Question 1

Senior officers in a national military organisation decided that operations in supplies requisition were inefficient and costly.They brought in consultants who recommended that the entire requisition process be 'reengineered'.This involved throwing out the old practices and developing an entirely new set of work activities around workflow.However,contrary to expectations,this intervention resulted in lower productivity,higher employee turnover and other adverse outcomes.Discuss likely problems with the intervention in terms of systems theory.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Senior officers in a national military organisation...

Question 2

Marketing specialists at Napanee Beer Co.developed a new advertising campaign for summer sales.The ads were particularly aimed at sports events where Napanee Beer sold kegs of beer on tap.The marketing group worked for months with a top advertising firm on the campaign.Their effort was successful in terms of significantly higher demand for Napanee Beer's keg beer at sports stadiums.However,the production department had not been notified of the marketing campaign and was not prepared for the increased demand.The company was forced to buy empty kegs at a premium price.It also had to brew some of the lower-priced keg beer in vats that would have been used for higher-priced specialty beer.The result was that Napanee Beer sold more of the lower-priced keg beer and less of the higher-priced products that summer.Moreover,the company could not initially fill consumer demand for the keg beer,resulting in customer dissatisfaction.Use system theory to explain what has occurred at Napanee Beer Co.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Marketing specialists at Napanee Beer Co.developed a...

Question 3

Twice each year,a major car parts manufacturer brings together production and engineering specialists from its eight divisions to discuss ideas,solutions and concerns.This helps to minimise the 'silos of knowledge' problem that exists in many organisations.This practice is primarily an example of:
A) Relationship capital
B) Experimentation
C) Knowledge sharing
D) Documentation

Accepted Answer

Bringing together production and engineering specialists from different divisions to discuss ideas, solutions and concerns is an example of knowledge sharing. This helps to break down silos of knowledge and encourages collaboration and the sharing of best practices.

Question 4

Virtual work has been identified as an important trend in organisational behaviour.Discuss three organisational behaviour topics that are influenced by virtual work.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Virtual work has been identified as an...

Question 5

A technology company wants to move into the field of wireless communications.Unfortunately,few of its employees know enough about the basic technology to acquire emerging knowledge about that field or to launch a separate business unit to enter that market.With respect to learning about wireless technology knowledge,this organisation has:
A) Too much virtual work
B) High intellectual capital
C) High human capital but low relationship capital
D) Low absorptive capacity

Accepted Answer

Absorptive capacity refers to an organization's ability to acquire, assimilate, and utilize new knowledge. In this scenario, the company lacks basic knowledge about wireless technology, indicating a low absorptive capacity.

Question 6

'Intellectual capital' refers to:
A) How much money an organisation spends on training and development
B) The stock of knowledge that resides in an organisation
C) The percentage of information available that is actually used productively by the organisation
D) The total cost of computers and other 'intelligent' machines in the organisation

Accepted Answer

Intellectual capital refers to the stock of knowledge that resides in an organization, including things like human capital (the knowledge and capabilities of employees), structural capital (the organization's systems, methods, and processes), and relational capital (relationships with customers, suppliers, etc.). It is not solely about the amount of money spent on training and development, the percentage of information used productively, or the cost of machines.

Question 7

Many organisations are placing increasing importance on values in the workplace.Discuss two reasons why workplace values have become more important in recent years.Your answer should briefly define values.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Many organisations are placing increasing importance on...

Question 8

An organisation's 'absorptive capacity' refers to:
A) Its ability to hire more people without moving to new offices
B) Its level of current knowledge that makes it possible for it to bring in new knowledge from the environment
C) Its ethical standards in the local community
D) Its diversity along the primary dimension

Accepted Answer

Absorptive capacity refers to an organization's ability to recognize the value of new external information, assimilate it, and apply it to commercial ends. It is not related to the organization's ability to hire more people without moving to new offices, its ethical standards in the local community, or its diversity along the primary dimension.

Question 9

Which of the following typically results in a loss of organisational memory?
A) The processes used to make a unique product are incorrectly documented
B) The company lays off nearly one-quarter of its workforce
C) The company sells one of its divisions (including employees in that division)to another organisation
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

Organizational memory can be lost through incorrect documentation, workforce layoffs, or selling a division, as all these actions can lead to the loss of knowledge, skills, and experience.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of knowledge acquisition?
A) Surveying employees about their attitudes towards recent corporate changes
B) Developing a training program for employees to learn the latest goals of the leader
C) Encouraging employees to share their knowledge with co-workers
D) Hiring people who bring valuable knowledge that is not available from current employees

Accepted Answer

Hiring people who bring valuable knowledge that is not available from current employees is an example of knowledge acquisition.

Question 11

Two organisational behaviour students are debating the idea that many OB theories are contingency-oriented.One student believes that every OB theory should be contingency-oriented.The other student disagrees,saying that most theories should try to be universal.Evaluate both positions and provide your opinion on this issue.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Two organisational behaviour students are debating the...

Question 12

Eastern University performs a daily computer search through newspaper articles to identify any articles about the university or its faculty members.University administrators use this information to receive feedback about how the public reacts to university activities.In knowledge management,searching for newspaper articles and other external writing about the organisation is mainly a form of:
A) Knowledge acquisition
B) Communities of practice
C) Organisational unlearning
D) Knowledge sharing

Accepted Answer

Searching for external writing about the organization is a form of knowledge acquisition as it helps the university gain insights and feedback from the public about their activities.

Question 13

'Intellectual capital' consists of:
A) Knowledge that employees possess and generate
B) The knowledge captured in an organisation's systems and structures
C) The value that customers provide to the organisation
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

Intellectual capital includes human capital (knowledge employees possess), structural capital (knowledge in systems and structures), and relational capital (value from customer relationships).

Question 14

Which of the following relates to the perspective that organisations are open systems?
A) The organisation adjusts its services to satisfy changing consumer demand
B) Production and sales employees coordinate their work activities to provide a more efficient work process
C) The organisation changes its products to suit customer needs
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

The perspective that organisations are open systems is characterized by the organization's ability to adapt to changes in its environment, including changes in consumer demand, production processes, and customer needs. Therefore, all of the options listed here are correct.

Question 15

'Organisational memory' is BEST DESCRIBED as:
A) The total terabytes of hard disk space available on computers throughout an organisation
B) The ability of senior executives to recall important information about the company's products,services and employees
C) The storage and preservation of intellectual capital within an organisation
D) The ability of employees throughout the organisation to recall important information about the company's products and services

Accepted Answer

Organisational memory refers to the storage and preservation of intellectual capital within an organisation, including information about products, services, employees, and organizational processes. It encompasses both explicit knowledge (e.g. documented procedures, policies, and reports) and tacit knowledge (e.g. informal policies, best practices, and cultural norms). The goal of organisational memory is to ensure that valuable knowledge is not lost when employees leave, and to provide a foundation for continuous learning and improvement within the organization. Choice A is incorrect because the amount of hard disk space is not equivalent to organisational memory. Choice B is incorrect because it only refers to the memory of senior executives, whereas organisational memory includes knowledge held by all employees. Choice D is incorrect because it is too narrow in scope and does not encompass the full range of knowledge that is part of organisational memory.

Question 16

Organisations should 'unlearn':
A) In many situations involving organisational change
B) Whenever new knowledge is brought into the organisation
C) Whenever the organisation shifts from communities of practice to experimentation in the knowledge acquisition process
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

The answer of Organisations should 'unlearn':
A) In many situations involving...

Question 17

Organisations retain intellectual capital by:
A) Transferring human capital into structural capital
B) Encouraging employees to take early retirement
C) Discouraging employees from communicating with each other
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

Organisations retain intellectual capital by transferring human capital into structural capital. Structural capital refers to the knowledge that is captured and retained within an organisation's systems and processes, rather than solely in the minds of individual employees. By consolidating knowledge, skills and expertise within the organisation, the institutional memory of the organisation grows and the risk of knowledge loss due to employee turnover is minimized. Encouraging early retirement and discouraging communication between employees are not effective methods for retaining intellectual capital.

Question 18

Companies 'manage' knowledge by:
A) Extracting information and ideas from the external environment and through experimentation
B) Ensuring that knowledge is shared throughout the organisation
C) Ensuring that employees effectively use the knowledge available to them
D) All of the options listed here are correct

Accepted Answer

All of the options listed are correct. Effective knowledge management involves not only gathering information and ideas from the external environment and experimentation but also ensuring that knowledge is shared throughout the organization and used effectively by employees.

Question 19

Which of the following is a form of knowledge acquisition?
A) Hiring new employees
B) Research,development and experimentation
C) Information sessions where employees describe to colleagues unique incidents involving customers
D) All of the answers are correct

Accepted Answer

All the options listed are forms of knowledge acquisition as they involve gaining new information or insights.

Question 20

A computer maintenance company wants to 'capture' the knowledge that employees carry around in their heads by creating a database where employees document their solutions to unusual maintenance problems.This practice tries to:
A) Transform intellectual capital into knowledge management
B) Transfer human capital into structural capital
C) Prevent relationship capital from interfering with human capital
D) Reduce the amount of human capital

Accepted Answer

The practice of creating a database to document solutions to unusual maintenance problems is aimed at transferring human capital (knowledge that employees carry in their heads) into structural capital (the knowledge base). This helps in capturing and retaining knowledge within the organization even if the employees leave. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Option A is also partially correct, but it does not capture the aspect of transforming intellectual capital. Option C does not make sense in this context, and option D is incorrect as the aim is not to reduce human capital, but rather to leverage it.

Quiz 1: Introduction to the Field of Organisational Behaviour

Twice each year,a major car parts manufacturer brings together production and engineering specialists from its eight divisions to discuss ideas,solutions and concerns.This helps to minimise the 'silos of knowledge' problem that exists in many organisations.This practice is primarily an example of:

Virtual work has been identified as an important trend in organisational behaviour.Discuss three organisational behaviour topics that are influenced by virtual work.

'Intellectual capital' refers to:

Many organisations are placing increasing importance on values in the workplace.Discuss two reasons why workplace values have become more important in recent years.Your answer should briefly define values.

An organisation's 'absorptive capacity' refers to:

Which of the following typically results in a loss of organisational memory?

Which of the following is an example of knowledge acquisition?

'Intellectual capital' consists of:

Which of the following relates to the perspective that organisations are open systems?

'Organisational memory' is BEST DESCRIBED as:

Organisations should 'unlearn':

Organisations retain intellectual capital by:

Companies 'manage' knowledge by:

Which of the following is a form of knowledge acquisition?

A computer maintenance company wants to 'capture' the knowledge that employees carry around in their heads by creating a database where employees document their solutions to unusual maintenance problems.This practice tries to: