Deck 18: Understanding Organizational Culture and Cultural Diversity

Question 1

At Darden, diversity is a core value that supports the company's core purpose, which is "To nourish and delight everyone we serve."

Answer 1

True

Question 2

After surveying employees, Darden decided to celebrate only the holidays that the CEO thought was important to celebrate.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The elements of a culture include symbols, language, and narratives.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

At Southwest Airlines, "having fun" is a value shared by the airline's employees and customers alike.

Question 5

A value comprises multiple beliefs that are compatible and supportive of one another.

Question 6

The most powerful organizational socialization is through consistent role modeling, teaching, coaching, and enforcement by others in the culture.

Question 7

Language is the simplest and most basic observable form of cultural expression.

Question 8

Narratives are the unique stories, sagas, legends, and myths in a culture.

Question 9

Creeds are culturally forbidden behaviors.

Question 10

To earn and sustain the trust of its stakeholders, Johnson & Johnson promotes the importance of ethical decision making by all employees.

Question 11

Taboos are elaborate and formal activities designed to generate strong feelings.

Question 12

The most effective organizations understand that there is a specific type of culture that is best for almost every organization.

Question 13

The long-term concerns of a bureaucratic culture are predictability, efficiency, and stability.

Question 14

Peer pressure to adhere to important norms is strong in a clan culture.

Question 15

Risk taking, dynamism, and creativity are attributes of an entrepreneurial culture.

Question 16

In a market culture, social relations among coworkers are not important and there few economic incentives are tied to cooperating with peers.

Question 17

Entrepreneurial cultures are appropriate only in the start-up phase of an organization. As the organization grows and develops it needs to develop a different culture in order to be successful.

Question 18

Frito-Lay is known for their nurturing of a market culture.

Question 19

In Japan, engineers are highly trained experts who develop their skills by working as an apprentice to a Meister (master in the profession).

Question 20

When Mercedes-Benz U.S. International was first getting started, U.S. executives spent 18 months in Germany, where they worked with German engineers to design the plant.

Question 21

One reason for maintaining an established organizational culture is to create a stronger, more consistent organization as the external environment changes.

Question 22

Most organizations have a strong culture, and many organizations have no subcultures.

Question 23

The different departments within an organization often have their own norms and values.

Question 24

Incompatible cultures is the most frequently cited reason for why mergers and acquisitions fail.

Question 25

To get employees involved immediately in designing the culture of a new company, Larry LeSueur, vice president of culture integration at US Airways, put together an event called D-Day.

Question 26

US Airways used an e-mail campaign as part of its effort to inform employees about the company's new "guiding principles."

Question 27

In organizations that operate in several countries, subcultures that reflect these national differences are likely to exist even when there is a common organizational culture.

Question 28

The subculture of the southeast region of China is the most individualistic, whereas the subculture of the central and western areas is the most collectivistic.

Question 29

Today, approximately 1 in 10 workers in the United States is foreign born-the highest rate in 70 years.

Question 30

Employees within each generation tend to share experiences and values that are somewhat distinct from those of other generations, resulting in different subcultures for different generations.

Question 31

Diversity campaigns have finally eliminated most of the formation of organizational subcultures based on gender.

Question 32

Many managers believe that the presence of distinct subcultures in an organization can be beneficial and should be valued.

Question 33

The experience of African Americans working in the accounting profession was much different back in the 1970s when very few were made partners, and only about 10% of all partners were African American.

Question 34

A multicultural organization is one that tries to ensure that the dominant culture does not exploit the other subcultures.

Question 35

Cultural diversity encompasses the full mix of the cultures and subcultures to which members of the workforce belong.

Question 36

The basic goal of affirmative action is to compensate for past injustices.

Question 37

At Deloitte and Touche, hiring practices that emphasize the value of prior experience in similar jobs has been the lifeblood of the organization's approach to managing diversity.

Question 38

The creation of economic value is a major goal for organizations that are concerned about their management of cultural diversity.

Question 39

The most common methods used to assess organizational culture are individual discussions and formal presentations.

Question 40

The actual cost to Exxon/Mobil for racial discrimination was about $30 million, which they paid to former employees.

Question 41

Texaco's management established themselves as leaders in the industry for recognizing early the importance of developing cultural diversity in its organization.

Question 42

Some types of homogeneity may be appropriate, or even essential, to effective operations and thus should be retained if justified after careful evaluation.

Question 43

"People with disabilities" is one of the diversity task forces created by GM, designed to increase diversity.

Question 44

Planned organizational change usually follows a revolutionary-not evolutionary-path.

Question 45

United Technologies strives to be listed on the best-employer lists published in business magazines, and believes that having managing diversity effectively is one way to get on those best-employer lists.

Question 46

A big challenge that United Technologies faces is ensuring that all of their diverse employees understand their job requirements and specifications, because their diverse employees have less job experience.

Question 47

Awareness training is designed to provide accurate information about the many subcultures present in the organization.

Question 48

It is not unusual for the implementation of cultural diversity in an organization to actually result in heightened conflict within the team.

Question 49

All of the following about Darden Restaurants is(are) true except:

A) Darden Restaurants is the world's largest casual dining company
B) Darden's approach to managing diversity is grounded in a firm understanding of its customers
C) Darden employees all receive 4 weeks of vacation, and are expected to visit a foreign country once a year
D) Through its Community Alliance Project, Darden sponsors Bit Thought, a music appreciation and performance program in Dallas

Question 50

In stating that diversity is a core value, Darden's management understands that they are inviting scrutiny from all of their stakeholders. To show their commitment to diversity as a core value, managers strive to:

A) achieve minority and female representation at all levels in the company
B) partner with the communities from which they draw employees and guests
C) evaluate leaders' performance against diversity objectives
D) all of the above are things managers strive to achieve

Question 51

Which of the following is not considered one of the basic elements of a culture?

A) shared values
B) shared knowledge
C) shared assumptions
D) shared norms

Question 52

A __________ is the unique pattern of shared assumptions, values, and norms that shape the socialization, symbols, language, narratives, and practices of a group of people.

A) culture
B) social system
C) community
D) microclimate

Question 53

Which of the following is not an observable element of culture?

A) narratives
B) symbols
C) values
D) socialization

Question 54

At Enron, the culture of ___________ has been blamed for the unethical behaviors that eventually destroyed the company.

A) teamwork
B) conflict
C) customer service
D) greed

Question 55

The _____________ as a value at Darden Restaurants has resulted in the company being recognized by Fortune, Black Enterprise, and Hispanic Business as one of the best U.S. companies to work for.

A) continuity of leadership
B) price of food items
C) visibility of diversity
D) all of the above

Question 56

Camila Cristiani has recently begun a new job at a large design firm. She realizes that the new organization differs from her old organization about what the notion of effectiveness means. What element of culture does this illustrate?

A) shared values
B) shared assumptions
C) shared socialization
D) shared symbols

Question 57

__________ are the underlying thoughts and feelings that members of a culture take for granted and believe to be true.

A) Organizational symbols
B) Attitudes
C) Organizational realities
D) Shared assumptions

Question 58

All of the following are true statements concerning shared assumptions in a culture except:

A) at Linux, software programmers share the assumption that software code should be openly available to anyone
B) Darden assumes that guests who feel respected as individuals are more likely to enjoy their meals
C) companies differ in their assumptions about strategy
D) all of the above are true statements

Question 59

A __________ is a basic belief about something that has considerable importance and meaning to individuals and is stable over time.

A) shared assumption
B) value
C) ritual
D) symbol

Question 60

At Southwest Airlines, __________ is a shared value.

A) competitiveness
B) working overtime
C) having fun
D) on-time flights

Question 61

A European company has recently announced its intention to open a new office in the United States. Management of the company is aware that the cornerstones of private enterprise and individual rights are believed to be mutually supportive of each other. What element of culture is this company trying to understand?

A) shared rhetoric
B) shared values
C) shared socialization
D) shared symbols

Question 62

__________ is a process by which new members are brought into a culture.

A) Individualization
B) Selection
C) Brainwashing
D) Socialization

Question 63

The most powerful way to socialize people into a culture is through consistent use of all of the following except __________.

A) role modeling
B) teaching
C) enforcement by others in the culture
D) all of the above are powerful ways to socialize people

Question 64

A __________ is anything visible that can be used to represent an abstract shared value or something having special meaning.

A) shared language
B) shared assumption
C) shared symbol
D) shared practice

Question 65

__________ are the simplest and most basic observable form of cultural expression of an organization.

A) Symbols
B) Mottos
C) Labels
D) Talismans

Question 66

Prudential Life Insurance uses the Rock of Gibraltar to represent continuity and dependability, which have great meaning to both employees and customers. The Rock is a(n) __________ of Prudential.

A) virtue
B) mascot
C) symbol
D) icon

Question 67

From a cultural perspective, __________ is (are) a shared system of vocal sounds, written signs, and/or gestures used to convey special meanings among members of a culture.

A) coalitions
B) language
C) symbols
D) phenomenology

Question 68

Commerce Bank's use of a "Wow Department" indicates their understanding of the link between __________ and culture.

A) socialization
B) language
C) symbols
D) values

Question 69

__________ is (are) the unique stories, sagas, legends, and myths in a culture.

A) Coalitions
B) Symbols
C) Narratives
D) Jargon

Question 70

A(n) __________ describes the unique accomplishments and beliefs of leaders over time, usually in heroic and romantic terms.

A) narrative
B) reflection
C) depiction
D) icon

Question 71

A new salesperson for Mary Kay recently learned how Mary Kay Ash founded her successful company while struggling to support herself and her children as a single parent. What element of culture does this describe?

A) shared narratives
B) shared practices
C) shared assumptions
D) shared language

Question 72

What is the most complex but observable cultural element?

A) shared socialization
B) shared assumptions
C) shared practices
D) shared narratives

Question 73

In the entertainment industry, at the annual ceremonies that bestow the Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy awards, the recipients always thank many other people who made their success possible. What element of culture does this illustrate?

A) shared narratives
B) shared assumptions
C) shared practices
D) shared values

Question 74

Johnson & Johnson, a leader in the development of pharmaceuticals, has a culture that forbids putting profits ahead of ethical responsibilities to doctors, nurses, and patients. Shared practices, such as those evident at Johnson & Johnson, which forbid certain behaviors are known as __________.

A) rites
B) taboos
C) ceremonies
D) sagas

Question 75

To help employees recognize the types of ethical challenges they are likely to face, Johnson & Johnson describes several in the handbook employees receive, titled ___________.

A) Valuing Decisions
B) Depicting the Right Decisions
C) Living the Credo
D) Following Form

Question 76

At Johnson & Johnson, employees are encouraged to check their ethical decisions against several criteria, including all of the following except:

A) Liberty principle
B) Role model test
C) Publicity test
D) Golden rule

Question 77

Steven Jobs introduces Apple's new product line during an elaborate and formal activity, designed to generate strong feelings of surprise and excitement among the employees. What type of activity is Jobs performing?

A) rite
B) narrative
C) practice
D) ceremony

Question 78

__________ is not one of the four major types of organizational cultures.

A) Transformational
B) Market
C) Clan
D) Bureaucratic

Question 79

All of the following statements are true concerning types of organizational cultures except:

A) In a culturally homogeneous organization, no single type of culture will dominate
B) There are four pure types of organizational culture
C) No one type of culture is ideal for every situation
D) All of the above are true

Question 80

Which of the following correctly describes organizational cultures?

A) Different organizational cultures may be appropriate under different conditions
B) Some employees prefer one culture over another
C) Employees who work in organizations with cultures that fit their view of an ideal culture tend to be committed to the organization
D) All of the above are true