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Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
Test Bank
Chapter 5: Situational Approach
Multiple Choice
1. It is accurate to say that Situational Leadership II (SLII) is primarily ______.
A. descriptive
B. prescriptive
C. well supported by research
D. trait related
2. Which of the following statements best describes situational leadership?
A. Specific leaders are needed in specific situations.
B. Leaders must adapt to the situation, but not to the followers.
C. Different situations demand different kinds of leadership.
D. Leadership is directive.
3. Who focused on leaders matching their styles to the competence and commitment of
employees?
A. Stogdill
B. Hersey and Blanchard
C. Blake and McCanse
D. Katz
4. The situational approach ______.
A. is irrelevant in modern day leadership
B. focuses on describing not prescribing leadership
C. is used widely in leadership training and development
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
D. determined that high-directive and high-supportive behaviors work best in all
situations
5. The SLII model is divided into two parts: ______.
A. leadership attributes and follower skills
B. leadership skills and follower development level
C. leadership development levels and follower behaviors
D. leadership style and follower development level
6. Adjusting leadership styles is based on the assumption that ______.
A. followers’ skills and motivation vary over time
B. leaders have to develop basic skills prior to assessing follower needs
C. followers’ skill level stays the same, whereas motivation level varies
D. leaders adjust their styles to the behavioral styles of followers
7. In the SLII model, leaders evaluate how ______ and ______ followers are to perform
a task.
A. intentional and committed
B. motivated and determined
C. competent and committed
D. focused and intelligent
8. Follower development level in SLII is determined by level of ______.
A. competence and commitment
B. social judgment and cognitive ability
C. sociability and determination
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
D. task and directive behaviors
9. In SLII, leaders use different degrees of ______ and ______ to meet the needs of
followers.
A. motivation and determination
B. competence and commitment
C. supportive and directive behaviors
D. social judgment and cognitive ability
10. The situational leadership approach ______.
A. is one of the more widely recognized leadership approaches
B. integrates leadership skills with follower skills
C. integrates leadership behaviors with follower traits
D. is not recognized as a legitimate modern day leadership approach
11. The situational approach labels leaders’ styles specifically as ______.
A. initiating structure and consideration
B. high task and low task
C. task and relationship
D. directive and supportive
12. You are president of a large corporation. At a typical monthly meeting, each of your
vice presidents gives standard area reports. In the past, these reports have been good,
and the VPs seem satisfied about their work. Based on SLII, which leadership style
should you exhibit at the next meeting?
A. style 1
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
B. style 2
C. style 3
D. style 4
13. Which leadership style includes a high level of support and also is one in which the
leader makes the final decision about goal accomplishment?
A. directing
B. supporting
C. delegating
D. coaching
14. A leader who gives followers instructions about how and when goals should be
achieved and supervises them carefully is using ______.
A. directing behaviors
B. supporting behaviors
C. delegating behaviors
D. coaching behaviors
15. A leader who gives recognition and social support to followers is using ______.
A. directing behaviors
B. supporting behaviors
C. delegating behaviors
D. coaching behaviors
16. A leader who lets followers take responsibility for task accomplishment and has less
involvement with followers is using ______.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
A. directing behaviors
B. supporting behaviors
C. delegating behaviors
D. coaching behaviors
17. You were recently hired into an organization that you have always wanted to work
at, and in addition, your education and experience complement your new position
perfectly. According to the situational model, your level of development is ______.
A. S2
B. D2
C. S1
D. D4
18. You recently were promoted to a new position and are very excited, but you have
little to no experience with numerous aspects of the new position. According to the
situational model, your level of development is ______.
A. S4
B. D1
C. S1
D. D4
19. You have been employed at your organization for some time and are starting to gain
the necessary skills associated with your position but have trouble staying as motivated
as you used to be. According to the situational model, your level of development is
______.
A. S4
B. D2
C. S1
D. S2
20. As a recent graduate from the top chemistry program in the country, you quickly
receive a position with a chemical company and are given a high-salary position. You
are nervous and feel that you need more experience or assistance to meet
organizational standards. According to the situational model, your level of development
is ______.
A. S4
B. D2
C. S1
D. D3
21. Low in competence and high in commitment ______.
A. D1
B. D2
C. S2
D. S4
22. Some competence but low commitment ______.
A. D1
B. D2
C. S2
D. S1
23. The development level in the SLII model is ______.
A. the degree to which leaders are capable of adjusting their styles
B. the skill with which the followers adjust their styles
C. the traits that make up who a follower is
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
D. the degree to which followers have the capability and motivation for task
accomplishment
24. Followers who have little skill for the task but are very motivated in getting the task
done are ______.
A. D1
B. D2
C. D3
D. D4
25. Followers who have some ability to complete a task but lack motivation about the
task are ______.
A. D1
B. D2
C. D3
D. D4
26. Followers who are quite competent to complete tasks but lack the commitment to do
so are ______.
A. D1
B. D2
C. D3
D. D4
27. Followers who are highly motivated, committed, and motivated to accomplish tasks
are ______.
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
A. D1
B. D2
C. D3
D. D4
28. The D4 follower needs which type of leader?
A. supportive
B. directive
C. coaching
D. delegating
29. The highly competent, highly committed follower benefits from ______.
A. a leader who provides a high level of support
B. a leader who directs tasks carefully
C. a leader who stays out of the day-to-day tasks and provides low levels of support
D. a leader who is both a cheerleader and authoritarian
30. Which of the following would a leader using the situational approach not ask when
determining the nature of the situation?
A. What task are the followers being asked to perform?
B. How can I best alter the styles of the followers?
C. How complex is the task?
D. Are the followers sufficiently skilled to accomplish the task?
31. If followers are low in competence and high in commitment, a leader should adopt
which style?
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
A. low-directive and high-supportive style
B. high-directive and high-supportive style
C. low-directive and low-supportive style
D. high-directive and low-supportive style
32. You are the executive director of the local animal humane society. The staff you
supervise have been working at the society for more than two years and you have given
them consistently excellent performance appraisals at the last two annual reviews. You
have noticed lately that they have brought new ideas to you for ways to improve
customer service and animal care and that they are excited about helping new staff get
accustomed to the workplace. Based on the Situational Leadership Approach, which
leadership style should you exhibit?
A. delegating
B. supporting
C. coaching
D. directing
33. You are the executive director of the local animal humane society. A staff member
you supervise has been working at the society for less than one year. At the 6-month,
you discuss with this employee that they seem to have mastered the basic tasks of the
job but not the more difficult tasks. You have noticed lately that they seem a bit
disillusioned about the job and the process of caring for these animals that seem so sad
to be in the facility. Based on the Situational Leadership Approach, which leadership
style should you exhibit?
A. delegating
B. supporting
C. coaching
D. directing
34. You are the executive director of the local animal humane society. A staff member
you supervise has been working at the society for about one year. At the annual
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
performance evaluation review, you share that you are pleased to see the employee
has mastered both the basic and more difficult tasks of the job. You notice, however,
that this employee still lacks the confidence and motivation to take on new tasks. Based
on the Situational Leadership Approach, which leadership style should you exhibit?
A. delegating
B. supporting
C. coaching
D. directing
35. You are the executive director of the local animal humane society. You hired a staff
member four weeks ago. You notice this new employee cheerfully interacting with other
staff and potential adopters and daily attempting to learn new tasks. It is clear this
employee needs more time and help learning the correct policies and methods to
complete the work, and when you share this information, the employee readily accepts
these directions. Based on the Situational Leadership Approach, which leadership style
should you exhibit?
A. delegating
B. supporting
C. coaching
D. directing
36. As the executive director of the local animal humane society, you work with several
employees who are at varying levels of experience in working with animal welfare
issues and with varying degrees of motivation to continue this important work. Using
situational leadership concepts, you should
A. adapt your style based on experience and skill level of the staff
B. adapt your leadership style based on the motivation level of the staff
C. demonstrate a high degree of flexibility in your style to each staff member
D. demonstrate little flexibility in your style as you interact only with high-level staff
members
37. Which of the following would a leader ask when determining the commitment level
of a follower?
A. What task are the followers being asked to perform?
B. How can I best alter the styles of the followers?
C. Do the followers have the desire to complete the task?
D. How complex is the task?
38. Followers can move back and forth along the developmental continuum, therefore
leaders should ______.
A. use the one leader behavior with which they are most comfortable
B. put structures in place to limit this movement
C. be flexible in their leadership behavior
D. challenge the movement and direct followers to stay where they are
39. Which of the following would not be considered a strength of the situational
approach?
A. emphasizes leadership flexibility
B. is a very practical approach
C. is considered a credible model for training leaders within organizations
D. takes the influence of gender into account during leader-follower situations
40. Which best describes the reason situational leadership is so practical for managers
to use?
A. it assists in relating demographics to leadership
B. it is only applicable to lower-level managers
C. it is straightforward
D. it is specific
41. Which of the following is a strength of the situational leadership approach?
A. it is descriptive not prescriptive
B. commitment of followers is clearly defined
C. demographics such as gender and age are accounted for in the empirical research
D. it is perceived as a useful model of leadership training and development
42. Questionnaires on situational leadership often ask for respondents to look at specific
applications of leadership styles within situations, which may result in _____.
A. results that are not in favor of situational leadership
B. a wide range of responses that are hard to validate
C. biased results in favor of situational leadership
D. negative perceptions toward organizations
43. Because of the lack of research studies associated with situational leadership, there
are questions concerning its theoretical basis. Which of the following is not one of these
questions?
A. Is it certain that this approach does indeed improve performance?
B. Can we be sure it is a valid approach?
C. Why are there limited doctoral dissertations done on the situational approach?
D. Why has there been a lack of published research findings?
44. You are leader of a group project for a class. The other group members seem
insecure about whether they can complete the project, but it is apparent that they are
competent enough to do a good job. In prior meetings you have been coaching them on
the project. Based on SLII, which leadership style should you exhibit at the next
meeting?
A. Style 1
B. Style 2
C. Style 3
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
D. Style 4
45. You are the leader of a small jazz band composed of four of your peers who have
never been in a jazz group before. As the leader of the band, you have been very
straightforward about how the band will function. You have clearly described each of the
members' roles, and they are starting to catch on to how the group works. What style do
you exhibit next?
A. Style 1
B. Style 2
C. Style 3
D. Style 4
46. You are the owner of a small catering company and have recently hired a skilled
baker to complement your staff. When business is slow, however, you need the baker to
help prepare other kinds of foods. Some of the processes (like deboning fish and
preparing soup stock) are complicated and require detailed training. What style should
you use under these circumstances?
A. Style 1
B. Style 2
C. Style 3
D. Style 4
47. You have recently been made a department head of the new regional office. In
getting to know your departmental staff, you have noticed that one of your
inexperienced employees is not following through on assigned tasks. She is enthused
about her new job and wants to get ahead in the organization. Which alternative
represents the most effective leadership style?
A. discuss the lack of follow-through with her and explore possible ways to solve this
problem
B. specify what she must do to complete the tasks, but incorporate any suggestions she
may have
Northouse, Leadership 8e
SAGE Publications, 2019
C. define the steps necessary to complete the assigned tasks and monitor her
performance frequently
D. let her know about the lack of follow-through and give her more time to improve her
performance
48. A leader who emphasizes communication with followers in both achieving goals as
well as meeting social needs would best be described as possessing ______.
A. directing style
B. delegating style
C. supporting style
D. coaching style
49. Allowing a group of employees to run the daily operations of the organization while
the supervisor remains out of the picture unless he is needed to solve problems, listen
to concerns, give praise, and provide feedback is best explained with ______.
A. directing style
B. delegating approach
C. supporting approach
D. coaching approach
50. Once a group has established a plan of action toward achieving its goals, the
supervisor allows the group to carry out the plan with little to no involvement. This is an
example of ______.
A. directing style
B. delegating approach
C. supporting approach
D. coaching approach
