Deck 13: The Situation

Question 1

Kerr and Jermier proposed that certain situational or follower characteristics may effectively neutralize or substitute for leaders' task or relationship behaviors.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the context of formal organizations,organizations having written job descriptions and standardized operating procedures for each position have a low degree of formalization.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Leaders and followers often overlook how changing the situation can help them to change their behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Market cultures are characterized by a high degree of flexibility and discretion and a focus on the internal environment.

Question 5

In general,job satisfaction has more to do with nontask perceptions of work,such as feelings about co-workers,while organizational climate relates to perceptions of workload and the nature of the tasks performed.

Question 6

Competitive advantage in one generation of a product's life is no guarantee of success for future generations of that product.

Question 7

According to Heifetz,technical problems can only be solved by changing the system itself,while adaptive problems cannot be resolved without changing the nature of the social system within which they occur.

Question 8

Solving a morale problem exemplifies a structured task.

Question 9

Spatial complexity makes it easier for leaders to have face-to-face communication with subordinates and to provide personal support and encouragement.

Question 10

Leaders can change an organization's culture by attending to or ignoring problems.

Question 11

With the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator,judgers prefer activities that are unstructured.

Question 12

Greater horizontal complexity is associated with an increased likelihood for communication breakdowns between subunits.

Question 13

In the context of organizational structure,horizontal complexity refers to the number of hierarchical levels appearing on an organizational chart.

Question 14

In the context of situational factors affecting leaders' behaviors,Hunt and Osborn's multiple-influence model distinguished between microvariables and macrovariables.

Question 15

Societal culture refers to those learned behaviors that characterize the total way of life of members within any given society.

Question 16

Organizational climate is partly a function of organizational culture.

Question 17

Leaders at higher organizational levels spend most of their time and effort implementing policies and procedures.

Question 18

Tasks with high levels of interdependence require leaders to use their organizing,planning,directing,and communication skills.

Question 19

Organizational culture can be better understood by considering an organization's symbols,rituals,and language.

Question 20

Task autonomy is the degree to which a job provides individuals with some control over what they do and how they do it.

Question 21

Which of the following is not a characteristic of an adaptive problem?

A)The problem can only be solved by changing the system itself.
B)It may be difficult to reach a consensus on what the problem really is.
C)The problem may be complex,but there is an expert solution to solve it.
D)Current resources and ways of thinking may be insufficient to solve the problem.

Question 22

Unlike societies higher on collectivism,societies higher on individualism tend to

A)have a slower pace of life.
B)assign less weight to love in marriage decisions.
C)have higher heart attack rates.
D)have fewer but longer and more intimate interactions.

Question 23

Jeff is a self-employed consultant.He has complete control over his job.He schedules his work and decides what procedures to adopt to meet deadlines at work.In this scenario,Jeff's job provides him with a high degree of

A)task autonomy.
B)task interdependence.
C)task structure.
D)task feedback.

Question 24

Industrial age companies prospered by offering low-cost but standardized products and services.This pertains to

A)customer segmentation.
B)links to customers and suppliers.
C)innovations.
D)cross functions.

Question 25

An organization that has all its people in one location is typically ________ than an organization that is dispersed around the country or around the world.

A)more horizontally complex
B)more vertically complex
C)less vertically complex
D)less spatially complex

Question 26

Typically,greater horizontal complexity is associated with

A)the number of hierarchical levels appearing on an organizational chart.
B)an increased likelihood for communication breakdowns between subunits.
C)the degree of standardization in an organization.
D)the diffusion of decision making throughout an organization.

Question 27

Which of the following is an advantage of decentralized organizations over centralized organizations?

A)uniform policies and procedures that are strictly enforced
B)minimal participation in the decision process
C)greater acceptance of decision outcomes
D)clearer coordination procedures

Question 28

According to the GLOBE,which of the following behaviors is culturally contingent?

A)asocial
B)dynamic
C)ambitious
D)insensitive

Question 29

Role theory clarifies how situational demands and constraints cause

A)vertical complexity.
B)horizontal complexity.
C)role overload.
D)role conflict.

Question 30

The information age organization operates with integrated business processes that cut across traditional business functions.This concerns which operating assumption underlying the information age?

A)links to customers and suppliers
B)cross functions
C)global scales
D)knowledge workers

Question 31

Which of the following best describes the term "organizational climate"?

A)It is related to how well organizational members get along with each other.
B)It refers to the number of hierarchical levels appearing on an organizational chart.
C)It is related to the task of resolving a morale problem on a team,committee,or work group when there is no clear-cut method for solving it.
D)It refers to the diffusion of decision making throughout an organization.

Question 32

Which of the following statements about unstructured tasks is most likely false?

A)Unstructured tasks are by nature somewhat ill defined.
B)Reducing the ambiguity of an unstructured situation is a leadership behavior appreciated by followers.
C)While it is easier for a leader to give instruction in unstructured tasks,it is not necessarily the most helpful thing to do.
D)Subordinates need help when a task is unstructured.

Question 33

GLOBE researchers identified six cultural dimensions that were determined to be applicable across all global cultures for assessing culturally endorsed implicit theories of leadership (CLTs).Which of the following reflects the degree to which managers involve others in making and implementing decisions?

A)team-oriented leadership
B)humane-oriented leadership
C)autonomous leadership
D)participative leadership

Question 34

In the context of organizational tasks,which of the following best describes task interdependence?

A)It concerns the degree to which a job provides an individual with some control over what he does and how he does it.
B)It refers to the degree to which a person accomplishing a task receives information about performance from performing the task itself.
C)It refers to the degree to which an unstructured task differs from a structured task.
D)It concerns the degree to which tasks require coordination and synchronization for work groups or teams to accomplish desired goals.

Question 35

In the context of informal organizations,which of the following concerns members' subjective reactions to the organization?

A)organizational structure
B)formalization
C)organizational climate
D)centralization

Question 36

Which of the following terms is defined as the degree to which a person accomplishing a task receives information about performance from performing the task itself?

A)task autonomy
B)vertical complexity
C)task feedback
D)horizontal complexity

Question 37

Which of the following statements concerning societal culture is most likely false?

A)Societal culture is comprised of the learned behaviors characterizing the total way of life of members within any given society.
B)The beliefs and myths of a culture that provide context to manifest behaviors are generally hidden from view.
C)To most outsiders,the most salient and visible aspect of any culture is the values.
D)Becoming aware of cultural perspectives is critical for leaders in the global context.

Question 38

According to the GLOBE study,which of the following is universally viewed as a positive leader attribute and behavior?

A)nonexplicit
B)domineering
C)decisive
D)loner

Question 39

In the context of organizational cultures,identify a true statement about organizations with a hierarchy culture.

A)They have leaders who place premium on aggressiveness,decisiveness,and productivity.
B)They emphasize having a high degree of flexibility and discretion.
C)They tend to have formalized rules and procedures.
D)They focus their attention primarily on the external environment.

Question 40

Which of the following is a type of culture that has roots in a phrase that mean "temporary or specialized"?

A)adhocracy culture
B)hierarchy culture
C)clan culture
D)market culture