Deck 1: The Field of Organizational Behavior

Question 1

When an OB specialist is looking at how an organization is structured and its operating environment and the effect these have on employee communication and coordination, he/she is conducting research at the ________ level of OB.

A) organizational
B) group
C) individual
D) None of these; this is not OB research.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The field of organizational behavior is most firmly rooted in:

A) science.
B) biology.
C) political science.
D) philosophy.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

________ is a structured social system consisting of groups and individuals working together to meet some agreed-upon objective.

A) An open system
B) An organization
C) A work team
D) Scientific management

Answer 3

B

Question 4

All of the following are characteristics of the field of organizational behavior except:

A) a basis for enhancing individual well-being.
B) a study of individuals, groups, and organizations.
C) a commitment to the scientific method.
D) a focus on qualitative, observational research.

Question 5

According to its definition, organizational behavior:

A) is firmly grounded in the scientific method.
B) focuses on the organization as a whole, and not the individual.
C) considers the group-oriented approach of sociology, rather than the individual-oriented approach of psychology.
D) All of the above.

Question 6

Which of the following strategies would Frederick Taylor recommend to improve productivity?

A) Paying workers a salary or hourly wage.
B) Improving worker job satisfaction.
C) Implementing a program of careful selection and training of all employees.
D) Expanding job responsibilities for each worker.

Question 7

The social science that relates to the OB topics of organizational culture and leadership is:

A) anthropology.
B) sociology.
C) psychology.
D) political science.

Question 8

The management theory that views workers as self-motivating, interested in their work, having a need to achieve and be recognized, etc., is:

A) Theory X.
B) Theory Y.
C) classical management theory.
D) scientific management theory.

Question 9

In one set of experiments in the Hawthorne studies, researchers were puzzled when they found that ________ for subjects in the test room relative to subjects in a control room.

A) productivity improved when physical conditions were improved
B) productivity improved when physical conditions were made worse
C) productivity was lowest when illumination was the greatest
D) productivity improved regardless of whether brightness increased or decreased

Question 10

________ is self-sustaining through the conversion of external resources into organizational outputs.

A) An open system
B) Organizational behavior research
C) An organization
D) Contingency management

Question 11

Which one of the following statements would be most likely made by a supervisor who endorses a contingency approach to management?

A) "People work best when left alone."
B) "I treat different people in different ways based on the situation we're facing."
C) "The only way to get people to work hard is to push them."
D) "Focus on organizations and people will take care of themselves."

Question 12

John is looking at employee perceptions, attitudes, and motives in order to improve worker productivity. John is conducting OB research at which level?

A) Organizational
B) Group
C) Individual
D) None of these; this is not OB research.

Question 13

Time-and-motion studies:

A) look at visual perception and performance.
B) try to find the best way to perform jobs by streamlining individual movements.
C) try to find ways to humanize the jobs of people.
D) focus on improving work group coordination.

Question 14

A Theory Y supervisor would feel that:

A) people work best when left alone.
B) different people should be managed in different ways based on the situation.
C) the only way to get people to work hard is to push them.
D) people motivate themselves, all you need to do is give them some direction.

Question 15

The social science that contributed to organizational behavior the tools and perspective to examine conflict and power within an organization is:

A) political science.
B) psychology.
C) sociology.
D) management science.

Question 16

The contingency perspective is useful because it respects that:

A) organizations may be rigid.
B) the scientific method may be limited.
C) different situations produce different answers.
D) few managers address personal characteristics.

Question 17

The open systems model of OB assumes that ________.

A) organizations exist in a vacuum
B) organizations are contingent
C) organizations are self-sustaining
D) organizations operate in discrete intervals

Question 18

The perspective suggesting that organizational behavior is affected by a large number of interacting individual, situational, and organizational factors is:

A) the contingency approach to OB.
B) classical management theory.
C) Theory X and Theory Y.
D) an organizational change perspective.

Question 19

Organizational behavior:

A) is a social science that examines people's behavior in society, like physics or sociology.
B) studies how organizations compete and applies that knowledge to improve the organization's quality.
C) is an intuitive, qualitative approach to the understanding of group behavior both on and off the job.
D) is a discipline based in science that studies human behavior in organizations.

Question 20

In a recent survey of a wide range of professionals, which of the following was NOT found to be related to job performance?

A) Management
B) Organization
C) Information technology
D) Supervisory mistreatment

Question 21

An organization in which there are a lot of formal rules, people are treated in an impersonal manner, jobs are carefully divided into specialized tasks, and employees must check with their supervisors before making decisions, exemplifies:

A) scientific management theory.
B) the application of a human relations approach.
C) contingency management theory.
D) an ideal bureaucracy.

Question 22

People who are citizens of one country but who are living and working in another country are called:

A) multinationals.
B) repatriates.
C) expatriates.
D) depatriates.

Question 23

The value of the Hawthorne studies to OB lay in their discovery that:

A) physical working condition had no impact on worker productivity.
B) employee productivity and job satisfaction were directly related to the supervision they received.
C) human needs, attitudes, motives, and relationships were important to worker performance.
D) there is a most effective way to organize every work team, although it will vary among teams.

Question 24

The narrow belief that there is one best way of doing things can be referred to as

A) patriotism.
B) divergence.
C) ethnocentrism.
D) parochialism.

Question 25

Chuck recently returned to the U.S. from a six-month job assignment in Taiwan. His feelings of disorientation would best be described as:

A) expatriation.
B) repatriation.
C) parochialism.
D) ethnocentrism.

Question 26

Fayol's principles of classical organizational theory include:

A) a concern for human motives like Mayo's Hawthorne studies.
B) a focus on maximum efficiency through the selection and training of employees.
C) the empowerment of employees through the elimination of the chain-of-command and increased participation.
D) a division of labor, permitting people to specialize in those jobs they do best.

Question 27

Organizational behavior draws from a variety of social sciences including:

A) anthropology.
B) sociology.
C) political science.
D) All of the above.

Question 28

Exposure to other cultures helps people to become

A) less parochial and more ethnocentric.
B) more parochial and less ethnocentric.
C) less parochial and less ethnocentric.
D) more parochial and more ethnocentric.

Question 29

Jane and Bill are discussing the values, beliefs, and customs they observed on their business trip to Europe. What Jane and Bill are discussing is:

A) expatriation.
B) culture shock.
C) a subculture.
D) culture.

Question 30

The Gordon and Howell report on business education in 1959:

A) recommended that the study of management pay greater attention to the social sciences.
B) refuted the findings of the Hawthorne Study.
C) supported the bureaucratic organizational structure as the best organizational form.
D) stressed the ethical implications of business.

Question 31

The pursuit of efficiency refers to what characteristic of an ideal bureaucracy?

A) Impersonal treatment
B) Formal rules and regulations
C) Authority structure
D) Rationality

Question 32

Employees performing very specialized jobs, whether they are blue collar workers or managers, are an example of which principle of organizational theory?

A) Unity of command
B) Scalar chain
C) Division of labor
D) Employee initiative

Question 33

When an American believes that everyone in the world should speak English, he/she is being

A) parochial.
B) ethnocentric.
C) convergent.
D) divergent.

Question 34

Max Weber's contribution to organizational behavior lay in his search for:

A) the best way to identify and consider employee motivation and attitude.
B) the ideal way to perform a job.
C) the most efficient way to structure an organization.
D) the key characteristics of effective executive leadership.

Question 35

The Hawthorne studies were an example of OB research at the ________ level.

A) individual
B) group
C) organizational
D) managerial

Question 36

When a person adjusts to a foreign culture he/she tends to:

A) experience frustration and confusion after being in the culture for a few months.
B) immediately experience frustration and confusion.
C) pass from understanding to frustration and confusion after about six months in a culture.
D) begin to experience optimism and excitement about the new culture only after a few months in that culture.

Question 37

The Hawthorne studies:

A) stressed efficiency and monetary rewards for workers.
B) focused on the noneconomic and social factors that influence behavior in organizational settings.
C) permitted the proper assignment of management responsibilities based on 14 key principles.
D) led to the effective restructuring of large organizations into bureaucracies.

Question 38

Higher-ranking people having authority over those in lower-ranking positions refers to what characteristic of an ideal bureaucracy?

A) Impersonal treatment
B) Formal rules and regulations
C) Authority structure
D) Hierarchical structure

Question 39

Culture shock tends to result from an individual's tendency:

A) to be overly optimistic about their international experience.
B) to be parochial or ethnocentric in their worldview.
C) to depend on a contingency management approach in other countries.
D) All of these experiences.

Question 40

Written guidelines that are used to control all employee behaviors refer to what characteristic of an ideal bureaucracy?

A) Impersonal treatment
B) Formal rules and regulations
C) Authority structure
D) Rationality

Question 41

Companies are taking positive steps to help employees with personal needs and family obligations because doing so:

A) helps them retain employees.
B) attracts the best-qualified candidates for jobs.
C) permits employees to focus on the job and achieve higher performance.
D) results in all of these outcomes.

Question 42

A mutual commitment between employer and employees to do things to help one another achieve each other's goals and aspirations is known as:

A) engagement.
B) core competency.
C) i-deals.
D) corporate restructuring.

Question 43

The trend in outsourcing has led to the development of highly flexible, temporary organizations formed for a specific opportunity, each contributing a specific expertise. This is a ________ organization.

A) contingency
B) telecommuting
C) reengineered
D) virtual

Question 44

The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is:

A) baby boomers.
B) minorities.
C) young people under 25.
D) people over 85.

Question 45

More and more companies are allowing employees to spend part of their regular working hours performing their jobs at home. This is called:

A) job sharing.
B) compressed work weeks.
C) voluntarily reduced work time programs.
D) telecommuting.

Question 46

The basic assumptions that management practices are universal and that U.S. management practices are the best is known as the:

A) multicultural hypothesis.
B) divergent hypothesis.
C) convergence hypothesis.
D) culture shock syndrome.

Question 47

Hiring outside firms to perform non-core functions is known as:

A) compression.
B) downsizing.
C) outsourcing.
D) core competency.

Question 48

Organizations have been reducing the number of employees needed to operate. This is known as:

A) compression.
B) downsizing.
C) outsourcing.
D) core competency.

Question 49

All of the following are key drivers of engagement except:

A) involving employees in decisions.
B) giving employees opportunities to express ideas.
C) establishing rules that will constitute the "gameplan."
D) showing concern for individual employee's well-being.

Question 50

Under the ________, the assumption about effectively managing people is that it requires the appreciation of the cultural context in which they operate.

A) multicultural hypothesis
B) divergence hypothesis
C) convergence hypothesis
D) diversity efficacy

Question 51

The percentage of ________ as a proportion of the total labor force is shrinking.

A) Asians
B) Hispanics
C) white non-Hispanics
D) African Americans

Question 52

The use of outsourcing allows the firm to focus on:

A) business continuity plans.
B) downsizing.
C) telecommuting.
D) core competency.

Question 53

The practice of working fewer days each week, but longer hours each day is called:

A) i-deal.
B) engagement.
C) the compressed work week.
D) flextime.

Question 54

By 2050, at the current population growth, the number of people who consider themselves to be multiracial is expected to:

A) increase twofold.
B) double.
C) triple.
D) quadruple.

Question 55

In 2009, the overall percentage of men and women in the work force was reported to be:

A) equal.
B) divergent.
C) growing.
D) stationary.

Question 56

The process of using information technology to change a physical task into one manipulating data or digital commands is called:

A) outsourcing.
B) rightsizing.
C) automation.
D) informating.

Question 57

The term contingent workforce can be used to describe:

A) part-time employees.
B) freelancers.
C) on-call workers.
D) All of the above.

Question 58

Approximately ________ of women are employed outside the home.

A) 20%
B) 35%
C) 50%
D) 75%

Question 59

The manager of human resources wants a program that will permit single parents who want to work, but can't work a regular 8-hour-a-day job, to work for his company. The best program to solve his problem would be:

A) flextime.
B) telecommuting.
C) compressed work weeks.
D) voluntarily reduced work time programs.

Question 60

Telecommuting works best with jobs that:

A) involve a lot of driving.
B) are manufacturing based.
C) are customer-service oriented.
D) are easily portable.

Question 61

Currently, the highest number of contingency workers fall into the job category:

A) professional specialty.
B) clerical.
C) services.
D) operators, fabricators, laborers.

Question 62

Table 1.2
Mini-Markets, Inc. specializes in providing grocery and convenience products to inner-city neighborhoods. They are highly committed to valuing cultural diversity. Their workforce consists of single parents, people who are ethnically diverse, and people who are undereducated. The following individuals exemplify their workforce. Jim is a single parent with two young, school-aged children. He lives about an hour from work and works the morning shift. Jane is just starting her working career, having been out of college only a year. She has just had a baby. Her husband also works full-time for Mini-Markets. They have been saving her salary and living on her husband's while waiting for the baby to be born. Wilma is 66 and wants to retire in a few years but isn't sure what she'll do with herself when she does. Plus, she'd like to have some extra time right now to spend with her grandchildren. Tim is a high school drop-out who struggled with drugs. Since Mini-Markets gave him a chance, he's really turning his life around. He's one of his store's most reliable and productive employees. Tim would like to move into management, but he needs a college degree. Married with a small child, he can't afford to go back to school.
Refer to Table 1.2. Jane could benefit most from which of the following flextime programs?

A) Maternity leave
B) Personal support policies
C) Compressed work week
D) Job-sharing

Question 63

Table 1.1
Simon is initiating an organizational behavior effort at his company.He wants to look at how people communicate with each other and coordinate their work efforts. His boss, Bill, is skeptical, "We conducted a study of this kind ten years ago. I'm not sure we need to do it again at this time." Simon convinces his boss they need to press ahead anyway. As Bill and Simon discuss the OB effort, Simon learns several things about his boss. Bill believes that the key thing for a business is to fit the right person to the right job. He agrees with Simon's interest in careful selection and training of current and future employees.But, Bill believes that there is only one right way to run a company and do a job. Simon thinks that the company should create clearer lines of authority by eliminating their matrix organizational structure, they should encourage employees to formulate and implement plans, and they should increase specialization among employees and managers. As Bill and Simon discuss the company's problems and ways to improve performance, they mutually come to the conclusion that company's current poor performance is probably a function of the fact that they are setting the same goals and expectations for everyone and not considering individual strengths and weaknesses or taking the different work circumstances into consideration.
Refer to Table 1.1. Bill's management philosophy would seem to be most compatible with a ________ view of people and business.

A) scientific management
B) human relations
C) classical organizational theory
D) modern era

Question 64

Table 1.1
Simon is initiating an organizational behavior effort at his company.He wants to look at how people communicate with each other and coordinate their work efforts. His boss, Bill, is skeptical, "We conducted a study of this kind ten years ago. I'm not sure we need to do it again at this time." Simon convinces his boss they need to press ahead anyway. As Bill and Simon discuss the OB effort, Simon learns several things about his boss. Bill believes that the key thing for a business is to fit the right person to the right job. He agrees with Simon's interest in careful selection and training of current and future employees.But, Bill believes that there is only one right way to run a company and do a job. Simon thinks that the company should create clearer lines of authority by eliminating their matrix organizational structure, they should encourage employees to formulate and implement plans, and they should increase specialization among employees and managers. As Bill and Simon discuss the company's problems and ways to improve performance, they mutually come to the conclusion that company's current poor performance is probably a function of the fact that they are setting the same goals and expectations for everyone and not considering individual strengths and weaknesses or taking the different work circumstances into consideration.
Refer to Table 1.1. Simon's management philosophy would be most compatible with:

A) scientific management theory.
B) the human relations movement.
C) classical organizational theory.
D) a modern era OB perspective.

Question 65

The contingency approach to OB recognizes that behavior in work settings is the complex result of many interacting forces.

Question 66

Table 1.2
Mini-Markets, Inc. specializes in providing grocery and convenience products to inner-city neighborhoods. They are highly committed to valuing cultural diversity. Their workforce consists of single parents, people who are ethnically diverse, and people who are undereducated. The following individuals exemplify their workforce. Jim is a single parent with two young, school-aged children. He lives about an hour from work and works the morning shift. Jane is just starting her working career, having been out of college only a year. She has just had a baby. Her husband also works full-time for Mini-Markets. They have been saving her salary and living on her husband's while waiting for the baby to be born. Wilma is 66 and wants to retire in a few years but isn't sure what she'll do with herself when she does. Plus, she'd like to have some extra time right now to spend with her grandchildren. Tim is a high school drop-out who struggled with drugs. Since Mini-Markets gave him a chance, he's really turning his life around. He's one of his store's most reliable and productive employees. Tim would like to move into management, but he needs a college degree. Married with a small child, he can't afford to go back to school.
Refer to Table 1.2. What flexible work programs would be of most help to Jim?

A) Flextime
B) Personal support policies
C) Compressed work week
D) Job-sharing

Question 67

Table 1.2
Mini-Markets, Inc. specializes in providing grocery and convenience products to inner-city neighborhoods. They are highly committed to valuing cultural diversity. Their workforce consists of single parents, people who are ethnically diverse, and people who are undereducated. The following individuals exemplify their workforce. Jim is a single parent with two young, school-aged children. He lives about an hour from work and works the morning shift. Jane is just starting her working career, having been out of college only a year. She has just had a baby. Her husband also works full-time for Mini-Markets. They have been saving her salary and living on her husband's while waiting for the baby to be born. Wilma is 66 and wants to retire in a few years but isn't sure what she'll do with herself when she does. Plus, she'd like to have some extra time right now to spend with her grandchildren. Tim is a high school drop-out who struggled with drugs. Since Mini-Markets gave him a chance, he's really turning his life around. He's one of his store's most reliable and productive employees. Tim would like to move into management, but he needs a college degree. Married with a small child, he can't afford to go back to school.
Refer to Table 1.2. Wilma could benefit most from which flextime program?

A) Flextime
B) Voluntary reduce work time
C) Compressed work week
D) Job-sharing

Question 68

Table 1.1
Simon is initiating an organizational behavior effort at his company.He wants to look at how people communicate with each other and coordinate their work efforts. His boss, Bill, is skeptical, "We conducted a study of this kind ten years ago. I'm not sure we need to do it again at this time." Simon convinces his boss they need to press ahead anyway. As Bill and Simon discuss the OB effort, Simon learns several things about his boss. Bill believes that the key thing for a business is to fit the right person to the right job. He agrees with Simon's interest in careful selection and training of current and future employees.But, Bill believes that there is only one right way to run a company and do a job. Simon thinks that the company should create clearer lines of authority by eliminating their matrix organizational structure, they should encourage employees to formulate and implement plans, and they should increase specialization among employees and managers. As Bill and Simon discuss the company's problems and ways to improve performance, they mutually come to the conclusion that company's current poor performance is probably a function of the fact that they are setting the same goals and expectations for everyone and not considering individual strengths and weaknesses or taking the different work circumstances into consideration.
Refer to Table 1.1. What characteristic of organizational behavior is the "boss" apparently not aware of?

A) OB's tie to the improvement of people's quality of work life.
B) The contingency orientation of OB.
C) OB's recognition of the dynamic nature of organizations.
D) OB's confrontation of the changing nature of work.

Question 69

When a company allows its employees to work fewer but longer days, it is using:

A) a flextime program.
B) job sharing.
C) compressed work weeks.
D) voluntarily reduced work time programs.

Question 70

A uniquely customized agreement negotiated between an employer and an employee with respect to the employment terms that benefit each party is known as:

A) benchmarking.
B) an informating program.
C) an idiosyncratic work arrangement.
D) reengineering.

Question 71

Table 1.1
Simon is initiating an organizational behavior effort at his company.He wants to look at how people communicate with each other and coordinate their work efforts. His boss, Bill, is skeptical, "We conducted a study of this kind ten years ago. I'm not sure we need to do it again at this time." Simon convinces his boss they need to press ahead anyway. As Bill and Simon discuss the OB effort, Simon learns several things about his boss. Bill believes that the key thing for a business is to fit the right person to the right job. He agrees with Simon's interest in careful selection and training of current and future employees.But, Bill believes that there is only one right way to run a company and do a job. Simon thinks that the company should create clearer lines of authority by eliminating their matrix organizational structure, they should encourage employees to formulate and implement plans, and they should increase specialization among employees and managers. As Bill and Simon discuss the company's problems and ways to improve performance, they mutually come to the conclusion that company's current poor performance is probably a function of the fact that they are setting the same goals and expectations for everyone and not considering individual strengths and weaknesses or taking the different work circumstances into consideration.
Refer to Table 1.1. Simon's and Bill's agreement on the problem makes ________ the best management approach to take in solving the problem.

A) classical management theory approach
B) a scientific management theory approach
C) a bureaucratic approach
D) a contingency approach

Question 72

Organizational behavior is an organization productivity orientation approach to organizational effectiveness.

Question 73

If Bill negotiates his salary and fringe benefits prior to beginning a job, Bill is:

A) making an ex ante i-deal.
B) making an ex post i-deal.
C) benchmarking.
D) doing none of the above.

Question 74

Programs that allow employees to reduce the amount of time they work by a certain amount with a proportional reduction in pay are known as:

A) V-time programs.
B) U-time programs.
C) compressed workweeks.
D) flextime programs.

Question 75

Table 1.1
Simon is initiating an organizational behavior effort at his company.He wants to look at how people communicate with each other and coordinate their work efforts. His boss, Bill, is skeptical, "We conducted a study of this kind ten years ago. I'm not sure we need to do it again at this time." Simon convinces his boss they need to press ahead anyway. As Bill and Simon discuss the OB effort, Simon learns several things about his boss. Bill believes that the key thing for a business is to fit the right person to the right job. He agrees with Simon's interest in careful selection and training of current and future employees.But, Bill believes that there is only one right way to run a company and do a job. Simon thinks that the company should create clearer lines of authority by eliminating their matrix organizational structure, they should encourage employees to formulate and implement plans, and they should increase specialization among employees and managers. As Bill and Simon discuss the company's problems and ways to improve performance, they mutually come to the conclusion that company's current poor performance is probably a function of the fact that they are setting the same goals and expectations for everyone and not considering individual strengths and weaknesses or taking the different work circumstances into consideration.
Refer to Table 1.1. Simon's initial analysis will probably be focused on what level?

A) Individual
B) Group
C) Organizational
D) Macroenvironment

Question 76

A flexwork program that permits regular part-time work where the duties for one job are divided between two people is called:

A) a flextime program.
B) job sharing.
C) compressed work weeks.
D) voluntarily reduced work time programs.

Question 77

The concept that work can be both a productive effort while being a pleasant experience for the employee is an example of Theory Y.

Question 78

Table 1.2
Mini-Markets, Inc. specializes in providing grocery and convenience products to inner-city neighborhoods. They are highly committed to valuing cultural diversity. Their workforce consists of single parents, people who are ethnically diverse, and people who are undereducated. The following individuals exemplify their workforce. Jim is a single parent with two young, school-aged children. He lives about an hour from work and works the morning shift. Jane is just starting her working career, having been out of college only a year. She has just had a baby. Her husband also works full-time for Mini-Markets. They have been saving her salary and living on her husband's while waiting for the baby to be born. Wilma is 66 and wants to retire in a few years but isn't sure what she'll do with herself when she does. Plus, she'd like to have some extra time right now to spend with her grandchildren. Tim is a high school drop-out who struggled with drugs. Since Mini-Markets gave him a chance, he's really turning his life around. He's one of his store's most reliable and productive employees. Tim would like to move into management, but he needs a college degree. Married with a small child, he can't afford to go back to school.
Refer to Table 1.2. Tim could benefit most from which of the following?

A) Personal support policies
B) Voluntary reduced work time
C) Flexplace policies
D) Job-sharing

Question 79

The need to draw on the services of temporary employment firms is necessitated by:

A) compressed workweeks.
B) core competency.
C) i-deals.
D) corporate restructuring.

Question 80

The human relations movement in OB emphasized the importance of designing jobs as efficiently as possible.