Question 1

Adrian, a manager of the research and development team of an organization, challenges his subordinates to "think outside the box" to improve the way the unit does its work. Adrian is focusing on ________.

Accepted Answer

Organizations need to encourage employees to develop and use complex mental models. Mental models are sophisticated ways of thinking that challenge employees to find new or better ways of performing a task to deepen their understanding of what is involved in a particular activity.

Question 2

To create a learning organization, managers must empower employees and allow them to experiment, create, and explore what they want through developing a sense of ________.

Accepted Answer

To develop a sense of personal mastery among employees, managers must empower employees and allow them to experiment and create and explore what they want.

Question 3

Which of the following is most likely to be a disadvantage of brainstorming in an organization?

Accepted Answer

The main reason for the loss of productivity in brainstorming appears to be production blocking, which occurs because group members cannot always simultaneously make sense of all the alternatives being generated, think up additional alternatives, and remember what they were thinking.

Question 4

Jack, a manager, allows Adam, his subordinate, to proceed on a work project even though Jack does not agree with how Adam wants to do the work. Jack is attempting to promote _________ to create a learning organization.

Accepted Answer

By allowing Adam to proceed, Jack allows Adam to experiment, create, and explore what he wants, to develop a sense of personal mastery. For organizational learning to occur, top managers must allow every person in the organization to develop a sense of personal mastery. Managers must empower employees and allow them to experiment, create, and explore what they want.

Question 5

At the heart of organizational learning is ________.

Accepted Answer

At the heart of organizational learning is creativity, which is the ability of a decision maker to discover original and novel ideas that lead to feasible alternative courses of action.

Question 6

The idea that one level of learning affects other levels is part of the _________ principle of creating a learning organization.

Accepted Answer

While focusing on systems thinking, managers must recognize the effects of one level of learning on another.

Question 7

Managers can increase their ability to make nonprogrammed decisions that will allow them to adapt to, modify, and even drastically alter their task environments so that they can continually increase organizational performance through organizational ________.

Accepted Answer

Organizational learning is the process through which managers seek to improve employees' desire and ability to understand and manage the organization and its task environment so employees can make decisions that continuously raise organizational effectiveness.

Question 8

The main reason for the loss of productivity in brainstorming is ________.

Accepted Answer

Brainstorming is very useful in some problem-solving situations, but sometimes individuals working alone can generate more alternatives. The main reason for the loss of productivity in brainstorming appears to be production blocking, which occurs because group members cannot always simultaneously make sense of all the alternatives being generated, think up additional alternatives, and remember what they were thinking.

Question 9

After one person shares an idea, the next thing that should happen in a brainstorming session is ________.

Accepted Answer

During brainstorming, after a manager describes in broad outline the problem the group is to address, group members share their ideas and generate alternative courses of action.

Question 10

Which of the following is a part of the Delphi technique of group decision making?

Accepted Answer

One way to bring distant managers together to brainstorm is to use the Delphi technique, a written approach to creative problem solving. The questionnaire is sent to the managers and departmental experts who are most knowledgeable about the problem. They are asked to generate solutions and mail the questionnaire back to the group leader.

Question 11

An individual who looks for opportunities and is aware of mobilizing the resources required for producing new and improved goods and services is called a(n) ________.

Accepted Answer

Entrepreneurs are individuals who notice opportunities and decide how to mobilize the resources necessary to produce new and improved goods and services. Entrepreneurs make all of the planning, organizing, leading, and controlling decisions necessary to start new business ventures.

Question 12

Which of the following is a way to bring distant managers together to brainstorm and is a written approach to creative problem solving?

Accepted Answer

One way to bring distant managers together to brainstorm is to use the Delphi technique, a written approach to creative problem solving. The questionnaire is sent to the managers and departmental experts who are most knowledgeable about the problem. They are asked to generate solutions and mail the questionnaire back to the group leader.

Question 13

Sometimes in a brainstorming session, group members cannot simultaneously make sense of all the alternatives being generated, think up additional alternatives, or remember what they were thinking. This problem is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Production blocking occurs because group members cannot always simultaneously make sense of all the alternatives being generated, think up additional alternatives, and remember what they were thinking.

Question 14

A sales manager talks with his subordinates about the way they should treat customers. The sales manager is focusing on the _________ aspect of creating a learning organization.

Accepted Answer

A shared vision is a common mental model that all organizational members use to frame problems or opportunities. In this situation, the manager is trying to create a common mental model that all members will use to frame problems or opportunities.

Question 15

Individuals who pursue opportunities to address social problems and needs in order to improve society and well-being, such as reducing poverty, are known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Social entrepreneurs are individuals who pursue initiatives and opportunities to address social problems and needs in order to improve society and well-being, such as reducing poverty, increasing literacy, protecting the natural environment, or reducing substance abuse. Social entrepreneurs seek to mobilize resources to solve social problems through creative solutions.

Question 16

When an issue is controversial and when different managers might be expected to champion different courses of action, which of the following is the preferred technique for encouraging creativity?

Accepted Answer

The nominal group technique is especially useful when an issue is controversial and when different managers might be expected to champion different courses of action.

Question 17

A group of managers meets face-to-face and generates and debates a wide variety of alternatives from which to make a decision. What is this process of decision making called?

Accepted Answer

Brainstorming is a group problem-solving technique in which managers meet face-to-face to generate and debate a wide variety of alternatives from which to make a decision.

Question 18

In a meeting, after hearing a member describe a problem to be addressed, all other members of the group first wrote down ideas and solutions. After this, everyone shared those suggestions without criticism. The group, one by one, clarified, critiqued, and then discussed the alternatives in the sequence in which they were first proposed. Finally, each member ranked all the alternatives, and the highest-ranking alternative was chosen. Which of the following decision-making techniques is being implemented?

Accepted Answer

In the nominal group technique, the following procedure is used: (1) One manager outlines the problem to be addressed, and 30 or 40 minutes are allocated for group members, working individually, to write down their ideas and solutions. (2) Managers take turns reading their suggestions to the group. One manager writes all the alternatives on a flip chart. No criticism or evaluation of alternatives is allowed until all alternatives have been read. (3) The alternatives are then discussed in the sequence in which they were first proposed. (4) When all alternatives have been discussed, each group member ranks all the alternatives from most preferred to least preferred, and the alternative that receives the highest ranking is chosen.

Question 19

Aiden, a manager, is involved in group decision making with other managers. As part of the process, he challenges the way the group evaluated alternatives and points out some reasons why the alternative preferred by the group is not acceptable. He tries to ascertain the strengths and weaknesses of the preferred alternative before its implementation. What is the approach followed by Aiden?

Accepted Answer

Devil's advocacy is a critical analysis of a preferred alternative to ascertain its strengths and weaknesses before it is implemented. A member of the decision-making group plays the role of devil's advocate and critiques and challenges the way the group evaluated alternatives and chose one over the others. The purpose is to identify all the reasons that might make the preferred alternative unacceptable. Decision makers can be made aware of the possible perils of recommended courses of action.

Question 20

In managerial decision making, the ability of a manager to discover novel ideas that lead to alternative courses of action for the organization to use for solving a particular problem is known as ________.

Accepted Answer

Creativity is the ability of a decision maker to discover original and novel ideas that lead to feasible alternative courses of action.

Quiz 5: Decision Making, Learning, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship