Deck 1: The Nature and Importance of Leadership

Question 1

The leadership process is a function of the leader, the group members, and other situational variables.

Answer 1

True
According to the basic framework for understanding leadership, leadership is a function of both the leader and the led and the complexity of the context (setting and environment). See "A Framework for Understanding Leadership."

Question 2

A synthesis of several studies on managerial succession indicated that changes in leadership are usually associated with conditions of stability within the organization.

Answer 2

False
An overview of research on managerial succession over a recent twenty year period provides more support for the idea that leadership has an impact on organizational performance. Using different methodologies, these studies arrived at the same conclusion that changes in leadership are followed by changes in company performance. See "The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance."

Question 3

A defining aspect of leadership is that it includes the ability to

A) communicate with people.
B) delegate responsibility to others.
C) maintain equilibrium in the organization.
D) inspire people's confidence and gain their support.

Answer 3

D
The common characteristic of leaders is their ability to inspire and stimulate others to achieve worthwhile goals. Therefore, leadership can be defined as the ability to inspire confidence and support among the people who are needed to achieve organizational goals. See "The Meaning of Leadership."

Question 4

Effective leaders have to be good managers or be supported by effective managers.

Question 5

Leader behavior and style refers to attributes of the group members that could have a bearing on how effective the leadership attempt will be.

Question 6

A major contributor to leader burnout is being responsible for an action that hurts so many people.

Question 7

According to the substitutes for leadership viewpoint, certain factors in the work environment make the leader's role almost superfluous.

Question 8

The concept of leadership as a partnership concerns legal aspects of relationships.

Question 9

Leadership limits the number of people in whom you can confide.

Question 10

The formula L = f (l, gm, s) implies that being made of the right stuff is the most important factor influencing leadership effectiveness.

Question 11

A component of the general learning model applied to leadership skills is to obtain feedback on skill utilization from others.

Question 12

Alexis is engaged in the team builder role when she performs individual contributor tasks on a regular basis.

Question 13

One of the definitions of leadership offered in the text deals with figuring out what is right rather than

A) having other people tell you what is right.
B) explaining what is right.
C) doing what is right.
D) duplicating what is right.

Question 14

A cited advantage of being a leader is that a person is better able to avoid being involved in organizational politics.

Question 15

Being a leader often gives a person a chance to help people directly.

Question 16

Part of the coach and motivator role is to provide team members with feedback concerning ineffective performance.

Question 17

Unless a manager gets people to move beyond mechanical compliance with directions and orders, leadership has not taken place.

Question 18

The follower characteristic of competence refers to building skills that will make a person more marketable to other firms.

Question 19

A major part of the strategic planning role of leaders is to help the firm deal effectively with its internal environment.

Question 20

Leadership can be practiced

A) only in the executive suite.
B) at any level in the organization.
C) only by people whose job title includes "manager."
D) only when employees are performing below standard.

Question 21

A company president attends a groundbreaking ceremony for a new children's hospital located near company headquarters. The president's role is best classified as that of

A) figurehead.
B) coach.
C) team leader.
D) spokesperson.

Question 22

According to an analysis of a group of studies, in terms of having an impact on company performance the leader was about as important as the

A) building in which the company headquarters is located.
B) decision to list a company on the stock exchange.
C) industry in which the company operated.
D) price of the stock.

Question 23

An advantage of being a leader noted in the leadership text is

A) being able to avoid the long hours typically worked by team members.
B) loads of overtime pay.
C) the opportunity to sidestep organizational politics.
D) a chance to help others grow and develop.

Question 24

Substitutes for leadership refers to

A) financial incentives that encourage people to work independently.
B) group members who are in charge when the leader is absent.
C) factors in the work setting that make leadership superfluous.
D) extra compensation given to employees who are asked to supervise their own work.

Question 25

According to the leadership studies of Jim Collins, the most important factor in organizational performance is the

A) personality of the organization.
B) personality of the leader.
C) product mix offered to the public.
D) efficiency of operations.

Question 26

Which one of the following is the least essential characteristic of an effective follower?

A) Reliance on being managed or led by another person
B) Commitment to something beyond oneself
C) Building competence
D) Independent and critical thinking

Question 27

The terms isolates, activists, and diehards, relate to the idea that followers differ in terms of level of

A) intelligence and emotional maturity.
B) engagement with the leader and the group.
C) relevant job experience.
D) job relevant skills.

Question 28

A major challenge facing leaders in the pursuit of conflicting goals is:

A) controlling costs versus spending money.
B) granting people the authority to act independently yet getting them aligned.
C) built-in conflicts between labor and management.
D) motivating versus satisfying employees.

Question 29

A component of the general learning model applied to skill development in leadership is

A) memorizing lists of great business leaders.
B) making cross-comparisons of leadership theories.
C) reading vision statements in annual reports.
D) conceptual information supported by examples of leaders in action.

Question 30

A potential disadvantage of being a leader is

A) losing contact with paperwork and email.
B) isolation from problems involving people.
C) having fewer people to confide in about work-related issues.
D) being out of the loop in terms of company policies.

Question 31

Middle manager Sara is engaged in the team builder role when she

A) negotiates for a larger budget for her team.
B) represents her group at a company meeting.
C) holds a meeting to talk about team accomplishments.
D) helps the group solve a technical problem.

Question 32

Leadership takes into account factors related to the leader, the persons being led, and

A) personality traits of leaders.
B) various forces in the environment.
C) personal characteristics of group members.
D) forces beyond the control of the leader.

Question 33

The leadership irrelevance theory suggests that factors outside the leader's control

A) work at cross purposes against the leader.
B) have a larger impact on business outcomes than does the leader.
C) are more relevant to group members than is the leader.
D) point leaders in an unethical direction.

Question 34

The interpretation of the formula L = f ( l,gm,s) presented in the basic framework for understanding leadership is that leadership is partially a function of:

A) gross marketing share.
B) group members.
C) gross national product.
D) satisfactions of the leader's boss.

Question 35

A recommended approach for understanding the impact of leadership on performance is to ask

A) "Under what conditions do leaders make a difference?"
B) "How well liked is the leader?"
C) "What is the history of the firm?"
D) "What company policies regulate leadership?"

Question 36

Leadership effectiveness, as defined in the framework for understanding leadership, refers to the leader:

A) being impressive enough to get promoted.
B) attaining desirable outcomes such as productivity and satisfaction.
C) creating an attractive vision.
D) turning over decision-making responsibility to group members.

Question 37

An aspect of the coach and motivator role of the leader is to

A) deal with outside groups.
B) display loyalty to superiors.
C) informally recognize team member achievements.
D) bargain with superiors for funds, facilities, and equipment.

Question 38

Marketing vice president Derek is engaged in the strategic planner role when he

A) takes a key customer to lunch.
B) coaches an account executive on how to close a major sale.
C) makes plan for enlarging the office.
D) looks for ideas in the outside world that could help the company.

Question 39

Intrinsically satisfying work can be a leadership substitute because such work

A) is so self-motivating that the worker requires very little leadership.
B) usually involves computer technology.
C) is usually performed when the leader is away.
D) lies outside the jurisdiction of leaders.

Question 40

An effective way for a leader to collaborate with group members is to

A) make sure the group members get their yearly salary increases.
B) make all the major decisions himself or herself.
C) solicit input from the right group members.
D) make the hierarchy as steep as possible.

Question 41

An overview of research on managerial succession over a recent twenty year period shows that:

A) a consistent relationship is found between who is in charge and how well an organization performed.
B) incompetent leadership can be counterbalanced by certain factors in the work situation.
C) workers who incorporate strong professional norms often require a minimum of supervision and leadership.
D) leadership roles are a subset of the managerial roles.

Question 42

During a team meeting, the team manager expresses disappointment in his team's productivity rate. Svetalana, a team member, speaks up and says that their current project is particularly taxing on the team members and they have not compromised on the quality of their work. Which of the following qualities of a good follower is Svetlana displaying in this scenario?

A) Courage
B) Competence
C) Committment
D) Self-management

Question 43

An article argues that Edmonton Bank is unlikely to change its policies even though it recently appointed a new CEO. It notes that all the CEOs of Edmonton Bank are Caucasian males in their late forties, who went to Ivy League schools. This article's argument about leadership irrelevance is based on the idea that:

A) the new CEO will act in a way similar to the previous CEOs.
B) the new CEO has unilateral control over only a few resources.
C) Edmonton Bank uses information technology for many of its supervisory functions.
D) the new CEO is limited by obligations to Edmonton Bank's shareholders.

Question 44

The modern organization is characterized by

A) a reversal of roles between leaders and followers.
B) an overthrow of authority by leaders.
C) competition between leaders and followers.
D) collaboration between leaders and followers.

Question 45

Elaine, a project manager, often seeks feedback from her team members as well as her supervisors on how she is doing. Which of the following methods of skill development in leadership does Elaine use in this scenario?

A) Practice in natural settings
B) Feedback on skill utilization, or performance, from others
C) Conceptual information demonstrated by examples and brief descriptions of leaders in action
D) Experiential exercises

Question 46

When the workers in a workshop encounter operating difficulties or breakdowns while handling their machinery, they seek the help of Drew, their floor manager, to fix or repair the machinery. In this scenario, Drew is carrying out the leadership role of a(n) _____.

A) executor
B) figurehead
C) team builder
D) technical problem solver

Question 47

According to Nick Petrie, which of the following is a feature of the old paradigm of leadership?

A) Leadership is pro-active.
B) Leadership resides in a single person or role.
C) Leadership continually evolves.
D) Leadership is a collective process.

Question 48

Brent was recently promoted as a team leader. Since his promotion, Brent feels overworked and stressed. He feels he is responsible for solving problems he has no control over. Brent speaks to his supervisor about his frustrations and seeks advice regarding the roles of a team leader and how to derive satisfaction from them. What is Brent experiencing? If you were Brent's supervisor, what advice would you give him?

Question 49

Adam, a manager, implements a process for tracking productivity and rewards productive team members with additional perks. While some team members enthusiastically responded to these measures, offering additional inputs on how productivity can be improved. Others just played along, with some of them expressing their support as long as they were rewarded for their work. If you were in Adam's position, how would you classify the team members based on their reception of the new initiatives? What approaches would you take with each category of followers?

Question 50

Zach is a team member who rarely offers inputs to his team leader. He follows orders passively and does not take an interest in his company's growth. As a follower, Zach is most likely a(n) _____.

A) diehard
B) activist
C) bystander
D) isolate

Question 51

As observed by Robert E. Kelley, _____ is an essential quality of effective followers.

A) transparency
B) skill utilization
C) commitment
D) charisma

Question 52

Kiev, the manager of an accounting department, helps his CFO in framing the financial policies of his company. In this scenario, Kiev is carrying out the leadership role of a(n) _____.

A) strategic planner
B) executor
C) spokesperson
D) figurehead

Question 53

Jane is part of the sales team at JudyFashions Inc. Even though she has not been given a designation as the team leader, most of the team members rely on Jane for her opinions and suggestions on various sales related queries. Judy can be classified as a(n) ______ leader.

A) isolate
B) diehard
C) participant
D) emergent

Question 54

As a category of followers, _____ have an even stronger tendency to be whistleblowers than do activists.

A) participants
B) diehards
C) isolates
D) bystanders

Question 55

Followers who are completely detached and passively support the status quo by not taking action to bring about changes are called _____.

A) isolates
B) participants
C) activists
D) diehards

Question 56

At a meeting, a(n) _____ is more likely to focus on the refreshments and taking peeks at his or her personal text messages.

A) participant
B) bystander
C) activist
D) diehard

Question 57

Which of the following is a justification for leader irrelevance argument?

A) Leaders have plenty of room to influence others despite several constraints.
B) Factors within a leader's control have a larger impact on business outcomes than do leadership actions.
C) Centralized leadership is the most efficient form of running an organization.
D) High-level leaders have unilateral control over only a few resources.

Question 58

Samuel believes that his manager, Sally, does not play a significant role in his organization's performance. He feels that is his own skills and interest in his job that affect his performance. Explain Samuel's argument against the importance of leadership and what Sally should do to demonstrate the various roles a leader carries out.

Question 59

When Carlos, the manager of a coffee shop, speaks to customers in order to find out trends in their preferences and their changing requirements, he is performing the leadership role of a(n) _____.

A) coach and motivator
B) team builder
C) entrepreneur
D) team player

Question 60

The key to being a good follower is to think for oneself and to work well without close supervision. This is referred to as ______.

A) focus
B) self-management
C) competence
D) courage