63) Which of the following would likely be found in mechanistic organizations?
A) wide span of control
B) empowered employees
C) decentralized responsibility
D) standardized jobs
64) A(n) ________ organization is able to change rapidly as needs require.
A) organic
B) hierarchical
C) vertical
D) mechanistic
65) Which term best describes an organic organization?
A) hierarchical
B) pyramid-shaped
C) flexible
D) fixed
66) Which word best characterizes a mechanistic organization?
A) bureaucracy
B) collaborative
C) adaptable
D) informal
67) Strategy, size, technology, and the degree of uncertainty in the environment together make
up what are called ________.
A) contingency variables
B) control factors
C) structure variables
D) probable factors
68) Together, contingency variables determine the ________.
A) success of an organization
B) culture of an organization
C) structure of an organization
D) size of an organization
69) A company that is trying to be a leader in innovation within its industry would be most likely
to have this kind of structure.
A) mechanistic
B) organic
C) simple
D) functional
70) Larger organizations tend to have ________ than smaller organizations.
A) more specialization
B) less departmentalization
C) less centralization
D) fewer rules and regulations
71) As an organization grows to a size of over 2,000 employees, it finds it hard to avoid
becoming more ________.
A) mechanistic
B) organic
C) informal
D) adaptable
72) Joan Woodward conducted pioneering studies on how this affected the structure of
companies.
A) ethics
B) technology
C) values
D) corporate culture
73) Recent studies on Woodward’s initial research found that if the technology was nonroutine,
this structure worked best.
A) mechanistic
B) traditional
C) inorganic
D) organic
74) Woodward concluded that the least complex of the technologies was ________.
A) unit production
B) mass production
C) process production
D) quality production
75) In Woodward’s study, this type of production was the most complex and the most
sophisticated.
A) unit production
B) mass production
C) process production
D) technological production
76) The greater the environmental uncertainty, the more an organization needs to become
________.
A) organic
B) mechanistic
C) stable
D) high-tech
77) The two prevalent organizational structure models in today’s world are the organic
organization and the inorganic organization.
78) A mechanistic organization is bureaucratic and hierarchical.
79) An organic organization tends to be flexible and have few formal rules.
80) Innovators need the efficiency, stability, and tight controls of a mechanistic structure rather
than an organic structure.
81) As organizations become larger, they tend to become more organic.
82) Joan Woodward attempted to view organizational structure from a technological perspective.
83) Woodward and more recent studies have concluded that mass production worked best with
an organic organizational structure.
84) The stability of a mechanistic structure seems to work best in today’s dynamic and uncertain
business environment.
85) Traditional organizational designs tend to be more mechanistic and include ________.
A) simple, complex, and divisional structures
B) simple, functional, and dysfunctional structures
C) functional, divisional, and vertical structures
D) simple, functional, and divisional structures
86) A simple structure is ________ like a mechanistic organization, but ________ like an
organic organization.
A) centralized; informal
B) informal; decentralized
C) decentralized; formal
D) centralized; formal
87) What is a strength of a simple structure?
A) Employees are grouped with others who have similar tasks.
B) Power and authority are widely distributed.
C) Accountability is clear.
D) There are cost-saving advantages from specialization.
88) What is a weakness of a simple structure?
A) Duplication of activities and resources increases costs and reduces efficiency.
B) Functional specialists become insulated and have little understanding of what other units are
doing.
C) Pursuit of functional goals can cause managers to lose sight of what is best for the overall
organization.
D) Reliance on a single person is risky.
89) This is a key characteristic in an organization with a functional structure.
A) adaptability
B) departmentalization
C) flexibility
D) little specialization
90) This is a weakness of a functional structure.
A) favoring functional goals over organizational goals
B) favoring organizational goals over functional goals
C) failing to attain functional goals
D) overemphasizing organizational goals
91) Avoiding redundancy is a strength of which structure?
A) simple
B) divisional
C) functional
D) corporate
92) In a ________ structure each business unit has complete autonomy to reach its goals.
A) simple
B) functional
C) divisional
D) matrix
93) A media company that has separate, autonomous companies for movies, TV, Internet, and
print journalism is most likely a ________ structure.
A) divisional
B) functional
C) simple
D) matrix
94) Having separate payroll departments in each division of a divisional structure is an example
of which of the following?
A) efficiency, because payroll departments compete
B) duplication, because a single payroll department could do the job
C) effectiveness, because separate payroll departments create jobs
D) efficiency, because separate payroll departments can share methods of operation
95) As the number of employees in an organization grows, structure tends to become more
________.
A) bureaucratic
B) informal
C) decentralized
D) relaxed
96) Looking for ways to make their organization more flexible and innovative, today’s managers
may choose this kind of structure.
A) simple
B) divisional
C) functional
D) team
97) In a team structure, ________.
A) there is a clear line of managerial authority
B) there is no clear line of managerial authority
C) authority comes from top managers only
D) no one has the authority to make decisions
98) In a team structure, team members ________.
A) are subject to decisions made by their supervisors
B) can influence decisions made by top managers
C) make decisions and are accountable for their decisions
D) make decisions only after first checking with management
99) All of the following are necessary for successful team structure EXCEPT ________.
A) well-trained team members
B) team members with cross-functional skills
C) team members with years of management experience
D) a fair and well-run team-based pay plan
100) In a ________, employees are recruited from functional departments to work on a specific
project for a limited time period.
A) team structure
B) divisional structure
C) product structure
D) matrix structure
101) In a matrix structure, a group member will typically report to ________.
A) a project manager only
B) both a project manager and functional department head
C) a functional department head only
D) Group members are fully autonomous in a matrix structure, so they don’t report to anyone.
102) When a group member in a matrix structure finishes a project, he or she ________.
A) returns to his or her functional department
B) stays with the group to take on a new project
C) enters a pool of available employees from the entire organization
D) starts looking for a new job
103) By giving employees two direct superiors, a matrix structure violates this key element of
organizational design.
A) unity of command
B) chain of command
C) span of management
D) decentralization