Deck 14: Managing Conflict, Change, and Politics

Question 1

Identify an accurate statement about structural conflict.

A) Its primary intent is to use competition to motivate employees to do exceptional work.
B) If some employees involved in a structural conflict report to another supervisor, managing the conflict requires the cooperation of only one employee's supervisors.
C) Knowing that a conflict is structural frees a supervisor from taking the issue personally and alerts him or her to situations that require extra diplomacy.
D) Because supervisors do not establish an organization's structure, they are not needed to be able to recognize the sources of structural conflict.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Jonathan is a new employee at an IT firm. He empathizes with his colleagues, cares for them, and has a good understanding of how people work in groups. Which of the following statements is true about Jonathan?

A) He has a high level of self-motivation.
B) He ranks high on the scale of self-regulation.
C) He ranks high on the scale of social awareness.
D) He has a high level of intelligence quotient.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Nathan works as a senior product designer for a textile firm. He reports to two different managers. One manager wants him to produce new designs every week, whereas the other manager wants him to create products with the firm's existing designs. Nathan is confused about the chain of command and is unsure about his production targets. Which of the following statements is most likely true about the scenario?

A) Nathan lacks the emotional intelligence necessary to handle the situation.
B) The scenario is an example of structural conflict.
C) Nathan lacks the expert power necessary to handle the situation.
D) The scenario is an example of interpersonal conflict.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following terms best describes the ability to control emotions and maintain integrity?

A) Self-motivation
B) Self-awareness
C) Self-regulation
D) Self-actualization

Question 5

Which of the following terms best describes the quality of recognizing one's emotions and how they affect others?

A) Self-discipline
B) Self-regulation
C) Self-motivation
D) Self-awareness

Question 6

Which of the following will a loser experience when conflict is viewed as a win-lose proposition?

A) Frustration
B) Exhilaration
C) Satisfaction
D) Procrastination

Question 7

AdvancedTech Industries is a manufacturing company that is structured in a way that its employees have dual managers improving their performance and efficiency. Salma, an employee at AdvancedTech, develops a conflict because she is a shared resource and needs to report to an experienced functional manager as well as a relatively new project manager. Identify the type of conflict in this situation.

A) Structural conflict
B) Personal conflict
C) Strategic conflict
D) Interpersonal conflict

Question 8

________ can be best described as the ability to manage emotions and interpersonal relationships.

A) Emotional intelligence
B) Emotional maturity
C) Emotional contagion
D) Emotional perception

Question 9

________ conflicts often arise when production and marketing departments are at odds; marketing wants to give customers whatever they ask for, and production wants to make what it can easily and well.

A) Positive
B) Intrapersonal
C) Strategic
D) Structural

Question 10

A conflict that arises when a person has trouble selecting from among goals can be best categorized as a(n) ________ conflict.

A) strategic
B) structural
C) interpersonal
D) intrapersonal

Question 11

Conflict arising within an individual is termed

A) interpersonal conflict.
B) structural conflict.
C) strategic conflict.
D) intrapersonal conflict.

Question 12

Which of the following is an example of interpersonal conflict?

A) Ronnie disagrees with his superior because Ronnie and his superior support different political parties.
B) Jennifer cannot decide which university she wants to study at because she got low grades in her exams.
C) Jane, Martin, and Jessica are unsure about their answers to a math problem.
D) Veronica cannot decide which car she wants to buy.

Question 13

Anne had a conflict with Zarifa, a customer, because of differences in their religious values and beliefs. Identify the type of conflict in this situation.

A) Intrapersonal conflict
B) Interpersonal conflict
C) Structural conflict
D) Strategic conflict

Question 14

Which of the following terms best describes the quality in people who strive to meet goals and improve themselves?

A) Self-actualization
B) Self-regulation
C) Self-awareness
D) Self-motivation

Question 15

Which of the following is the most common reason for structural conflict?

A) Difficulty in balancing one's roles at work and at home
B) Variety in employees' values and opinions
C) Various groups in an organization sharing resources
D) Using competition to motivate employees to do exceptional work

Question 16

Conflict between individuals or groups is called

A) structural conflict.
B) interpersonal conflict.
C) organizational conflict.
D) intrapersonal conflict.

Question 17

Which of the following situations is most likely to result in structural conflict?

A) When a supervisor has trouble selecting a choice between two mixed possibilities
B) When a supervisor's manager ignores the chain of command and gives directions to the supervisor's employees
C) When an organization's management intentionally brings about a conflict to achieve an objective
D) When a conflict arises between a supervisor and a peer from differing opinions

Question 18

Dean, supervisor at NeonColors Inc., has a conflict with his colleague, Nathan, because they could not agree on the design of a product. As what type of conflict can this be best categorized?

A) Interpersonal conflict
B) Intrapersonal conflict
C) Structural conflict
D) Strategic conflict

Question 19

The struggle that results from incompatible or opposing needs, feelings, thoughts, or demands within a person or between two or more people is the most accurate definition of

A) competition.
B) conflict.
C) frustration.
D) crusade.

Question 20

A(n)________ conflict often arises when two different groups in an organization require assistance from the support team at the same time. However, the support team can attend to only one group at a time.

A) Positive
B) Interpersonal
C) Strategic
D) Structural

Question 21

Which of the following is a feature of compromising as a strategy for conflict management?

A) It is the best way to solve a conflict without experiencing any frustration.
B) It works when people who choose to compromise would rather force someone to accept a completely disagreeable choice.
C) It is the best way to solve the underlying problem of a conflict.
D) It works best when the problem is relatively minor and time is limited.

Question 22

In an organization with self-managed work teams, one of the teams decides that instead of reaching a consensus on some issue, it will simply vote on what to do. The majority then makes the decision. Identify the type of conflict management strategy used in this scenario.

A) Resolving a problem
B) Avoiding
C) Compromising
D) Forcing a solution

Question 23

Two supervisors of an organization present conflicting proposals for allocating space among their departments. A committee of higher-level managers selects one proposal, allowing no room for discussion. Of which type of strategy for conflict management is this an example?

A) Avoiding
B) Forcing a solution
C) Compromising
D) Confronting the problem and resolving it

Question 24

When initiating conflict resolution, a supervisor should

A) act as soon as he or she is aware of the problem.
B) ignore it at first because it may go away.
C) get emotionally involved to gain a better understanding of the problem.
D) focus on the personalities of those involved.

Question 25

When initiating conflict resolution, the first step is to

A) listen to the solution.
B) find a solution together with other conflicting parties.
C) understand the conflict.
D) restate the problem.

Question 26

Which of these strategies makes most sense if one assumes that all conflict is bad?

A) Avoidance
B) Compromise
C) Forcing a solution
D) Resolving

Question 27

Natalie, the supervisor of a 24-hour pharmacy, schedules the work shifts of her employees. Recently, two of her senior employees had a conflict because each of them wanted both Friday and Saturday nights off. Natalie gave one employee Friday nights off and the other employee Saturday nights off. In this case, Natalie used a(n) ________ strategy to resolve the conflict.

A) avoiding
B) smoothing
C) compromise
D) grievance redressal

Question 28

The most direct and sometimes the most difficult way to manage conflict is to

A) settle on a solution that gives each person part of what he or she wants.
B) confront the problem and solve it.
C) force a solution.
D) avoid it.

Question 29

A(n) ________ conflict can be best defined as a conflict that an organization's management or an individual sometimes intentionally brings about to achieve an objective.

A) intrapersonal
B) interpersonal
C) structural
D) strategic

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true about avoidance as a strategy for conflict management?

A) Avoidance strategies work for conflicts for which a solution would be more difficult than the problem justifies.
B) Avoidance strategies work best when conflicts are serious.
C) Avoiding conflicts is effective because it generally makes conflicts go away.
D) Avoiding conflicts is always a logical approach because all conflict is bad.

Question 31

In cultures where people place a higher value on harmony than on "telling it like it is," which of the following strategies are they most likely to implement for managing conflict?

A) Forcing strategy
B) Avoidance strategy
C) Confrontation strategy
D) Resolution strategy

Question 32

A conflict that arises between two employees when their manager informs that they are both are in the running for a retiring supervisor's job can be best categorized as a(n) ________ conflict.

A) strategic
B) interpersonal
C) structural
D) intrapersonal

Question 33

Which of these is a feature of forcing a solution as a strategy for conflict management?

A) It is the best way to solve a conflict without experiencing any frustration.
B) It rarely works during emergencies because it tends to be time consuming.
C) It requires a supervisor to listen to both sides and attempt to understand rather than to place blame.
D) It can be implemented when a team leader makes the overall decision and lets the group work out the details.

Question 34

________ can be best defined as settling on a solution that gives each person in a conflict part of what he or she wants; no one gets everything, and no one loses completely.

A) Strategic avoidance
B) Consolidation
C) Compromise
D) Resolution

Question 35

Two supervisors, Jake and Gareth, have a conflict about the use of shared resources in their organization. Both Jake and Gareth understand the conflict. Jake states the problem of shared resources to Gareth. According to the conflict resolution process, which of the following steps should Jake take next?

A) He should listen to Gareth's response.
B) He should reiterate the problem to Gareth and other teams in the organization.
C) He should talk immediately to the top management.
D) He should immediately have a brainstorming session with Gareth about possible solutions to the problem.

Question 36

The sales department at Fortuerer Corp. decides to have a contest between two experienced salespeople to determine who would first reach the sales target of $150,000 in the first quarter of the year. The winner of the contest would be given a bonus and a paid leave of two weeks by the firm. This contest is an example of a(n)

A) structural conflict.
B) interpersonal conflict.
C) individual conflict.
D) strategic conflict.

Question 37

Which of the following strategies for conflict management assumes that many conflicts are win-win conflicts?

A) Forcing
B) Avoiding
C) Compromising
D) Resolving

Question 38

Which of the following statements is true of the strategy of conflict resolution?

A) It avoids frustration among the conflicting parties and makes them feel like winners.
B) It is the best approach in an emergency because it is a relatively fast way to manage conflicts.
C) It works better than the avoidance strategy of conflict management when conflicts are less serious.
D) It leads to the assumption that the parties to a conflict have a win-lose situation.

Question 39

Managing a conflict by confronting the problem and solving it is known as

A) compromise.
B) forcing.
C) conflict resolution.
D) conflict consolidation.

Question 40

Conflict management can be best defined as

A) responding to problems stemming from conflict.
B) resolving only strategic conflicts within an organization.
C) managing one's relationships with family members.
D) responding solely to an organization's cultural and diversity issues.

Question 41

Which of the following reactions should be avoided by a supervisor when an employee says, "You always give me the dirty assignments?"

A) Letting the employee vent those feelings and then getting down to discussing the problem
B) Trying to interpret the problem in the terms the supervisor would use to express the problem
C) Showing his or her power and authority by being angry and defensive
D) Finding out what specific actions the employee is referring to

Question 42

Which generation preceded the Silent Generation?

A) Generation X
B) Generation Y
C) Greatest Generation
D) Baby Boomers

Question 43

Which of the following is a factor that can affect the success of a change by primarily focusing on the fact that any changes should make an organization more effective in delivering high quality?

A) The kind of change to be made
B) The determination of what to change
C) The evaluation of change
D) The change agent

Question 44

Which of the following statements is true of Baby Boomers?

A) They were born between 1925 and 1942.
B) They were born after the Silent Generation.
C) They preceded Generation X.
D) They are otherwise known as the "Millennials."

Question 45

Which generation was born and grew up in a time of significant socioeconomic and political change, and now largely comprises the leadership positions of most organizations?

A) Generation X
B) Baby Boomers
C) Greatest Generation
D) Silent Generation

Question 46

Which of the following generations followed the Silent Generation?

A) Baby Boomers
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Greatest Generation

Question 47

Which of the following statements is true about conflict between work and family demands?

A) Employees try to balance work and family instead of choosing one over the other.
B) Many companies realize that there is labor supply shortage and have begun to adopt family-friendly policies and values.
C) Most organizations demand 30 hours per week or less to maintain a high-powered career.
D) Work always takes precedence over family demands.

Question 48

Which of the following is true when mediating a conflict?

A) Asking each person to explain what the problem is should be avoided because it leads to delay and chaos.
B) It is considered wise not to encourage employees to select a solution.
C) The supervisor should refrain from restating each person's position in his or her own words.
D) The supervisor should summarize what has been discussed and agreed on.

Question 49

When responding to a conflict where the other person is emotional, one should

A) explain the constructive ways of using emotions.
B) first let that person vent those feelings.
C) concentrate on the problem at hand and not let that person be emotional.
D) use avoidance or smoothing as a way to manage the conflict.

Question 50

What should be done when the parties to a conflict are a supervisor's employees?

A) The supervisor should refer the peers to a higher-level manager.
B) The supervisor should ask the most senior employee to mediate the conflict.
C) The supervisor should refer his or her employees to another supervisor.
D) The supervisor should do his or her duty by mediating the conflict.

Question 51

Identify the correct statement regarding conflict mediation by a supervisor.

A) Having all participants suggest as many solutions as they can usually leads to chaos and delay.
B) Combining or modifying ideas usually leads to complications and thus should be avoided.
C) The supervisor should have all the parties state individually what they want to accomplish or what will satisfy them.
D) It is considered wise to focus on the present rather than on the future when mediating a conflict.

Question 52

Which of the following generations was born approximately between the years 1960 and 1981?

A) Silent Generation
B) Baby Boomers
C) Generation X
D) Generation Y

Question 53

Which of the following statements is true about the people of Generation Y?

A) They are otherwise known as the "Greatest Generation."
B) They preceded the Silent Generation.
C) They experienced comparatively more changes than prior generations.
D) They grew up with heavy exposure to technology, which Baby Boomers lacked.

Question 54

When responding to a conflict, which of the following best defines a hidden agenda?

A) A confidential list of steps that need to be taken soon
B) A central concern that is left unstated
C) A method of smoothing where a person exhibits his or her anger
D) A situation where a person's feelings are confidentially disclosed

Question 55

The generation of the Millennials is also known as ________.

A) Generation A
B) Generation X
C) Generation Y
D) Generation Z

Question 56

Since change is a fact of organizational life, supervisors

A) must decide whether organizations should change.
B) should tactfully refer all problems to higher-level managers.
C) must decide how to make the changes work.
D) should not be change agents, since only top management makes changes.

Question 57

Which of the following is a requisite for a change agent?

A) Expertise in the area affected
B) Coercive power
C) Self-actualization
D) Referent power

Question 58

When a person initiates a conflict resolution with another person, which of the following is the next step that should be taken immediately after the two people work together to find a solution?

A) Implement the solution
B) Restate the problem
C) Understand the conflict
D) Restate the solution

Question 59

Which of the following factors acts as an external source of change in an organization?

A) The performance of senior executives
B) The working conditions of employees
C) The formation of labor unions
D) New government regulations

Question 60

What should be done when the parties to a conflict are peers of a supervisor?

A) The supervisor should refer the peers to another supervisor.
B) The supervisor should do his or her duty by mediating the conflict.
C) The supervisor should refer the peers to a higher-level manager.
D) The supervisor should ask one of the peers to mediate the conflict.

Question 61

The ability to influence people to behave in a certain way is called

A) conflict resolution.
B) power.
C) nepotism.
D) unethical leadership.

Question 62

Robert is a project engineer who possesses great problem-solving abilities and knowledge of the software system used by his company. He is considered his group's informal leader because of his

A) position power.
B) political power.
C) personal power.
D) connection power.

Question 63

While talking about their supervisors, a group of employees at GreenWire Corp. agreed that one of the supervisors, Samuel, has a winning personality. They found out that they like working for him and often did more than what they were asked to do because they wanted Samuel to like them. From the given information, we can infer that Samuel has ________ power.

A) position
B) expert
C) referent
D) reward

Question 64

Pick the statement that is true regarding the implementation of change according to Lewin's model of change.

A) In any given situation, a supervisor has the complete authority to make a change and to implement it.
B) Employees must see the status quo as less than ideal before a change can occur.
C) Behaviors, by their nature, are more resistant to change than values.
D) A supervisor's duty does not encompass creating conditions in which changes are likely to last.

Question 65

Jordan is a new salesperson at an automobile firm. He is respected by his peers and colleagues because of the vast knowledge he possesses in marketing. Many salespeople in his firm seek his advice and tips on marketing strategies. In this case, Jordan has ________.

A) connection power
B) referent power
C) expert power
D) coercive power

Question 66

If a supervisor has control over scheduling a change, he or she should

A) build on failures so that employees will learn from them.
B) make sure that deadlines are reasonable.
C) have employees undergo training before they are told about the new change.
D) focus on enforcing change without worrying about the implications.

Question 67

Power that arises from an individual's formal role in an organization is termed

A) position power.
B) personal power.
C) physical power.
D) referent power.

Question 68

A senior sales executive says, "Achieve your sales target, or you will be demoted." This statement suggests the senior sales executive's use of ________.

A) coercive power
B) referent power
C) connection power
D) expert power

Question 69

Power that arises from possessing valuable data is termed

A) information power.
B) expert power.
C) legitimate power.
D) coercive power.

Question 70

Which of the following is a guideline that supervisors may use in implementing change?

A) Keep reasons for change confidential
B) Reassure employees by hiding bad news
C) Roll out the change gradually
D) Implement change without employee involvement

Question 71

This generation experienced comparatively less change than some prior generations. This generation is also known as the "Millennials." Which generation is this?

A) Baby Boomers
B) Greatest Generation
C) Generation X
D) Generation Y

Question 72

________ can be best defined as the power that arises from a person's knowledge or skills.

A) Information power
B) Specialization power
C) Expert power
D) Referent power

Question 73

________ can be best defined as the power that arises from fear related to the use of force.

A) Coercive power
B) Expert power
C) Authoritarian power
D) Connection power

Question 74

What is a characteristic of reward power?

A) It may be in the form of a raise but not recognition.
B) Supervisors are often limited in this regard.
C) This type of power may get results in the short run, but employees come to resent it in the long run.
D) A person with reward power is often called "charismatic."

Question 75

Legitimate power

A) arises from fear related to the use of force.
B) arises from a person's knowledge or skills.
C) comes from the emotions a person inspires.
D) comes from the position a person holds.

Question 76

The power that enables supervisors to delegate tasks to employees is termed ________ power.

A) legitimate
B) referent
C) expert
D) coercive

Question 77

To propose a change effectively, a supervisor should begin by

A) analyzing it.
B) cautiously recommending it.
C) convincing top management.
D) writing a proposal.

Question 78

James works as a supervisor at FastLoops Co. He transferred his most hardworking night-shift worker, Mary, to the day shift, which she had been wanting for a long time. Which type of power did James use to reinforce hard work?

A) Connection power
B) Supervisory power
C) Reward power
D) Referent power

Question 79

Which of the following best exemplifies connection power?

A) An organization's employee who is given a raise by his or her supervisor
B) An organization's employee who is the daughter of a vice president
C) An organization's supervisor who exudes enthusiasm, energy, and genuine enjoyment
D) An organization's supervisor who knows when the department manager will be out of town

Question 80

________ can be best defined as intentional acts of influence to enhance or protect the self-interest of individuals or groups.

A) Role conflicts
B) Strategic conflicts
C) Hidden agendas
D) Organizational politics