation of helping or otherwise giving something of value to someone who has already helped or given something to you.

A)norm of expectation
B)norm of replication
C)norm of reciprocity
D)norm of obligation
E)norm of equity

Question 41

The area between two or more dense social network areas that lacks network ties is called a:

A)dead zone.
B)structural hole.
C)social hole.
D)black hole
E)social isolation zone.

Question 42

Which of the following is an example of the influence tactic of controlling information?

A)A new executive immediately posts his diplomas and awards on the office wall for others to see.
B)To demonstrate that cost overrun errors aren't due to production employees,the production manager privately shows senior executives examples of how the marketing manager makes mistakes on orders.
C)The vice-president of marketing deliberately places an issue that she dislikes near the bottom of next meeting's agenda (rather than near the top)so there is less chance the meeting will have time to address that issue.
D)To increase the chances of promotion to a more senior job in the company,an employee exaggerates to management about his role on the executive of a non-profit group.
E)Airline employees threaten to go on strike just a few weeks before the company begins its busiest season and most profitable part of the year.

Question 43

Krystal's boss in the accounting department initially rejected her proposal for a new budgeting process.So Krystal spoke to--and received support from--the heads of two departments that would benefit from the proposed budgeting process.She also found support from several co-workers in the accounting department,because they believed the new budgeting process would be simpler and fairer.When Krystal's boss realized that several key people supported the new budgeting system,he reluctantly agreed to test it in a pilot project.What influence is Krystal mainly using here?

A)Silent authority
B)Coalition formation
C)Assertiveness
D)Impression management
E)Both silent authority AND coalition formation.

Question 44

A software engineer was able to get placed into a group working on the most critical part of a new software program.She also made a habit of arriving at work around 5 a.m.,knowing that some of the top corporate leaders would arrive that early once in a while.This software engineer's actions increased her power mainly through:

A)decreased non-substitutability.
B)increased legitimate power.
C)increased coercive power.
D)increased discretion.
E)increased visibility.

Question 45

Forming a coalition:

A)is typically part of the manager's job description.
B)takes advantage of situations where who you know is more important than what you know.
C)causes the decision to become more complex and ambiguous.
D)increases the legitimacy of the coalition's desired outcome.
E)more effectively communicates weaknesses with opposing positions.

Question 46

By engaging successfully in social networking,employees increase their:

A)socialistic tendencies.
B)centrality.
C)social power.
D)social capital.
E)expert power and centrality,but not referent power.

Question 47

Which of the following is an example of the influence tactic of forming coalitions?

A)A group of employees band together to show management that they collectively demand that the company purchase new computer equipment.
B)Airline employees threaten to go on strike just a few weeks before the company begins its busiest season and most profitable part of the year.
C)A new executive immediately posts her diplomas and awards on the office wall for others to see.
D)To demonstrate that cost overrun errors aren't due to production employees,the production manager privately shows senior executives examples of how the marketing manager makes mistakes on orders.
E)None of these involves forming coalitions.

Question 48

A supervisor pushes employee performance by constantly checking their work and reminding them of their deadlines.This supervisor is mainly using which form of influence?

A)Legitimate
B)Silent authority
C)Referent
D)Assertiveness
E)Persuasion

Question 49

According to the textbook,social networks potentially increases a person's power by:

A)increasing the person's legitimate power.
B)decreasing the person's centrality.
C)increasing the person's referent power.
D)increasing the person's expert power.
E)increasing the person's referent power and expert power.

Question 50

Persuading people is more easily done when:

A)you only give the employee information that supports the policy.
B)the information is written down rather than discussed orally.
C)they believe you have expertise and credibility.
D)the employee is publicly committed to an opposing attitude.
E)Persuasion research recommends none of these activities.

Question 51

What types of power do people tend to gain by being part of social networks?

A)Legitimate and referent power
B)Expert and reward power
C)Referent and expert power
D)Legitimate and reward power
E)Networking has no known effects on an employee's sources of power

Question 52

Employees who engage in social networking tend to:

A)be less powerful in the long run.
B)develop their referent power.
C)have a low level of Machiavellianism.
D)develop their legitimate power.
E)develop both their referent and legitimate power.

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT identified in the textbook as a form of influence?

A)Ingratiation
B)Upward appeal
C)Persuasion
D)Pleading
E)Information control

Question 54

Playing the "face time" game potentially increases a lower-level employee's power by increasing:

A)the employee's coercive power.
B)the employee's visibility.
C)how quickly other people are affected by the employee's actions.
D)the employee's ability to cope with organizational uncertainties.
E)the employee's substitutability.

Question 55

When your boss requests that you complete a particular task,he is applying which form of influence?

A)Silent authority
B)Referent
C)Assertiveness
D)Exchange
E)Expert

Question 56

Which influence strategy is the most common in high power distance cultures?

A)Upward appeal
B)Persuasion
C)Assertiveness
D)Silent authority
E)Ingratiation

Question 57

Jason is effective at forming friendships with other people in the organization.Over time,he becomes well known and respected by numerous people in key positions in the organization.Through his social networking,Jason has:

A)increased his level of Machiavellianism.
B)reduced his centrality.
C)increased his coercive power.
D)increased his referent power.
E)reduced his visibility.

Question 58

The CEO of a large organization once commented that earlier in his career,he displayed his diplomas and awards in his office.'Top management would drop by my office and immediately get a sense that I was an expert and a professional',the CEO explained.'I believe displaying my credentials helped me get promoted.' The diplomas helped this executive gain power:

A)because he and his diplomas were not substitutable.
B)by increasing his coercive power in the organization.
C)by making everyone else's sources of power less relevant to the organization.
D)through visibility.
E)by decreasing his centrality in the organization.

Question 59

______________ is the knowledge and other resources available to people,teams,or organizations from a durable network that connect them to others.

A)Resource capital
B)Expert capital
C)Social capital
D)Network capital
E)Intangible capital

Question 60

According to the authors,women are often excluded from informal management networks because they:

A)use communication styles that are different than men.
B)have too many other responsibilities to join social networks at work.
C)do not participate in golf games and other male-dominated social events.
D)prefer to join mostly non-management social networks.
E)are prevented from doing so due to the "glass ceiling" effect.

Question 61

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A)Exchange tactics tend to be more common and effective between supervisors and subordinates in Canada than in most Asian cultures.
B)Ingratiation tends to minimize conflict and support a trusting relationship.
C)A person's position in the organizational hierarchy is a factor when determining the best influence tactic to apply.
D)People with strong expert power would be more successful applying persuasion than any other influence tactic.
E)Employees lose respect for supervisors who engage in ingratiation and impression management.

Question 62

Various studies consistently report that many job applicants falsify information on their resumé.This is an example of which influence tactic?

A)Persuasion
B)Forming coalitions
C)Networking
D)Impression management
E)Exchange

Question 63

The influence strategy called "exchange" applies:

A)negotiation.
B)ingratiation.
C)persuasion.
D)nonsubsitutability.
E)both negotiation and ingratiation.

Question 64

______________ is part of a larger influence tactic called _____________.

A)Persuasion; upward influence
B)Ingratiation; impression management
C)Upward appeal; persuasion
D)Persuasion; ingratiation
E)Impression management; persuasion

Question 65

Which of the following is considered a "hard" influence tactic?

A)Exchange
B)Assertiveness
C)Information control
D)Upward appeal
E)All of these are described as "hard" influence tactics.

Question 66

The most appropriate influence strategy:

A)is impression management.
B)depends on personal,organizational,and cultural values.
C)is based on legitimate power.
D)is assertiveness and other hard tactics rather than soft tactics.
E)is to use soft tactics,never hard tactics.

Question 67

Which of the following is an influence strategy?

A)Dressing appropriately for the occasion.
B)Being polite to others.
C)Reminding co-workers of their obligation to serve customers.
D)All of these are influence strategies.
E)None of these are influence strategies.

Question 68

In persuasive communication,the inoculation effect refers to:

A)warning listeners about arguments that others will use to influence them against your position.
B)warning listeners that your ideas are probably incorrect and should therefore be ignored.
C)the situation in which listeners have heard too many of your arguments and consequently feel that you are pressuring them too much on this issue.
D)the situation in which you use written rather than verbal channels of communication to persuade other people.
E)the situation in which you easily persuade others because they perceive you as highly credible and trustworthy.

Question 69

Scholars tend to describe influence tactics as _____________,whereas they describe office politics as _____________.

A)negative; positive
B)based on power sources; based on power contingencies
C)behaviours; perceptions
D)hard; soft
E)rare; common

Question 70

Negotiation is an integral part of which influence activity?

A)Silent authority
B)Coercive
C)Exchange
D)All of these influence activities.
E)None of these influence activities.

Question 71

Which of the following is the LEAST forceful influence tactic?

A)Ingratiation
B)Assertiveness
C)Upward appeal
D)Silent authority
E)Information control

Question 72

Which source of power tends to produce compliance or resistance,but not commitment,to the requested behaviour?

A)Reward power
B)Legitimate power
C)Referent power
D)All of these produce compliance or resistance,but not commitment.
E)Reward AND legitimate power produce compliance or resistance,but not commitment.

Question 73

Which of the following are forms of impression management?

A)Blaming others for problems that would otherwise look like your fault.
B)Preventing negative information about your job performance from reaching senior management.
C)Hanging your awards and educational diplomas on the wall of your office.
D)All of these are forms of impression management.
E)None of the above represent impression management.

Question 74

Ingratiation includes which of the following?

A)Flattering your boss
B)Helping co-workers with their work.
C)Seeking advice from other people.
D)All of these are forms of ingratiation.
E)Only helping co-workers and seeking advice from others represent examples of ingratiation.

Question 75

Organizational politics typically involves:

A)an unconscious attempt to increase your own power.
B)a conscious attempt to motivate others to work harder for the firm.
C)attempts to influence others to promote personal objectives
D)helping other employees to fulfill their needs through organizational activities.
E)none of these.

Question 76

Cultural values and the person's position in the organization are:

A)the two most important sources of power in organizations.
B)the main reasons why people are Machiavellian.
C)two contingencies of power.
D)the two most important causes of organizational politics.
E)two factors to consider when determining the best influence tactic to use.

Question 77

Flattering your boss and helping co-workers with their work:

A)are not forms of influence.
B)are two sources of power.
C)are two ingratiation activities.
D)are forms of silent authority and upward appeal,respectively.
E)are two political tactics that are not influence strategies.

Question 78

Commitment typically results when people are influenced using which power bases?

A)Legitimate and coercive
B)Legitimate and expert
C)Reward and coercive
D)Expert and referent
E)Reward and referent

Question 79

Which of these actions would help persuade an employee to support your recommendation about the company introducing an on-site childcare facility?

A)Discussing the issue face-to-face with the employee rather than through a memo.
B)Convincing the employee that you have no vested interest in the childcare facility other than the belief that it is good for the organization.
C)Starting by saying something about the childcare facility that the employee agrees with.
D)Describing both positive and negative features of the childcare facility.
E)All of these would help to persuade an employee to support your recommendation.

Question 80

Exchange and ingratiation are:

A)two sources of power.
B)indicators that a person lacks power due to low centrality.
C)the only two political tactics that are equally common among men and women in organizational settings.
D)relatively uncommon practices in Western countries.
E)two forms of influence.