Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
Multiple Choice
1. Adaptive leaders
a. Prepare people to deal with change
b. Adapt their style based on follower competence
c. Adapt their style based on follower commitment
d. Prepare people to assess other’s behaviors
2. The type of leadership that focuses on the adaptations required of people in response to
changing environments is
a. Transformational
b. Transactional
c. Servant
d. Adaptive
3. Which leadership scholar developed the main framework of adaptive leadership?
a. House
b. Bass
c. Kouzes
d. Heifetz
4. Which theory focuses predominantly on how the leader’s activities relate to the followers and
the context in which followers find themselves?
a. Trait
b. Situational
c. Adaptive
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
d. Authentic
5. The leader in adaptive leadership is conceptualized as
a. One who saves the followers
b. One who gently persuades followers
c. One who is defined by his or her personal characteristics
d. One who uses primarily directive behaviors to support followers
6. Adaptive leadership is
a. Leader centered
b. Authority based
c. Follower centered
d. Organization centered
7. The process definition of adaptive leadership states that this type of leadership is about
a. The position the leader holds
b. Characteristics of the leader
c. Skills of the leader
d. Behaviors of the leader
8. The overall goal of adaptive leadership is to
a. Encourage people to change
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
b. Support leadership roles
c. Adapt to the subordinate characteristics
d. Encourage people to adapt to their leader
9. Activities that adaptive leaders engage in include
a. Individualizing
b. Mobilizing
c. Organizing
d. Motivating
10. Which of the following is not one of the conceptual viewpoints of adaptive leadership?
a. Situational perspective
b. Systems perspective
c. Biological perspective
d. Service orientation
11. The systems perspective in adaptive leadership involves looking at problems that
a. Require people to adapt to both their internal cues and external environments
b. Are complicated, complex, and dynamic that can evolve and change
c. Require service through using expertise in diagnosing and prescribing solutions
d. Are focused on psychological parameters for adapting to difficult problems
12. In which adaptive leadership viewpoint do leaders provide a supportive environment for
followers in which they help followers resolve internal conflicts and distinguish between reality
and fantasy?
a. Service orientation
b. Biological perspective
c. Psychotherapy perspective
d. Systems perspective
13. Which leadership theory includes administrative, adaptive, and enabling leadership?
a. Transformational Leadership Theory
b. Adaptive Leadership Theory
c. Servant Leadership Theory
d. Complexity Leadership Theory
14. Complexity Leadership Theory when used in organizations focuses on
a. Behaviors that inhibit psychodynamic subconscious emotional reactions
b. Strategies to enhance the skill level of employees
c. Strategies that encourage learning, creativity, and adaptation
d. A biological perspective of adaptive leadership
15. Adaptive leadership is a unique kind of leadership in that
a. It focuses on the leader’s behaviors as a reflection of the followers
b. It focuses on the dynamics of mobilizing people to address change
c. It describes the process of rewards and punishments used in leadership
d. It describes the transformational processes in complex organizations
16. Workplace problems with clearly defined and solvable solutions are
a. Biological challenges
b. Adaptive challenges
c. Technical challenges
d. Psychodynamic challenges
17. Workplace problems that are clearly defined but do not have straightforward solutions are
a. Regulatory challenges
b. Adaptive challenges
c. Technical challenges
d. Combined technical and adaptive challenges
18. Workplace problems that lack clarity and cannot be solved by leader expertise or normal
organizational structures are
a. Regulatory challenges
b. Adaptive challenges
c. Technical challenges
d. Combined technical and adaptive challenges
19. Our organization recently switched information technology support firms. Some of our
employees are finding the service slow and having difficulty interpreting the new system. This is
an example of
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
20. What type of challenge occurred when the problem employees encountered was identified
and the leader selected a workable solution?
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
21. Who solves technical challenges?
a. Employees
b. Leaders and followers
c. Leaders
d. The organization
22. Who solves technical and adaptive challenges?
a. Employees
b. Leaders and followers
c. Leaders
d. The organization
23. Who solves adaptive challenges?
a. Employees
b. Leaders and followers
c. Leaders
d. The organization
24. What type of challenge occurred when the problem employees encountered was clearly
defined but difficult to solve?
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
25. A football team decides to completely restructure its offense and use many different players
in the process. The players, coaches, and even the fans could have a hard time figuring out the
new system and implementing this completely new structure. This is an example of
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
26. What type of problem is occurring when identification of issues surrounding the problem and
solutions to the problem both are unclear?
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
27. You are tasked with creating a brand new food product using a team of people who are
unfamiliar with the product and do not know one another. The organizational structure of this
group is very loosely defined. This is an example of
a. An adaptive challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. A non-challenge
28. There are how many leader behaviors in the adaptive model?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 6
29. The prescriptive nature of the adaptive leadership approach is found in the
a. Types of challenges
b. Actions of the followers
c. Response of the organization
d. Leader behaviors
30. Which of the following is not one of the six adaptive leader behaviors in the model?
a. Get on the balcony
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
b. Provide a holding environment
c. Identify adaptive challenges
d. Regulate distress
31. Which leader behavior is a prerequisite for the other adaptive leader behaviors?
a. Regulate distress
b. Identify adaptive challenges
c. Maintain disciplined attention
d. Get on the balcony
32. I have been working with the staff on a difficult problem for three days. Everyone is stressed
and bickering and losing focus. I decide to go for a run, which is a time when I typically can
quietly think and gain perspective on problems. This is an example of which adaptive leader
behavior?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Get on the balcony
c. Protect leadership voices from below
d. Speaking the unspeakable
33. I focus on the big picture and observe the problems as a whole but always stay fully engaged
in the challenge with our employees. This is an example of which adaptive leader behavior?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Competing commitments
c. Protect leadership voices from below
d. Get on the balcony
34. Which behavior am I using when I analyze and diagnose a new challenge?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Get on the balcony
c. Protect leadership voices from below
d. Work avoidance
35. I am the leader in the manufacturing division of an auto manufacturing company and just
found a technical problem with one part of how the line places the engine block in the car. I
figured out the problem and fixed it right away. Which type of leader behavior was I using
during this process?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Create a holding environment
c. Protect leadership voices from below
d. Regulate distress
36. I am a leader of employees in an auto manufacturing company that just merged with another
company after a difficult buyout process. Employees will keep their jobs but will have to learn
new systems and work with new people and supervisors, which makes them nervous and anxious
about their work. This is an example of
a. A capacity challenge
b. A technical challenge
c. A technical and adaptive challenge
d. An adaptive challenge
37. I am a leader who has identified an adaptive challenge. What do I need to do now?
a. Focus attention on the problem and establish collaboration between myself and my followers
b. Provide followers with a solution that fits the problem
c. Provide followers with a solution that fits the problem and ask them for input
d. Focus attention on the solution then share it will the followers
38. How many archetypes are used in adaptive leadership to help determine the difference
between adaptive and technical challenges?
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 6
39. My company states integrity as a core commitment on its website. I see fraud occurring
often in my division of the company. Which archetype describes this company?
a. Gap Between Espoused Values and Behaviors
b. Competing Commitments
c. Work Avoidance
d. Speaking the Unspeakable
40. My company decides to merge with another to be more financially stable, but in the process
it appears best to downsize our current staff. This is an adaptive challenge identified by which
archetype?
a. Gap Between Espoused Values and Behaviors
b. Competing Commitments
c. Work Avoidance
d. Speaking the Unspeakable
41. A longtime leader of a technology firm hires primarily males even when females in the hiring
pool are far more qualified. No one wants to point out this behavior to the leader. This is an
adaptive challenge identified by which archetype?
a. Gap Between Espoused Values and Behaviors
b. Competing Commitments
c. Work Avoidance
d. Speaking the Unspeakable
42. We avoid talking about the conflict that occurs when our leader lets one employee get away
with coming in late to work every day. We all think it’s because this employee is the only
minority on the staff. This is an adaptive challenge identified by which archetype?
a. Gap Between Espoused Values and Behaviors
b. Competing Commitments
c. Work Avoidance
d. Speaking the Unspeakable
43. I provided a solution to a challenging problem that just made things worse. What did I do
wrong according to adaptive leadership principles?
a. I tried to take over the situation
b. I tried to solve an adaptive problem using technical leadership
c. I tried to solve a technical problem with adaptive leadership
d. I did not apply adaptive leadership to this problem
44. When we create a holding environment for employees we are using which adaptive leader
behavior?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Get on the balcony
c. Protect leadership voices from below
d. Regulate distress
45. When I establish a workplace environment that is open and safe while also being available
and encouraging to employees to solve demanding problems, I am
a. On the balcony
b. Creating a holding environment
c. Establishing protective norms
d. Maintaining disciplined action
46. Creating a holding environment helps regulate distress because
a. It is a space where conflict gets out of control and leaders support this process
b. The tension in the space has enough challenge without negotiations being so tense followers
shut down
c. Negotiations are heated up on purpose to create overwhelming tension; then real adaptive
work can happen
d. There is no pressure to create new contractual relationships while negotiations occur in the
holding space
47. Which regulating distress behavior maintains that it is the leader’s responsibility to manage
the rate of adaptive change for people?
a. Providing direction
b. Conflict management
Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice, Seventh Edition: Instructor Resource
c. Protection
d. Orientation
48. Which leader behavior in the adaptive leadership model means the leader needs to encourage
people to focus on the tough work that needs to be done?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Regulate distress
c. Give the work back to the people
d. Maintain disciplined attention
49. The maintaining disciplined action behavior in adaptive leadership is
a. Easy because most people naturally want to confront change
b. Difficult because most people do not accept leaders who use adaptive behaviors
c. Difficult because most people do not naturally want to confront change
d. Easy because most people have dealt effectively with adaptive changes before
50. A leader needs to use the maintain disciplined attention behavior when
a. There is an issue that is being avoided that is pivotal to making the necessary change
b. The holding environment is yet to be established
c. The determination of technical versus adaptive challenge has yet to be made
d. People want to solve problems on their own
51. People like leaders to provide some direction and structure to their work but also want to
solve problems without too much directive leadership. Leaders should use which adaptive
behavior with these people?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Regulate distress
c. Give the work back to the people
d. Maintain disciplined attention
52. Our team has been working on a difficult problem for the past week. As the team leader, I
sense that the group has a pretty good idea of the issues surrounding the problem. I share with
them that I know they can solve it and I encourage them to keep thinking about good solutions.
I am using primarily which adaptive leadership behavior?
a. Identify adaptive challenges
b. Regulate distress
c. Give the work back to the people
d. Maintain disciplined attention
53. I try to be sure to listen to and be open to ideas from people on the fringe of the organization.
What adaptive behavior am I using?
a. Protect leadership voices from below
b. Regulate distress
c. Give the work back to the people
d. Maintain disciplined attention
54. There is just one person in our group, Silvia, who seems to have radically different ideas
about how to complete our project. She seems to purposely disagree with the majority opinions
of the rest of us though yesterday she said something that made a lot of sense to help us solve our
production problem. I suggested to the entire group today that we hear Silvia’s suggestions and