Deck 6: Managing Cultures

Question 1

The argument that a strong organizational culture leads to superior organizational performance was originally articulated by ______.

A)Karl Marx
B)Kono and Clegg
C)Peters and Waterman
D)Terence and Patrick

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If all members of an organization understand,share and are committed to the organization's systems of beliefs and values,that organization is said to have what?

A)sub-cultures
B)a strong culture
C)a weak culture
D)a total institution

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is an incorrect assumption about 'strong' organizational culture?

A)Strong culture means everyone in the organization shares and is committed to the organizations norms
B)Organizations with strong cultures will always outperform other organizations.
C)Strong culture can lead to organizational problems like groupthink.
D)Strong culture means everyone in the organization shares and is committed to the organizations norms and organizations with strong cultures will always outperform other organizations.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Perspectives that view culture as a fluid process - one that is forever changing - suggest measuring culture might be futile.What method does your textbook recommend in such cases?

A)culture inventories
B)questionnaires
C)ethnographic case studies
D)none of these

Question 5

If sub-culture challenges legitimate values it becomes ______.

A)a counterculture
B)a dominant culture
C)a legitimate subculture
D)a deadly subculture

Question 6

Which of the following is part of the definition of culture?

A)a pattern of learned and shared assumptions
B)how things are done,or are expected to be done,in a particular organization
C)the framing of how organizational members think,perceive and feel
D)all of these

Question 7

According to Chan (2003),culture should be studied as 'negotiated order',what does he mean by that?

A)Organizations should not be viewed as fixed patterns of values and beliefs.
B)Organizations are best are understood by how members use resources,including values and culture,to constantly negotiate sense of what it is they are doing in,and as,an organization.
C)Organization culture is fluid and the result of ceaseless rounds of negotiation.
D)all of these

Question 8

For Schein,culture exists at three levels,level two: the non-visible organizational features such as norms,and beliefs,vision and mission,and policies,are called ______.

A)artefact
B)values
C)basic assumptions
D)climate

Question 9

According to your textbook,'surfies' want to be one with nature,and 'surf lifesavers' want to master nature - such generalized differences between these two surf dwelling cultures are examples of Schein's ______.

A)culture as artefacts
B)culture as values
C)culture as basic assumptions
D)culture by the sea

Question 10

Why is culture important?

A)It allows organizational members to understand what is acceptable behaviour within the organization.
B)It establishes a set of norms that can be transferred to new organizational members.
C)It aligns members behaviour to the objective of the organization.
D)all of these

Question 11

What is that main criticism of Hofstede's work in your textbook?

A)Hofstede incorrectly believes in the cultural homogeneity of nations.
B)One cannot assume that an organization is representative of a nation's homogenous values system,when the nations citizens,whom they recruit,are pluralistic in their ethnic and cultural identities.
C)IBM is a firm fostering individual differences and culture from within the countries it operates.So Hofstede's findings are reflective of the organization rather than national culture.
D)Hofstede incorrectly believes in the cultural homogeneity of nations,and one cannot assume that an organization is representative of a nation's homogenous values system,when the nations citizens,whom they recruit,are pluralistic in their ethnic and cultural identities.

Question 12

For Schein,culture exists at three levels,level one: the visible organizational features such as the design and architecture of buildings,the uniforms people wear,logos,and all their associated meanings,are called ______.

A)artefacts
B)values
C)basic assumptions
D)symbols

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of Martin's (1992)description of countercultures as being ______?

A)somewhat integrated
B)somewhat differentiated
C)somewhat imagined
D)somewhat fragmented

Question 14

According to your textbook,why might anthropologists - those trained to study culture - be surprised by the enthusiasm for 'excellence'?

A)Cultures that sought to constantly reemphasize their symbols,rituals,and beliefs were those in trouble.
B)Anthropologists have argued for centuries that strong cultures lead to excellence.
C)All strong cultures experience a decline,like the Egyptian,Greek,Roman,and British empires.
D)Anthropologists argued that there is no such thing as a strong culture.

Question 15

What was the strength of Hofstede's (1980)survey of 75,000 employees from only one global company (IBM)when he developed his theory of values?

A)The organization was kept constant because he could show that organizational culture is a myth,and that national culture always take over the organization's cultures.
B)The organization was kept constant because any variation in value systems will,therefore,be due to national cultures rather than organizational differences.
C)The organization was kept constant because only IBM agreed to participate in the study.
D)none of these

Question 16

If a sub-culture reflects a cohesive group and is a defender of plausible ideas it may become ______.

A)a danger to organizational culture
B)an illegitimate sub-culture
C)a legitimate subculture
D)none of these

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of Peters and Waterman's notion of culture of excellence?

A)Leadership must drive culture by ensuring values are clear,widely transmitted and reinforced throughout the organization.
B)Pluralistic cultures that accommodate dissent and conflict should be viewed as dysfunctional and avoided.
C)Leaders should ensure each department has a culture tailored to each department's values and beliefs.
D)Strong leadership fosters and reinforces strong culture which in turn promotes excellence in efficiency,productivity and quality.

Question 18

What is Neal Ashkenasy's (2003)view of organization culture,as identified in your textbook?

A)We can only understand organizational culture by looking at the organizations broader system of beliefs,symbols,rules and behaviours,and not simply its values.
B)The core components of an organizational culture are values.
C)Conceptions of organizational culture are more reliable when they can be measured rather than simply described.
D)The core components of an organizational culture are values,and conceptions of organizational culture are more reliable when they can be measured rather than simply described.

Question 19

Edgar Schein conceptualized culture as existing at three levels.Which one of the following is NOT one of those levels?

A)values
B)basic assumptions
C)climate
D)artefacts

Question 20

For Schein,culture exists at three levels,level three is where deep culture is hidden beneath the artefacts and expressed values,they are the beliefs and norms that implicitly guide organizational members,and are called ______.

A)artefacts
B)values
C)basic assumptions
D)deep culture

Question 21

Compare and contrast the integration,differentiation,and fragmentation perspectives of organizational culture.

Question 22

Who does your textbook credit as the person who conceptualized and developed the notion of 'Designer Culture'?

A)Peters and Waterman
B)Donaldson
C)Casey
D)Schein

Question 23

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of Casey's (1995)concept of 'designer' culture?

A)the promotion of individual values of dedication,loyalty,self-sacrifice and passion
B)Customers are not only end users but also employees and key stakeholders.
C)Language centers around the concepts of teams and family.
D)The culture is displayed only to those inside it,and is not visible to those outside it.

Question 24

What is the term Casey (1995)uses to refer to culture characterized by: 1)values of dedication,loyalty,self-sacrifice and passion;2)customers are not only end users but also employees and key stakeholders;3)language centers around team and family;and 4)there is a strong public display of the culture?

A)a 'strong' culture
B)a 'designer' culture
C)a 'dysfunctional' culture
D)an 'excellence' culture

Question 25

According to Chan (2002)culture should be thought of as a verb rather than a noun.What does Chan mean by this? Do you agree or disagree with Chan's fragmentation perspective of culture,and why?

Question 26

What is the perspective that views organizational culture as fragmented,never clearly consistent nor clearly contested,forming around certain emergent issues as people regulate their position within the cultural spaces created for and around them,and then dissolving?

A)integrationist
B)differentiated
C)fragmentation
D)regulated

Question 27

How might different methodological approaches to researching culture affect the answer to the question 'What is culture'?

Question 28

Which one of the following would NOT be typical of the fragmentation perspective of organizational culture?

A)Culture defragments people into a unified,strong culture.
B)Culture promotes ambiguity which provides a protective shroud from the meaninglessness of everyday organizational life.
C)Culture is never consistent nor clearly contested,it forms around certain emergent issues and then dissolves as people regulate their position within cultural spaces created for and around them.
D)all of these