Deck 10: Power and Influence in the Workplace

Question 1

The right to control information flow in the organisation is a form of legitimate power.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Employees with low power distance are more likely to comply with legitimate power.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Referent power is mainly developed through a person's interpersonal skills.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Employees are losing their expert power as society moves from an industrial to a knowledge-based economy.

Question 5

Counterveiling power is the power that the dominant person in a relationship uses as a backup when the primary source of power fails to work as planned on the dependent person.

Question 6

An employee's ability to influence others increases as the source of his or her power becomes more substitutable.

Question 7

Networking helps to increase a person's expert power and centrality.

Question 8

Professions gain power in the marketplace by reducing their substitutability through the control of tasks and knowledge.

Question 9

Prevention,forecasting and absorption are three contingencies of power in organisations.

Question 10

The all-channels information flow structure is difficult to maintain because it conflicts with knowledge management.

Question 11

Subordinates have reward power over their bosses through 360-degree feedback systems.

Question 12

First-line supervisors may have legitimate,reward and coercive sources of power,but their actual power is often limited by a lack of discretion.

Question 13

Power is the act of changing another person's attitudes and behaviour.

Question 14

Employees in Australia and other low power distance countries are more likely to accept legitimate power than are employees in Mexico and other high power distance countries.

Question 15

Legitimate power is created whenever the organisation assigns a supervisor formal authority over subordinates.

Question 16

In any relationship,both parties have some degree of power over the other.

Question 17

Influence is an essential process in organisations through which people coordinate their effort.

Question 18

Power does not exist until the power holder actually applies power to influence someone else.

Question 19

People might gain power by convincing others that they have something of value.

Question 20

Peer pressure typically represents a form of coercive power.

Question 21

The most appropriate influence tactic depends in part on the influencer's power base and position in the organisation.

Question 22

Silent authority,assertiveness and exchange are three sources of power.

Question 23

In persuasive communication,the inoculation effect involves warning listeners that others will try to influence them in the future and that they should be aware of the opponent's arguments.

Question 24

A coalition attempts to influence people outside the group by pooling the resources and power of its members.

Question 25

Power is _____,whereas influence is _______.

A) Good,bad
B) Weak,strong
C) Potential,behaviour
D) Apparent,hidden

Question 26

Establishing a free flow of information and using effective change management practices help to minimise organisational politics.

Question 27

The capacity to influence others in organisational settings is known as:

A) Organisational politics
B) Impression management
C) Machiavellianism
D) Organisational power

Question 28

Organisational politics tends to increase in situations where decisions become routinised and programmed.

Question 29

When the issue is extremely important to listeners,the speaker's personal characteristics are more important than the message content in persuading listeners.

Question 30

Countervailing power refers to:

A) A second source of power held by the power holder in case the main source of power is ineffective
B) The initial feeling of power employees experience when they are given more freedom and control over their jobs
C) The capacity to keep someone who is more powerful than you in the exchange relationship
D) A method of measuring the number of times an employee uses his or her power each day

Question 31

People are more persuasive when they rely on logical arguments and avoid emotional appeals.

Question 32

Negotiation and the norm of reciprocity are associated with the influence process of exchange.

Question 33

Organisational politics occurs when someone attempts to influence others for the purpose of promoting personal interests.

Question 34

A manager's legitimate power over subordinates exists when:

A) The organisation grants formal authority over the employees
B) The manager is able to reward or punish the employees
C) Employees agree to let the manager have power over them
D) The organisation grants formal authority AND employees agree to let the manager use this authority

Question 35

Which of the following statements about power is FALSE?

A) Power exists only when the dependent party is aware that the power holder controls valued resources
B) Power requires interdependence in the relationship
C) Power is the capacity to influence,rather than the actual practice of influencing others
D) Power exists only when one person has something of value for a second person,but the second person has nothing of value for the first person

Question 36

Organisational politics is now more commonly referred to as a perception that tactics are being used for personal advantage at the expense of other people and possibly the organisation

Question 37

One feature of influence is that it operates down the corporate hierarchy but not up or across that hierarchy.

Question 38

Organisational politics flourish when resource allocation decisions are ambiguous and complex with no formal rules.

Question 39

Organisational politics refers to any use of power to influence others.

Question 40

How we dress and the way we behave politely towards others represents a type of influence strategy.

Question 41

By going on strike at a critical time in the company's business cycle,unions are mainly applying which contingency of power?

A) Visibility
B) Non-substitutability
C) Centrality
D) Discretion

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT identified in the textbook as a form of influence?

A) Ingratiation
B) Upward appeal
C) Persuasion
D) Visibility

Question 43

Which of the following is one of the five main sources of power?

A) Discretion
B) Visibility
C) Substitutability
D) None of the options listed here is correct

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for coping with uncertainty?

A) Prevention
B) Substitution
C) Forecasting
D) Absorption

Question 45

Control over information flow is a form of which source of power?

A) Referent power
B) Expert power
C) Coercive power
D) Legitimate power

Question 46

Which source of power can employees potentially have over their supervisors?

A) Legitimate power
B) Coercive power
C) Expert power
D) Employees can potentially have all of these sources of power over their supervisors

Question 47

Which of the following would potentially increase someone's power through non-substitutability?

A) Avoiding documenting unique knowledge about organisational processes
B) Increasing the number of people affected by your work
C) Increasing the amount of autonomy granted to you to accomplish your work
D) Using impression management strategies to increase your popularity with colleagues

Question 48

Which of the following is a contingency of power?

A) Legitimate
B) Referent
C) Visibility
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Question 49

Negotiation is an integral part of which influence activity?

A) Silent authority
B) Coercive
C) Exchange
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Question 50

Which of these statements about legitimate power is FALSE?

A) Legitimate power depends on more than job descriptions
B) Employees in Australia are generally less likely to accept legitimate power than employees in high power distance cultures
C) Your boss's power to make you work overtime partly depends on your agreement to this power
D) Employees are generally more tolerant of legitimate power today than were employees a few decades ago

Question 51

Coping with uncertainty is a variation of:

A) Legitimate power
B) Expert power
C) Coercive power
D) Referent power

Question 52

As organisations rely increasingly on knowledge rather than on machines and physical resources as the means of production,employees:

A) Are gaining expert power in the workplace
B) Are losing any power in the labour market
C) Are gaining more referent power in the workplace
D) Are becoming more tolerant of their boss's legitimate power

Question 53

What types of power do people tend to gain through networking?

A) Legitimate and referent power
B) Expert and reward power
C) Referent and expert power
D) Legitimate and reward power

Question 54

The CEO of a large organisation once commented how,earlier in his career,he rented expensive artwork and displayed it in his office.'Top management would drop by my office and immediately get a sense that I was sophisticated and professional',the CEO explained.'I believe the artwork helped me get promoted.' The artwork helped this executive gain power:

A) Because he and his artwork were not substitutable
B) By increasing his coercive power in the organisation
C) By making everyone else's sources of power less relevant to the organisation
D) Through visibility

Question 55

By engaging successfully in networking,employees increase their:

A) Expert power
B) Centrality
C) Referent power
D) Social capital

Question 56

A software engineer was able to get placed into a group working on the most critical part of a new software program.She also made a habit of arriving at work around 5 am,knowing that some of the top corporate leaders would arrive that early once in a while.This software engineer's actions increased her power mainly through:

A) Decreased non-substitutability
B) Increased legitimate power
C) Increased discretion
D) Increased visibility

Question 57

Forming a coalition:

A) Is typically part of the manager's job description
B) Takes advantage of situations where who you know is more important than what you know
C) Causes the decision to become more complex and ambiguous
D) Increases the legitimacy of the coalition's desired outcome

Question 58

Employees who engage in networking tend to:

A) Be less powerful in the long run
B) Develop their referent power
C) Have a low level of Machiavellianism
D) Develop their legitimate power

Question 59

Employees have LESS power in the organisation when:

A) Their work has an immediate impact on organisational effectiveness
B) Their work can be outsourced
C) Their work reduces organisational uncertainty
D) Their work is central to the organisation's goals

Question 60

A supervisor pushes employee performance by constantly checking their work and reminding them of their deadlines.This supervisor is mainly using which form of influence?

A) Legitimate
B) Silent authority
C) Referent
D) Assertiveness

Question 61

Organisation relations are likely to be affected by the exercise of power because high power individuals show less:

A) Enthusiasm
B) Adaptability
C) Empathy
D) Recognition of positive reactions from others

Question 62

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Exchange tactics tend to be more common and effective between supervisors and subordinates in Australia than in most Asian cultures
B) Ingratiation tends to minimise conflict and support a trusting relationship
C) A person's position in the organisational hierarchy is a factor when determining the best influence tactic to apply
D) People with strong expert power would be more successful applying persuasion than any other influence tactic

Question 63

____________ is part of a larger influence tactic called ____________.

A) Persuasion,upward influence
B) Ingratiation,impression management
C) Upward appeal,persuasion
D) Persuasion,ingratiation

Question 64

Substitutability is:

A) A source of power
B) Power over others
C) A contingency of power
D) None of the options listed here is correct

Question 65

Ingratiation includes which of the following?

A) Flattering your boss
B) Helping co-workers with their work
C) Seeking advice from other people
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Question 66

According to persuasion research,getting an employee to accept a new policy is more easily done when:

A) You only give the employee information that supports the policy
B) The information is written down rather than discussed orally
C) You are respected and trusted by the employee
D) The employee is publicly committed to an opposing attitude

Question 67

Behaviours that others perceive as self-serving tactics for personal gain at the expense of other people and possibly the organisation constitute:

A) Influence tactics
B) Organisational politics
C) Power
D) Machiavellian values

Question 68

Sources of power that originate from the power holder's own characteristics are:

A) Dependent and interdependent
B) Legitimate,reward and coercive
C) Expert and referent
D) None of the options listed here are correct

Question 69

Organisational politics is more common where decisions are:

A) Easy to understand
B) Based on complex and ambiguous rules
C) Based on the brainstorming technique
D) Based on clearly defined rules

Question 70

What is legitimate power? Briefly describe the zone of indifference in legitimate power in high and low power distance culture.

Question 71

Organisational politics typically involves:

A) An unconscious attempt to increase your own power
B) A conscious attempt to motivate others to work harder for the firm
C) Attempts to influence others to promote personal objectives
D) Helping other employees to fulfil their needs through organisational activities

Question 72

The most appropriate influence strategy:

A) Is impression management
B) Depends on the influencer's power base
C) Is based on legitimate power
D) Is assertiveness and other hard tactics rather than soft tactics

Question 73

Which of the following is the LEAST forceful influence tactic?

A) Ingratiation
B) Assertiveness
C) Upward appeal
D) Exchange

Question 74

Power is the capacity of a person,team or organisation for:

A) Changing someone's attitude or behaviour
B) Interdependence and perception
C) Influencing others
D) Both changing someone's attitude or behaviour,and influencing others

Question 75

Bullying,ostracism and sarcasm are examples of:

A) Poor organisational performance
B) Increased workplace competition
C) Use of coercive power
D) Information as power base

Question 76

Scholars tend to describe influence tactics as ________,whereas they describe office politics as ___________.

A) Negative,positive
B) Based on power sources,based on power contingencies
C) Behaviours,perceptions
D) Rare,common

Question 77

Which of the following is an influence strategy?

A) Dressing appropriately for the occasion
B) Being polite to others
C) Reminding co-workers of their obligation to serve customers
D) All of these are influence strategies

Question 78

Which of the following is not considered a 'hard' influence tactic?

A) Silent authority
B) Assertiveness
C) Ingratiation
D) Upward appeal

Question 79

Gaining support from one or more people with higher authority or expertise is:

A) Silent authority
B) Upward appeal
C) Assertiveness
D) Information control

Question 80

Various studies consistently report that many job applicants falsify information on their resume.This is an example of which influence tactic?

A) Persuasion
B) Forming coalitions
C) Networking
D) Impression management