Team building activities .
a. Can only be used effectively in the forming and storming stages of team
development.
b. Can focus on either clarifying roles or assessing performance.
c. Should be isolated events that are only used if the team is having problems.
d. Should emphasize the importance of getting all team members to like one another.
e. Should focus on the team as a whole, rather than how individuals are fulfilling their
roles
Bossidy and Charan (2009) argue that the ‘strategy process” should focus on more than
just formulating the strategy. What else should be included in the ‘strategy process”
according to these researchers?
a. Paying attention to specific ways the strategies will be executed
b. Evaluating the adaptability of the plan to rapid changes in the external environment
c. Raising critical questions and testing assumptions
d. All of these
a. Paying attention to specific ways the strategies will be executed and raising critical
questions and testing assumptions, but not evaluating the adaptability of the plan to
rapid changes in the external environment.
Which conflict management approach is identified as solution-oriented?
a. Compromising
b. Collaborating
c. Competing
d. Both compromising and collaborating but not competing
e. Both compromising and competing but not collaborating
When leaders are constantly trying to come up with new ideas and innovations, they are
likely to become
a. Impractical dreamers
b. Oppressive egotists
c. Permissive pushovers
d. Rigid bureaucrats
e. Master managers
Which of the following is NOT one of the core competencies of the COMPETE
quadrant?
a. Motivating self and others
b. Developing and growing talent
c. Developing and communicating a vision
d. Setting goals and objectives
e. Designing and organizing
Examining one’s integrity gaps and trying to close them reflects which of the four key
psychological states required for lift to occur?
a. Being other focused
b. Being guided by popular norms
c. Being internally directed
d. Being externally open
e. Being purpose centered
What is the Human Moment?
a. Encounters in which people are physically in the same room or place and focus their
emotional and mental attention
b. Group of members who are geographically dispersed meet via video conferencing
c. When managers keep in close contact with their employees via email, voicemail, and
video conferencing
d. When team members share stories about their lives outside of work.
e. All of these are example of human moments.
Which management model in the competing values framework includes competencies
that relate to reducing information overload and improving information flows, working
with people in different parts of the organization, managing projects, evaluating
performance, and making sure employees comply with rules and regulations?
a. Rational Goal
b. Emotional Intelligence
c. Internal Process
d. Human Relations
e. Open Systems
When they are trying to get employees to follow rules, managers
a. Are unlikely to be successful unless they have the authority to fire employees who do
not comply
b. Are unlikely to be successful unless they have the authority to reward employees who
do comply
c. Have the same amount of influence over individual-level and situational variables
d. Have less influence over individual-level variables than over situational variables
e. Have more influence over individual-level variables than over situational variables
What kind of information would you expect to find in Chris Argyris’ “left-hand
column?”
a. Things people are saying
b. Things people are feeling but not saying
c. Ways other people might respond to what is being said
d. “Discussables”
e. Extraneous thoughts not related to the conversation
Cross-functional teams have become more popular over time because
a. New technologies allow work to be done around the globe more economically
b. Changes in the external environment require that different types of expertise at
different times, so it is important to use cross-functional teams that can be formed and
disbanded rapidly, rather than creating ongoing workgroups.
c. Integration and coordination is needed throughout the organization, which is
facilitated by having team members from different functional areas
d. All of these.
e. None of these.
Which of the following is true about negotiating agreement and commitment?
a. Negotiation is a formal session with two people sitting on opposite sides of a desk
b. Most decisions are made unilaterally
c. Negotiation is the preeminent form of decision making in personal and professional
life.
d. Managers do little negotiating
e. Negotiation only occurs when a manager does not have enough power to force
another person to agree to the manager’s terms
Rather than seeking to __________________________like the internal process model,
the open systems model accepts the need for flexibility.
a. adapt the organization to the external environment
b. coddle employees by giving them secure jobs
c. buffer the organization from the external environment
d. push employees to be more and more productive
e. redefine the organizational context
One of the paradoxes of emphasizing goal setting to motivate performance is that
a. Establishing and monitoring goals and performance takes time away from the actual
tasks of the organization.
b. Goals only work in a relaxed, collaborate environment.
c. Goals tend to de-motivate employees
d. Goals do not change, but the business environment does change.
e. Goals inhibit creativity
Which of the following is NOT true about resistance to change?
a. Employee will resist changes that result in a demotion or loss of employment.
b. Employees will resist changes that make their skills seem unnecessary or outdated.
c. When only social relationships are involved, people will not resist change.
d. Employees will sometimes resist an idea just because it came from someone else.
e. Employees will resist changes that they do not understand.
All of the following are reasons conflict occurs in organizations EXCEPT?
a. Competition for scarce resources
b. Similar goals
c. Differing worldviews held by different cultural groups
d. Communication errors
e. Differences in values
The management model that appears diagonally opposite the rational goal model
quadrant of the competing values framework is:
a. The human relations model
b. The open systems model
c. The theory Y model
d. The global values model
e. The rational goal model
According to Bradford and Cohen (1984), change is
a. A naturally energizing process
b. A naturally draining process
c. A logical-rational process
d. A social-emotional process
e. A process of manipulation and coercion
Destructive deviance is most likely to occur in situations where employees feel that
a. The organization had done something that justified retaliation by the employee
b. The organization had done nothing to earn the employee’s extra effort
c. The organization was involved in corrupt activities and should be exposed
d. The organization would be unlikely to discover the destructive deviance
e. The organization had been sending mixed messages
Which of the following describes creative thinking?
a. It is analytical
b. It results in one or a few answers
c. It often takes advantage of importing ideas from one context to another
d. It can be described as vertical
e. It moves logically to arrive at the correct answer
Which of the following is NOT one of the guidelines for asking for feedback?
a. Prepare to hear things that may make you uncomfortable.
b. Be specific about the types of information you are looking for and how you will use
this information.
c. Be aware that the person giving you the feedback is describing his/her perception of
the situation.
d. Do not ask questions about the feedback because it may make the person giving the
feedback feel defensive.
e. Express your appreciation for the person who has given you feedback.
Justin is a new manager with 27 direct reports. He has been feeling overwhelmed at
work and just learned that the last three managers who held his position quit after only a
few months. Which design principle appears to have been violated in this organization?
a. Unity-of-command
b. Scalar principle
c. Span of control
d. Tall organizations
e. Management by objective
Which management model was most strongly influenced by ever-more rapid
technological advances?
a. Rational Goal
b. Emotional Intelligence
c. Internal Process
d. Human Relations
e. Open Systems
What is behavioral complexity?
a. The ability to draw on and use competencies and behaviors from different models.
b. The ability to understand different management models and their associated
competencies
c. The ability to perform several different tasks at the same time
d. The variety of behaviors observed when a change is implemented in an organization
e. The stress that occurs when one is trying to handle too many responsibilities
A key paradox of that managerial leaders face within the human relations model is that:
a. Trying to develop a deeper understanding of self and others can lead to mistrust of
employees
b. An emphasis on developing employees may require managerial leaders to hire
individuals who are not qualified
c. When a manager communicates his or her vision, it can lead employees to feel that
they are not included in decision-making processes
d. An overemphasis on developing cohesion and commitment by involving employees
in decision-making processes can lead to inappropriate involvement of employees in
some decisions
e. Encouraging creative thinking by employees can lead to a lack of planning
Most performance management systems in organizations contain all of the following
except?
a. Formal evaluation of performance.
b. On-going coaching and feedback.
c. Forced-ranking of all of employees.
d. Joint establishment of individual goals (i.e. individual with manager).
e. Translation of vision to organizational unit goals
Why is it difficult for people to change their existing models of management?
a. They are rarely in situations where their existing models of management fail to work
as expected
b. They are almost always rewarded for behaving in ways that are consistent with their
existing management models
c. There are no sources of information available to them about alternative management
models
d. There are no real differences in management models, so there is no reason for them
to change their existing management model
e. Their identities and emotions are too closely tied with the management models they
have used in the past
Which model uses adaptability and external support as its criteria of effectiveness?
a. Rational Goal
b. Emotional Intelligence
c. Internal Process
d. Human Relations
e. Open Systems
To build trust, messages should be
a. Focused, logical, and organized
b. Interesting, stimulating, and engaging
c. Emphatic, forceful, and powerful
d. Rigorous, precise, and controlled
e. Credible, believable, and plausible
Which source of power is likely to increase if an individual passes a certification
examination?
a. Position
b. Opportunity
c. Wealth
d. Expertise
e. Relationship
How might a manager link performance to outcomes?
a. Make certain that they know what outcomes are important to employees.
b. Make sure to follow through with promised outcomes based on performance.
c. Be a positive Pygmalion.
d. Identify the performance outcome without the participation of the employee.
e. Encourage employee effort.
Which of the following is a key to effective delegating?
a. Make sure the employee works only on the assignment you are delegating rather than
on other regular tasks.
b. Decide how often you will meet with the employee to review progress, and only
discuss progress during those meetings.
c. Tell the employee exactly how to do the task so you are not disappointed with the
results.
d. Rush to the rescue at the first sign of failure.
e. Recognize the employee’s accomplishments and show appreciation.
In this stage of the five steps to mastery, optimal performance becomes second nature.
People at this stage are not consciously aware of the details.
a. Expert stage
b. Competent stage
c. Proficiency stage
d. Novice stage
e. Over-achieving stage
Identify a group to which you belong. This group can be a work unit or a group in your
personal life, such as a student club or a place where you do volunteer work. Use the
characteristics of teams to determine whether this group functions as a team. Use
specific examples to defend your choice.
As part of a new manager training session, you have been asked to describe the
different purposes that managerial communications may have. Using the competing
values model of managerial communication, explain these purposes and describe to the
trainees how to appropriately craft messages for different purposes.
Describe four different costs associated with compliance strategies. As a manager, how
could you minimize these costs?
Identify someone in your organization who is very powerful. Explain his/her power
using the five sources of power as outlined in your text.
Compare and contrast the Managerial sequence and the R&D sequence for making a
presentation.
Discuss the five elements of the ‘star model” for making trade-offs among various
organizational designs. Evaluate the fit between the existing design of your organization
and the design prescribed by the star model.
What are the three functions of set? Give an example of how you could address these
functions with actions and words when giving a speech.
What is a PERT/CPM model? [How could a PERT/CPM model be used to manage a
project with which you are currently involved? Describe the first five tasks to be done
and then draw a PERT diagram for those tasks.]
Diagram a recent conversation using the left-hand column exercise. How might the
outcome have been different if the left-hand column issues had been appropriately
addressed in the conversation?
How can an individual use the concept of “lift” to help make significant changes in their
organizations or community.
Note: Students should refer to the four questions associated with “lifting” your network:
(1) How can I create extraordinary results? (2) What integrity gaps do I have and how
can I close them? (3) What can I do to help others satisfy their legitimate needs,
feelings, and wants? and (4) How can I learn and change?
Evaluate your current job and workplace with respect to how creativity is (or is not)
fostered… What is necessary for you to become more creative at work?
What is the general purpose of cross-functional teams? When are cross-functional
teams appropriate? Identify an issue in your workplace which could be addressed by a
cross-functional work team. Who would be on the team and why?
Note: Students should identify a specific issue from their workplace and why it should
be addressed by a cross-functional work team. Given their own knowledge of the
organization and the specific issue to be addressed by the team, students should clearly
identify and justify the different functional areas that need to be represented on the
team. In classes where students are not working full time, students may struggle to
come up with an appropriate issue because of their limited knowledge of the workplace.
Compare and contrast the Balanced Scorecard approach to evaluating organizational
performance to the four quadrants of the competing values framework. How do these
approaches differ from more traditional methods for measuring organizational
performance? Which approach would you recommend ” the traditional, the balanced
scorecard, or the competing values framework? Justify your answer.
Note:Students who select either the balanced scorecard or traditional financial
approaches would need to justify their answers based on the costs associated with
gathering measures for all four quadrants of the competing values framework. With
respect to grading, it is often helpful to assign some points to answering the
recommendation question, regardless of the choice, and some points to the quality of
the argument supporting that recommendation. This reduces the perception that the
instructor is forcing students to agree with her/him and focuses attention on the
importance of articulating a justification for recommendations.
In the Analysis exercise concerning Michael Simpson, Michael became dissatisfied
with his job only after he learned that his pay was not making as much as some other
people in the firm. Compare and contrast how this change in motivation would be
explained using expectancy theory and using equity theory. Do the theories contradict
or complement one another in this situation.
Technology has made data much more accessible than ever before, with search engines
for internet sites and electronic reference sources. Despite the increasing accessibility of
data, research suggests that expert power is playing an even greater role in determining
how people influence organizations today. What explains this paradox?
Discuss the three elements of Peter Drucker’s process for managing time and compare it
to your own actions. If Drucker were to critique the time management matrix, how
would he be likely to evaluate it?