Deck 9: Employee Empowerment and Interpersonal Interventions

Question 1

One of the most helpful aspects of Transactional Analysis is that it provides a helpful way of analyzing others and pointing out to them how they can improve their communications.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

In most people only one ego state resides in a person.As a person matures from an infant to retirement age,this ego state changes.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to structural analysis concept of Transactional Analysis,complementary,crossed,and ulterior are the three ego states.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The "I'm not OK,you're not OK" psychological position suggests lower feelings of self-esteem or feelings of lack of power when compared to others.

Question 5

The blind area of the Johari Window represents behaviors and feelings not known to oneself or to others.

Question 6

Delegation of power and decision-making to lower levels is a central idea of employee empowerment.

Question 7

Using structural analysis in the Transaction Analysis model is to help a person to understand better the sources of their values,behaviors,and thoughts.

Question 8

Disclosure and feedback allow a person to alter the four areas of the Johari Window.

Question 9

Transactional Analysis and laboratory learning are two terms that are used interchangeably to describe the same interpersonal intervention.

Question 10

A conditional stroke is a transaction tied to some type of performance of the receiver.

Question 11

The focus on laboratory learning is on what goes on in the group and on the interpersonal dynamics between group members.

Question 12

Laboratory learning is increasingly used by OD consultants as a training technique.

Question 13

The purpose of career life planning is to find promotional opportunities for top levels of management so that the OD program will have supporters at the highest levels.

Question 14

Laboratory learning can be viewed as a training method for participants to learn away from the work site and with strangers.In the sessions they experiment with new behaviors and receive candid feedback from others on the effectiveness of those behaviors.

Question 15

The child ego state is a collection of feelings,attitudes,and behaviors retained from the person's childhood.

Question 16

A crossed transaction occurs when a message sent from one ego state receives an expected response from the other person's appropriate ego state.

Question 17

A transaction occurs when one person,communicating with a second person,directs one of his or her specific ego states through a message to any one of the other person's ego states.

Question 18

Laboratory learning typically uses the work group such as other team members to experiment and increase interpersonal skills.

Question 19

An underlying assumption in most OD programs is that as the individual becomes more effective,the greater the probability that he or she will be promoted to higher ranks of influence and power,and therefore the organization as a whole will become more effective.

Question 20

Crooked strokes are similar to ulterior transactions as both transmit a message different from the words that a person uses.

Question 21

The effectiveness of an organization is a function of _____.

A)the skills of the individual members
B)how effectively the needs of individual members are integrated with overall objectives
C)the manager's leadership style
D)the integration of its sociotechnical system with that of the individual members
E)the relationship of a manager's motivation to the overt communication patterns of his/her subordinates

Question 22

An underlying assumption in the development of the individual member of an organization is that _____.

A)individual interventions are implemented with all organization members
B)it is usually successful and therefore more cost effective than most other methods
C)if the individual becomes more effective,the total organization will also be improved
D)it is usually not successful but the method is still used as it is part of an overall change program
E)answers a and d

Question 23

Studies on the results of the application of laboratory learning to organizations _____.

A)are not available
B)are typically negative
C)show it to improve organization productivity better than other interventions including technical and structural interventions
D)point to increased self-insight and observable changes in participants
E)have show it to be more effective in large organizations than small ones

Question 24

A group session of laboratory learning normally requires _____.

A)one day to be optimally successful
B)an ongoing period of time but typically no longer than one year
C)about a half year with meetings usually conducted once a month
D)a one- or two-week time span
E)no specific time as the overall needs of the organization will dictate the duration

Question 25

A goal of laboratory learning is to _____.

A)improve the structure of organizations
B)increase awareness of personal style
C)promote a feeling of support and warmth among members
D)increase productivity
E)answers b and c

Question 26

What is one of the most critical dimensions preventing organizational effectiveness?

A)bureaucratic structures
B)out of date technology
C)poor communications
D)government regulations
E)centralized organizations

Question 27

The first step in career life planning is to decide what types of jobs or work the participant would like to be doing at the end of ten years.

Question 28

Giving away true feelings via behavioral gestures is a characteristic found in the _____ area of the Johari Model.

A)public
B)closed
C)blind
D)persuasive
E)non-verbal

Question 29

Another term for laboratory learning is _____.

A)encounter groups
B)Johari Window
C)wellness program
D)Transactional Analysis
E)meditation

Question 30

An underlying assumption of the Johari Window Model is that _____.

A)the supportive and integrative areas should be as large as possible
B)interpersonal effectiveness is directly related to the amount of mutually shared information
C)people should be completely open and honest with every one
D)feedback is a method to reduce the public area
E)all of the above

Question 31

The results of career life planning have shown that turnover declines dramatically and employees express higher satisfaction with their work.

Question 32

Laboratory learning is characterized by _____.

A)focusing on openness and candid feedback
B)focusing on what goes on in the group during training
C)an unstructured process
D)all of the above
E)answers a and c

Question 33

Stress in some situations may be positive,as when it causes someone to be challenged in their performance.

Question 34

Career development is becoming more important as those serving in management ranks are less secure in their positions and are less likely to get promotions than in previous times.

Question 35

Job burnout typically occurs among people who work on an assembly line doing repetitive work without having the opportunity to interact with others.

Question 36

Mask-to-mask communication _____.

A)is usually present in adult-to-adult communication
B)occurs when people say what they think others want to hear
C)only occurs in "I'm OK,You're OK" psychological positions
D)is a result of negative reinforcement
E)is effective because it prevents disagreements between people

Question 37

In the Johari Window Model,the sharing of information is directly correlated to _____.

A)the degree of effectiveness in personal interactions
B)openness of communication
C)leadership styles
D)the manager's personal values
E)answers c and d

Question 38

A central idea of employee empowerment is to _____.

A)change the flow of work throughout the organization
B)delegate power and decision making to lower levels
C)improve the flow of the formal communications throughout the organization
D)increase the size of an employee's Johari Window
E)all of the above

Question 39

Some studies on the effects of job stress have shown that jobs causing the most problems with high blood pressure were not those jobs with a great deal of pressure to work hard and fast such as high-powered executive jobs.Instead,the types of jobs causing increases in blood pressure were lower-level jobs where there was a high psychological demand coupled with little control over the work place and little use of skills.

Question 40

Laboratory learning is a means of improving individual skills and _____.

A)the ability to set concrete objectives
B)determining an effective organizational structure
C)group process
D)installing stress management programs
E)all of the above

Question 41

The _____ area of the Johari Window involves behavior,thoughts,and feelings known only to oneself but not to others.

A)transactional
B)unknown
C)public
D)mask-to-mask
E)closed

Question 42

What are some unique features of laboratory learning sessions that make them different from a weekly department meeting?

Question 43

A complementary transaction _____.

A)occurs when a message from one ego state receives a response from an inappropriate ego state
B)occurs when a message sent from one ego state receives an expected response from the other person's appropriate ego state
C)is a positive response tied to some type of performance of the receiver of the transaction
D)occurs when the words of the transaction mean one thing but the underlying intent means something much different
E)should normally be avoided in OD programs

Question 44

Job burnout has come to be recognized as a major work stress problem.Which of the following about job burnout is true?

A)Job burnout primarily results in a state of physical exhaustion.
B)Job burnout is more common in professions in which people do not have contact with others and must primarily work alone.
C)Job burnout is more common in men than women.
D)Job burnout is the result of continued strain associated in dealing extensively with other people.
E)Job burnout occurs more frequently in boring jobs.

Question 45

Factors in potentially stressful work activities include _____.

A)little control of the work environment
B)lack of participation in decision making
C)sudden reorganizations and unexpected changes in work schedules
D)ambiguity in duties expected to be achieved
E)all of the above

Question 46

According to structural analysis concept of Transactional Analysis,every person has three separate sources of behavior called ego states.The ego states are _____.

A)child,parent,and adult
B)public,closed,and blind
C)complementary,crossed,and ulterior
D)positive,negative,and crocked
E)I'm OK,You're OK,They're OK

Question 47

In the Johari Window Model,the four areas are _____.

A)public,blind,closed,unknown
B)cheerleader,pathfinder,analyzer,stabilizer
C)supportive,persuasive,analytical,and integrative
D)goals,technical,structural,behavioral
E)I'm OK,you're OK,I'm not OK,you're not OK

Question 48

A transaction which involves two ego states at the same time by one individual is _____.

A)an example of an ulterior transaction
B)when two transactions complement each other
C)an unexpected ego state
D)not possible
E)a child-to-child transaction

Question 49

The objective in career life planning is to _____.

A)find out why a manager is presently unsatisfied
B)develop a list of goals
C)identify trends in past experiences
D)find a new and more challenging position
E)all of the above

Question 50

Proponents of TA feel that _____ transactions are most effective within an organization.

A)parent-to-parent
B)adult-to-parent
C)adult-to-adult
D)ulterior
E)parent-to-child

Question 51

Individual career problems can often be linked to _____.

A)larger organizational problems
B)restructuring of organizations that reduce management levels
C)personal goals becoming lost in the "organization trap"
D)a rigid bureaucratic structure and intergroup conflict
E)all of the above

Question 52

Methods of identifying and counteracting stress are _____.

A)biofeedback and meditation
B)diet and exercise
C)wellness programs
D)training programs in stress management
E)all of the above

Question 53

The implication of a study on job strain reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association is that _____.

A)top management positions need to be altered to reduce the pressure on managers
B)not much can really be done to reduce job strain as the tendency for an individual to suffer from strain is biological and is therefore out of control of the organization
C)the problem of strain can be reduced through meditation and biofeedback
D)improving the design of jobs,better use of worker skills,and increasing worker participation in decision-making should be undertaken
E)none of the above

Question 54

The _____ ego state demonstrates an independent set of feelings,attitudes,and behaviors involving the basis of objective facts.

A)public
B)unconditional
C)We're OK
D)parent
E)adult

Question 55

Job burnout is most common in employees who _____.

A)must work primarily alone
B)operate delicate instruments or expensive machinery
C)deal extensively with other human beings who are troubled or having problems
D)work in dangerous occupations
E)are in top-management positions where large numbers of people or money are controlled

Question 56

A characteristic common to individuals who experience job burnout include _____.

A)being overweight
B)being a perfectionist
C)lack of exercise
D)apathy toward their work
E)answers a and c

Question 57

The purpose of structural analysis in the Transactional Analysis model is to _____.

A)better understand and psychoanalyze others' behaviors and motives
B)modify others' behavior to help you change their personal style
C)assist you in improving your crossed and ulterior transactions
D)help you to better understand the source of your values,behaviors,and thoughts
E)help you give more unconditional strokes

Question 58

The psychological position that suggests a tendency to mistreat and blame others and to put down others is referred to as _____ in Transactional Analysis terminology.

A)I'm not OK,you're OK
B)I'm OK,you're OK
C)ulterior transactions
D)negative or crooked strokes
E)I'm OK,you're not OK

Question 59

Why are interpersonal interventions important to the organization?

Question 60

The objective in utilizing the Johari Window Model is for the manager to _____.

A)reduce disclosure
B)learn to manage without feedback
C)set up formal lines of communication and authority
D)reshape areas to allow more trust,sharing,and risk taking
E)all of the above

Question 61

How can OD be used by the organization to help members deal with crisis in their careers?

Question 62

What are some of the more common characteristics of individuals that encounter job burnout?