Organizational Behavior Essentials MCQs

Teams differ from groups in that teams

place more emphasis on concerted action than groups do.
are usually larger than groups.
are usually temporary.
place little emphasis on common objectives.

A team is characterized by all of the following except

complementary skills.
profit motive.
mutual accountability.
small number of people.

____ is a reward system commonly found in team environments.

Skill-based pay
Stock options
Commission-based pay
Annual profit sharing

What is the best reason to create teams in an organization?

They can increase productivity almost immediately.
Teams are always well received by employees.
Teams are increasing in popularity.
Teams make sense for that organization.

Why does working in teams result in enhanced performance?

Waste and errors are spread across multiple individuals.
Managers lower their performance standards.
Team members spend less time in direct contact with customers.
Teams pool individual efforts in new ways and strive for continuous improvement.

Why do younger workers seem to benefit from team environments?

Supervision in teams is increased.
Workers receive higher wages in team environments.
Individuals receive more recognition in team environments.
Teams give them freedom to grow and manage themselves.

Which of the following is not an example of cost reductions arising from team environments?

Reduced absenteeism
Reduced scrap
Lower turnover
Lower commitment

Which of the following is not an example of an organizational enhancement arising from team environments?

Taller organizational hierarchy
Quicker reaction
Increased innovation
Higher creativity

What is (are) the new role(s) of managers in teams?

Supervisors and evaluators
Top managers
Team members
Coaches and facilitators

Which of the following statements best reflects the costs of teams to organizations?

The increased bureaucracy
The loss of creativity
The difficulty of changing to a team-based organization
Increased worker compensation claims

The positive benefits of a team-based environment include all of the following except

enhanced performance.
employee benefits.
organizational enhancements.
all of these are benefits

The cost of teams includes which of the following factors?

the difficulty of changing to a team-based organization.
an increase in innovation and creativity.
adverse impact on the bottom line.
increased social loafing.

William is a member of a small group of employees from different work areas. They meet once each week to discuss and recommend solutions to workplace ...

problem-solving team
interdisciplinary team
work team
management team

A team that is comprised of members from different departments or functional areas is a(n)

interdisciplinary team.
work team.
cross-functional team.
problem-solving team.

The primary job of ____ is to create new products, processes, or businesses.

interdisciplinary teams
quality circles
problem-solving teams
venture teams

A team that never actually meets together in the same room is called a

virtual team.
quality circle.
cross-functional team.
product development team.

Which of the following is NOT an important leadership skill in a virtual project team or distance management situation?

Building community among team members based on mutual trust, respect, affiliation, and fairness.
Leading with directness and focusing on abstract results.
Establishing a clear and motivating shared vision.
Communicating effectively and matching technology to the situation.

A team ____________ is a written agreement among team members establishing ground rules about the team's processes, roles, and responsibilities. ...

outline
commitment
contract
agreement

The move towards a team-based format is often initiated and communicated to the entire organization by

internal team leaders.
the design team.
top management.
affinity groups.

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for dealing with the challenges of multicultural teams?

one-on-one conferencing
adaptation
managerial intervention
exit

________ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image

Managerial intervention
Social facilitation
Groupthink
Social loafing

When choosing team members, which of the following abilities would you NOT specifically look for?

persuasiveness
conflict resolution
collaborative problem-solving
self-management

A(n) _______ is a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognized.

team manager
team specialist
executive
informal leader

Videoconferencing, instant messaging, electric meetings, and even conference calls are considered __________ technology.

asynchronous
futuristic
ineffective
synchronous

The start-up phase of team implementation includes which of the following?

Frustration and confusion about the new situation
Extreme confidence and cohesion
Intense team loyalty
Informational or "awareness" training

In the ____ phase of team implementation, enthusiasm runs high and the anticipation of employees is quite positive.

self-managing teams
start-up
leader-centered teams
tightly formed teams

During the ____ phase of team implementation, managers should provide encouragement, monitor performance, and sometimes protect teams from those who w...

self-managing teams
tightly formed teams
leader-centered teams
reality and unrest

During the ____ phase of team implementation, a team's internal focus can become detrimental to other teams and to the organization as a whole.

start-up
reality and unrest
tightly formed teams
leader-center teams

During the ____ phase of team implementation, teams usually long for a system that resembles the old organizational structure.

tightly formed teams
start-up
leader-centered teams
self-managing teams

During the ____ phase of team implementation, managers have withdrawn from the daily operations and are counseling teams.

tightly formed teams
start-up
leader-centered teams
self-managing teams

The two essential issues that must not be overlooked when implementing teams are

team performance and top management support.
implementation and team performance.
starting at the top and member loyalty.
team performance and team motivation.

Shortly after implementation, team performance often ____ before returning to previous levels.

fluctuates unpredictably
ceases completely
increases slightly
declines

Susan is the senior manager at her company. Susan made the choice to go to teams because she went to a seminar on teams, but she'll be on a two-y...

The teams will be performing well by the time she returns.
The teams will be more broad spread than normal.
The teams will become self-managing more quickly than normal.
The teams are likely to fail.

The concept of ____ is essential to the definition of groups presented in your text.

interaction
coordination
cohesion
member personality

The definition of groups presented in your text omits any requirement of

interaction
size
influence
group goals.

The size or number of people that constitute a group is

ten or more.
limited to fifteen.
fewer than two people.
two or more.

A new product development team is an example of which type of group?

Friendship
Interest
Performance
Affinity

Which of the following is a formal group?

Interest
Friendship
Social
Command

A group of department managers who meet periodically to establish corporate policy is an example of which type of group?

Interest
Friendship
Task
Command

____ are usually temporary and are established to solve a particular problem.

Friendship groups
Task groups
Affinity groups
Interest groups

Which of the following is the final stage of group development?

Control and organization
Mutual acceptance
Cohesiveness
Homogeneity

The audience at an Oprah Winfrey talk show is an example of a(n) ____ group.

special project
command
task
interest

____ are informal and relatively permanent.

Special project groups
Command groups
Interest groups
Friendship groups

A motorcycle riding club that meets outside of the organization an example of which type of group?

Task
Interest
Command
Friendship

Which of the following is a type of informal group?

Special project
Friendship
Task
Command

Which of the following is not a stage of group development?

Control and organization
Motivation and productivity
Mutual acceptance
Friendship and social interaction

____ are informal and organized around a particular activity.

Friendship groups
Interest groups
Command groups
All groups

The group members express their views more openly in the ____ stage of group development?

mutual acceptance
communication and decision making
productivity
control and organization

In which stage of group development do members develop norms of behavior?

Mutual acceptance
Control and organization
Communication and decision making
Motivation and productivity

In which stage is the group considered to be mature?

Communication and decision making
Motivation
Productivity
Control and organization

Which of the following is a true statement regarding the stages of group development?

A group that fully evolves through the four stages of development usually is productive.
As a group progresses through the stages of development it grows in size.
The sequence of group development stages is set by the organization.
Groups rarely go through more than one stage of development.

Which of the following is one of the four basic factors that affect group performance?

Escalation of commitment
Groupthink
Task deformation
Composition

Group composition is

the sum of the activities of individuals.
a set of expected behaviors associated with a position.
usually described in terms of the homogeneity or heterogeneity of group members.
two or more people interacting with and influencing each other.

A group is homogeneous if

members are similar in one or several ways that are critical to the work of the group.
the group is highly productive.
two or more people interact with and influence each other.
men and women are represented equally in the group.

A homogeneous group tends to be LESS productive than a heterogeneous group in situations where

group tasks are sequential.
quick action is required.
cooperation is needed.
creativity is required.

Group norms result from a combination of all of the following, except

the task.
the situation.
the personality characteristics.
the size of the group.

All of the following are true of large groups except

large groups have formalized interactions.
large groups set agendas.
large do not set many rules or regulations.
large groups follow parliamentary procedures.

All of the following are true regarding social loafing except

it is often a problem in very small groups.
how much of a problem social loafing depends in part on the nature of the task.
it often results from the assumption that other members will pick up the slack.
some members put forth less effort in a group.

Norms are

a tendency toward a particular set of behaviors.
a standard against which the appropriateness of a behavior is judged.
the sum of the activities of individuals.
two or more people interacting with and influencing each other.

Which of the following is not one of the purposes of norms?

Norms help the group avoid embarrassing situations.
Norms simplify the behaviors of the group members.
Norms help the group survive.
Norms regulate group membersâ€™ thoughts and feelings.

When cohesiveness is and norms are compatible with organizational goals, productivity is the highest.

low; not
high; not
high; highly
present; highly

cohesive groups will not necessarily be more productive in an organizational sense than groups with cohesiveness.

Low; high
Low; low
Highly; high
Highly; low

The values that make up organization culture are often ____.

discussed among employees.
popularized in the company.
taken for granted.
used a strategic planning tool.

Organizational culture helps people in an organization understand

which actions are considered acceptable and which are considered unacceptable.
why their firm is outperforming the competition.
how to improve their relations with customers.
when to best socialize new employees.

All of the following statements are true about innovation EXCEPT

there are many risks associated with being an innovative company.
innovation is the process of creating and doing new things that are introduced into the marketplace.
one of the biggest challenges is using innovative technology in a cost-effective manner.
only small organizations can truly be innovative.

Incremental innovations

are rarely necessary for radical or systems innovations.
are major breakthroughs that change or create industries.
occur much less frequently than radical and systems innovations.
force organizations to continuously improve their products.

Intrapreneurship

is most effective as a rare event in the organization.
is most effective when it occurs in the research and development department alone.
is entrepreneurial activity that takes place within the organization.
occurs both inside and outside the organization.

Ben wants to take advantage of the existing culture of his organization. To do this, Ben must first

achieve productivity through people.
empower his employees.
be fully aware of the cultureâ€™s values.
practice hands-on management.

Organization culture can be managed by

sticking to the knitting.
conducting in-depth research and evaluation.
allowing autonomy and entrepreneurship.
taking advantage of the culture that is already there.

All of the following statements are true about socialization EXCEPT

it is usually something that can be accomplished in a day-long new employee orientation program.
it occurs in organizations in much the same way as it occurs in society.
it is the process through which individuals learn acceptable behavior.
socialization programs do not necessarily change employees' values.

All of the following are mechanisms that can affect the socialization of workers EXCEPT

reading corporate statements about organization culture.
observing experienced employees.
reading corporate pamphlets.
All of these are mechanisms.

Culture resists change for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

it is typically communicated through stories and symbols.
it embodies the basic values in the firm.
it changes so frequently that employees begin to resist further change.
it is often taken for granted.