Deck 6: Chief Executives and Challenges of Administrative Leadership

Question 1

The following are all behavior patterns said by Heclo to be characteristic of many bureaucrats except

A)Gradualism.
B)concern for maintaining relationships.
C)simple obstructionism.
D)political caution (independence from appointees).

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Virtually every modern president has had to lead a governmental response to a crisis or emergency and has expanded the powers of the presidency by doing so.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

All of the following are key functions of the Office of Management and Budget except

A)coordinating executive budget requests.
B)supervising the upgrading of agency management practices.
C)performing all legislative research for the president.
D)monitoring all agencies' legislative proposals.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following presidents was called upon regularly to exercise leadership in times of severe economic and military crisis?

A)Gerald Ford
B)Franklin D.Roosevelt
C)Dwight D.Eisenhower
D)Jimmy Carter

Question 5

All of the following are existing constraints upon gubernatorial leadership except

A)constitutional earmarking of funds.
B)shared authority in filling executive posts.
C)limits on the number and length of terms in office.
D)restrictions on partisan activity while in office.

Question 6

The exception principle exists because

A)administrators don't always report negative information to superiors.
B)executives are not aware of the goings on in administration.
C)executives don't care how administrators do their jobs.
D)administrators are not held accountable.
E)all of the above.

Question 7

All of the following are situational factors except

A)rank.
B)leader personality.
C)task structure.
D)concern for workers.

Question 8

The situational approach assumes that successful leadership depends on all of the following except

A)group values.
B)interpersonal relations.
C)personal traits.
D)cutback management.
E)task-related elements.

Question 9

The ability to initiate actions and proposals is not politically significant for a chief executive.

Question 10

All the following standard reorganization strategies promote the centralization of authority in the executive branch except

A)grouping related functions under a common command.
B)expanding opportunities for public participation in the administrative process.
C)increasing the number of executive staff positions.
D)limiting the number of subordinates under each executive.

Question 11

Which of the following is usually not a recommended course of action for a leader who is trying to be effective?

A)Publicly criticizing those who need to improve
B)Preventing "cronyism" and favoritism
C)Pulling rank on uncooperative members and threatening reprisals for not following orders
D)Dealing fairly, openly, and equitably with all members
E)Both A and C

Question 12

All of the following are leadership tactics for resisting organizational decline during cutback management except

A)mobilizing dependent clienteles.
B)adopting user charges for services.
C)cutting low-prestige programs.
D)improving productivity.

Question 13

Which of the following chief executives exercised unusual control over his bureaucracy because of patronage in government hiring?

A)Bill Clinton
B)Huey P.Long
C)Hubert Humphrey
D)Ronald Reagan

Question 14

Common to all strong chief executives are all of the following leadership resources except

A)an important role in budget making.
B)party and legislative support.
C)the power to impound funds.
D)strong staff resources.

Question 15

In attempting to deal with tensions between political appointees and career officials, some presidents have experimented (usually unsuccessfully) with

A)cabinet government.
B)running operations directly from the White House.
C)an administrative presidency.
D)all of the above.

Question 16

Group factors that permit strong, directive leadership are very similar to those that promote a leader's role as

A)gladiator.
B)motivator.
C)catalyst/innovator.
D)coordinator/integrator.

Question 17

What is the most common setting for a leader to perform the gladiator role?

A)Personnel evaluations
B)Budgetary decision making
C)Personnel recruiting
D)Responding to complaints

Question 18

A chief executive's ability to take action without serious challenge from others is usually greatest in which of the following sets of circumstances?

A)Implementing policy through bureaucratic channels
B)Coordinating budget requests for the legislature
C)Directing governmental responses to a crisis
D)Controlling the flow of information

Question 19

What leadership instrument available to the president and most governors is particularly useful as a source of budgetary influence?

A)Information resources
B)Veto power
C)Personnel selection
D)All of the above

Question 20

The Iran-Contra affair involved the sale of weapons to Iran through U.S.government agencies.

Question 21

The exception principle does not always work well in a bureaucracy, because there are strong pressures against transmitting bad news to superiors in the hierarchy.

Question 22

President Obama has been criticized for not being more open with his cabinet members.

Question 23

In most cases, a leader who is responsive to member suggestions will be perceived by members as weak and ineffectual and, therefore, not worthy of respect as a good leader.

Question 24

Tunnel vision among group members makes it easier for a leader to introduce organization-wide reforms.

Question 25

The leader's role as gladiator has become less important as public budgets increase.

Question 26

Most cities with a population of 50,000 or more and a formal mayor-council structure have a strong mayor.

Question 27

The power to initiate policy proposals and follow through on them is a key element of executive leadership.

Question 28

The leader's role as coordinator is facilitated by the regular exchange and circulation of information about what might be done and what is under consideration.

Question 29

The more complex the bureaucratic structure of a particular executive agency is, the harder it will be for the chief executive to gather and use information.

Question 30

The BP Deepwater Horizon crisis in the Gulf is referred to as President Obama's Katrina.

Question 31

The greater the responsibility an individual bears for achieving official goals, the greater that individual's commitment is likely to be to the goals themselves.

Question 32

Bureaucratic types that Downs labeled "climbers" and "conservers" can greatly aid a leader who is trying to reconcile personal and organizational goals.

Question 33

According to Mary Parker Follett, a subordinate's receptiveness to orders is inversely related to the distance the orders must travel through the organization.

Question 34

A leader intent on building cohesion and unity within an organization should try to prevent "empire building" by individual members and should refrain from favoring some members over others in his or her activities as leader.

Question 35

Executive branch reorganizations matter most in terms of the distribution of influence, the flow of communication, and the course of policy-not economy and efficiency.

Question 36

In most states, chief executives can depend upon their cabinet secretaries to be loyal primarily to them, with few, if any, competing loyalties.

Question 37

The great majority of county executives preside in counties with more than 100,000 inhabitants.