Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Organizational Behavior, 17e (Robbins)
Chapter 1 What Is Organizational Behavior?
1) A survey of over 2,100 CFOs across 20 industries indicated that a lack of interpersonal skills
is the top reason why some employees fail to advance.
2) Discuss the growing importance of interpersonal skills in the workplace.
3) ________ get things done through other people. They make decisions, allocate resources, and
direct the activities of others to attain goals.
A) Assistants
B) Managers
C) Secretaries
D) Interns
E) Apprentices
4) Sally Mitchell works as a manager at an environmental organization. She is currently working
on a global warming project and decides which tasks related to creating awareness about the
issue need to be done. In addition, she is also deciding which members of her team will work on
engaging with the public and which will work on lobbying with the government. She is also
assigning people as team members to ensure that tasks are undertaken on time. Which of the
following categories of functions is Mitchell undertaking?
A) planning
B) organizing
C) scrutinizing
D) controlling
E) envisioning
5) Johanna Reid, a campaign manager at a child rights organization, recently started working on
an illiteracy project. During the project, she needs to motivate team members to attain their
project milestones and direct them through different phases of the project. Which of the
following kinds of functions will these tasks be covered under?
A) planning
B) organizing
C) scrutinizing
D) evaluating
E) leading
6) Lesley Torres is a project manager for the campaign "Action against Deforestation in
Indonesia." She recently faced a glitch when the campaign could not be launched publicly
according to schedule. Torres monitored the schedule to find the cause of the delay before
speeding up the implementation process by allocating more members for the implementation
phase. By doing this, which of the following functions is she performing?
A) controlling
B) planning
C) formulating
D) leading
E) organizing
7) Which of the following functions do managers undertake as part of planning functions?
A) defining an organization's goals
B) implementing strategies for achieving goals
C) executing plans to integrate activities
D) accomplishing goals of a project
E) employing strategies to coordinate tasks
8) According to Henry Mintzberg, a factory supervisor giving a group of high school students a
tour of the plant may be termed as a ________.
A) leader
B) figurehead
C) resource allocator
D) negotiator
E) disturbance handler
9) Ellen Ortiz works as a sales manager at a telecom firm. The company has recently launched a
new product in the market. Her work in the next few weeks involves sharing knowledge about
the product with her team members. She will also need to inspire them to reach their sales targets
and clarify any doubts about the new product. Which of the following roles is Ortiz playing?
A) leader
B) liaison
C) disseminator
D) spokesperson
E) negotiator
10) Regina George works as a campaign manager in a not-for-profit organization in Hampshire.
For the upcoming campaign against genetic engineering, she is networking with managers who
are working on the issue of food safety. Through her network of contacts, she strives to gain
information about the stakeholders in the food industry and other lobby groups. Which of the
following roles is George most likely to be playing according to Mintzberg's classification of
managerial roles?
A) figurehead
B) leader
C) liaison
D) entrepreneur
E) resource allocator
11) Annette Simpson works for a fashion house in Paris and is preparing for the company's
upcoming line of winter clothing. She is currently researching online to know what is in vogue
this season. In addition, she is also networking with contacts from the press and fashion
magazine editors to understand the changing tastes of consumers. Which of the following roles is
Simpson playing according to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles?
A) figurehead
B) leader
C) symbol head
D) monitor
E) spokesperson
12) According to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, the role of a(n) ________ is to
transmit information received from outsiders or from other employees to members of the
organization.
A) entrepreneur
B) resource allocator
C) spokesperson
D) leader
E) disseminator
13) The role of a(n) ________, according to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, is to
transmit information to outsiders about an organization's plans, policies, actions, and results and
to serve as an expert in the organization's industry.
A) spokesperson
B) disturbance handler
C) entrepreneur
D) leader
E) liaison
14) According to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, a(n) ________ searches the
organization and its environment for opportunities and initiates projects to bring about change.
A) spokesperson
B) disturbance handler
C) entrepreneur
D) resource allocator
E) negotiator
15) According to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, the role of a(n) ________ is to
make or approve significant organizational decisions and assign human, physical, and monetary
assets.
A) disseminator
B) liaison
C) entrepreneur
D) resource allocator
E) disturbance handlers
16) According to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, which of the following is a kind
of interpersonal role?
A) monitor
B) disseminator
C) spokesperson
D) entrepreneur
E) liaison
17) According to Mintzberg's classification of managerial roles, which of the following is a kind
of decisional role?
A) negotiator
B) disseminator
C) liaison
D) spokesperson
E) monitor
18) The role of a(n) ________ is a type of informational role according to Mintzberg's
classification of managerial roles.
A) figurehead
B) disseminator
C) liaison
D) entrepreneur
E) negotiator
19) Which of the following is true regarding technical skills?
A) They can be learned only through formal education.
B) They encompass the ability to apply specialized knowledge.
C) They are not required at all kinds of jobs.
D) They are monopolized by professionals.
E) They comprise the ability to understand and motivate people.
20) The ability to understand, communicate with, motivate, and support other people, both
individually and in groups, may be defined as ________.
A) human skills
B) technical skills
C) conceptual skills
D) cognitive skills
E) analytical skills
21) Melissa Woods was recently hired as the campaign manager at an environmental
organization. She has a degree in environmental sustainability and possesses substantial
knowledge about the issue of global warming. She has the knowledge to lead the public relations
team of the organization. However, a few months later, the board of directors of the organization
expressed dissatisfaction with Melissa's performance and asked her to resign. Which of the
following, if true, best explains this situation?
A) Melissa had no prior experience in research and development.
B) Melissa had weak interpersonal and networking skills to run the project.
C) Melissa focused on the results her team achieved rather than how they achieved those results.
D) Melissa is not up-to-date about the feasibility of using different modes of renewable energy.
E) Melissa had a diverse network of contacts established from her previous job.
22) Joann Hayes is currently working on a project to tackle climate change. During the project,
she needs to find different options to replace the use of non-renewable energy and check the
feasibility of different renewable energy options before choosing the most practical one. Which
of the following skills does Hayes primarily need to use for these tasks?
A) human skills
B) interpersonal skills
C) conceptual skills
D) communication skills
E) interactive skills
23) 360.org, an organization working toward curbing climate change, recently conducted an
interview with Jessica for the position of a public relations officer. However, interviewers
Brenda and Laura are divided over whether Jessica should be given the job. Brenda believes that
Jessica does not have in-depth knowledge about the issue of global warming and its impact. On
the other hand, Laura feels that Jessica would be perfect for the job because she has strong
networking and interpersonal skills. Which of the following, if true, would strengthen Laura's
argument?
A) Gaining the support of corporate giants would comprise a large part of the job.
B) Jessica will need to prepare extensive reports about the issue of climate change.
C) The role will require Jessica to give presentations to environmental experts on renewable
modes of energy.
D) Jessica had negligible experience in research and development.
E) Jessica has weak analytical skills to solve problems associated with implementing options of
renewable energy.
24) 360.org, an organization working toward curbing climate change, recently conducted an
interview with Jessica for the position of a public relations officer. However, interviewers
Brenda and Laura are divided over whether Jessica should be given the job. Brenda believes that
Jessica does not have in-depth knowledge about the issue of global warming and its impact. On
the other hand, Laura feels that Jessica would be perfect for the job because she has strong
interpersonal skills. Which of the following, if true, would weaken Laura's argument?
A) Jessica was unable to fare well in the written test which analyzed her conceptual skills.
B) Jessica listened intently to the interviewers' questions before answering them.
C) Jessica was unable to communicate clearly why she was right for the job.
D) Jessica was very friendly and courteous with the receptionist while greeting her.
E) Jessica was high on confidence about getting the job because of her strong networking skills.
25) According to Fred Luthans and his associates, managers involved in traditional management
activities undertook which of the following tasks?
A) motivating
B) socializing
C) decision making
D) training
E) politicking
26) According to Fred Luthans and his associates' study of 450 managers, ________ made the
largest contribution to the success of managers in terms of speed of promotion within their
organization.
A) networking
B) decision making
C) planning
D) controlling
E) staffing
27) According to Fred Luthans and his associates, managers who are involved in networking
activities are most likely to undertake which of the following?
A) planning
B) decision making
C) controlling
D) politicking
E) staffing
28) Which of the following best defines organizational behavior?
A) It involves the study of groups of people coming together for collective bargaining.
B) It involves the study of what people do in a company and how it affects the company's output.
C) It involves analyzing different people in an industry with independent profit-centered
motives.
D) It involves developing exclusively the knowledge of managers and senior-level employees.
E) It is a field which is not influenced by factors in the external world.
29) Which of the following determinants of behavior does organizational behavior study?
A) profits
B) job satisfaction
C) perks
D) individuals
E) collective bargaining
30) An organization is a consciously coordinated social unit composed of two or more people.
31) The planning function involves defining an organization's goals and establishing an overall
strategy for achieving those goals.
32) A degree in architecture will provide a student with the human skills required for a job.
33) How are the management functions of planning, organizing, and leading different from one
another? Explain.
34) Samantha Reeves works as a sales manager at Synergy Bank. Explain the nature of tasks she
would be performing according to Mintzberg's concept of leadership role.
35) According to Mintzberg, how does the monitor role differ from the disseminator role?
36) How do Mintzberg's roles of a liaison, spokesperson, and entrepreneur differ from one
another? Explain.
37) What are conceptual skills? How are they different from human skills?
38) What is organizational behavior?
39) Which of the following does systematic study use to look at relationships to attribute causes
and effects?
A) intuitive data
B) feelings
C) scientific data
D) instinct
E) premonition
40) Which of the following is true regarding systematic study?
A) It attributes causes and effects based on intuition.
B) It involves supporting decisions based on gut feelings.
C) It analyzes relationships based on previous experiences.
D) It involves analyzing relationships based on scientific data.
E) It involves taking action based on instinct.
41) In order to predict human behavior, it is best to supplement intuitive opinions with
information derived from ________.
A) common sense
B) direct observation
C) systematic study
D) speculation
E) organizational theory
42) Analyzing relationships, determining causes and effects, and basing conclusions on scientific
evidence, all constitute aspects of ________ study.
A) organizational
B) intuitive
C) theoretical
D) systematic
E) case-based
43) ________ refers to basing managerial decisions on the best available scientific proof.
A) Emergency management
B) Personal knowledge management
C) Property management
D) Evidence-based management
E) Knowledge management
44) ________ refers to a gut feeling not necessarily supported by research.
A) Intuition
B) Reasoning
C) Rationality
D) Logic
E) Inference
45) Organizational behavior applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups, and the
effect of structure on behavior in order to make organizations work more effectively.
46) Evidence-based management complements systematic study by basing managerial decisions
on the best available scientific evidence.
47) Why is it important to complement intuition with systematic study in our attempts to
understand behavior within organizations?
48) What is evidence-based management (EBM)?
49) ________ seeks to measure, explain, and sometimes change the behavior of humans and
other animals.
A) Meteorology
B) Theology
C) Epistemology
D) Lexicology
E) Psychology
50) Which of the following disciplines blends concepts from both psychology and sociology to
focus on people's influence on one another?
A) social psychology
B) cosmology
C) parapsychology
D) lexicology
E) eschatology
51) Which of the following is a difference between sociology and psychology?
A) Sociology studies humans and animals whereas psychology focuses exclusively on humans.
B) Sociology studies people in relation to their social culture whereas psychology focuses on the
individual.
C) Sociology incorporates research from social sciences, philosophy, and natural sciences;
psychology does not.
D) Sociology uses various methods of empirical investigation whereas psychology uses limited
critical analyses.
E) Sociology uses only qualitative techniques whereas psychology uses both qualitative and
quantitative techniques.
52) ________ is the study of societies to learn about human beings and their activities.
A) Anthropology
B) Deontology
C) Epistemology
D) Agnotology
E) Dysteleology
53) Which of the following fields of study is most likely to involve studying organizational
culture, formal organization theory, and structure?
A) sociology
B) deontology
C) epistemology
D) agnotology
E) dysteleology
54) Austin Reed is a graduate student helping to organize a study on individual job satisfaction.
The study focuses on the top five causes of satisfaction or dissatisfaction on the job. His
department is surveying 200 individuals in 100 different types of organizations. Austin is most
likely a graduate student in the department of ________.
A) psychology
B) anthropology
C) political science
D) entomology
E) archaeology
