Deck 2: The Leadership Imperative

Question 1

The statement,"Everyone else is breaking the rule; I will too so I don't lose out," is an example of pluralistic ignorance.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The secret to responsible management and leadership is for leaders to be ethical.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Social and emotional intelligence are at the center of the four HR leadership roles.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Difficult ethical situations often define a company's reputation.

Question 5

An ethical dilemma is a situation in which it is not clear what the "right thing to do" is.

Question 6

Managers who subscribe to the Theory X view of people are more likely to empower employees than those who believe in Theory Y.

Question 7

People tend to remember the bad leaders they have known rather than the good ones.

Question 8

In the Iceberg Model,skills and knowledge are abilities that are hidden beneath the surface of an individual.

Question 9

Fiedler's Contingency Theory states that leaders must change style according to the situation.

Question 10

A competency is an ability that is directly linked to job performance.

Question 11

Limbic resonance is a term that refers to the fact that emotions are contagious.

Question 12

The statement,"Leaders are born,not made," is more true today than ever.

Question 13

Legitimate power is the ability to influence others through fear or punishment.

Question 14

In today's uncertain business world,HR leaders have shifted from being change agents to promoting the status quo.

Question 15

Emotions actually travel from one person to another in the form of an electrical potential.

Question 16

A transactional leader uses his or her vision to inspire employees.

Question 17

Honesty is a terminal value.

Question 18

When it comes to success in business,basic intelligence is more important than competency.

Question 19

Change within an organization is something that is ubiquitous and should never come as a surprise.

Question 20

In the Situational Leadership Theory,managers match their managing style to how ready and able their workers are.

Question 21

A manager with a Theory Y view of human nature is more likely to ________.

A) distrust his employees and watch them carefully
B) trust his employees and empower them with decision-making ability
C) give his employees lifetime job opportunities if they are competent
D) institute strict reward systems to induce employees to work hard

Question 22

Managers can avoid micromanagement by

A) monitoring employees as closely as possible
B) empowering employees to make their own decisions
C) using majority rule for all decision-making
D) looking only at the "big picture" and avoiding details

Question 23

What people call intuition is usually just ________.

A) picking up clues from body language, facial expressions, and positioning
B) making guesses about who a person is and what he or she is likely to do
C) inaccurate guessing that has no validity
D) a form of extra-sensory perception

Question 24

Competencies include both intent and ________ and are always related to ________.

A) action, intelligence
B) motivation, leadership
C) leadership, action
D) action, performance

Question 25

In the Iceberg Model,which of these factors are hidden "below the water line"?

A) motives, traits, and self-concept
B) motives, skills, and traits
C) traits, knowledge, and skills
D) self-concept, drivers, and skills

Question 26

Being able to see the "big picture" pattern in a complicated situation represents which kind of competency?

A) cognitive
B) relational
C) technical
D) subconscious

Question 27

Successful leaders see change as which of these?

A) an opportunity
B) a disruption
C) a necessary evil
D) a threat

Question 28

Jill Guindon-Nasir of the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center believes that effective leaders should NOT be ________.

A) logic-driven, since emotions take priority in leadership
B) risk-averse
C) continuous learners
D) people-person; they need to be task-driven

Question 29

Studies conducted by Richard Boyatzis's group determined which of these competencies as the defining factors for effective leadership?

A) friendliness and sociability
B) technical skill and basic intelligence
C) knowledge, skills, and flexibility
D) emotional and social intelligence

Question 30

What is a major reason why empowerment is a successful management approach?

A) Employees are more intelligent in today's workplace.
B) Employees are more responsible in today's workplace.
C) The person who organized the work can make the best decisions in a given situation.
D) The person who is closest to the work can usually make the best decisions in a given situation.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT one of the three secrets to becoming an outstanding leader?

A) emotional and social competence
B) power
C) ethics
D) corporate politics

Question 32

Which statement is TRUE about leaders and leading?

A) Leaders can only be born, not made.
B) You can learn how to be a great leader.
C) You cannot learn how to be a great leader.
D) Only managers can learn to lead.

Question 33

Which competency distinguishes superior performers from ordinary performers?

A) sustaining
B) threshold
C) differentiating
D) undifferentiating

Question 34

The idea of a workplace that is stable and has continuity is ________ today's world.

A) a critical component of
B) something to insist on in
C) not realistic in
D) still very important in

Question 35

The primary force behind coercive power is ________.

A) the ability to trade
B) valuable rewards
C) the threat of punishment
D) the power of persuasion

Question 36

Which of these competency categories is NOT a key component of social and emotional intelligence?

A) self-awareness
B) self-management
C) self-consciousness
D) social awareness

Question 37

The key to referent power is ________.

A) fear
B) whom you know
C) respect and admiration
D) being well-known

Question 38

Which of the following is a terminal value?

A) creativity
B) honesty
C) know-how
D) justice

Question 39

The president of a company holds which kind of power?

A) Expert power - because she controls employee pay.
B) Referent power - because she can force people to do things.
C) Legitimate power - because her power comes from her position.
D) Illegitimate power - because no person should have control over others.

Question 40

Research indicates that there is ________ correlation between intelligence and success at work.

A) no
B) little
C) a strong
D) an inverse

Question 41

Which statement best describes contingency approaches to leadership?

A) A leader must have certain leadership characteristics.
B) A leader cannot change his or her leadership style.
C) Different situations require different leadership styles.
D) A leader can change his or her leadership traits.

Question 42

What is the first step to prevent a lapse into unethical behavior?

A) Follow your company's code of ethics.
B) Avoid situations in which ethics are involved.
C) Clarify your own personal code of ethics.
D) Go by the rules no matter what the situation.

Question 43

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act established strict new standards and improved on existing ones ________.

A) to prevent corruption in Congress
B) for all U.S. public company boards, management, and accounting firms
C) to promote women in company boards
D) to eliminate oversight in company boards

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT included in the social characteristics category of leadership traits identified in research?

A) trust/credibility
B) stewardship
C) charisma
D) diplomacy

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT a common statement that helps people rationalize unethical behavior?

A) Everyone does it.
B) If I don't do it, I'll get fired.
C) My boss told me to do it.
D) The ends fail to justify the means.

Question 46

Which of the following describes an ethical dilemma?

A) The most profitable solution is difficult to determine.
B) Determining "right" and "wrong" is easy.
C) Determining "right" and "wrong" is not important.
D) Determining"right" and "wrong" is difficult.

Question 47

Which of the following is an instrumental value?

A) love
B) ambition
C) peace
D) freedom

Question 48

In terms of business ethics,________ be held legally and ethically responsible for misdeeds.

A) organizations cannot
B) individuals only can
C) both individuals and organizations can
D) neither individuals and organizations can

Question 49

In the mid-20th century,researchers turned away from trait theories that studied who a leader was and moved toward studies that analyzed the leader's ________.

A) behavior
B) background
C) goals
D) social intelligence

Question 50

Dogs are often pampered in the United States,while they are treated little better than rats in some foreign countries.What type of ethics is at work here?

A) individual
B) organizational
C) societal
D) professional

Question 51

The idea behind the Path-Goal Theory is to ________.

A) suggest a possible goal for employees to let them clear the path of any obstacles
B) allow employees to find their own paths to goals without managerial interference
C) create rigid paths to employee goals that are the same for all employees
D) provide a path for employees to a goal and clear the path of any possible obstacles

Question 52

A stakeholder in a company is a party that has ________.

A) no interest in the company's ethics
B) majority ownership of the company
C) minority ownership in the company
D) an interest in the company's success or failure

Question 53

The profession you choose is likely to have ________.

A) its own set of ethical standards
B) no set of ethical standards
C) a set of ethical standards that conflicts with your personal ethical standards
D) a written set of standards that must be committed to memory

Question 54

Transactional leaders try to ________.

A) inspire rather than reward employees
B) provide a vision for employees to work toward attaining
C) trade rewards for satisfactory performance on a job
D) convince employees that they don't need to be rewarded

Question 55

Google's slogan,"Don't be evil," can be best characterized as ________.

A) primarily a dig at its rival, Microsoft
B) a pledge to "do the right thing" in general
C) a pledge to avoid criminal behavior
D) a promise that Google will never seek profits

Question 56

Trait theories of leadership tried to define ________ that could identify a successful leader.

A) physical and psychological tests
B) habits, customs, and traditions
C) physical qualities, such as symmetry
D) characteristics, such as intelligence and sociability

Question 57

The Situational Leadership Theory focuses on ________.

A) looking at the traits of successful leaders
B) linking leader style with followers' readiness for tasks
C) asking followers to change their behavior
D) looking at the behaviors of successful leaders

Question 58

The Michigan management studies divided manager behavior into which two dimensions?

A) production-oriented and efficiency-oriented
B) task-oriented and production-oriented
C) production-oriented and employee-oriented
D) effectiveness-oriented and time-oriented

Question 59

Fiedler's contingency scheme states that since leaders cannot ________,the only way to be successful is to ________.

A) maintain a constant leadership style; place the leader in a variety of different situations
B) change their leadership style; match a leader's style to the situation
C) maintain a constant leadership style; make the followers change their style
D) change their leadership style; make the followers change their style

Question 60

Which of the following would be considered an initiating structure of leadership behavior as defined by the Ohio State studies?

A) holding an employee brainstorm session
B) offering an employee with a sick child the afternoon off
C) creating a task rotation schedule for cleaning the employee refrigerator
D) implementing a Friday afternoon open-door policy for employee feedback

Question 61

According to the Stanford Graduate School's Business Advisory Council,________ is by far the most important characteristic that a leader can have.

A) self-awareness
B) honesty
C) humility
D) energy

Question 62

A beef processing plant makes some of its employees work overtime hours with no compensation.Which code of ethics did the plant violate in this situation?

A) a societal code of ethics
B) the technician's code of ethics
C) a personal code of ethics
D) an organizational code of ethics

Question 63

Beatriz hires a lawyer to sue a company over its unsafe products.The lawyer does not tell Beatriz that he is also on retainer to the same company.Which code of ethics did the lawyer violate?

A) an organizational code of ethics
B) a personal code of ethics
C) a professional code of ethics
D) a societal code of ethics

Question 64

Due to the slow economy,Gretchen has asked employees to follow her footsteps and forego their raises for the upcoming year.Gretchen is beloved by everyone in the company and everyone listens to her and willingly follows her.What kind of power is she attempting to use?

A) coercive power
B) legitimate power
C) referent power
D) inherent power

Question 65

Jayne is teaching an HR workshop for a group of new college graduates.What might she suggest to help these new employees be receptive to the emotions of others?

A) Listen only to what people say, not what they do.
B) Read in between the lines of what people say.
C) Pay attention to body language, facial expressions, and how people are arranged in the room.
D) Ask people how they are feeling and give each response a numerical value from 1 to 10.

Question 66

In his performance review,Geraldo rated high in all areas except grasping the "big picture." What should he focus on?

A) Geraldo should focus on his cognitive competencies; the skills that help him identify and recognize patterns.
B) Geraldo should work on his technical competencies; the skills that help him use tools common in his industry.
C) Geraldo should work on his relational competencies; the skills that help him deal with people.
D) Geraldo should work on his self-concept; which includes attitudes, values, and self-image.

Question 67

To take advantage of an expiring car warranty,Daniel claimed that his car had broken down a day earlier than the incident actually occurred.Which code of ethics did Daniel violate?

A) a professional code of ethics
B) his personal code of ethics
C) his socio-economic code of ethics
D) Daniel did not violate a code of ethics.

Question 68

Courageous leaders have the ability to resist ________ and do what they know is right.

A) complexity
B) competency
C) conformity
D) conflict

Question 69

Transformational leaders usually have which of these above all other traits?

A) energy
B) drive
C) intelligence
D) charisma

Question 70

Sean is a middle manager attending a leadership seminar.He tells the group that his social and emotional intelligence is high,but he is not very good at controlling his own emotions.What should the seminar leader tell Sean?

A) He is correct to think his social and emotional intelligence is high because social and emotional intelligence has nothing to do with one's own emotions.
B) He shouldn't worry about his deficiency because social and emotional intelligence is not very important in leadership.
C) He is mistaken to think his social and emotional intelligence is high because self- management, or controlling one's own emotions, is a key part of social and emotional intelligence.
D) He shouldn't worry because self-control is not a very important part of social and emotional intelligence.

Question 71

An auto repair technician saw that Susan qualified for a free oil change,but decided not to tell her about it.There is no law requiring the technician to inform customers of this service,but the company prides itself on "looking out for its customers." Which code of ethics did the technician violate?

A) The technician did not violate a code of ethics.
B) a personal code of ethics
C) an organizational code of ethics
D) a societal code of ethics

Question 72

Which of the following statements about leadership in today's business world is NOT true?

A) Good leaders use power.
B) Leaders should see change as opportunity.
C) Employees should adopt an "us" versus "them" attitude toward leaders.
D) Employees are motivated by leaders who are authentic and real.

Question 73

Several supervisors at a metals fabrication plant have told workers that if they don't increase production,they will lose their holiday bonuses and vacation days.What kind of power are the supervisors attempting to use?

A) referent power
B) coercive power
C) information power
D) expert power

Question 74

Wei is an analyst for an insurance company.The firm uses her data to make all of its business predictions.What kind of power does she have?

A) connection power
B) reward power
C) coercive power
D) expert power

Question 75

When Jason learns that the "new" car he bought is actually a refurbished used model,he puts a stop-payment on the check he wrote to the dealership.Which code of ethics did Jason violate in this situation?

A) Jason did not violate a code of ethics.
B) his personal code of ethics
C) an organizational code of ethics
D) a societal code of ethics

Question 76

Shanika runs leadership seminars for young managers and entrepreneurs.In a recent session,a young man from a manufacturing company complained that he was just not a "born leader." How should Shanika respond?

A) Tell him that he may not ever be a good leader, but that he can become an effective manager.
B) Tell him that leadership skills can and should be learned.
C) Tell him that leadership is not a necessary characteristic of a manager.
D) Tell him that he should adjust his goals and resign himself to the fact that he will never be a great success.

Question 77

HR has an obligation to ________.

A) define and label ethical goals
B) develop programs that address issues of ethical leadership
C) propose laws governing corporate ethical leadership
D) refuse compensation to employees suspected of using unethical practices

Question 78

Dawson Consulting is restructuring to make the firm more profitable.Mack,the CEO,is using his authority to restructure the incentive system for anyone who brings in a potential client.What kind of power is Mack employing?

A) legitimate power
B) expert power
C) referent power
D) reactive power

Question 79

Mr.Vasquez has offered his sales team an all-expenses-paid weekend cruise if they beat last quarter's numbers by 25 percent.What kind of power is Mr.Vasquez using?

A) reward power
B) referent power
C) coercive power
D) expert power

Question 80

Martin's professional goal is to be an outstanding leader.He knows it's important to develop his self-awareness.To practice,what question might Martin ask himself?

A) What should I be doing to maximize my potential?
B) What am I feeling, and how are these feelings affecting my thoughts and actions?
C) How can I demonstrate to others that I am concerned with their welfare and genuinely care about them?
D) Which feelings in this room are negative and should be rejected or ignored?