Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 12e (Robbins/Judge)
Chapter 15 Foundations of Organizational Structure
1) Which of the following is not one of the six key elements of organizational structure?
A) chain of command
B) departmentalization
C) work specialization
D) span of control
E) location of authority
2) A task that is subdivided into many separate jobs is considered to have ________.
A) a high degree of departmentalization
B) a low degree of decentralization
C) a high degree of work specialization
D) a wider span of control
E) a high degree of formalization
3) A ________ allows management to make the most efficient use of its employees’ skills and
even successfully improve them through repetition.
A) low degree of centralization
B) high degree of formalization
C) wider span of control
D) low degree of departmentalization
E) high degree of work specialization
4) Which of the following statements is true regarding work specialization?
A) Work specialization indicates to what degree there will be rules and formalization regulations
to direct employees and managers.
B) Work specialization decreases the time spent in changing tasks.
C) Work specialization increases the cost of finding and training workers to do specific and
repetitive tasks.
D) Work specialization provides an unending source of increased productivity.
E) Work specialization hinders efficient use of employee skills.
5) The basis by which jobs are grouped is called ________.
A) formalization
B) departmentalization
C) chain of command
D) span of control
E) centralization
6) Which one of the following is not one of the primary ways to group jobs?
A) skill
B) customer
C) function
D) product
E) service
7) A manufacturing manager organizes a plant into engineering, accounting, manufacturing,
personnel, and supply specialists departments. This division of an organization into groups
according to work functions is an example of ________.
A) social clustering
B) bureaucracy
C) specialization
D) centralization
E) departmentalization
8) AgriProducers provides services related to the testing of soil and crops. It also provides advice
to its customers for improving the productivity of the soil and the quality of the crops. It has
customers all over the United States. The crops and soil are different in the various large areas of
the nation, such as the west coast and the midwest. Which type of departmentalization would be
best for AgriProducers?
A) functional
B) process
C) product
D) geographic
E) temporal
9) Some of the departments in Procter & Gamble are Tide, Pampers, Charmin, and Pringles. This
is an example of departmentalization by ________.
A) function
B) process
C) geography
D) product
E) interest
10) Aeronautics Inc., a parts supplier, has departments for government aircraft and contracts,
large commercial aircraft clients, and small personal aircraft clients. This is an example of
________ departmentalization.
A) product
B) function
C) geography
D) customer
E) service
11) Chain of command is a key element of an organization’s structure. Which of the following
key questions is addressed by this element?
A) How many individuals can a manager efficiently and effectively direct?
B) To whom do individuals and groups report?
C) On what basis will jobs be grouped together?
D) To what degree are activities subdivided into separate jobs?
E) To what degree will there be rules and regulations to direct employees and managers?
12) The right inherent in a managerial position to give orders and expect orders to be obeyed is
termed ________.
A) chain of command
B) authority
C) span of control
D) unity of command
E) leadership
13) The principle of ________ helps preserve the concept of an unbroken line of authority.
A) span of control
B) chain of command
C) cross-functionality
D) centralization
E) unity of command
14) The unity-of-command principle states that ________.
A) managers should limit their oversight to a maximum of 12 employees
B) managers should oversee 1-4 employees on average
C) an individual should be directly responsible to only one supervisor
D) managers should provide direction to their employees in a unified fashion
E) employees should report directly to two supervisors to maintain task balance
15) Span of control is a key element of an organization’s structure. Which of the following key
questions is addressed by this element?
A) On what basis will jobs be grouped together?
B) To whom do individuals and groups report?
C) To what degree will there be rules and regulations to direct employees and managers?
D) How many individuals can a manager efficiently and effectively direct?
E) To what degree are activities subdivided into separate jobs?
16) A ________ is consistent with recent efforts by companies to reduce costs, cut overhead,
speed up decision making, increase flexibility, get closer to customers, and empower employees.
A) wider span of control
B) high degree of formalization
C) longer chain of command
D) lack of work specialization
E) high degree of centralization
17) A narrow span of control ________.
A) encourages employee autonomy
B) is expensive because it adds levels of management
C) simplifies vertical communication
D) increases the speed of decision making
E) discourages overly tight supervision
18) ________ refers to the degree to which decision making is concentrated at a single point in
the organization.
A) Formalization
B) Departmentalization
C) Centralization
D) Work specialization
E) Line of command
19) Which of the following statements is true regarding a centralized organization?
A) A centralized organization is more flexible than a decentralized organization.
B) In a centralized organization, decision making is pushed down to the managers closest to the
action.
C) A centralized organization is more responsive than a decentralized organization.
D) In a centralized organization, top managers are rarely involved in decision making.
E) In a centralized organization, decision making is concentrated at a single point in the
organization.
20) The more the lower-level personnel provide input or are actually given the discretion to
make decisions, the ________ within that organization.
A) higher is the degree of formalization
B) lower is the level of empowerment
C) lower is the degree of work specialization
D) higher is the degree of departmentalization
E) higher is the degree of decentralization
21) Publishing representatives who call on college professors to inform them of their company’s
new publications have a great deal of freedom in their jobs. They have only a general sales pitch,
which they tailor as needed. Based on this information, we can say that the job of these
publishing representatives scores ________.
A) low on the degree of work specialization
B) low on the degree of decentralization
C) high on the degree of departmentalization
D) high on the degree of centralization
E) low on the degree of formalization
22) ________ refers to the degree to which jobs within the organization are standardized.
A) Formalization
B) Decentralization
C) Departmentalization
D) Span of control
E) Chain of command
23) Employee discretion is inversely related to ________.
A) complexity
B) formalization
C) specialization
D) departmentalization
E) empowerment
24) The clerical and editorial employees in a publishing house need to be at their desks by 8:00
AM and follow a set of precise procedures dictated by management. The jobs of these clerical
and editorial employees ________.
A) have a wide span of control
B) score high on the degree of departmentalization
C) score high on the degree of formalization
D) lack a unity of command
E) score low on the degree of work specialization
25) The ________ is characterized by a low degree of departmentalization, wide spans of
control, authority centralized in a single person, and little formalization.
A) bureaucracy
B) matrix organization
C) simple structure
D) team structure
E) centralized structure
26) Which of the following statements is true about the simple structure?
A) It is very expensive to operate.
B) It is characterized by a high degree of departmentalization.
C) It becomes increasingly inadequate as an organization grows.
D) It is rigid.
E) It is characterized by a narrow span of control.
27) Samantha is the owner of a flower shop. She has five employees that all report directly to her
and she makes all the decisions regarding the type and quantity of flowers and looks after the
shop’s finances. Which type of organizational structure does Samantha have?
A) bureaucracy
B) virtual structure
C) matrix structure
D) boundaryless structure
E) simple structure
28) A bureaucracy is characterized by all of the following except ________.
A) highly routine operating tasks
B) formalized rules and regulations
C) tasks that are grouped into functional departments
D) decentralized decision making
E) high work specialization
29) ________ is the key concept that underlies all bureaucracies.
A) A dual line of command
B) Standardization
C) Decentralization
D) Employee empowerment
E) Wider span of control
30) Which of the following statements is true regarding a bureaucracy?
A) Bureaucracies need innovative and experienced decision makers at all levels in the
organization.
B) Bureaucracy is an ideal organizational design for those organizations that operate under
highly uncertain conditions.
C) Typically bureaucracies have wider spans of control.
D) Bureaucracies can get by with less talented middle- and lower-level managers.
E) Bureaucracies encourage employee empowerment.
31) Which of the following types of organizational designs combines two forms of
departmentalization, functional and product?
A) simple structure
B) bureaucracy
C) matrix structure
D) virtual structure
E) boundaryless structure
32) Which of the following statements is true regarding a matrix structure?
A) It breaks the unity-of-command concept.
B) It cannot achieve economies of scale.
C) It reduces ambiguity about who reports to whom.
D) It prevents power struggles.
E) It enhances role clarity and avoids role conflict.
33) Which of the following types of organization structures is best suitable for coordination
when the organization has a number of complex and interdependent activities?
A) simple structure
B) bureaucracy
C) matrix structure
D) divisional structure
E) centralized structure
34) Which one of the following problems is most likely to occur in a matrix structure?
A) decreased response to environmental change
B) decreased employee motivation
C) decreased economies of scale
D) increased groupthink
E) increased power struggles
35) The virtual organization is also called the ________ or ________ organization.
A) network; modular
B) boundaryless; social
C) divisional; multi-level
D) boundaryless; global
E) matrix; divisional
36) A ________ organization is a small, core organization that outsources major business
functions.
A) centralized
B) virtual
C) bureaucratic
D) matrix
E) simple
37) Which of the following types of organizations is most likely to operate in a state of perpetual
flux and reorganization?
A) a highly decentralized organization
B) a boundaryless organization
C) a matrix organization
D) a bureaucracy
E) a virtual organization
38) The major advantage of the virtual organization is its ________.
A) decentralized structure
B) ability to enhance role clarity
C) flexibility
D) highly departmentalized structure
E) ability to minimize organizational politics
39) Who coined the term “boundaryless organization”?
A) Steve Jobs
B) Jack Welch
C) Henry Mintzberg
D) Bill Gates
E) Frederick Herzberg
40) Lotus Inc. is attempting to flatten its organizational hierarchy. It is encouraging the use of
cross-hierarchical teams, participative decision-making practices, and the use of 360-degree
performance appraisals. Based on this information we can say that Lotus Inc. is attempting to
create a ________ organization.
A) highly centralized
B) virtual
C) boundaryless
D) highly formalized
E) highly departmentalized
41) ________ is a systematic effort to make an organization leaner by selling off business units,
closing locations, or reducing staff.
A) Removing boundaries
B) Departmentalizing
C) Decentralizing
D) Downsizing
E) Formalizing
42) Which of the following is not a strategy to reduce the negative impact of downsizing?
A) investment in high-involvement work practices
B) early discussion of downsizing with employees
C) employee participation in the downsizing process
D) removal of vertical boundaries
E) provision of post-downsizing assistance
43) Which of the following is typically a characteristic of the mechanistic model of organization?
A) low formalization
B) rigid departmentalization
C) decentralized management
D) wide spans of control
E) low specialization
44) Which of the following is typically a characteristic of the organic model of organization?
A) narrow spans of control
B) centralization
C) free flow of information
D) high formalization
E) clear chain of command
45) A(n) ________ strategy emphasizes the introduction of major new products and services.
A) innovation
B) cost-minimization
C) imitation
D) organic
E) mechanistic
46) Organizations following a(n) ________ strategy try to both minimize risk and maximize
opportunity for profit, moving into new products or new markets only after innovators have
proven their viability.
A) innovation
B) cost-cutting
C) imitation
D) organic
E) mechanistic
47) Which of the following is not part of an organization’s environment?
A) public pressure groups
B) customers
C) employees
D) competitors
E) suppliers
48) Any organization’s environment has three dimensions. Identify these dimensions.
A) stability, adaptability, and employee-orientation
B) complexity, volatility, and capacity
C) replaceability, product-orientation, and stability
D) flexibility, employee-orientation, and capacity
E) volatility, product-orientation, and adaptability