Organizational Behavior

Tutorial (10)
1) Manuel is a manager for a manufacturing company in which managers are expected to fully document all
decisions, and it is important to provide detailed data to support any recommendations. Also, out-of the-box
thinking is dissuaded. Which characteristic of organizational culture describes this aspect of Manuel's job?
A) low team orientation
B) high aggressiveness
C) low risk taking
D) low outcome orientation
E) high people orientation
Answer: C
2) Danny's boss is apathetic to whether Danny works at home, at the office, or from his beach house. All he
cares about is that the project is completed on time, on budget, and with exemplary quality. Which
characteristic of organizational culture describes this aspect of Danny's job?
A) low risk taking
B) high outcome orientation
C) high attention to detail
D) low aggressiveness
E) high stability
Answer: B
3) Which of the following characteristics of an organization's culture indicates the degree to which
management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on employees within the organization?
A) attention to detail
B) outcome orientation
C) team orientation
D) people orientation
E) stability
Answer: D
4) "Stability" is one of the seven primary characteristics that captures the essence of an organization's culture.
It indicates the degree to which ________.
A) employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks
B) management focuses on results or outcomes rather than on the techniques and processes used to achieve
them
C) management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization
D) work activities are organized around teams rather than individuals
E) organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth
Answer: E
5) The key characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which people are competitive
rather than easygoing is termed ________.
A) assertiveness
B) team orientation
C) aversiveness
D) risk taking
E) aggressiveness
Answer: E
6) Which of the following statements is true regarding an organization's culture?
A) Organizational culture is evaluative rather than descriptive.
B) Large organizations rarely have subcultures.
C) A dominant culture expresses the core values shared by a majority of the organization's members.
D) A strong culture reduces employee satisfaction and increases employee turnover.
E) Subcultures and dominant cultures do not share any common values.
Answer: C
7) Cultures that tend to develop in large organizations to reflect common problems or experiences faced by
the members in the same department or location are often called ________.
A) micro-cultures
B) subcultures
C) divisional cultures
D) microcosms
E) countercultures
Answer: B
8) Jean works for Fahrenheit Publishing which is a publisher of scientific journals. The company is
dominated by low risk taking and high attention to detail. Jean's department is committed to high team
orientation and provides many team-building activities in which Jean and other department members work
together and socialize. Which of the following statements best describes Jean's department?
A) Jeans department is an example of a primary microcosm.
B) Jean's department's culture is stronger than the dominant culture in the organization.
C) Jean's department has developed a subculture.
D) Jean's department's culture is undefined.
E) Jean's department's culture has low stability.
Answer: C
9) ________ are indicators of a strong organizational culture.
A) High levels of dissension
B) High rates of employee turnover
C) Completely horizontal organizational charts
D) Narrowly defined roles
E) Widely shared values
Answer: E
10) The primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization are known as ________.
A) foundational traits
B) core values
C) shared values
D) institutional traits
E) unique values
Answer: B
11) Which of the following is most likely to result from a strong organizational culture?
A) low employee turnover
B) low employee satisfaction
C) low organizational commitment
D) high absenteeism
E) low behavioral control resulting from the climate within the organization
Answer: A
12) A culture that expresses the core values that are shared by a majority of the organization's members is
known as a(n) ________ culture.
A) dominant
B) primary
C) fundamental
D) unique
E) essential
Answer: A
13) Aggressiveness, innovation, and risk taking are called the ________ of the culture at the Rogue Vogue
Corp.
A) foundational values
B) institutional traits
C) core values
D) significant traits
E) unique values
Answer: C
14) Which of the following statements is true regarding the functions of culture in an organization?
A) It hinders the generation of commitment to something larger than individual self-interest among
employees.
B) It conveys a sense of identity for organization members.
C) It reduces the stability of the organizational system.
D) It reduces distinctions between one organization and others.
E) It does not affect employees' attitudes and behavior.
Answer: B
15) Which of the following statements is true regarding the establishment of the organizational culture and
its effects on the organization?
A) Today's trend toward decentralized organizations makes it is easier to establish a strong culture.
B) In a virtual organization a strong culture can be established quickly and easily.
C) Employees organized in teams always show greater allegiance to the values of the organization as a whole
than to their team and its values.
D) Culture acts as a control mechanism and guides the behavior of employees.
E) Cultures reduce the stability of the social system in an organization.
Answer: D
16) ________ refers to the shared perceptions organizational members have about their organization and
work environment.
A) Organizational climate
B) Institutionalization
C) Microcosm
D) Groupthink
E) Organizational apprehension
Answer: A
17) The ultimate source of an organization's culture is ________.
A) its top management
B) its environment
C) the country in which the organization operates
D) its founders
E) the sociocultural backgrounds of its employees
Answer: D
18) The ________ process helps candidates learn about the organization, and if employees perceive a conflict
between their values and those of the organization, they can remove themselves from the applicant pool.
A) orientation
B) training
C) performance evaluation
D) selection
E) institutionalization
Answer: D
19) The selection process helps sustain the organization's culture by ________.
A) establishing and enforcing norms
B) hiring candidates who fit well within the organization
C) socializing the new employees
D) developing performance evaluation criteria
E) rewarding conformity
Answer: B
20) Top management has a major impact on the organization's culture by ________.
A) establishing norms that filter down through the organization
B) ensuring a proper match of personal and organizational values
C) socializing new applicants in the pre-hiring phase
D) providing a framework for metamorphosis of new hires
E) properly rewarding employees' initiatives
Answer: A
21) ________ is a process that helps new employees adapt to the prevailing organizational culture.
A) Satisficing
B) Reciprocal interdependence
C) Socialization
D) Formalization
E) Social loafing
Answer: C
22) The process of socialization consists of three stages. Which of the following is one of these three stages?
A) Metamorphosis
B) pre encounter
C) evaluation
D) post-arrival
E) post-encounter
Answer: A
23) Identify the correct order of stages in the socialization process.
A) encounter, metamorphosis, post-encounter
B) prearrival, arrival, evaluation
C) prearrival, arrival, post-arrival
D) prearrival, encounter, metamorphosis
E) metamorphosis, preencounter, arrival
Answer: D
24) The ________ stage of the socialization process explicitly recognizes that each individual the
organization comes across during the selection process has a set of values, attitudes, and expectations about
both the work to be done and the organization.
A) post-encounter
B) prearrival
C) metamorphosis
D) preencounter
E) post-arrival
Answer: B
25) During the ________ stage, a new employee compares her expectations with the realities in the
organization.
A) prearrival
B) encounter
C) metamorphosis
D) post-arrival
E) post-encounter
Answer: B
26) During the socialization process, to work out any problems discovered during the encounter stage, the
new member changes or goes through the ________ stage.
A) post-arrival
B) metamorphosis
C) post-encounter
D) analysis
E) evaluation
Answer: B
27) The information that you receive during the interviewing and hiring process is a part of the ________
stage of employee socialization.
A) preencounter
B) prearrival
C) encounter
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter
Answer: B
28) When you start to accept the differences between your expectations and the reality of the organization,
you move into the ________ stage of socialization.
A) prearrival
B) post-arrival
C) acceptance
D) metamorphosis
E) post-encounter
Answer: D
29) ________ typically contain narratives about the organization's founders, rule breaking, or reactions to
past mistakes.
A) Stories
B) Material symbols
C) Rituals
D) Organizational charts
E) Corporate chants
Answer: A
30) Company chants are examples of ________.
A) rituals
B) material symbols
C) stories
D) company policies
E) business strategies
Answer: A
31) Company chants are used to ________.
A) inform employees about changes in rules and policies
B) transmit company culture to employees
C) inform employees about latest technologies
D) communicate company strategies to the employees
E) update employees regarding performance of the company
Answer: B
32) AskSocrates Inc. employees are allowed to dress informally. This is an example of a ________ through
which organizational culture is transmitted.
A) primary procedure
B) ritual
C) material symbol
D) symbolic act
E) fundamental mechanism
Answer: C
33) Pam works for a corporation that recently fired three top managers who were caught using the company
credit cards to lavishly furnish their offices and even purchase "office" furniture that was found in their
personal homes. Which method of maintaining an ethical culture is Pam's company pursuing?
A) serve as a visible role model
B) communicate ethical expectations
C) provide ethical training
D) visibly punish unethical acts
E) provide protective mechanisms
Answer: D
34) Larry has an employee who is amazing at clearly seeing rules and enforcing them. He has recently
promoted her to the lead position in quality assurance. Which method of creating a positive organizational
culture is Larry utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) using standardized practices
D) building on employee strengths
E) transmitting
Answer: D
35) Patricia is a team leader. When looking at an e-mail from one of her team members, Patricia noticed that
the e-mail was sent at nine-thirty in the evening. The next day she personally went to the employee's cubicle
and told him how much she appreciated him staying late to get the project to the client on time. Which aspect
of creating a positive organizational culture is Patricia utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) emphasizing individual growth
D) building on employee strengths
E) providing extrinsic rewards
Answer: A
36) Patricia is a team leader. When looking at an e-mail from one of her team members, Patricia noticed that
the e-mail was sent at nine-thirty in the evening. The next day she personally went to the employee's cubicle
and told him how much she appreciated him staying late to get the project to the client on time. Which aspect
of creating a positive organizational culture is Patricia utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) emphasizing individual growth
D) building on employee strengths
E) providing extrinsic rewards
Answer: A
37) Liz is the lead editor for a small, city newspaper. One of her advertising sales representatives is pulling in
a lot of restaurant clients. Liz realizes that the representative is quite knowledgeable about food and speaks
quite elegantly when describing different dishes. She has begun discussing with the representative the
possibility of collaborating with a writer to include a weekly restaurant review, which includes the
representative on the byline. After the first couple of reviews, the representative is able to increase ad sizes
and sales. He is very happy with his new job diversification. Which aspect of creating a positive
organizational culture is Liz utilizing?
A) rewarding more than punishing
B) building on organization strengths
C) emphasizing individual vitality and growth
D) creating loose management oversight
E) using narrow spans of control
Answer: C
38) Organizations that promote a spiritual culture ________.
A) use stories for transmitting the organizational culture to the employees
B) use wide spans of control
C) recognize that people seek to find meaning and purpose in their work
D) de-emphasize community differences within the organization
E) tend to downplay the importance of employee satisfaction
Answer: C
39) Which of the following terms refers to the recognition that people have an inner life that nourishes and is
nourished by meaningful work that takes place in the context of community?
A) dominant culture
B) fundamental mechanism
C) workplace spirituality
D) outcome orientation
E) subculture
Answer: C