Deck 16: Organizational Culture

Question 1

Organizations that have mercenary cultures are likely to be very political.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Physical structures say a lot about a culture.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Strong cultures take a very long time to develop but are easy to change.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Ceremonies are the daily planned routines that occur in an organization.

Question 5

Organizations that have cultures in which employees think alike but are not friendly to one another can be considered communal cultures.

Question 6

When the values of subcultures do not match those of the larger organization, they are known as fragmented cultures.

Question 7

Whatever a company's underlying assumptions are, its hidden beliefs are those that are the most likely to dictate employee behavior and affect employee attitudes.

Question 8

It is easy to stay Trueto espoused values in times of economic downturns.

Question 9

Employees transfer knowledge about a company's culture to other employees through explicit communication, simple observation, and other less obvious means.

Question 10

Creativity cultures affect the quality, but not the quantity, of creative ideas within an organization.

Question 11

Subcultures unite a smaller subset of the organization's employees.

Question 12

As companies grow, they tend to move toward a networked culture because solidarity is harder to foster when groups get really large.

Question 13

When a company holds to its espoused values over time and regardless of the situations it operates in, the values become less believable to employees.

Question 14

Subcultures are more likely to exist in small companies.

Question 15

When asked about the company where she works, Jena responds by discussing how well they get along and like each other and how, although there is, of course, some conflict, in general the employees think alike about most of the important company values and concerns. Jena is discussing her company in terms of two general culture types: affability and consensus.

Question 16

Espoused values can range from published documents, such as a company's vision or mission statement, to verbal statements made to employees by executives and managers.

Question 17

Strong cultures are always good cultures as they guide their employees toward the most successful organizational outcomes.

Question 18

Symbols, rituals, and espoused values are three major types of observable artifacts.

Question 19

Organizational culture shapes and reinforces certain employee attitudes and behaviors by creating a system of control over employees.

Question 20

A positive service culture has been shown to reduce accidents and increase safety-based citizenship behaviors.

Question 21

An outsider can fully grasp or understand the culture of an organization simply by looking at artifacts visible from outside the company.

Question 22

The goal of an organization's socialization efforts should be to minimize reality shock as much as possible.

Question 23

One of the main disadvantages of realistic job previews is that they are very expensive.

Question 24

Mergers often result in the creation of the strong culture that managers hope will appear when they make the decision to merge.

Question 25

The anticipatory stage of socialization begins the day an employee starts work.

Question 26

Formal mentoring programs have always existed in companies, but their use is increasing.

Question 27

The shared social knowledge within an organization regarding the rules, norms, and values that shape the attitudes and behaviors of its employees refers to organizational:

A) structure.
B) chart.
C) strength.
D) culture.
E) rituals.

Question 28

Attraction and selection processes do not always align employees' personalities with organizational culture.

Question 29

As a college senior, Mason researched many companies before deciding on those he wanted to apply to. He searched particularly for those where the company's values were in agreement with his personal values and didn't apply to those where they weren't. Recruiters for the companies he did apply to recommended hiring him partly because they saw Mason's values as a good fit with the company's values. When he made his selection, Mason was sure he would enjoy working for the company because it seemed like a perfect fit for him. Mason's job search reflects the attraction, selection, attrition framework.

Question 30

When employees feel they fit with their organization's culture, they are much more likely to develop an emotional attachment to the company.

Question 31

Realistic job previews occur during the anticipatory stage of socialization during the recruitment process.

Question 32

Marie, the department manager at Verve, Inc., has been working in the position for five years. Marie starts every Monday morning with a 60-minute department meeting where each member in the department gets five minutes to report progress; share stories of success and failure; and seek general input, advice, and information. Jeremy is responsible for sharing an anecdote, an account, or a legend about the company for every first Monday of the month to keep everyone reminded of where they work and what is important. Marie has created the workplace for her department in a totally open forum. There are no walls or cubicles, and everyone-including Marie-is in one open room. Marie has created a skull with a victory flag on its forehead as her department's corporate logo, representing the "victory or die trying" motto for her group. The group has succeeded in achieving some exceptional results in the past two years.

Question 33

One of the major reasons that one company purchases another is simply to acquire the technology that it has. In such cases, the acquired company is usually expected to change to fit the buyer's culture.

Question 34

Marie is the department manager at Verve, Inc. She has been working in the position for five years. Marie starts every Monday morning with a 60-minute department meeting where each member in the department gets five minutes to report progress; share stories of success and failure; and seek general input, advice, and information. Jeremy is responsible for sharing an anecdote, an account, or a legend about the company for every first Monday of the month to keep everyone reminded of where they work and what is important. Marie has created the workplace for her department in a totally open forum. There are no walls or cubicles, and everyone-including Marie-is in one open room. Marie has created a skull with a victory flag on its forehead as her department's corporate logo, representing the "victory or die trying" motto for her group. The group has succeeded in achieving some exceptional results in the past two years.

Question 35

In general, person-organization fit is more closely related to citizenship behavior than to task performance.

Question 36

Job satisfaction is higher and stress is lower when there is a good person-organization fit.

Question 37

The socialization process ends once the employee starts handling the job all by him- or herself.

Question 38

The length of the socialization process depends solely on the characteristics of the company.

Question 39

Socialization happens in five relatively distinct stages.

Question 40

Orientation programs provide social knowledge, resources, and psychological support to the protégé both at the beginning of employment and as the protégé continues his or her career with the company.

Question 41

_____ are the manifestations of an organizational culture that everyone can see or talk about.

A) Basic underlying assumptions
B) Observable artifacts
C) Espoused values
D) Safety cultures
E) Service cultures

Question 42

Nike's "swoosh" is an example of a:

A) language.
B) belief.
C) value.
D) ritual.
E) symbol.

Question 43

Every year, 7 Days, a large retail chain, organizes a large annual function in which it gives an "Employee of the Year" award to a deserving employee, along with a $5,000 cash prize and an opportunity to launch the retail chain's new product. This is an example of which of the following components of organizational culture?

A) Stories
B) Symbols
C) Espoused values
D) Basic underlying assumptions
E) Ceremonies

Question 44

At Rolce Technologies, the core design team of 10 employees has daily "stand-up" meetings. All the core design team members gather standing up for a rapid-fire update on current projects. These stand-up meetings are representative of which of the following components of the organization's culture?

A) Stories
B) Ceremonies
C) Enacted values
D) Rituals
E) Symbols

Question 45

_____ represent the deepest and least observable part of a culture.

A) Espoused values
B) Stories
C) Basic underlying assumptions
D) Rituals
E) Observable artifacts

Question 46

Formal events that are generally performed in front of an audience of organizational members are known as:

A) rituals.
B) stories.
C) ceremonies.
D) language.
E) symbols.

Question 47

The physical layout of workspaces, dress codes, and the level of technology used are all examples of _____ that are represented by the organization's culture.

A) basic underlying assumptions
B) espoused values
C) observable artifacts
D) mnemonics
E) subcultures

Question 48

Walker International recently published its vision statement. This is an example of:

A) observable artifacts.
B) stories.
C) basic underlying assumptions.
D) rituals.
E) espoused values.

Question 49

The daily or weekly planned routines that occur in an organization are called:

A) rituals.
B) stories.
C) values.
D) representations.
E) symbols.

Question 50

_____ are the taken-for-granted beliefs and philosophies that are so ingrained that employees simply act on them rather than questioning the validity of their behavior in a given situation.

A) Espoused values
B) Stories
C) Basic underlying assumptions
D) Rituals
E) Observable artifacts

Question 51

Which of the following are the beliefs, philosophies, and norms that a company explicitly states?

A) Rituals
B) Stories
C) Ceremonies
D) Espoused values
E) Observable artifacts

Question 52

During her stay at the Renaissance Hotel, Ginny noticed that all the staff wore the same color and style of clothes. Which of the following layers of organizational culture would such a dress code represent?

A) Espoused values
B) Enacted values
C) Observable artifacts
D) Mnemonics
E) Basic underlying assumptions

Question 53

Which of the following supply the primary means of transmitting an organization's culture to its workforce?

A) Underlying assumptions
B) Observable artifacts
C) Espoused values
D) Competitive responses
E) Norms

Question 54

The three major components to any organizational culture are:

A) observable artifacts, espoused values, and basic underlying assumptions.
B) observable artifacts, hidden artifacts, and semi-public artifacts.
C) internal values, espoused values, and external values.
D) symbols, physical structures, and ceremonies.
E) language, stories, and rituals.

Question 55

At the annual holiday party, ABC Airlines gives awards to employees to recognize examples of "going above and beyond" to serve customers. Almost all the employees who possibly can, attend. This is an example of:

A) a story.
B) a symbol.
C) a ritual.
D) a ceremony.
E) an unobservable artifact.

Question 56

_____ is(are) the jargon, slang, and slogans used within the walls of an organization.

A) Rituals
B) Beliefs
C) Values
D) Language
E) Symbols

Question 57

_____ consist(s) of anecdotes, accounts, legends, and myths that are passed down from cohort to cohort within an organization.

A) Rituals
B) Stories
C) Values
D) Language
E) Symbols

Question 58

The published mission statement in any organization is an example of:

A) espoused values.
B) stories.
C) basic underlying assumptions.
D) rituals.
E) observable artifacts.

Question 59

Quest, Inc., has a sign hanging in every employee's cubicle that reads: "Together we are greater than any one of us." This is an example of a(n):

A) ritual.
B) espoused value.
C) enacted value.
D) basic underlying assumption.
E) physical structure.

Question 60

At Delta Diamonds, Inc., managers start every week with a two-hour meeting, focusing on goals for that week and open communication among team members in their department and ways to achieve the goals. This routine describes:

A) a ritual.
B) a story.
C) the company's values.
D) the company's language.
E) a symbol.

Question 61

_____ is(are) the degree to which group members think and act alike, and _____ represent(s) how friendly employees are to one another.

A) Espoused values; basic underlying assumptions
B) Solidarity; sociability
C) Basic underlying assumptions; observable artifacts
D) Sociability; solidarity
E) Observable artifacts; espoused values

Question 62

In organizations with networked cultures, we tend to find _____ sociability and _____ solidarity.

A) low; low
B) low; moderate
C) high; low
D) moderate; high
E) moderate; low

Question 63

In organizations with communal cultures, there is _____ sociability and _____ solidarity.

A) low; low
B) moderate; high
C) moderate; low
D) high; high
E) low; moderate

Question 64

In organizations with fragmented cultures, there is _____ sociability and _____ solidarity.

A) low; low
B) moderate; high
C) high; moderate
D) high; high
E) moderate; moderate

Question 65

_____ cultures are those where all employees are friendly to one another, but everyone thinks differently and does his or her own thing.

A) Communal
B) Mercenary
C) Networked
D) Fragmented
E) Complex

Question 66

Organizations with friendly employees who all think alike are _____ cultures.

A) communal
B) mercenary
C) networked
D) fragmented
E) individualistic

Question 67

To encourage innovation at the organization, MicroTrac allows its engineers to spend 20 percent of their working time pursuing projects that they are passionate about. This describes which of the following cultures?

A) Creativity culture
B) Customer service culture
C) Safety culture
D) Diversity culture
E) Communal culture

Question 68

Manufacturing and medical companies have a tendency to create which of the following specific culture types?

A) Creativity culture
B) Networked culture
C) Safety culture
D) Diversity culture
E) Communal culture

Question 69

In organizations with mercenary cultures, we tend to find _____ sociability and _____ solidarity.

A) moderate; low
B) low; high
C) high; low
D) high; moderate
E) moderate; moderate

Question 70

A culture that attempts to help the greater social good is a _______ culture.

A) sustainability culture
B) customer service culture
C) safety culture
D) diversity culture
E) communal culture

Question 71

The environment at National Studio, Inc., is very political, and employees generally are always thinking, "What's in it for me?" Such a culture can be described as which of the following?

A) Communal
B) Mercenary
C) Networked
D) Fragmented
E) Collective

Question 72

At NoFrills Corporation, employees are distant and disconnected from one another. Based on this, the organizational culture at NoFrills can be described as:

A) communal.
B) mercenary.
C) networked.
D) fragmented.
E) collective.

Question 73

_____ exist when the overall organizational culture is supplemented by another culture governing a more specific set of employees.

A) ASA frameworks
B) Networked cultures
C) Subcultures
D) Countercultures
E) Reality shocks

Question 74

A strong culture exists when it has ___________ and __________.

A) high consensus; high intensity
B) low consensus; high intensity
C) high consensus; low intensity
D) low consensus; low intensity
E) moderate consensus; moderate intensity

Question 75

Which of the following is a disadvantage of a strong culture?

A) It differentiates the organization from others.
B) It allows employees to identify themselves in the organization.
C) It attracts and retains similar kinds of employees.
D) It creates stability within the organization.
E) It facilitates the desired behaviors among employees.

Question 76

A manager at a company where everyone always wore a dark suit and white shirt ran out of white shirts one day and decided to wear a very light blue shirt to work. Coworkers stared, pointed at him, and commented so negatively to him that at noon, he went out and bought a new white shirt and changed before going back to the office. This situation is indicative of ______.

A) a strong culture
B) a weak culture
C) lack of self-confidence
D) bullying
E) a counterculture

Question 77

Which of the following culture types reduces treatment errors in medical settings?

A) Creativity culture
B) Service culture
C) Safety culture
D) Diversity culture
E) Communal culture

Question 78

Organizations that have cultures in which employees think alike but are not friendly to one another can be considered _____ cultures.

A) communal
B) mercenary
C) networked
D) fragmented
E) collective

Question 79

Which of the following statements is False?

A) In a high consensus culture, employees agree about the way things are supposed to happen.
B) In a high intensity culture, employees' behaviors are consistent with expectations.
C) Strong cultures are always good for the organization.
D) Subcultures are more likely to exist in large organizations than in small firms.
E) Countercultures can sometimes serve a useful purpose for an organization.

Question 80

Organizations that have successfully created a _____ culture have been shown to change employee attitudes and behaviors toward customers.

A) service
B) mercenary
C) safety
D) fragmented
E) creativity