Deck 7: Leader Member Exchange Theory

Question 1

Which of the following leadership theories emphasizes the specific relationship between the leader and each subordinate?

A) Transformational leadership theory
B) Path-goal leadership theory
C) Situational leadership theory
D) Leader-member exchange theory

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The early research on LMX theory was called

A) Group classification theory
B) Vertical dyad linkage theory
C) Didactic linkage theory
D) Horizontal dyad linkage theory

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which leadership approach is not leader centered?

A) Trait
B) LMX
C) Skills
D) Behavioral

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to early LMX theory, which of the following is false?

A) The out-group has less influence with the leader than does the in-group
B) The leader usually expects extra duties from out-group members
C) In-group members are chosen on the basis of compatibility with the leader
D) Out-group members may not want to be in-group members

Question 5

In LMX leaders treat followers

A) Equally
B) In a collective way
C) Independently
D) According to group average

Question 6

Which theory challenges the assumption that leaders treat followers in a collective way?

A) LMX
B) Skills
C) Trait
D) Style

Question 7

In the early stages of leader-member relationship development, leaders look for followers who exhibit all of the following except

A) Enthusiasm
B) Agreeableness
C) Participation
D) Gregariousness
E) Extraversion

Question 8

The dyadic relationships in LMX occur between

A) The leader and other leaders
B) The leader and the in-group followers
C) The leader and each follower
D) The followers and each other follower

Question 9

There is a mutual personality conflict between you and one of your followers. If this continues, the follower will end up in the

A) In-group
B) Out-group
C) Mature group
D) Acquaintance group

Question 10

A follower asks to lead the next team brainstorming session and you let him/her do this. You and the follower are

A) In the stranger phase of leadership-making
B) In a dyadic in-group relationship
C) In a dyadic stranger phase
D) In the mature-partnership phase of leadership-making

Question 11

Before LMX theory, researchers treated leadership as something

A) Leaders did toward all of their followers
B) Present within the individual actions of followers
C) Existing between the leader and each of his or her followers
D) As an exclusively two-way, one-dimensional form of communication

Question 12

LMX focuses on

A) Matching leader behaviors to followers' development levels
B) The integration of task and relationship behaviors
C) Matching the leader behavior to follower characteristics
D) The dyadic relationship between the leader and follower

Question 13

Which leadership theory centered on the interaction between leaders and followers?

A) Trait
B) Skills
C) LMX
D) Style

Question 14

The early studies in LMX reported that

A) After the in-groups are formed, the vertical dyads are formed
B) After the out-groups are formed, the vertical dyads are formed
C) The vertical dyads form the basis for in-group and out-group formation
D) The vertical dyads are independent from in-group and out-group formation

Question 15

I am a leader of a team of eight employees. In LMX, what is the maximum number of groups this team could be categorized into based on vertical dyadic relationships?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 8

Question 16

All of the following are characteristics of out-group members except

A) Defined roles
B) Non-negotiating behavior
C) Innovative ideas
D) Operation strictly within role

Question 17

How many vertical dyadic relationships can occur in LMX?

A) Only one, the relationship between leader and all followers
B) Only one, the relationship between the leader and the in-group
C) Two, the relationship between the leader and the in-group and out-group
D) As many linkages as there are followers

Question 18

A leader who invites a follower to take on more responsibility is

A) Attempting to help the follower into the in-group
B) Attempting to determine whether the follower will fail at the task
C) Attempting to help the follower into the out-group
D) Attempting to make in-group members resentful of this follower

Question 19

The vertical dyadic relationship in LMX is established by

A) The leader
B) The follower
C) The leader and follower
D) The leader and the organizational structure

Question 20

What is it called in LMX when leaders form a relationship with each of their followers?

A) In-group
B) Out-group
C) Vertical dyad
D) X-Y axes integration

Question 21

According to Atwater and Carmeli, a study of employees in a variety of jobs in Israeli organizations found

A) High-quality leader-member exchanges were directly correlated with creativity
B) High-quality leader-member exchanges were negatively correlated with employee feelings of energy
C) LMX was directly correlated with creativity
D) LMX correlated with employee feelings of energy, which then enhanced their creativity

Question 22

The later LMX studies focused on

A) Follower locus of control
B) Positive outcomes for both the leader and followers
C) Determining out-group characteristics
D) Task characteristics of the job

Question 23

During the stranger phase of leadership making,

A) Interests are mixed
B) Exchanges are high quality
C) Influences are one-way
D) Interests are group focused

Question 24

Studies of LMX have concluded all but the following

A) Empowerment moderates the impact of LMX on job outcomes
B) Citizenship behaviors and LMX are positively correlated
C) High-quality leader-member exchanges foster positive job outcomes
D) All employees are in the in-group to some degree

Question 25

Which of the following is not a reason followers become part of the in-group?

A) How well they work with the leader
B) How well the leader works with them
C) The amount of interest they show toward negotiating with the leader
D) Willingness to stay within job and task guidelines

Question 26

During the mature partnership phase of leadership making, the roles are

A) Scripted
B) Tested
C) Negotiated
D) Implied

Question 27

During the stranger phase of leadership making, the roles are

A) Scripted
B) Tested
C) Negotiated
D) Implied

Question 28

The later LMX studies shifted focus from describing in- and out-groups to

A) How LMX relates to organizational effectiveness
B) How LMX assesses leader behaviors
C) How LMX and servant leadership are similar
D) How LMX relates to follower skill development

Question 29

During the mature partnership phase of leadership making,

A) Roles are tested
B) Exchanges are medium quality
C) Influences are mixed
D) Interests are group focused

Question 30

During the acquaintance phase of leadership making, the roles are

A) Scripted
B) Tested
C) Negotiated
D) Implied

Question 31

During the acquaintance phase of leadership making,

A) Roles are scripted
B) Exchanges are negotiated
C) Influences are mixed
D) Influences are one-way

Question 32

Which researcher(s) measured the relationship between LMX and citizenship behaviors?

A) Komives
B) Ilies et al.
C) Greenleaf
D) Graen and Uhl-Bien

Question 33

Which theory of leadership suggests that it is important to recognize the existence of in-groups and out-groups within an organization?

A) Path-goal theory
B) Expectancy theory
C) Servant leadership
D) Leader-member exchange theory

Question 34

Later studies of LMX found all of the following except

A) Positive relationship between quality of LMX and citizenship behaviors
B) High-quality LMX was positively related to employee feelings of energy
C) Interest in studying LMX has diminished
D) High LMX correlates to positive organizational outcomes

Question 35

Gerstner and Day's meta-analysis found

A) The stranger phase is an invalid construct
B) High LMX is not correlated with job satisfaction
C) Support for the psychometric properties of the LMX 7 questionnaire
D) LMX measures followers' exchanges, not leaders'

Question 36

During the mature partnership phase of leadership making, the exchanges are

A) Low quality
B) Medium quality
C) Moderately high quality
D) High quality

Question 37

During the stranger phase of leadership making, the exchanges are

A) Low quality
B) Medium quality
C) Moderately high quality
D) High quality

Question 38

Roles being tested in leadership-making means

A) The leader and follower have already tested their interactions and found them satisfactory
B) The leader and follower are assessing desire for the follower to take on new responsibilities
C) The leader and follower are focused on the rules of interaction
D) The leader and follower are comfortable depending on each other

Question 39

During the acquaintance phase of leadership making, the exchanges are

A) Low quality
B) Medium quality
C) Moderately high quality
D) High quality

Question 40

I go to work, get the job done and go home. I am most likely in the

A) In-group
B) Out-group
C) Mature partnership phase
D) Acquaintance phase

Question 41

During the early phases of leadership making, leaders look for what qualities in followers?

A) Agreeableness and cooperation
B) Good humor and intelligence
C) Enthusiasm and participation
D) Pleasantness and trustworthiness

Question 42

The prescriptive nature of LMX

A) Is described by the in-group and out-group
B) Relies on leaders adjusting to follower characteristics
C) Is found in the leadership-making phases
D) Relies on followers making a social connection with the leader

Question 43

You have been working at your job for over a year. Your boss started offering you new assignments with weekly meetings for the past two months in order to exchange valuable
Information regarding the tasks. According to the LMX theory, you are having _________ exchanges.

A) High-quality
B) Low-quality
C) Medium-quality
D) Negotiated-quality

Question 44

You have been working at your job for over a year. Your boss starts offering you new assignments with weekly meetings in order to exchange valuable information regarding
The tasks. The result is that you and your boss are able to redefine your working relationship and
Find new ways of relating. According to the LMX theory, you are now in a _____ role.

A) Tested
B) Mixed
C) Scripted
D) Negotiated

Question 45

During the acquaintance phase of leadership making, subordinates tend to focus

A) Less on their own self-interests
B) Mostly on their own self-interests
C) Less on the group's interests
D) On both their own and the group's interests

Question 46

Out-group members act differently from in-group members in that they

A) Interact often with the leader
B) Perform their job duties but no extra work
C) Ask for additional responsibility
D) Receive special attention from their leaders

Question 47

You have been working at your job for over a year. Your boss starts offering you new assignments with weekly meetings in order to exchange valuable information regarding
The tasks. According to the LMX theory, you are now in a _____ role.

A) Tested
B) Low-quality
C) Scripted
D) Negotiated

Question 48

The leader of your work team consistently shows she trusts and respects you and depends on you to help the team accomplish established goals. You show her through your reliable actions and communication that her trust is warranted. You and your supervisor are in the

A) Mature partnership phase
B) Acquaintance phase
C) Medium-quality phase
D) Tested stranger phase

Question 49

The mature partnership phase is not characterized by

A) Tasks
B) Respect
C) Reciprocity
D) Transformational relationships

Question 50

During the acquaintance phase of leadership making, interests are

A) Self-focused
B) Group focused
C) Focused on group and self
D) Reciprocal

Question 51

The leadership-making model is

A) Prescriptive
B) Descriptive
C) Unscripted
D) Transactional

Question 52

Which of the following is not a subordinate benefit of high LMX?

A) Increased performance-related feedback
B) Preferential treatment
C) Social interaction outside of the work setting
D) Ample access to supervisors

Question 53

The dyadic relationship in LMX is

A) Descriptive
B) Prescriptive
C) Unscripted
D) Both descriptive and prescriptive

Question 54

Who is responsible for making the offer for improved career-oriented interactions?

A) Leader
B) Follower
C) Leader or follower
D) Followers' coworkers

Question 55

According to Graen and Uhl-Bien, leadership making develops progressively over time in how many phases?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6

Question 56

You have been working at your job for over a year. Your boss starts offering you new assignments with weekly meetings in order to exchange valuable information regarding
The tasks. According to the LMX theory, the influence between you is __________.

A) Tested
B) Medium quality
C) Mixed
D) Negotiated

Question 57

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of LMX theory?

A) It runs counter to the human value of fairness.
B) It discriminates against some subordinates.
C) It directs our attention to the importance of the leader-member dyad.
D) It supports the advantage of privileged groups in the workplace.

Question 58

What is a key predictor of relationship quality for both leaders and followers?

A) Extraversion
B) Performance
C) Agreeableness
D) Trust

Question 59

In-group members

A) Get more information from leaders
B) Are focused on themselves rather than the team
C) Have low-quality leader-member exchanges
D) Do their jobs and nothing more

Question 60

According to Harris, Wheeler, and Kacmar, what moderates the impact of leader-member exchange on job outcomes?

A) Empowerment
B) Enthusiasm
C) Cooperation
D) Amount of experience

Question 61

Applying LMX in the workplace

A) Makes things fair for all followers
B) Helps followers understand in- and out-groups
C) Can appear unfair to some followers
D) Does not work in the real world

Question 62

Which of the following is not a criticism of LMX?

A) LMX does not fully explain the creation of high-quality exchanges
B) It runs counter to the human value of fairness
C) It looks at dyadic relationships in the leadership process
D) The measurement of LMX is questionable

Question 63

When high-quality relationships occur between leaders and followers

A) Goals of the organization are advanced
B) Organizational performance is high
C) Benefits outside employment are decreased
D) Positive outcomes for greater good occur

Question 64

In LMX theory, the dyadic relationship is the focal point of the leadership process.

Question 65

I focus on getting my job done and satisfying my needs and also think about the needs of my team members. I also consider my influence with my leader as mixed and one in which we are both testing my role in the organization. We are in the

A) Mature partnership phase
B) Acquaintance phase
C) Stranger phase
D) Negotiated phase

Question 66

Ray is the leader of a non-profit organization that supports education for underserved populations in your community. You volunteer regularly with this organization and see Ray almost every day you are volunteering. Yesterday Ray asked you to take on a lead volunteer role, stating that your commitment to the organization and interaction with Ray have shown him he can count on you. You agree to step into this lead volunteer role. You and Ray have just entered which phase of leadership making?

A) Mature partnership phase
B) Acquaintance phase
C) Scripted partnership phase
D) Stranger phase

Question 67

The acronym VDL stands for variation dependent leadership.

Question 68

I feel as though I do not fit into my new work group. To which strength of LMX does this apply?

A) Leadership making ostracizes some employees
B) LMX is descriptive
C) LMX is prescriptive
D) Research on LMX is fully developed

Question 69

Dyadic relationships in the acquaintance phase

A) Begin to develop trust
B) Begin to develop respect
C) Place focus on the group's greater good
D) Focus less on self and more on group goals

Question 70

Out-group members

A) Act differently than in-group members
B) Operate outside of their job descriptions
C) Have better relationships with their leaders
D) Are treated unfairly by their leaders

Question 71

LMX theory can help leaders

A) To be aware of potential biases toward some of our followers
B) To be aware of who in the organization they can trust and depend upon
C) To be aware of trying to help all followers into the in-group
D) To be aware that some followers may not want to be in the in-group

Question 72

Phase 1 in leadership making

A) Is hierarchical
B) Is contractual
C) Is reciprocal
D) Is transformational

Question 73

Higher-quality exchanges produce

A) Higher employee turnover
B) Less positive performance evaluations
C) Better job attitudes
D) Faster career progress
E) More out-group than in-group members

Question 74

Leaders should try to

A) Create high-quality leader-member exchanges with all followers
B) Get all followers in the in-group
C) Offer all followers opportunities for new roles and responsibilities
D) Offer only in-group followers opportunities for new roles and responsibilities

Question 75

Potential for discrimination in LMX comes from

A) The high-quality LMX dyadic relationships
B) When followers are in either the in- or out-groups
C) When leaders are open to followers switching in- or out-groups
D) When leaders attempt to have all followers in the in-group

Question 76

Beth and James are in a dyadic relationship on a work team in which both of them are focused on the group's goals and outcomes. Beth and James are in

A) Tested roles
B) Low-quality exchange
C) Stranger phase
D) Mature partnership phase

Question 77

Which is not a strength of LMX?

A) It looks at dyadic relationships in the leadership process
B) It accurately describes the in- and out-group process
C) Research substantiates how LMX is related to organizational outcomes
D) It runs counter to the human value of fairness

Question 78

Which of the following is a criticism of LMX?

A) It alerts leaders to their biases
B) It is a unique approach that looks at dyadic relationships
C) LMX does not fully explain the creation of high-quality exchanges
D) It directs our attention to the importance of communication in leadership

Question 79

LMX strength(s) is/are

A) It is a unique approach that looks at dyadic relationships
B) Exchanges in all work contexts have been studied
C) It appears unfair
D) It alerts leaders to their biases

Question 80

LMX theory can be applied

A) By leaders at all levels of an organization
B) By mid-level leaders only
C) By upper-level leaders only
D) By lower-level leaders only