Organizational Behavior, 18e (Robbins)
Chapter 9 Foundations of Group Behavior
1) Which of the following is true, in general, in regard to groups?
A) A group is characterized by the independence of its members.
B) A group typically lacks definite roles and structures.
C) A group influences our emotional reactions.
D) An informal gathering cannot be considered a group.
E) The membership of a group does not affect how its members treat outsiders.
2) Which of the following is true regarding formal groups?
A) They are natural formations that arise in response to the need for social contact.
B) They lack clearly defined structures and roles for their members.
C) They have negligible impact on employee performance and behavior.
D) A group of people who come together to protest against a new law make up a formal group.
E) They are marked by stipulated behaviors in pursuit of organizational goals.
3) An informal group is characterized by the ________.
A) stipulation of expected behaviors by the organization
B) predetermined designation of tasks of members
C) pursuit of particular organizational goals
D) fulfillment of the need for social contact
E) creation of timelines and rationale
4) Which of the following differentiates between formal and informal groups?
A) The timeline of reference for formal groups is greater than that for informal groups.
B) The impact of formal groups on organizational performance is less than that of informal
groups.
C) Formal groups pursue the goal of social contact, while informal groups have definite
organizational goals to attain.
D) Formal groups are typically smaller in size when compared to informal groups.
E) Formal groups involve clearly defined tasks and roles, while informal groups are neither
formally structured nor organizationally determined.
5) Our tendency to take personal pride or offense for the accomplishments of a group we are a
part of is the territory of the ________ theory.
A) social exchange
B) expectancy
C) social identity
D) reinforcement
E) equity
6) Which of the following is true with regard to the social identity theory?
A) It proposes that members take personal pride in accomplishments but dissociate from the
group in the event of any offenses or failures.
B) It proposes that people have emotional reactions to the failure or success of their group
because their self-esteem is tied into the group’s performance.
C) It proposes that people develop only one social identity in childhood that becomes more
defined and concrete in the course of their lives.
D) It proposes that social identities can never be detrimental as they have no effect on how
members of an ingroup view members of an out-group.
E) It proposes that members of an ingroup are viewed as being homogeneous, while members of
an out-group are seen as being heterogeneous.
7) ________ is defined as the tendency to see members of the group of which we are a part of as
better than other people.
A) Ingroup homogeneity
B) Xenocentrism
C) Ingroup favoritism
D) The black sheep effect
E) Hindsight bias
8) At Milton farms, where a large part of the management comes from the same sociocultural
background, many employees of diverse ethical or cultural origins are hired only to ensure legal
compliance with laws relating to diversity at the workplace. The company’s day-to-day
functioning leaves much to be desired in terms of promoting diversity. Recently, the owner’s
cousin was promoted to the post of a branch manager while three suitable candidates hailing
from different cultures were blatantly overlooked. This is an example of ________.
A) social loafing
B) ingroup favoritism
C) groupthink
D) contrast bias
E) social exchange
9) Aaron Dias was working on the last shift for the day at All Needs, a retail store owned by an
Asian man, when he opened the cash register and stole some money thinking that nobody would
witness him stealing. However, one of the customers watched him steal the money and reported
it to the manager the next day, and Aaron was terminated. Subsequently, the manager became
extremely strict with all his Caucasian employees and was often heard abusing them by saying,
“You guys are all the same.” This scenario depicts ________.
A) social loafing
B) ingroup favoritism
C) groupthink
D) contrast bias
E) social exchange
10) In the context of the social identity theory, people have ________ to the failure or success of
group members.
A) angry reactions
B) lack of empathy or pride
C) emotional withdrawal
D) lack of reaction
E) emotional reactions
11) ________ is when we connect with others because of our roles.
A) Collective identification
B) Schadenfreude
C) Relational identification
D) Informal group identification
E) Formal group dynamics
12) ________ is when we connect with the aggregate characteristics of our groups.
A) Relational identification
B) Collective identification
C) Schadenfreude
D) Informal group identification
E) Formal group dynamics
13) Often, our identification with our workgroups is stronger than with our organizations. Both
are important to positive outcomes in attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, if we have low
identification in relation to the group, there may be increased competition and decreased
organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) by group members. If we have low identification with
our organizations, we may experience decreased satisfaction and OCB.
14) Ingroups and outgroups pave the way for social identity threat.
15) Social identity threat is akin to stereotype threat.
16) Which of the following represents the first action in the group development process of a
temporary group?
A) group direction is set
B) transition after half of time taken up
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) accelerated activity
17) Which of the following represents the second action in the group development process of a
temporary group?
A) group direction set
B) transition after half of time taken up
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) accelerated activity
18) Which of the following represents the third action in the group development process of a
temporary group?
A) transition after half of time taken up
B) inertia and slow progress
C) second phase of inertia
D) transition initiates major changes
E) accelerated activity
19) Which of the following represents the final action in the group development process of a
temporary group?
A) transition after half of time taken up
B) accelerated activity
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) transition initiates major changes
20) Which of the following statements is true with regard to the punctuated-equilibrium model of
group development?
A) It applies to all permanent work groups.
B) It follows the five stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
C) It does not consider the changes in patterns of group activities in response to deadlines and
time constraints.
D) It involves the two strategies of groupthink and groupshift to break out of the phases of
inertia.
E) It characterizes groups as exhibiting long periods of inertia interspersed with brief
revolutionary changes.
21) Tabby Tolman is a project coordinator at Tristar Solutions. Whenever a new project comes
her way, she holds a project meeting and follows it up with repeated meetings to address any
concerns the team members may have and to monitor their progress. However, with the peak of
the business season arriving, she has been holding just one project initiation meeting for every
project to save on time. She has become increasingly worried about the team’s progress with no
inputs coming from the members, and she has had no time to check with them. With two weeks
left to go for a high priority project of a month’s duration, she has now begun to see some work
coming through and is relieved. This development reflects that the group is at the stage of
________.
A) forming
B) inertia following the first meeting
C) second phase of inertia before the group’s last meeting
D) storming
E) transition following the halfway mark in the timeline
22) The determination of the behavioral patterns and assumptions through which the group
approaches the project is a function of the ________ phase in the punctuated-equilibrium model.
A) performing
B) inertia
C) equilibrium
D) transition
E) first meeting
23) Which of the following represents the major determinants of group development and
functioning as depicted by the punctuated-equilibrium model?
A) better perspectives and patterns
B) group solidarity and collectivist goals
C) promotion of diversity
D) deadlines and time constraints
E) role perception and expectation
24) A group’s last meeting is usually characterized by a great deal of inactivity.
25) A period of inertia in a temporary group with a deadline refers to the group standing still or
becoming locked into a fixed course of action.
26) Studies show that groups tend to experience a transition precisely halfway between a first
meeting and the official deadline.
27) Setting up a group’s direction is often the first activity of temporary groups.
28) The development of temporary work groups with finite deadlines is best understood in terms
of three sequences in the group development process.
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29) Describe the punctuated-equilibrium model.
30) Role perception is defined as ________.
A) the way others believe we should act in a given context
B) our view of how we are supposed to act in a given situation
C) the existence of roles that are at variance with one another
D) the socially defined position or rank given to group members by others
E) the degree to which members are motivated to stay in the group
31) Janice Cooper has recently joined a hospital as a part of the internship program prescribed by
the nursing school she attends. Janice, who was inspired to take up this profession by the story of
Florence Nightingale, has very strong ideals about how she should behave as a nurse. She feels
that as a nurse she must be gentle, pleasant, and caring at all times so she can serve her patients
well, and she often goes to great lengths as an intern by putting in extra hours at the hospital and
so on. The scenario reflects Janice’s ________.
A) role fuzziness
B) role ambiguity
C) role conflict
D) role perception
E) role status
32) Role ________ is defined as the way others believe you should act in a given context.
A) fuzziness
B) expectation
C) conflict
D) perception
E) enhancement
33) Most people assume that police officers should behave in a lawful manner, refrain from
demonstrating favoritism to any particular group, and do their best to uphold the law. Which of
the following terms best represents these beliefs?
A) diversity
B) similarity
C) role expectation
D) uncertainty reduction
E) dispersion of responsibility
34) When ________, the result is role conflict.
A) compliance with one role aids our performance in another role
B) compliance with the group is an attempt to understand who we are and how we fit into the
world
C) compliance with the group is marked by a tendency to notice and emphasize those aspects of
the group that are distinctive
D) compliance with one role requirement may make it difficult to comply with another
E) compliance with the group is strengthened by members who have similar values and
characteristics
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35) Michael is devout and very active in his church. He is also a very dedicated employee. His
manager offers him a promotion, but the new role will require him to work Sundays. Michael
would like the promotion but realizes that it would force him to miss some church activities. In
this situation, Michael is most likely to experience ________.
A) role conflict
B) social loafing
C) groupthink
D) role fuzziness
E) groupshift
36) Role perception indicates our view of how we are supposed to act in a given situation.
37) Role expectations at work are often conveyed through the psychological contract.
38) Explain the following terms: role perception and role expectation.
39) Explain the relationship between role conflict and reference groups.
40) Which of the following represents the acceptable standards of behavior within a group that
are shared by the group’s members?
A) status
B) norms
C) dyads
D) goals
E) cliques
41) When group members adopt and agree to the norms of a group, which of the following is
true?
A) Dress codes play a more important role
B) Written rules become very important
C) A clear set of written group norms is necessary
D) A maximum of external controls is necessary
E) A minimum of external controls is necessary
42) ________ refers to the adjustment of one’s behavior to align with the norms of the group.
A) Deviance
B) Conflict
C) Divergence
D) Conformity
E) Appearance
43) As a member of a group, you typically desire acceptance by the group and are susceptible to
________ to group norms.
A) approving
B) divulging
C) conforming
D) divergence
E) Appearance
44) The important groups to which an individual belongs or hopes to belong are known as
________ groups.
A) interacting
B) reference
C) organizational
D) control
E) nominal
45) Jonas Wilkes has struggled for many years with tight finances at home. Throughout school
and college, he worked really hard, earned the best grades, and prepared himself for a better life.
By a better life, he meant a house in the uptown Wellington Road and a membership in the
Diamond District Club where he envisions himself playing golf on weekends. The residents of
Wellington Road and the members of Diamond District Club serve as a(n) ________ for him.
A) nominal group
B) organizational group
C) control group
D) intervention group
E) reference group
46) Which of the following terms best represents voluntary actions that violate significant
organizational norms and, in doing so, threaten the well-being of the organization or its
members?
A) undue hardship
B) deviant workplace behavior
C) antidiscrimination and retaliation
D) progressive discipline
E) wrongful termination
47) Which of the following is true with regard to deviant workplace behavior?
A) It is involuntary in nature.
B) Widespread deviant workplace behavior depends on the accepted norms of the group.
C) It has a negligible adverse impact on organization as it is accepted by some employees.
D) Research on deviance at the workplace has shown that employees operating individually
engage in more deviant behaviors than those who function as a part of groups.
E) Leaving work early is an example of a property-related deviant workplace behavior.
48) Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of status on conformity
pressure?
A) High-status individuals are often given less freedom to deviate from norms than are other
group members.
B) People in high-status jobs have especially negative reactions to social pressure exerted by
people in low-status jobs.
C) Lower-status people are better able to resist conformity pressures than their high-status peers.
D) Groups exert equal conformity pressure on all individuals regardless of their status.
E) Compared to high-status members, low-status members are given a wider range of discretion
as long as their activities aren’t severely detrimental to group goal achievement.
49) Norms can cover any aspect of group behavior.
50) Positive norms always portend positive outcomes in a company.
51) The popular thinking is that to increase creativity in groups, for instance, norms should be
loosened. However, research on gender-diverse groups indicates that strong political correctness
(P.C.) norms increase group creativity.
52) How can norms be used to reduce deviant workplace behavior?
53) Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect that size of the group has on
the group’s overall behavior?
A) The size of the group does not affect the group’s overall performance.
B) Evidence indicates that larger groups are faster at completing tasks than smaller ones.
C) Compared to smaller groups, larger groups are better at problem solving.
D) If the goal of the group is fact-finding, then smaller groups are more effective than larger
groups.
E) Evidence indicates that individuals perform better in larger groups than in smaller ones.
54) Status refers to the ________.
A) impact that support of group norms has on workplace civility
B) adjustment of one’s behavior to align with the norms of the group
C) socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others
D) existence of roles that are at variance with one another
E) acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group’s members
55) According to status characteristics theory, which of the following factors does not determine
status?
A) control over the resources needed by the group
B) contribution to goals
C) ability to conform to group norms
D) personality
E) talent