Q&A Hero

Q: List three ways productivity may be measured.

Q: Within the context of systems theory, describe the relationship between the organization and society.

Q: Name three measures of satisfaction as presented in the text.

Q: Identify five short-run indicators that managers can measure to assess the probability of an organization's long-run survival.

Q: What are three things that you, as a manager, can do to lead your team to higher levels of effectiveness?

Q: What are the two main conclusions suggested by systems theory, as it relates to effectiveness?

Q: What are the four basic elements of a system?

Q: What is the "Hawthorne effect"?

Q: How have the findings of the Hawthorne studies been criticized?

Q: What are some of the conclusions about human behavior in the workplace that were uncovered by the Hawthorne studies?

Q: The power of human resources, globalism, cultural diversity, the rapidity of change, a new worker-employer psychological contract, and technology are reshaping management practices. What are the likely outcomes of ignoring or resisting these forces?

Q: What is a psychological contract?

Q: The psychological contract between workers and employers specifies what each expects to give and receive from the other. What can you offer an employer, and what do you expect in return?

Q: What is meant by the term "diversity?"

Q: What abilities will managers need to be successful in the 21 st century? Which of these abilities do you have now? How do you plan to acquire the others?

Q: How is Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh's perspective different from many other businesses?

Q: The power of managers is clearly evidenced when they make decisions about _______________. A) the employees' well-being B) distributing organizational resources C) designing and implementing rules and policies D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: According to the text, organizational survival is related to the ability of management to do all of the following with information except: A) Retire it B) Transmit it C) Act on it D) Receive it

Q: The essence of _________ is control over others. A) power B) management C) leadership D) All of the above.

Q: _______________ is the ability to get someone to do something you want to be done, or to make things happen the way you want them to happen. A) Prestige B) Perseverance C) Power D) Persuasion

Q: The neighborhood book club, which has fifty members, is an example of a(n) _______________ group. A) informal B) formal C) perseverance D) developmental

Q: A surgical team performing open-heart surgery on a patient is an example of a(n) _______________ group. A) informal B) formal C) super D) dedicated

Q: One of the most powerful influences on individual performance is ____________. A) an organization's reward system B) stress C) national culture D) All of the above.

Q: Which of the following is considered an influence on individual behavior and motivation in organizations? A) individual characteristics B) individual motivation C) rewards D) All of the above.

Q: Which of the following statements about motivation is true? A) Motivation is the primary determinant of performance. B) Most managers do not need to understand motivation. C) Motivation and the ability to work interact to determine performance. D) Most behavioral scientists agree that there is one best theory of motivation.

Q: The foundation of organization performance is _______________ performance. A) product B) managerial C) financial D) individual

Q: Every organization must respond to the needs of _______________. A) its customers or clients B) legal and political constraints C) economic and technological changes D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: Which of the following is included in the six forces reshaping management practice? A) The power of human resources B) A new worker-employer psychological contract C) Cultural diversity D) All of the above.

Q: The introduction of _______________ fostered an era of "information technology." A) electricity B) globalization C) computer technology D) the Internet

Q: According to current research, the average tenure for millennial employees in a job is __________ years. A) seven B) five C) two D) one

Q: The semiconductor pioneer Gordon Moore predicted in 1965 that computer power would double every _______________. A) five years B) three years C) two years D) twelve months

Q: A(n) ___________ is an unwritten agreement between an employee and the organization that specifies what each expects to give to and receive from the other. A) understanding B) employment contract C) psychological contract D) commitment

Q: The United States is racially diverse and has been rapidly increasing its workforce diversity since the _______. A) 1950s B) 1960s C) 1970s D) 1980s

Q: Which of the following countries is ranked highest on the Globalization Index? A) United States B) Singapore C) United Kingdom D) Norway

Q: Japan and China are basically _________ societies in terms of race. A) homogeneous B) heterogeneous C) diverse D) transitioning

Q: Which of the following statements about power is true? A) Most people are comfortable with the concept of having power over others. B) The concept of having power over others is offensive to everybody. C) To be a good manager, a person must have a high desire for power. D) Managers derive power from both organizational and individual sources.

Q: How well a firm _______________ and motivates a skilled workforce will have a major impact on its ability to compete in the global marketplace. A) recruits B) retains C) selects D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: To survive the fast-paced changes in the global world, firms must make not only capital investments but also investments in ____________. A) people B) transportation facilities C) high-speed communications technology D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: Motivation and __________ interact to determine performance. A) ability to work B) technology C) information resources D) organizational rank

Q: According to the text, six forces are reshaping the nature of managing within organizations. They include _______________. A) the economic climate B) political unrest C) mentoring D) technology

Q: The _______________ criterion measures the ability of an organization to increase its capacity to deal with environmental demands. A) productivity B) efficiency C) adaptiveness D) development

Q: _______________ is the ratio of outputs to inputs. A) Productivity B) Efficiency C) Adaptability D) Production

Q: As presented in the text, _______________ reflects the relationship between inputs and output. A) productivity B) quality C) adaptiveness D) innovation

Q: Competition has caused many organizations to make quality _______ priority. A) a fiduciary B) their top C) a lagging D) their second tier

Q: J. M. Juran and W. Edwards Deming, in the 1950's, introduced the importance of _______________ to the public. A) quality B) efficiency C) profitability D) consistent management

Q: The overarching criterion that cuts across each effectiveness dimension is _______________. A) productivity B) quality C) adaptiveness D) efficiency

Q: Managers must deal _____________ aspects of organizational behavior. A) with internal B) with external C) simultaneously with the internal and external D) separately with the internal and external

Q: According to systems theory, an organization acquires resources (inputs) from a larger system, _______________. A) the environment B) the home country C) the world economic system D) the shareholders

Q: The ____________ studies are still considered the major impetus behind the emphasis on understanding and dealing with human resources. A) advent of scientific management B) Hawthorne studies C) organization movement D) start of World War II

Q: According to the Hawthorne studies, workers respond to _____________. A) group norms B) union pressures C) covert observation D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: The Hawthorne studies originally concluded that supportive managers paying attention to workers made them more productive. However, a reanalysis of the data suggested that the productivity increase was due to managerial discipline and _______________. A) fear of job loss B) peer pressure C) productivity bonuses D) job training

Q: When examining the contributions to the study of Organizational Behavior, the "unit of analysis" associated with psychology is ______________. A) group B) organization C) individual D) team

Q: Which of the following has contributed to the study of organizational behavior? A) Psychology and sociology B) Social psychology and anthropology C) Political science D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: Fayol's theory of management emphasized the importance of all of the following except: A) Conserving B) Planning C) Organizing D) Coordinating

Q: Fayol's approach to management was significant, in that it contributed to all of the following developments and positions except: A) Management is a separate body of knowledge that can be applied in any type of organization B) A theory of management can be learned and taught C) There is a need for teaching management in colleges D) On-the-job training is the best way to impart management skills

Q: Behavior is viewed as operating at the individual, _______________, and organizational levels. A) emotional B) spiritual C) structural D) group

Q: Taylor's major thesis was that maximum good for _________ can come only through the cooperation of management and labor in the application of scientific methods. A) the organization B) society C) the shareholder D) All of the choices are correct.

Q: ______________ suggests that an organization is a managed system that changes inputs into outputs. A) Systems theory B) Operations theory C) Hawthorne theory D) OB

Q: Frederick W. Taylor believed in _______________ approach to job design. A) the rule-of-thumb B) a scientific C) a just-in-time D) a laize-faire

Q: In 1886, an engineer named Frederick W. Taylor presented a paper on scientific management at a national meeting of engineers that was titled "The Engineer as _______________." A) a Specialist B) a Manager C) an Economist D) a Scientist

Q: The first modern management articles were published in _______________ journals. A) human resource B) engineering C) scientific D) psychology

Q: The formal and modern study of management started around ______. A) 1750 B) 1300 C) 1900 D) 1940

Q: To develop and sustain an advantage in an increasingly competitive, globalized world, managers must harness the powers of information technology and _______________ to be successful. A) decisiveness B) language fluency C) democracy D) human capital

Q: When it comes to knowledge, organizations must do all of the following except: A) Transfer it to employees B) Identify it C) Guard it jealousy D) Update it continuously

Q: To be successful, managers will need to harness the power of __________ and human capital. A) techno-administrative technology B) information technology C) political D) economic

Q: A major goal of Zappos is to treat its __________ with integrity, honesty, and commitment. A) customers B) employees C) employees and customers D) employees, customers, and community

Q: What is adaptiveness and its importance to an organization?

Q: What's more important: quality, productivity or efficiency? Justify your answer.

Q: What is the relationship between quality and organizational effectiveness?

Q: Describe the findings of the Hawthorne studies.

Q: Describe the disciplines that have contributed to the field of organizational behavior. Which do you feel had the largest impact?

Q: What principles did Fredrick Taylor advocate?

Q: (p. 431) Which of the following was an initial criticism of the Occupational Safety and Health Act? A. The small number of regulations B. The manner in which it was implemented C. Overly precise and clear wording used in regulations D. Unwarranted negative attitude

Q: (p. 430) Which of the following is NOT a specific warning sign of a potentially violent employee? A. Employees with a chemical dependency B. Employees showing significant signs of paranoia C. Employees disturbed with serious problems at home D. Employees constantly needing other people's appreciation

Q: (p. 429 Fig 20.6) Which of the following is an unsafe act as opposed to an unsafe condition in the workplace? A. Hazardous movement B. Hazardous housekeeping C. Ineffective safety device D. Improper illumination, ventilation, and the like

Q: (p. 428) Supervisors are in the best position to promote safety within the organization because: A. supervisors are responsible for setting organizational policy. B. supervisors know the proper procedures for investigating accidents. C. supervisors know what to do if an accident occurs. D. supervisors serve as the link between management and operative employees.

Q: (p. 427) ________________ is also called human engineering. A. Workers' compensation B. Establishing safety committees C. Ergonomics D. A Just-in-time system

Q: (p. 426) For an organization's safety record to be objective, all of the following useful comparisons can be made EXCEPT: A. with other divisions or departments within the organization. B. with the rates of the previous years. C. with the number of accidents at one particular source. D. with the rates of other organizations.

Q: (p. 426) Identify the correct statement about disabling injuries. A. Only disabling injuries are used in determining frequency and severity rates. B. Disabling injuries are injuries that cause the employee to stop working following an accident. C. Disabling injuries are also known as serious injuries. D. Minor injuries, disabling injuries, and hazardous occurrences are used in determining frequency rates.

Q: (p. 425) The two most widely accepted measures of an organization's safety records are: A. employees and management. B. illness and disability. C. frequency and severity. D. injuries and accidents.