DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
2-1 How much impact do managers actually have on an organization’s success or failure?
Answer: The omnipotent view supports the idea that a manager is directly responsible for the
success and failure of the organization. Top CEOs (and head football coaches) would be
more likely to be held accountable for the entire organization’s outcomes, while lower level
2-2 What are the six external environment components and why is it important for
managers to understand these components?
2-3 How has the changed economy affected what managers do? Find two or three examples
in current business periodicals of activities and practices that organizations are using.
Discuss them in light of the changed environment.
Answer: The recent recession has had an overall negative impact on organizations and has
made the manager’s job more challenging. Students may find examples of how organizations
2-4 Why is it important for managers to pay attention to demographic trends and shifts?
Answer: As demographics change, so do the defining characteristics of employees and
customers. Managers must adapt to these changes in order to properly motivate their
2-5 What is environmental uncertainty? What impact does it have on managers and
organizations? Find two examples in current business periodicals that illustrate how
environmental uncertainty affects organizations.
Answer: Environmental uncertainty relates to (1) the degree of change in an organization’s
environment and (2) the degree of complexity in that environment. Because uncertainty is a
threat to organizational effectiveness, managers try to minimize environmental uncertainty.
2-6 “Businesses are built on relationships.” What do you think this statement means? What
are the implications for managing the external environment?
Answer: Organizations depend on their environment and their stakeholders as a source of
inputs and a recipient of outputs. Good relationships can lead to organizational outcomes
such as improved predictability of environmental changes, more successful innovations,
2-7 Is organizational culture an asset to an organization? Explain. Can it ever be a liability?
Explain.
Answer: In some cases, organizational culture can be a competitive advantage for an
organization. Having a strong culture would likely emphasize employee outcomes such as
quality and productivity and would give significant attention to detail. In other cases where
2-8 How is an organization’s culture formed and maintained?
2-9 Discuss the impact of a strong culture on organizations and managers.
Answer: At one time, researchers supported a direct connection between the strength of an
organization’s culture and its performance. Today, we know that the strength of an
2-10 Pick two organizations that you interact with frequently (as an employee or as a
customer) and assess their culture according to the dimensions shown in Exhibit 2-4.
Answer: Student answers to this question will vary. Have students look at the seven
dimensions of organizational culture described in the text and rate them from high to low for
MyManagementLab
Students can find the following assisted-graded writing questions at mymanagementlab.com.
Answers to these questions are graded against rubrics in the MyLab.
2-11 How can managers best deal with environmental uncertainty?
2-12 Explain how an organization’s culture can help it be successful AND how it can keep it from
being successful.
MANAGEMENT SKILL BUILDER
Skill Development: Understanding Culture
An organization’s culture is a system of shared meaning. When you understand your
organization’s culture, you know, for example, whether it encourages teamwork, rewards
innovation, or stifles initiative. When interviewing for a job, the more accurate you are at
assessing the culture, the more likely you are to find a good person-organization fit. And once
inside an organization, understanding the culture allows you to know what behaviors are likely to
be rewarded and which are likely to be punished.
Personal Inventory Assessment: Company Culture Assessment
Want to know what a company’s culture is like? This PIA will show you what’s involved with
assessing a company’s culture.
Skill Basics
Here’s a list of things students can do to help learn about an organization’s culture:
Do background work.
Observe the physical surroundings.
Make note about those with whom you met.
How would you characterize the style of the people you met?
Look at the organization’s human resources manual.
Ask questions of the people with whom you meet.
Practicing the Skill
After spending your first three years after college graduation as a freelance graphic
designer, you’re looking at pursuing a job as an account executive at a graphic design
firm. You feel that the scope of the assignments and potential for technical training far
exceed what you’re able to do on your own, and you’re looking to expand your skills and
meet a brand-new set of challenges. However, you want to make sure you “fit” into the
organization where you’re going to spending more than eight hours every workday.
Write a brief paper describing how you would find a place where you’ll be happy and
where your style and personality will be appreciated.
EXPERENTIAL EXERCISE
Speedy Car Wash Service, Inc.
To: Michelle Bradley, Employee Care Manager
From: Alex Bilyeu, President
Re: Creating a Fun Workplace
Michelle’s boss is interested in the idea that some employers use fun to reduce employee stress at
work. He likes the idea and wants you to do some research. You will need to prepare a bulleted
list of ideas on how we can create a workplace here at Speedy that’s both fun and yet still
focused on work.
Teaching Tip:
Doing a quick Internet search, students should find a lot of ideas on how to create a fun
working environment. There are several Web sites, some international, which suggest
specific programs for employers to follow. Students should find information on National
Fun At Work Day and several other quick tips that have been tried at other companies.
For a more detailed company example, I suggest NUTS!: Southwest Airlines’ Crazy
Recipe for Business and Personal Success. As an introduction to this case, you might
want to show a clip from the movie Office Space during class.
Case Application 1: Getting Back on Target
Discussion Questions
2-14 What roles does a CEO play in an organization’s culture? What role do other
leaders/managers play?
2-15 Describe Target’s culture under its previous CEO. Describe Target’s culture under its
current CEO.
2-16 What are the benefits and challenges of social media in managing organizational
culture?
2-17 Which view of management do you see played out here? The omnipotent or the
symbolic? Explain.
2-18 What advice about organizational culture would you give the new CEO?
Case Application 2: Not Sold Out
Discussion Questions
2-19 Using Exhibit 2-1, what external components might be most important for managers in
movie theater chains to know about? Why?
2-20 According to the case, what external trends do managers at the movie theater chains
have to deal with?
2-21 How do you think these trends might constrain decisions made by managers at the movie
theater chains?
2-22 What stakeholders do you think might be the most important to movie theater chains?
What interests might these stakeholders have?
Case Application 3: Going to Extremes
Discussion Questions
2-23 Find a list of all 10 of Zappos’ corporate values. Pick two of the values and explain how
you think those values would influence the way employees do their work.
2-24 Using this list of corporate values and Exhibit 2-4, describe Zappos’ organizational
culture. In which areas would you say that Zappos’ culture is very high (or typical)?
Explain.
Answer: Students should focus on Zappos’ innovativeness, their people orientation, and
2-25 How did the Zappos’ corporate culture begin? How is Zappos’ corporate culture
maintained?
2-26 “The right culture with the right values will always produce the best organizational
performance.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
2-27 What could other companies learn from Tony Hsieh and Zappos’ experiences?
Answer: Tony’s passion for creating a fun work environment and pursuing high levels of
customer service appears to be a winning combination. Also, Tony’s proactive stance