Question 1

The ________ of an environment refers to the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements.
A) density
B) simplicity
C) complexity
D) intricacy
E) permeability

Accepted Answer

Any organization's environment has three dimensions: capacity, volatility, and complexity. Capacity refers to the degree to which the environment can support growth. Volatility describes the degree of instability in the environment. Complexity is the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements.

Question 2

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of an organization pursuing an innovation strategy?
A) high formalization
B) high specialization
C) decentralized control
D) rigid departmentalization
E) narrow span of control

Accepted Answer

Organizations pursuing an innovation strategy tend to be organic with a loose structure, low specialization, low formalization, and decentralized control.

Question 3

Volatility refers to the degree of ________ within an environment.
A) heterogeneity
B) instability
C) flexibility
D) diffusivity
E) conformity

Accepted Answer

Any organization's environment has three dimensions: capacity, volatility, and complexity. Capacity refers to the degree to which the environment can support growth. Volatility describes the degree of instability in the environment. Complexity is the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements.

Question 4

What are the key dimensions to any organization's environment?
A) conformity, criticality, and diffusivity
B) complexity, volatility, and capacity
C) complexity, diffusivity, and criticality
D) conformity, criticality, and capacity
E) criticality, volatility, diffusivity

Accepted Answer

Any organization's environment has three dimensions: capacity, volatility, and complexity.

Question 5

Which of the following terms refers to the way an organization transfers inputs into outputs?
A) volatility
B) formalization
C) complexity
D) technology
E) environment

Accepted Answer

Technology describes the way an organization transfers inputs into outputs. Every organization has at least one technology for converting financial, human, and physical resources into products or services.

Question 6

Describe the various ways in which the negative impact of downsizing can be minimized.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the various ways in which the...

Question 7

Which of the following is typically a characteristic of an organic model of organization?
A) narrow spans of control
B) centralization
C) free flow of information
D) high formalization
E) inflexibility

Accepted Answer

The organic model of organization has cross-hierarchical teams, wide spans of control, decentralized management, low formalization and free flow of information. It favors flexible practices.

Question 8

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of an organization pursuing a cost-minimization strategy?
A) lack of tight control
B) wide span of control
C) low work specialization
D) high centralization
E) low formalization

Accepted Answer

An organization pursuing a cost-minimization strategy tightly controls costs, refrains from incurring unnecessary expenses, and cuts prices in selling a basic product. It is characterized by extensive work specialization, high formalization and high centralization.

Question 9

A(n) ________ model is generally synonymous with the bureaucracy in that it has highly standardized processes for work, high formalization, and more managerial hierarchy.
A) mechanistic
B) organic
C) network
D) boundaryless
E) pyramidal

Accepted Answer

The mechanistic model is generally synonymous with the bureaucracy in that it has highly standardized processes for work, high formalization, and more managerial hierarchy. It is characterized by extensive departmentalization, high formalization, a limited information network, and centralization.

Question 10

Which of the following dimensions of an environment describes the degree to which the environment can support growth?
A) capacity
B) flexibility
C) volatility
D) sustainability
E) complexity

Accepted Answer

Any organization's environment has three dimensions: capacity, volatility, and complexity. Capacity refers to the degree to which the environment can support growth. Volatility describes the degree of instability in the environment. Complexity is the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements.

Question 11

Compare and contrast the three primary organizational strategies: innovation, cost-minimization, and imitation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast the three primary organizational...

Question 12

Which of the following is typically a characteristic of the mechanistic model of organization?
A) low formalization
B) extensive departmentalization
C) decentralized management
D) wide spans of control
E) low specialization

Accepted Answer

The mechanistic model of organization has high specialization, extensive departmentalization, narrow spans of control, centralized management, and high formalization.

Question 13

________ is a systematic effort to make an organization leaner by selling off business units, closing locations, or reducing staff.
A) Removing boundaries
B) Departmentalizing
C) Decentralizing
D) Downsizing
E) Formalizing

Accepted Answer

The goal of the new organizational forms is to improve agility by creating a lean, focused, and flexible organization. Companies may need to cut divisions that aren't adding value. Downsizing is a systematic effort to make an organization leaner by selling off business units, closing locations, or reducing staff.

Question 14

A(n) ________ model is a structure that is flat, uses cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, has low formalization, possesses a comprehensive information network, and relies on participative decision making.
A) mechanistic
B) organic
C) boundaryless
D) network
E) pyramidal

Accepted Answer

The organic model is flat, has fewer formal procedures for making decisions, has multiple decision makers, and favors flexible practices. It is a structure that is flat, uses cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, has low formalization, possesses a comprehensive information network, and relies on participative decision making.

Question 15

A(n) ________ strategy emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services.
A) innovation
B) cost-minimization
C) imitation
D) organic
E) mechanistic

Accepted Answer

An innovation strategy strives to achieve meaningful and unique innovations. Innovation strategy emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services. Organic and mechanistic are types of organizational designs.

Question 16

Institutions are cultural factors that act as guidelines for appropriate behavior for organizational structure.

Accepted Answer

Institutions are cultural factors that act as guidelines for appropriate behavior for organizational structure. Institutional theory describes some of the forces that lead many organizations to have similar structures and, focus on pressures that aren't necessarily adaptive. In fact, many institutional theorists try to highlight the ways corporate behaviors sometimes seem to be performance oriented but are actually guided by unquestioned social norms and conformity.

Question 17

What are the three dimensions that characterize the environment of an organization?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the three dimensions that characterize...

Question 18

Harald is opening a manufacturing plant with a mechanistic and centralized structure. Employees from which of the following countries will be least comfortable with this type of a structure?
A) Greece
B) Peru
C) Canada
D) France
E) Chile

Accepted Answer

Organizations that operate with people from high power-distance cultures, such as Greece, France, and most of Latin America, find that their employees are much more accepting of mechanistic structures than are employees from low power-distance countries. Canada is a low power-distance country.

Question 19

Organizations following a(n) ________ strategy try to both minimize risk and maximize opportunity for profit, moving into new products or new markets only after innovators have proven their viability.
A) innovation
B) cost-cutting
C) imitation
D) organic
E) mechanistic

Accepted Answer

Organizations following an imitation strategy try to both minimize risk and maximize opportunity for profit, introducing new products or entering new markets only after innovators have proven their viability.

Question 20

The more scarce, dynamic, and complex the environment, the more organic a structure should be.

Accepted Answer

Organizations that operate in environments characterized as scarce, dynamic, and complex face the greatest degree of uncertainty because they have high unpredictability, little room for error, and a diverse set of elements in the environment to monitor constantly. The more scarce, dynamic, and complex the environment, the more organic a structure should be.

Quiz 15: Foundations of Organization Structure

The ________ of an environment refers to the degree of heterogeneity and concentration among environmental elements.

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of an organization pursuing an innovation strategy?

Volatility refers to the degree of ________ within an environment.

What are the key dimensions to any organization's environment?

Which of the following terms refers to the way an organization transfers inputs into outputs?

Describe the various ways in which the negative impact of downsizing can be minimized.

Which of the following is typically a characteristic of an organic model of organization?

Which of the following is most likely to be a characteristic of an organization pursuing a cost-minimization strategy?

A(n) ________ model is generally synonymous with the bureaucracy in that it has highly standardized processes for work, high formalization, and more managerial hierarchy.

Which of the following dimensions of an environment describes the degree to which the environment can support growth?

Compare and contrast the three primary organizational strategies: innovation, cost-minimization, and imitation.

Which of the following is typically a characteristic of the mechanistic model of organization?

________ is a systematic effort to make an organization leaner by selling off business units, closing locations, or reducing staff.

A(n) ________ model is a structure that is flat, uses cross-hierarchical and cross-functional teams, has low formalization, possesses a comprehensive information network, and relies on participative decision making.

A(n) ________ strategy emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services.

Institutions are cultural factors that act as guidelines for appropriate behavior for organizational structure.

What are the three dimensions that characterize the environment of an organization?

Harald is opening a manufacturing plant with a mechanistic and centralized structure. Employees from which of the following countries will be least comfortable with this type of a structure?

Organizations following a(n) ________ strategy try to both minimize risk and maximize opportunity for profit, moving into new products or new markets only after innovators have proven their viability.

The more scarce, dynamic, and complex the environment, the more organic a structure should be.