Deck 12: Positive Political Skills

Question 1

An expert quoted in the text offered the following advice when managing your impression:

A) Be yourself.
B) Manipulate others whenever the opportunity arises.
C) Hide your identity if you have to.
D) Forget about integrity while building your career.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

You arrange a business lunch for a client and two work associates. In regard to paying the bill you

A) inform the server in advance who will pay the bill.
B) ask the client to pay for just the tip.
C) divide the bill four ways.
D) ask the server to put the bill in the middle of the table.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What does impression management NOT include?

A) superficial aspects such as clothing and appearance.
B) telling people about your accomplishments.
C) appearing confident.
D) developing character.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Power refers to the ability to

A) control anything of value.
B) play organizational politics.
C) exude a sense of confidence in the workplace.
D) impress other people.

Question 5

When in doubt about proper etiquette in a given situation, a general guide is to

A) imagine how a member of royalty would behave.
B) trust your hunches.
C) observe how a successful person in the group behaves.
D) be yourself rather than superficial.

Question 6

The position taken in the human relations text is that organizational politics refers to gaining advantage by

A) developing charisma to influence change in the workplace.
B) any means other than merit or luck.
C) the formal use of power.
D) hard work and good performance.

Question 7

When interacting with someone with a disability, what should you do?

A) Shout a people with impaired vision
B) Step into help without asking
C) Avoid making contact with that person
D) Speak directly to the person

Question 8

To use information power effectively, the person must

A) control information not readily available to others.
B) become a major source of gossip within the firm.
C) become an information systems specialist.
D) develop exceptional skill in using the Internet.

Question 9

When introducing people of different rank, proper etiquette is to introduce

A) both by first name only.
B) the youngest first.
C) the person of lower rank first.
D) the person of higher rank first.

Question 10

A general principle of etiquette in the workplace is to

A) be considerate of the feelings of work associates.
B) look sharp at every available opportunity.
C) criticize others gently.
D) smile and be positive even when in a down mood.

Question 11

An example of something one SHOULD do when relating cross-culturally is:

A) receive a business card with care, even holding in two hands.
B) point at one's opposition to emphasize your conviction.
C) subtly back away when clients move closer.
D) by all means, don't talk about one's family.

Question 12

For flattery to work effectively, it is important to

A) use it sparingly.
B) combine it with a sprinkling of criticism.
C) add an element of credibility.
D) make it unique.

Question 13

Which one of the following is the least likely to be part of impression management?

A) being neat and orderly
B) using colourful speech
C) understating your accomplishments
D) being diplomatic

Question 14

Laughing at your manager's humour tends to be an effective political tactic because

A) kissing up is a standard part of most jobs.
B) most managers are emotionally insecure.
C) the shared laughter helps build rapport.
D) it costs more to implement than other tactics.

Question 15

A key aspect of using networking as a career tactic is that a person should

A) have lunch with somebody new at least once a week.
B) do most networking by email to save time.
C) network with people mostly outside of the company.
D) develop contacts with influential people.

Question 16

Which of the following sequences best describes the relationship among politics, power, and influence?

A) power - political tactics - control and influence
B) control and influence - power - political tactics
C) political tactics - control and influence - power
D) political tactics - power - control and influence

Question 17

A study of workers who flattered their managers concluded that flattery

A) paid off in terms of positive evaluations.
B) tended to double a person's salary increases.
C) resulted in more negative evaluations.
D) tended to lower a person's salary increases.

Question 18

Business etiquette can also be called

A) manners.
B) expediency.
C) shrewdness.
D) politeness.

Question 19

Cubicles represent a major etiquette challenge because

A) companies do not allow employees to decorate their cubicles
B) they save the company money on office space
C) a variety of co-workers and supervisors can observe your everyday work behaviour
D) customs vary from culture to culture

Question 20

Proper business etiquette between men and women involves

A) men opening doors for women.
B) a man walking between two women on the sidewalk.
C) men and women being treated generally the same.
D) a man walking next to the street when walking with a woman.

Question 21

A microinequity is

A) a status symbol.
B) a snub.
C) a prejudice.
D) a term representing economic demographics at work.

Question 22

A group norm refers to

A) a code of ethics for organizational politics.
B) an unwritten procedural policy.
C) a type of groupthink.
D) an unwritten set of expectations for group members.

Question 23

A key characteristic of positive gossip for relationship building is that it

A) leads to positive outcomes.
B) does not involve company personnel.
C) focuses on the social life of key personnel.
D) does not attack others.

Question 24

Diana, a resident in heart surgery, brings her complaint directly to the top administrator of the hospital. She is committing the political blunder called

A) criticizing the boss in a public forum.
B) being a pest.
C) burning your bridges.
D) bypassing the boss.

Question 25

If you ignore strategies for getting along with others on the job, the most likely negative consequence will be

A) not gaining a wide base of support.
B) lowering your technical competence.
C) early dismissal from your job.
D) being excluded from certain employee benefits.