Deck 16: Organizational Culture

Question 1

The key characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which management focuses on results rather than on the techniques and processes is termed ________.

A) aggressiveness
B) stability
C) team orientation
D) people orientation
E) outcome orientation

Answer 1

E

Question 2

"Stability" is one of the seven primary characteristics that captures the essence of an organization's culture. It indicates the degree to which ________.

A) employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks
B) management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve them
C) management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization
D) work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals
E) organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following statements distinguishes between organizational culture and job satisfaction?

A) Job satisfaction is descriptive, whereas organizational culture is evaluative.
B) Organizational culture is static, whereas job satisfaction is dynamic.
C) Job satisfaction is immeasurable, whereas organizational culture is measurable.
D) Organizational culture is descriptive, whereas job satisfaction is evaluative.
E) Organizational culture measures how employees feel about an organization's expectations, whereas job satisfaction is concerned about how employees perceive the organization's culture.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements is true regarding an organization's culture?

A) Organizational culture is evaluative rather than descriptive.
B) Large organizations rarely have subcultures.
C) A dominant culture expresses the core values shared by a majority of the organization's members.
D) A strong culture increases employee turnover.
E) Subcultures and dominant cultures must not share any common values.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a characteristic of organizational culture?

A) attention to detail
B) innovation and risk taking
C) process orientation
D) team orientation
E) outcome orientation

Question 6

Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. Aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking are the ________ of the culture of Trends Inc.

A) foundational values
B) institutional traits
C) core values
D) significant traits
E) unique values

Question 7

Which of the following statements is not true regarding subcultures?

A) Subcultures include core values of the organization.
B) Subcultures typically exist within a department.
C) When we talk about an organization's culture, we are referring to its subculture.
D) If organizations were composed only of numerous subcultures, organizational culture as an independent variable would be significantly less powerful.
E) Subcultures influence members' behaviour.

Question 8

Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to this, the culture of the marketing department is outcome oriented and the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. These characteristics express the company's ________.

A) autocratic culture
B) subculture
C) highly formalized culture
D) reflective culture
E) dominant culture

Question 9

Which of the following is most likely to be the indicator of a strong organizational culture?

A) high employee turnover
B) narrow span of control
C) employees' diverse views of the organization's mission
D) presence of several subcultures
E) widely shared values

Question 10

The key characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which people are competitive rather than easygoing is termed ________.

A) assertiveness
B) team orientation
C) aversiveness
D) risk taking
E) aggressiveness

Question 11

A strong culture should reduce employee turnover because it results in ________.

A) a highly centralized organization
B) narrow spans of control
C) cohesiveness and organizational commitment
D) a highly formalized organization
E) an outcome-oriented organization

Question 12

Alessio's boss doesn't care whether Alessio works at home, at the office, or from his beach house. All he cares about is that the project is completed on time, on budget, and with exemplary quality. Which characteristic of organizational culture best describes this aspect of Alessio's job?

A) low risk taking
B) high outcome orientation
C) high attention to detail
D) low aggressiveness
E) high stability

Question 13

Which of the following characteristics of an organization's culture indicates the degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on employees within the organization?

A) attention to detail
B) outcome orientation
C) team orientation
D) people orientation
E) stability

Question 14

In a(n) ________, the organization's core values are both intensely held and widely shared.

A) dominant culture
B) subculture
C) organizational culture
D) social culture
E) strong culture

Question 15

Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to this, the culture of the marketing department is outcome oriented and the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. Based on the information in the example, we can say that Trends Inc. ________.

A) is a highly centralized organization
B) is a virtual organization
C) has a strong culture
D) is a highly formalized organization
E) is a matrix organization

Question 16

The values that convey an organization's culture and are widely shared by a majority of organizational members are known as ________.

A) foundational values
B) core values
C) shared values
D) institutional values
E) unique values

Question 17

An organization's culture develops over time and is rooted in ________ to which employees are strongly committed.

A) values
B) tasks
C) rewards
D) both A and B
E) all A, B, and C

Question 18

Which of the following is most likely to result from a strong organizational culture?

A) low employee turnover
B) low employee satisfaction
C) low organizational commitment
D) low agreement about what the organization represents
E) low behavioural control resulting from the climate within the organization

Question 19

Trends Inc. is an apparel company. To keep up with the latest changes in the fashion industry, the company has to come up with innovative designs and follow strict timelines. The culture of the company values aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking. The members of the organization accept these cultural values. They know exactly what is expected of them and these expectations go a long way in shaping their behaviour. In addition to the organizational culture, the finance department emphasizes attention to detail. In this example, attention to detail is a part of the ________ of the organization.

A) core values
B) significant traits
C) dominant culture
D) foundational values
E) subculture

Question 20

Cultures that tend to develop in large organizations to reflect common problems, situations, or experiences faced by groups of members in the same department or location are often called ________.

A) micro-cultures
B) subcultures
C) divisional cultures
D) microcosms
E) countercultures

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true regarding the establishment of organizational culture and its effects on the organization?

A) Today's trend toward decentralized organizations makes it easier to establish a strong culture.
B) In a virtual organization, a strong culture can be established quickly and easily.
C) Employees organized in teams always show greater allegiance to the values of the organization as a whole than to their team and its values.
D) Culture acts as a control mechanism and guides the behaviour of employees.
E) Cultures reduce the stability of the social system.

Question 22

Culture is most likely to be a liability when ________.

A) the employees of the organization are highly skilled
B) the organization's environment is undergoing rapid change
C) the organization's management is highly efficient
D) the organization is highly centralized
E) the organization scores low on the degree of formalization

Question 23

The lack of frequent face-to-face contact in ________ organizations makes establishing a common set of norms very difficult.

A) highly formalized
B) boundaryless
C) virtual
D) matrix
E) highly centralized

Question 24

Aggressiveness is one of the seven primary characteristics that capture the essence of an organization's culture. It indicates the degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks.

Question 25

Attention to detail indicates the degree to which management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve them.

Question 26

Subcultures act to undermine the dominant culture.

Question 27

Organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from other organizations.

Question 28

Janice works for a pet store where everyone is committed to the happiness of the animals. Often employees, bosses and hourly workers alike, come into the store "off the clock" and spend time training the animals. Everyone loves the store, the animals, and their jobs. This attitude of her coworkers inspires Janice to do her best. Based on this information, we can say that Janice is experiencing the effects of ________.

A) centralization
B) organizational climate
C) high departmentalization
D) high formalization
E) high work specialization

Question 29

Compare and contrast dominant culture and subculture.

Question 30

What are the seven prime characteristics that capture the essence of an organization's culture?

Question 31

Which of the following refers to the shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and work environment?

A) organizational strategy
B) organizational identity
C) organizational structure
D) organizational culture
E) organizational climate

Question 32

A strong culture tends to reduce employee turnover.

Question 33

A(n) ________ organization is an organization that takes on a life of its own, apart from its founders or members and is valued for itself and not for the goods or services it produces.

A) virtual
B) matrix
C) boundaryless
D) institutionalized
E) centralized

Question 34

In virtual organizations, it is difficult to establish a common set of norms.

Question 35

Which of the following statements is true regarding the functions of culture in an organization?

A) It hinders the generation of commitment to something larger than individual self-interest.
B) It conveys a sense of identity for organization members.
C) It reduces the stability of the social system.
D) It reduces distinctions between one organization and others.
E) It does not affect employees' attitudes and behaviour.

Question 36

Today's trend toward decentralized organizations makes it easier to establish a strong culture.

Question 37

The current trend of decentralizing organizations makes culture ________.

A) impossible to sustain
B) more important than ever
C) difficult to achieve
D) both A and C
E) both B and C

Question 38

A strong culture creates an internal climate of high behavioural control.

Question 39

Both ________ and strong culture achieve the same end result of predictability, orderliness, and consistency.

A) high formalization
B) low departmentalization
C) wide span of control
D) low work specialization
E) people orientation

Question 40

Consistency of behaviour is an asset to an organization when the organization ________.

A) has an aggressive culture
B) encourages innovation and risk taking
C) is highly departmentalized
D) has an employee oriented culture
E) operates in a stable environment

Question 41

Elsa joined her new law firm expecting to participate in exciting environmental law cases and cutting edge research. After one month at the firm she still hasn't been assigned a case and spends most of her time filing standardized appeals for title disputes with insurance companies. In which stage of the socialization process is Elsa?

A) prearrival
B) encounter
C) metamorphosis
D) post-encounter
E) post-arrival

Question 42

________ is a process that helps new employees adapt to the prevailing organizational culture.

A) Satisficing
B) Reciprocal interdependence
C) Socialization
D) Formalization
E) Social loafing

Question 43

During the ________ stage, a new employee compares her expectations with the realities in the organization.

A) prearrival
B) encounter
C) metamorphosis
D) post-arrival
E) post-encounter

Question 44

A strong culture tends to be a liability for an organization when its environment is undergoing rapid change.

Question 45

The ________ stage of the socialization process explicitly recognizes that each individual that the organization comes across during the selection process has a set of values, attitudes, and expectations about both the work to be done and the organization.

A) post-encounter
B) prearrival
C) metamorphosis
D) preencounter
E) post-arrival

Question 46

You are new to an organization and do not really know what to expect about the socialization process. You are a recent M.B.A. and have an undergraduate degree in computer science. Your new firm is a software development company with an emphasis in the health care industry. Your hiring process includes campus interviews, a day-long trip for an interview at the company, an offer phone call and letter, and some promotional material sent via the mail. When you arrive for your first day at work, you spend half a day in an orientation session that is conducted by the human resources department, where you complete paperwork and receive a company handbook. Then you spend the rest of the day with your supervisor, who gives you a tour, introduces you to your coworkers, and explains your first project. After that, you begin working and getting to know the others in the company. You find that in most respects, your experience fits your expectations, but in some ways you are surprised by realities that you hadn't expected. None of these surprises is too difficult to accept, so you eventually begin to feel at home and happy with your new job. The information that you receive during the interviewing and hiring process is a part of the ________ stage of employee socialization.

A) preencounter
B) prearrival
C) encounter
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter

Question 47

The ultimate source of an organization's culture is ________.

A) its top management
B) its environment
C) the country in which the organization operates
D) its founders
E) the sociocultural backgrounds of its employees

Question 48

Describe the functions of organizational culture.

Question 49

If there is a basic conflict between the individual's expectations and the reality of working in an organization, the employee is most likely to be disillusioned and quit during the ________ stage of socialization.

A) prearrival
B) post-arrival
C) encounter
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter

Question 50

The ________ process helps candidates learn about the organization and if applicants perceive a conflict between their values and those of the organization, they can remove themselves from the applicant pool.

A) orientation
B) training
C) performance evaluation
D) selection
E) institutionalization

Question 51

In recent years, ________ has become the primary concern in acquisitions and mergers.

A) cultural compatibility
B) employee diversity
C) financial advantage
D) product synergy
E) legal complication

Question 52

The management wants to demonstrate support for the differences new employees bring to the workplace, but newcomers who wish to fit in must accept the organization's core culture. Which dysfunctional aspect of culture is indicated in the above dilemma?

A) barriers to diversity
B) barriers to change
C) institutionalization
D) barriers to acquisitions
E) barriers to mergers

Question 53

Which of the following steps could your supervisor take to best help you develop a commitment to your new company?

A) encourage you to work independently at first to learn the ropes
B) explain the rules and policies of the organization to you
C) discourage you from putting too much emphasis on your perception of the organization
D) encourage you to look carefully at your own assumptions, which may be biased
E) encourage you to develop friendship ties within the organization

Question 54

Describe the various situations under which culture acts as a liability.

Question 55

The selection process helps sustain the organization's culture by ________.

A) encouraging discussion about norms
B) hiring candidates who fit well within the organization
C) selecting employees who deserve to be promoted
D) developing performance evaluation criteria
E) rewarding conformity of skills

Question 56

Your first day at work is part of the ________ stage of socialization.

A) orientation
B) prearrival
C) encounter
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter

Question 57

When you begin to notice things that are not as per your expectation, you are in the ________ stage of socialization.

A) orientation
B) prearrival
C) encounter
D) metamorphosis
E) post-arrival

Question 58

Which of the following does not work to create culture?

A) Founder hires the only employees who think as he/she does.
B) Founder socializes employees to think and feel in similar ways.
C) Founder acts in ways which allow employees to identify with his/her beliefs.
D) Both A and B
E) All A, B, and C

Question 59

Which of the following represents the correct order of the three socialization stages?

A) encounter, metamorphosis, post-encounter
B) prearrival, arrival, evaluation
C) prearrival, arrival, post-arrival
D) prearrival, encounter, metamorphosis
E) metamorphosis, preencounter, arrival

Question 60

The process of socialization consists of three stages. Which of the following is one of these three stages?

A) prearrival
B) preencounter
C) evaluation
D) post-arrival
E) post-encounter

Question 61

In the socialization process, the period of learning that occurs before a new employee joins an organization is termed the encounter stage.

Question 62

Nunya is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. All the new members of the organization are told about the founders who were three young people who "got lucky" and sold a video game that they invented. The employees are allowed to dress informally and can set their own working hours. Informing employees about the founders is an example of which technique for transmitting culture?

A) stories
B) material symbols
C) language
D) rituals
E) corporate chants

Question 63

Nunya employees are allowed to dress informally. This is an example of a ________ through which organizational culture is transmitted.

A) story
B) ritual
C) material symbol
D) symbolic act
E) tool

Question 64

How does organizational culture develop?

Question 65

Company chants are examples of ________.

A) rituals
B) material symbols
C) stories
D) company policies
E) business strategies

Question 66

________ help employees understand the history and past actions of an organization and explain and legitimate current practices by anchoring the present in the past.

A) Stories
B) Material symbols
C) Rituals
D) Organization-specific terms
E) Corporate chants

Question 67

Phil is new at JPS Corp., but after a week he already knows that the founder of the corporation started the business in his garage with only $4,000 and one client. This information was most likely transmitted to Phil by way of ________.

A) stories
B) material symbols
C) rituals
D) language
E) corporate chants

Question 68

During the socialization process, to work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage, the new member changes or goes through the ________ stage.

A) post-arrival
B) metamorphosis
C) post-encounter
D) analysis
E) evaluation

Question 69

Nunya is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. All the new members of the organization are told about the founders who were three young people who "got lucky" and sold a video game that they invented. The employees are allowed to dress informally and can set their own working hours. The distribution of lollipops, toys, or treats every Friday is an example of a ________ that helps reinforce Nunya's culture.

A) story
B) ritual
C) material symbol
D) protective mechanism
E) narration

Question 70

________ typically contain(s) a narrative of events about the organization's founders, rule breaking, or reactions to past mistakes.

A) Stories
B) Material symbols
C) Rituals
D) Language
E) Corporate chants

Question 71

Explain the primary methods of maintaining an organization's culture.

Question 72

New employees are usually comfortable with their organizations by the end of the ________ stage of socialization.

A) encounter
B) post-arrival
C) establishment
D) metamorphosis
E) adaptation

Question 73

When you start to accept the differences between your expectations and the reality of the organization, you move into the ________ stage of socialization.

A) prearrival
B) post-arrival
C) acceptance
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter

Question 74

During the metamorphosis stage of the socialization process, a new employee compares her expectations-about the job, coworkers, the boss, and the organization in general-with the reality in the organization.

Question 75

Describe the significance of selection in the context of maintaining the organizational culture.

Question 76

Company chants are used to ________.

A) inform employees about changes in rules and policies
B) transmit company culture to employees
C) inform employees about latest technologies
D) communicate company strategies to the employees
E) update employees regarding performance of the company

Question 77

Describe the three stages involved in the process of socialization.

Question 78

Which of the following is not an example of stories?

A) how the new standard operating procedures will be implemented
B) how the founders started the company
C) how the workforce grew from three to 300 in one year
D) how the company had to cut 1000 employees last year
E) how one of its most popular products was invented

Question 79

Which of the following is not a message conveyed by material symbols?

A) organizational hierarchy
B) top management's egalitarianism
C) the marketing strategy of the organization
D) appropriate risk-taking behaviour
E) appropriate authoritarian behaviour

Question 80

The more management relies on formal, collective, sequential, fixed, and serial socialization programs and emphasizes divestiture, the more likely newcomers' differences will be stripped away and replaced by standardized predictable behaviours.