Deck 1: What Is Organizational Behavior

Question 1

Janet needs to assign a very important advertising account to one of her writers. First she reviewed each writer's work load, then she studied the sales data of the products for the last three campaigns of each writer, then she reviewed each writer's annual review to familiarize herself with their goals. Finally, she gave the account to Paula, a very creative, efficient, writer who has had high sales results with her last three clients' products. Janet's management style is based on ________.

A) intuition or "gut feeling"
B) organizational behavioral studies
C) subjective assessments
D) preconceived notions
E) systematic study

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Analyzing relationships, determining causes and effects, and basing conclusions on scientific evidence all constitute aspects of ________ study.

A) organizational
B) intuitive
C) theoretical
D) systematic
E) case-based

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Betty believes that it is best to take the casual or common sense approach to reading others. She needs to remember that ________.

A) the casual approach is nonsensical, and should be avoided as much as possible
B) the systematic approach and the casual approach are one and the same
C) laboratory experiments on human behavior often result in unreliable findings
D) the casual or common sense approach to reading others can often lead to erroneous predictions
E) behavior is unpredictable, hence there is no accurate way to analyze it

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Organizational behavior is essentially the study of "people skills".

Question 5

Describe how one of the sciences that contributes to organizational behavior could be used in EBM. Define the science, some of the science's contributions to OB, and describe a workplace example of how it could be used in EBM.

Question 6

Over the last three decades, business school curricula has focused more on the technical aspects of management such as economics, accounting, finance, and quantitative techniques, and less on subjects related to human behavior and people skills.

Question 7

Which of the following is not a topic or concern related to OB?

A) turnover
B) leader behavior
C) productivity
D) management
E) family behavior

Question 8

Organizational behavior is a field of study that helps in measuring, understanding, and changing attitudes; identifying communication patterns; and building trust. It has made important contributions to the study of group behavior, power, and conflict.

Question 9

What are the three primary determinants of behavior in organizations?

A) profit structure, organizational complexity, and job satisfaction
B) individuals, profit structure, and job satisfaction
C) individuals, groups, and job satisfaction
D) groups, structure, and profit structure
E) individuals, groups, and structure

Question 10

Which of the following is not a core topic of organizational behavior?

A) motivation
B) attitude development
C) conflict
D) resource allocation
E) work design

Question 11

Until the late 1980s, business school curricula emphasized the ________ aspects of management.

A) ethical
B) people
C) technical
D) human
E) global

Question 12

Basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific support is called ________.

A) intuition
B) organizational process
C) organizational behavior
D) evidence-based management
E) conceptual management

Question 13

Which of the following explains the usefulness of the systematic approach to the study of organizational behavior?

A) Human behavior does not vary a great deal between individuals and situations.
B) Human behavior is not random.
C) Human behavior is not consistent.
D) Human behavior is rarely predictable.
E) Human behavior is often not sensible.

Question 14

________ is the study of the impact that individuals, groups, and structure have on behavior within organizations.

A) Leadership
B) Organizational strategy
C) Performance management
D) Employee relations
E) Organizational behavior

Question 15

In order to predict human behavior, it is best to supplement your intuitive opinions with information derived in what fashion?

A) common sense
B) direct observation
C) systematic study
D) speculation
E) organizational theory

Question 16

There is a connection between companies which have ________ and the incorporation of organizational behavior principles.

A) high turnover rates
B) specialized technical processes
C) superior financial performance
D) long-lasting CEO's
E) all of the above

Question 17

Behavior is generally unpredictable, and the systematic study of behavior is a means to making reasonably accurate predictions.

Question 18

Which of the following is not a reason why business schools have begun to include classes on organizational behavior?

A) to increase manager effectiveness in organizations
B) to help organizations attract top quality employees
C) to expand organizations' consulting needs
D) to improve retention of quality workers
E) to help increase organizations' profits

Question 19

Which of the following problems would an OB study be least likely to focus on?

A) an increase in absenteeism at a certain company
B) a fall in productivity in one shift of a manufacturing plant
C) a decrease in sales due to growing foreign competition
D) an increase in theft by employees at a retail store
E) excessive turnover among volunteer workers at a non-profit organization

Question 20

"Big data" has been recently applied to making effective decisions and ________.

A) managing human resources
B) creation of surveys
C) decreasing online sales
D) marketing campaigns
E) none of the above

Question 21

Which field of study has contributed to OB through its research on organizational culture and formal organization theory and structure?

A) psychology
B) operations management
C) corporate strategy
D) political science
E) sociology

Question 22

Group behavior, power, and conflict are central areas of study for ________.

A) archaeologists
B) philanthropists
C) anthropologists
D) social psychologists
E) operations analysts

Question 23

Why is it important to complement intuition with systematic study in our attempts to understand behavior within organizations?

Question 24

Which behavioral science discipline is most focused on understanding individual behavior?

A) sociology
B) social psychology
C) psychology
D) anthropology
E) organizational behavior

Question 25

________ is a science that seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and other animals.

A) Psychiatry
B) Psychology
C) Sociology
D) Political science
E) Organizational behavior

Question 26

Social psychology is an area within psychology, blending concepts from both psychology and socialism.

Question 27

Organizational behavior is constructed from all of the following disciplines except ________.

A) physics
B) psychology
C) anthropology
D) sociology
E) social psychology

Question 28

________ focuses on the study of people in relation to their social environment.

A) Psychology
B) Sociology
C) Corporate strategy
D) Political science
E) Operations management

Question 29

The subject of organizational culture has been most influenced by which behavioral science discipline?

A) anthropology
B) psychology
C) social psychology
D) political science
E) corporate strategy

Question 30

________ blends concepts from psychology and sociology and focuses on the influence people have on one another.

A) Corporate strategy
B) Anthropology
C) Political science
D) Social psychology
E) Archaeology

Question 31

Myriam is analyzing the gender roles of men and women in management in the United States and comparing them to the gender roles in management in Japan. She is surveying fifty male and fifty female managers in each country to compare their daily behavior. Myriam's study exemplifies how ________ contributes to OB.

A) anthropology
B) psychology
C) archaeology
D) political science
E) corporate strategy

Question 32

You are bringing together faculty from different behavioral disciplines to author a new textbook in organizational behavior. Represented are professors from psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, political science, and industrial engineering. Which faculty member should furnish information about personality, learning, and motivation?

A) sociology
B) psychology
C) anthropology
D) political science
E) industrial engineering

Question 33

Psychology's major contributions to the field of organizational behavior have been primarily at what level of analysis?

A) the level of the group
B) the level of the individual
C) the level of the organization
D) the level of culture
E) the level of interacting groups

Question 34

You are bringing together faculty from different behavioral disciplines to author a new textbook in organizational behavior. Represented are professors from psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, political science, and industrial engineering. Which professor out of this group would you expect to address issues on communication?

A) the psychologist
B) the anthropologist
C) the political scientist
D) the social psychologist
E) the industrial engineer

Question 35

You are bringing together faculty from different behavioral disciplines to author a new textbook in organizational behavior. Represented are professors from psychology, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, political science, and industrial engineering. You should expect that the faculty member from ________ will probably contribute information about large-scale group behavior.

A) sociology
B) psychology
C) social psychology
D) anthropology
E) industrial engineering

Question 36

Austin is a graduate student helping to organize a study on individual job satisfaction. The study focuses on the top five causes of satisfaction or dissatisfaction on a job. His department is surveying 200 individuals in 100 different types of organizations. Austin is most likely a graduate student in the department of ________.

A) psychology
B) anthropology
C) political science
D) social psychology
E) archaeology

Question 37

Intuition comes from "gut feelings" about the state of some phenomenon of interest.

Question 38

Jude is a social psychologist. He is working on a concept in social psychology, which is a major study area, and learning how to implement it and how to reduce barriers to its acceptance. Jude is studying the concept of ________.

A) culture
B) ethics
C) power
D) change
E) fatigue

Question 39

This field of study has helped us understand differences in fundamental values, attitudes, and behavior between people in different countries and within different organizations.

A) anthropology
B) corporate strategy
C) political science
D) operations research
E) psycholinguistics

Question 40

The science of ________ was developed by applying general concepts to a particular situation, person, or group.

A) organizational behavior
B) anthropology
C) psychology
D) sociology
E) social psychology

Question 41

________ is an effect of increasing globalization.

A) More expensive consumer goods
B) An increase in manufacturing jobs in developed nations
C) An ever increasingly homogeneous workforce
D) Shared economic values among all cultures
E) Jobs moving to nations with low-cost labor

Question 42

How have the fields of psychology and sociology contributed to our understanding of organizational behavior?

Question 43

Compare and contrast the fields of psychology, social psychology, and sociology.

Question 44

Raymond is completing a study on discrimination in which he has noted that saleswomen who wear skirt suits make more sales than saleswomen who only wear pant suits. However, Raymond determined that his findings only pertained to those industries in which the purchasing decision maker is traditionally masculine. For example, the sales results were the same for all women selling to medical office managers, a female dominated field. Raymond used ________ variables to more accurately explain his results.

A) global
B) general
C) dependent
D) non-reactive
E) contingency

Question 45

Conflict and power have been major topics of concern for social psychologists.

Question 46

What are "networked organizations"? Describe the role of the manager in such organizations.

Question 47

Given the climate of "temporariness" in modern organizations, employees must ________.

A) continually update their knowledge and skills
B) be prepared to stay in the same position for longer periods of time
C) have closer connections with their peers
D) foster friendship within the work environment
E) limit their mobility if they hope to compete

Question 48

Anthropology has helped us understand differences in values and attitudes between people in different countries.

Question 49

Which of the following has not contributed to blurring the lines between employees' work life and personal life?

A) the creation of global organizations
B) communication technology allowing employees to work any time and from any place
C) organizations asking employees to put in longer hours
D) creation of flexible teams
E) the increase in dual career households

Question 50

OB draws from several research-based theories about how people behave in organizations and contains several straightforward cause-and-effect relationships.

Question 51

Which of the following statements best describes contingency variables?

A) They are scientific factors based on universal truths.
B) They are factors that moderate the relationship between two or more events or situations.
C) There is general consensus among OB researchers that they can be controlled.
D) They are the cause-and-effect principles that tend to apply to all situations that have been discovered.
E) They are simple and universal principles that explain organizational behavior.

Question 52

Human beings are complex, and few, if any, simple and universal principles explain organizational behavior. Nevertheless, it does not mean that OB cannot offer reasonably accurate explanations of human behavior or make valid predictions. It does mean that OB concepts must ________.

A) focus on the reliability and validity of research data
B) attempt to establish cause-and-effect relationships
C) be consistently applicable across a wide range of situations
D) reflect situational, or contingency, conditions
E) avoid assumptions

Question 53

OB concepts must reflect contingency conditions for all of the following reasons except ________.

A) human beings are complex
B) our predictions and assumptions are almost accurate all the time
C) one person's behavior changes in different situations
D) we are limited in our ability to make sweeping generalizations
E) two people often act very differently in the same situation

Question 54

Explain "workforce diversity." What key managerial skill do you think is most important when dealing with workforce diversity?

Question 55

Most managers and employees today work in a climate best characterized as "temporary." Explain.

Question 56

Which of the following was the most significant change in the United States labor force during the last half of the twentieth century?

A) substantial decreases in the number of workers who are under 55
B) increases in the percentage of United States citizens of Hispanic origin
C) the increasing number of African-Americans at all levels within the workforce
D) the steady increase in the percentage of employed males
E) the rapid increase in the number of female workers

Question 57

Explain why there are few absolutes in organizational behavior. Despite this, how are we able to make valid predictions?

Question 58

Munwar and Jackson both work as logistics supervisors at a successful restaurant management company. Recently, the manager for District G retired and both Munwar and Jackson have been approached about filling the position. While Munwar was excited about the possible promotion, Jackson was not interested in the position because it would require relocation and travel as well as the supervision of over 200 employees. Jackson's behavior can be explained by ________.

A) sociology
B) big data
C) organizational behavior
D) contingency variables
E) interpersonal skills

Question 59

OB researchers cannot offer reasonably accurate explanations of human behavior since people act very differently in similar situations.

Question 60

What psychology is to the group, sociology is to the individual.

Question 61

Timothy works with people of various nationalities and faiths. How can he effectively manage people from different cultures?

A) by adapting his management style to their differences
B) by keeping a straightforward and open communication style
C) by using his own motivations to guide others
D) by treating everyone uniformly, regardless of their background
E) by guiding them to adapt to his management style

Question 62

The use of temporary work groups and employee rotation has reduced the ________ of working in a specific group, as well as the security attached to it.

A) predictability
B) spontaneity
C) autonomy
D) morale
E) satisfaction

Question 63

Which of the following is not an action characteristic of an organization in flux?

A) replacing temporary workers with permanent ones
B) reorganizing divisions
C) downsizing operations
D) subcontracting noncritical services and operations to other organizations
E) selling off poorly performing divisions

Question 64

Which of the following is the major challenge to managers in a fully networked organization?

A) eliminating the need for paper communication by relying entirely on e-mail, file transfers, and the like
B) retaining team members who can easily move to another employer when demand for their services changes
C) managing contract and temporary workers
D) maintaining a "virtual office" through the use of computers, interoffice networks, and the Internet
E) managing people who work together but are geographically separated

Question 65

The difference between good and bad management can be the difference between ________ and ________.

A) profit; loss
B) employment; success
C) development; deterioration
D) collaboration; noncooperation
E) productivity; unproductivity

Question 66

Which of the following statements is not true about work force diversity?

A) Disability is a category of workforce diversity.
B) Managing workforce diversity presents many challenges.
C) Workforce diversity focuses on differences within a country.
D) Sexual orientation is a part of workforce diversity.
E) Workforce diversity is a concern only in the United States.

Question 67

Workforce diversity means that organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of all of the following except ________.

A) age
B) gender
C) domestic partners
D) socio-economic status
E) religion

Question 68

Many employees of global firms are "on call" 24 hours a day for all of the following reasons except ________.

A) they are able to create and structure their own roles with flexible work schedules
B) they need to consult with colleagues or customers eight or ten time zones away
C) they can now do their work at home or other non-office locations
D) they are being asked to put in longer hours by their organizations
E) they are facing increasing demands of globalization and competition

Question 69

Raul is a financial analyst who oversees the daily financial expenditures for a major big box retailer. On a typical day, Raul does not interact with other employees and only meets with his team on Monday afternoons; however, he typically has to run a report at 7:30 am and then a final report at 7:30 pm. Raul and his wife Emily have a 6 month old son and Emily will soon be returning to work thus requiring the couple to engage childcare. To enhance Raul's well-being at work, his manager could ________.

A) reassign Raul to a position which requires less time
B) allow Raul to completely work from home
C) allow Raul to work from home four days a week
D) fire Raul
E) None of these ideas would enhance Raul's well-being.

Question 70

________ allow(s) people to communicate and work together even though they may be thousands of miles apart.

A) Flexible cubicles
B) Stratified work environments
C) Decentralized communication
D) Evidence-based management
E) Networked organizations

Question 71

Whereas ________ focuses on differences among people from different countries, ________ addresses differences among people within given countries.

A) workforce diversity; globalization
B) globalization; workforce diversity
C) culture; diversity
D) culturalization; workforce diversity
E) psychology; social psychology

Question 72

Which of the following is not an example of people who can work from home or other non-office locations?

A) assembly line workers
B) systems analysts
C) technical writers
D) medical transcribers
E) book and media editors

Question 73

________ is a measure of how organizations are becoming more heterogeneous in terms of gender, race, and ethnicity.

A) Globalization
B) Workforce diversity
C) Affirmative action
D) Organizational culture
E) Operational homogeneity

Question 74

The common characteristic of service jobs is that they require ________.

A) substantial interaction with an organization's customers
B) low pay
C) a focus on productivity
D) little job knowledge
E) little technical competence

Question 75

Which of the following would not be considered a service employee?

A) Fast food counter worker
B) Sales clerk
C) Police officer
D) Automobile repair technician
E) Financial planner

Question 76

Which one of the following is not an example of globalization?

A) After years of lackluster performance, Boeing realized it needed to change its business model.
B) McDonald's sells hamburgers in more than 100 countries in six continents.
C) All major automobile makers now manufacture cars outside their borders.
D) At Finland-based phone maker Nokia's renowned research center in Helsinki, non-Finns now outnumber Finns.
E) ExxonMobil, a so-called United States company, reported that less than six percent of their 2011 earnings were from gas and products sales in the United States.

Question 77

Which of the following factors makes it imperative that organizations be fast and flexible?

A) workforce diversity
B) corporate excess
C) truncated capacity
D) advances in corporate strategy
E) globalization

Question 78

Organizations need to ensure that hiring and employment policies create equal access and opportunities to individuals, regardless of ________.

A) gender
B) experience
C) educational qualification
D) computer skills
E) technical know-how

Question 79

Which of the following is not considered a key quality of an employee in a customer-responsive culture?

A) friendly and courteous
B) accessible
C) knowledgeable
D) good computer skills
E) willing to do what's necessary to please the customer

Question 80

As managers oversee the movement of jobs to countries with low-cost labor, ________.

A) they tend to ignore the home country needs
B) they must deal with strong criticism from labor groups
C) they manage less diverse workforces
D) they avoid markets like China and other developing nations
E) they work themselves out of a job