Deck 7: Principles of Organizing

Question 1

According to Hall (1996), the organization serves three basic functions; which of the following is not one of those functions?

A) Minimize and regulate individual variations from organizational requirements
B) Define which positions will exercise power over other positions
C) Establish and foster relationships among management and employees
D) Produce organizational outputs and achieve organizational goals
E) None of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following is a term used when describing "organizing":

A) Arranging collective effort
B) Division of labor
C) Grouping of tasks
D) Allocating resources
E) All of the above

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Clegg, Kornberger, and Pitsis (2005) stated that this is one of the most important issues within organizing.

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Structure
D) Unity of command
E) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following principles of organizing seeks to protect the subordinate from conflicting demands being placed on her or him?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) Responsibility and authority

Question 5

The principle that states "No one can serve two masters" is similar to which of the following?

A) Unity of command
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Specialization
E) Responsibility and authority

Question 6

Which of the following principles of organizing seeks to increase the efficiency of individual performances?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) Responsibility and authority

Question 7

An assembly line in a factory is an example of which organizing principle?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Unity of command
D) Responsibility and authority
E) None of the above

Question 8

Specialization contributes to efficiency in all of the following ways except:

A) Facilitates the training of workers
B) Increases the skill or ability to perform functions
C) Requires less supervision of employees
D) Eliminates time spent between tasks
E) None of the above

Question 9

Which of the following principles of organizing relates to the number of subordinates a supervisor might manage?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) Responsibility and authority

Question 10

Deciding on the number of sports to be supervised by each associate athletic director would fall under which of the following organizing principles?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Unity of command
D) Responsibility and authority
E) None of the above

Question 11

"Span of control" refers to the number of people, units, and operations that a manager can control effectively and efficiently. Many factors contribute to this principle; which of the following is not one of them?

A) Division of labor
B) Type of work done
C) Competence of the supervisor
D) Competence of the employee
E) Pressure for production

Question 12

When a university athletic department decides that all of its athletes must attend study hall for two hours each night regardless of their GPA or scholarship status, which of Weber's principles of bureaucracy has been adhered to?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Code of conduct
E) Technical competence

Question 13

When an NHL franchise permits assistant coaches to discuss coaching issues directly with the general manager, which of Weber's tenets is it violating?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Impersonality
E) Technical competence

Question 14

When the manager of ticketing operations hires an employee primarily because that person is the nephew of a member of the university's board of governors, which of Weber's tenets has been violated?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Impersonality
E) Technical competence

Question 15

When an administrative assistant working in the front office of a sport organization is promoted to the head of player development, which one of Weber's tenets is being violated?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Impersonality
E) Technical competence

Question 16

Which of the following is not a criticism of bureaucracy?

A) Abstract rules are aligned with changing conditions
B) Communication flow ultimately becomes inconsistent with the work flow
C) Employees are rigid in their interpretation of rules
D) Gifted workers are often denied promotion
E) Seniority takes precedence over technical competence

Question 17

Which of the following principles of bureaucracy is most likely to ensure consistency and uniformity in the activities of the organization and its members?

A) Division of labor
B) Technical competence
C) Impersonality
D) System of abstract rules
E) Hierarchical authority structure

Question 18

Emma has made it a policy at her fitness club that her employees make decisions regarding everyday operations. This process could be described as which of the following?

A) Centralization
B) Decentralization
C) Matrix structure
D) Bureaucracy
E) Span of control

Question 19

When the head of an organization declares that she will make all decisions regarding employee drug testing policy, this is an example of which of the following?

A) Centralization
B) Decentralization
C) Matrix structure
D) Bureaucracy
E) Span of control

Question 20

Perrow (1972) stated that in order for bureaucracy to be efficient, it must be:

A) Centralized
B) Decentralized
C) Organized
D) Stable
E) Functionally oriented

Question 21

Organizational structure or design does which of the following?

A) Specifies the relationships among tasks
B) Specifies the relationships among employees
C) Is a by-product of the function of organizing
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 22

Performing tasks that are narrow in scope leads to which of the following?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) Responsibility and authority

Question 23

Which of the following methods of grouping is a basic division of the organization?

A) Span of control
B) Process oriented
C) Unity of command
D) Product or goal oriented
E) Decentralization

Question 24

What is the principle that no one person should be in charge of a vast number of subordinates?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) None of the above

Question 25

All of the following are examples of departmentalization except:

A) Individuals performing the same function
B) Geographical units hiring people with various skills
C) Members having different specialized skills
D) Gifted workers often denied promotion
E) People grouped together as a functional unit

Question 26

When the athletic director makes the public relations office a unit that is separate from the marketing unit, this is said to be which of the following?

A) Specialization
B) Span of control
C) Departmentalization
D) Unity of command
E) None of the above

Question 27

When the decision makers of an NHL franchise hire a former player with no experience or background in promotions as the new promotions director, they are violating which of Weber's tenets of a bureaucracy?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Impersonality
E) Technical competence

Question 28

By holding back tickets for friends and relatives, the ticket manager for a university athletic department is violating which of Weber's tenets?

A) Division of labor
B) Hierarchy of authority
C) System of abstract rules
D) Impersonality
E) Technical competence

Question 29

All of the following are terms used when describing "McDonaldization" except:

A) Control
B) Calculability
C) Rationality
D) Predictability
E) Specialization

Question 30

The term "McDonaldization" is derived from the fast-food industry to do which of the following?

A) Identify the best way to carry out a specific task
B) Understand the need for training and skill in all aspects of the workplace
C) Assess the time taken and motion involved in a job
D) Apply the production principles of the fast-food industry to other workplaces
E) Apply the cost-saving measures of the fast-food industry to other workplaces

Question 31

An organizational chart usually shows the hierarchical arrangement of organizational positions from top to bottom. This is known as:

A) Vertical structure
B) Horizontal structure
C) Vertical integration
D) Horizontal integration
E) None of the above

Question 32

When looking at an organizational chart from left to right, one sees the different departments and the sections within each department.This is known as:

A) Vertical structure
B) Horizontal structure
C) Vertical integration
D) Horizontal integration
E) None of the above

Question 33

Departmentalization is the process of forming heterogeneous groupings.

Question 34

Specialization contributes to efficiency by minimizing the time between tasks.

Question 35

Organizational structure defines the flow of information needed for effective decision making.

Question 36

A narrow span of control implies greater control and more supervision, whereas a wider span of control means less supervision and less control.

Question 37

An example of span of control is individuals performing the same basic functions, or individuals in positions that involve similar skills, expertise, and resources being grouped together into a department.

Question 38

A well-versed marketing manager leading a sport marketing team for the Super Bowl is an example of span of control.

Question 39

When an organization is created, some of the tenets of a bureaucracy naturally follow its development.

Question 40

Division of labor occurs when the positions of an organization are arranged in a hierarchical structure and simple and well-defined tasks are distributed to members as official duties.

Question 41

Employees being hired and fired based on their competence is an example of impersonality.

Question 42

Bureaucratic and democratic structures are distinguished based on efficiency and freedom of dissent.

Question 43

Competitive sport should be loosely structured, whereas recreational sport should be bureaucratically structured.

Question 44

_____________________ specifies the relationships among tasks and among people who perform them.

Question 45

_____________________ defines which positions will exercise power over other positions, and how.

Question 46

_____________________ should be narrow at the top levels of management and wider at the lower levels.

Question 47

(a) ______________, (b) ________________, and (c) _______________ are all factors that will affect the actual span of control in an organization or unit.

Question 48

_____________________ means that different people are asked to carry out different activities.

Question 49

The major criticism against the creation of a __________ is that each individual's job is reduced to a monotonous and degrading routine.

Question 50

_____________________ means that some persons or positions in an organization are placed in supervisory roles over other persons or positions.

Question 51

_____________________ refers to the notion that individuals in an organization perform tasks that are narrow in scope.

Question 52

_____________________ refers to the number of people, units, and operations that a manager can control effectively and efficiently in a given time period.

Question 53

________________________ is when an organization must impose greater control over its employees, leading to a narrower span of control.

Question 54

The process of forming homogeneous groupings of positions in an organization is called __________________.

Question 55

___________________ and _____________________ are two types of departmentalization.

Question 56

A ___________________ organization is simply the imposition of one structure over the other.

Question 57

The method of grouping that is basically a division of an organization according to different products is referred to as ___________________ departmentalization.

Question 58

The principle of ___________________ suggests that each member of the organization would follow the orders of only one supervisor and be accountable only to that supervisor.

Question 59

Weber's bureaucratic tenets (or principles) include (a) ______________, (b) ______________, (c) ______________, (d) ______________, and (e) ______________.

Question 60

Employees should be hired and fired based on their ______________________ relevant to a particular office or position in the organization.

Question 61

Weber emphasized that authority in a bureaucracy resides in a ______________ in the organization and not in the ______________ who occupies it.

Question 62

The system of ______________________ ensures that there is consistency and uniformity in the activities of the organization and its members.

Question 63

______________________ refers to the notion that employees of an organization must deal with clients/customers and/or subordinates/superiors on the same categorical basis without any personal, emotional, or social considerations.

Question 64

_______________ is the notion that employers treat everyone as equals.

Question 65

The purpose of a ______________ is to identify commonly agreed social objectives, and the purpose of a ______________ is to achieve those specified objectives.