Deck 19: Understanding Organizations

Question 1

A bureaucracy is a(n)

A)two-member group.
B)small group in which there is little intimacy or mutual understanding and in which relationships are impersonal.
C)organization established on the basis of common interest whose members volunteer or even pay to participate.
D)component of formal organization that uses rules and hierarchical ranking to achieve efficiency.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which sociological perspective might observe the division of labor among the staff members in a hospital emergency room and focus on how the allocation of responsibilities affects their social behavior?

A)functionalist perspective
B)conflict perspective
C)interactionist perspective
D)global perspective

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In The Communist Manifesto,Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels charged that the capitalist system reduces workers to a mere "appendage of the machine," which leads to extreme

A)motion sickness.
B)alienation.
C)anomie.
D)goal displacement.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of a formal organization?

A)a community college basketball team
B)the people in a New York City subway car
C)the General Motors Corporation
D)All these answers are correct.

Question 5

A domestic abuse counselor fails to listen to an injured woman because the woman has no valid proof of U.S.citizenship.This is an example of

A)goal displacement.
B)goal multiplication.
C)trained incapacity.
D)hierarchy of authority.

Question 6

A construct or model that serves as a measuring rod against which specific cases can be evaluated is called a(n)

A)coalition.
B)ideal type.
C)metaphor.
D)questionnaire.

Question 7

Bureaucratization is

A)an element or process of society that may disrupt a social system or lead to a decrease in stability.
B)organized patterns of beliefs and behavior centered on basic social needs.
C)the process by which a group,organization,or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.
D)the process through which an organization identifies an entirely new objective because its traditional goals have been either realized or denied.

Question 8

Which of these comments about a bureaucracy is correct?

A)The division of labor has the positive consequence of producing efficiency in large-scale organizations.
B)The hierarchy of authority has the negative consequence for the individual of depriving employees of a voice in decision making.
C)An organization's written rules and regulations have the negative consequence of leading to goal displacement.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 9

The notion that every employee within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence is referred to as

A)goal displacement.
B)the Peter principle.
C)trained incapacity.
D)bureaucracy.

Question 10

A college is run by a board of trustees,which hires a president,who in turn selects vice presidents,deans,and other administrators.This is an example of the bureaucratic characteristic of

A)written rules and regulations.
B)division of labor.
C)impersonality.
D)hierarchy of authority.

Question 11

The public attention given the failure of various government intelligence-gathering organizations to detect the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,illustrates which poorly functioning aspect of government bureaucracy?

A)division of labor
B)hierarchy of authority
C)impersonality
D)employment based on technical qualifications

Question 12

Which of the following does Marx and conflict theorists believe is weakened by restricting workers to very small tasks?

A)job security
B)family values
C)economic positions
D)hierarchy of control

Question 13

Which sociologist emphasized the basic similarity of structure and process found in the otherwise dissimilar enterprises of religion,government,education,and business?

A)Max Weber
B)Suzanne Staggenborg
C)David Sills
D)Norman Denzin

Question 14

Which one of the following is a typical ascribed status that influences people's self-images within formal organizations?

A)gender
B)college education
C)job title
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 15

By working at a specific task,people are more likely to become highly skilled and carry out a job with maximum efficiency.This is the rationale for the bureaucratic characteristic of

A)employment based on technical qualifications.
B)hierarchy of authority.
C)division of labor.
D)written rules and regulations.

Question 16

Which of the following is an example of a negative consequence of bureaucratization?

A)the Peter principle
B)employees deprived of a voice in decision making
C)the stifling of initiative and imagination
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

Goal displacement is

A)the tendency for workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems.
B)a principal of organizational life according to which each individual within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
C)overzealous conformity to official regulations within a bureaucracy.
D)the process by which a group,organization,or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

Question 18

Formal organizations may vary in

A)size.
B)degree of efficiency.
C)specificity of goals.
D)All of these answers are correct.

Question 19

Special-purpose groups designed and structured in the interests of maximum efficiency are known as

A)informal organizations.
B)formal organizations.
C)coalitions.
D)primary groups.

Question 20

The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems is known as

A)goal displacement.
B)oligarchy.
C)manifest destiny.
D)trained incapacity.

Question 21

Oligarchies emerge because

A)people in leadership roles have skills,knowledge,or charismatic appeal.
B)the most capable people always rise to the top of a bureaucracy,and they are respected by their followers,who permit them to rule unhindered.
C)the rank and file of a movement or organization look to leaders for direction and thereby reinforce the process of rule by a few.
D)people in leadership roles have skills,knowledge,or charismatic appeal;and the rank and file of a movement or organization look to leaders for direction and thereby reinforce the process of rule by a few.

Question 22

The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems is known as trained incapacity.

Question 23

According to the classical theory of formal organizations,workers are motivated almost entirely by

A)economic rewards.
B)fear of their superiors.
C)norms of conformity to the group.
D)the need for job satisfaction.

Question 24

Planning based on the human relations approach focuses on

A)the dangers of collective bargaining.
B)the role of people,communication,and participation among the company executives.
C)the conflict perspective's critique of capitalism.
D)workers' feelings,frustrations,and emotional needs for job satisfaction in bureaucracies.

Question 25

Choose an institution you interact with on a daily basis and,using specific examples,explain how the institution operates as a bureaucracy against Weber's ideal type.

Question 26

Describe some of the potential negative consequences of the process of bureaucratization.

Question 27

The phrase "bureaucracy's other face," which refers to the unofficial activities and interactions that are a basic part of daily organizational life,was coined by

A)Peter Blau.
B)James Tucker.
C)Alvin Gouldner.
D)Charles Page.

Question 28

Activists in a large city join forces to create a new organization with the goal of preserving landmark buildings that have historical importance.At first,the organization functions democratically,but over time it is taken over by three people.These leaders establish a bureaucratic structure that helps them to maintain control of the organization.These developments can be best explained by

A)Parkinson's law.
B)the Peter principle.
C)the iron law of oligarchy.
D)the scientific management approach.

Question 29

According to the human relations approach to formal organizations,workers are motivated almost entirely by economic rewards.

Question 30

Discuss the state of labor unions with the United States today from the various sociological perspectives.Explain what unique challenges the culture of the U.S.poses for labor unions compared with other nations.

Question 31

The "iron law of oligarchy" is a principle

A)of organizational life according to which even democratic organizations will become bureaucracies ruled by a few individuals.
B)under which organizations are established on the basis of common interests.
C)of organizational life according to which each individual in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence.
D)None of these answers is correct.