Deck 14: Organization-Oriented Behaviors

Question 1

Scanning the environment involves gathering and critically evaluating data related to external trends, opportunities, and threats on an ongoing and relatively informal basis. The elements of this competency include all of the following except:

A) Monitoring and consulting outside the organization
B) Benchmarking against direct competitors
C) Identifying external threats, opportunities, and trends
D) Investigating critical trends in detail

Answer 1

Benchmarking against direct competitors

Question 2

The example of public sector organizations responding to technology changes by developing special compensation schedules for information technology staff illustrates which of the following guidelines for scanning the environment?

A) Identify multiple relevant sources of external information
B) Reflect of the significance of external trends
C) Follow up on the significant external trends
D) Link scanning and strategic planning

Answer 2

Follow up on the significant external trends

Question 3

Good environmental scanning by leaders is a prelude to the data gathering that occurs in __________.

A) Networking and partnering
B) Decision making
C) Strategic planning
D) Articulating the mission

Answer 3

Strategic planning

Question 4

Strategic planning is a disciplined effort to produce fundamental decisions and actions that shape and guide the organization. The essential building blocks include all of the following except:

A) Defining the vision and mission
B) Determining the implicit values
C) Defining objectives of organizational purposes
D) Defining alternatives and selecting the best

Question 5

Strategic planning is part of the strategic management complex in contemporary organizations. In this environment, __________ provide in-depth analysis of efficiency, effectiveness, appropriateness and impact.

A) Performance indicators
B) Program evaluations
C) Performance budgeting
D) Performance evaluations

Question 6

One of the greatest complaints about strategic plans is that:

A) They sit on the shelf, unused.
B) They contain superficial strategic analysis.
C) They lack integration.
D) They lack commitment.

Question 7

Articulating the mission means defining and expressing an organization's purpose, aspirations, and values. Which of the following statements is not true concerning mission articulation?

A) It excludes the organization's legal mandate
B) It includes the aspirations of the organization
C) It has both implicit and explicit aspects
D) It is expressed as an operating philosophy

Question 8

An important aspect of articulating the mission is to identify areas of opportunity and growth through key stakeholders. For public organizations the stakeholders are:

A) Taxpayers
B) Interest groups
C) Employees
D) All of the above

Question 9

The guidelines for articulating the mission and vision include all of the following except:

A) Review the mission and capabilities of the organization
B) Clarify the mission/vision, what is working, and key competencies
C) Identify areas of opportunity and growth through key stakeholders
D) Arouse commitment to the mission and instill optimism for the future

Question 10

Networking and partnering are similar in that they occur outside the normal chain of command. The elements include all of the following except:

A) Information sharing
B) Mutual support
C) Responsibility and benefits sharing
D) Legal mandates

Question 11

The networking and partnering competencies have three elements. __________ is the element that would include fire departments with joint assistance programs to enable personnel to cross jurisdictional lines.

A) Information sharing.
B) Mutual support.
C) Responsibility and benefits sharing.
D) Legal mandates.

Question 12

The guidelines for networking and partnering include all of the following except:

A) Look for occasions to make linkages and to stay in touch with outside contacts
B) Provide assistance (favors) for others
C) Choose strategic alliances for joint collaboration
D) Limit alliances to agencies capable of providing reciprocal benefits

Question 13

The competency of performing general management functions means carrying out structural responsibilities related to the organization. The __________ function relates to monitoring and resource allocation.

A) Human resource management
B) Budgetary and financial management
C) Technology management
D) All of the above

Question 14

The guidelines for performing general management functions include all of the following except:

A) Acquire a basic management education
B) Learn the specifics of organizational management functions
C) Integrate general management functions into an annual cycle and regular routines
D) Use personal time management skills

Question 15

The __________ model of decision making is characterized by "successive limited comparisons."

A) The reasoned choice model
B) The mixed scanning model
C) The "garbage can" model
D) The incremental model

Question 16

The statement that it is as possible that an important solution will find an appropriate problem as vice versa is descriptive of the __________ model of decision making.

A) The reasoned choice model
B) The mixed scanning model
C) The "garbage can" model
D) The incremental model

Question 17

The __________ model is the most amenable to bureaucratic solutions.

A) An incremental
B) Reasoned choice
C) Mixed scanning
D) "Garbage can"

Question 18

The elements of managing organizational change include which of the following?

A) Identify the problem, select the alternative, and implement the solution
B) Provide a rationale, provide a plan, and implement the change
C) Articulate the vision, identify the resistance, and overcome the resistance
D) Design the implementation plan, institutionalize and evaluate the changes

Question 19

__________ is often enhanced by making some dramatic, symbolic changes, using vibrant and evocative language, and involving many people in the process refers to:

A) Analyzing the organization
B) Creating a shared vision
C) Determining the politics of change
D) Designing an implementation plan

Question 20

Questions regarding who is going to oppose the change; what is the best way to line up political support; and who can act as competent change agents, are part of which of the following guidelines for managing organizational change?

A) Analyze the organization and its need for change
B) Realistically determine the politics of change
C) Design an implementation plan for major changes
D) Institutionalize and evaluate major changes

Question 21

The emphasis of organization-oriented competencies involves an external perspective, a systems approach and attention to organizational culture and organizational change.

Question 22

Scanning the environment is similar to both monitoring and consulting in that it is informal, ongoing, and not necessarily systematic.

Question 23

Both strategic planning and scanning the environment involve gathering data, however in strategic planning the data gathering is more comprehensive.

Question 24

Performance indicators provide the in-depth analysis of efficiency, effectiveness, appropriateness, and impact.

Question 25

The mission includes the aspirations of the organization, the goals it wants to achieve, the strategies it intends to use, and the special niche or competencies in which it expects to excel.

Question 26

Values are expressed through the various operating philosophies of the organization having to do with governance systems, organizational structures, and systems of accountability.

Question 27

Consulting and networking both involve "checking with people;" however, consulting is an external function and networking is an internal function.

Question 28

Strong networking and partnering competence lends to one's perception of referent and expert power.

Question 29

General management functions focus on the technical expertise needed to administer human resources, finance, and information technology; therefore it is most closely related to operations and strategic planning.

Question 30

The incremental model (Lindblom 1959) acknowledges that there are many decisions to make and that they require too much information to explore fully. The wise choice of action is to make an adjustment that will require the fewest resources to make an improvement and then see what happens.

Question 31

It is important to note that problems and solutions are not immutably connected, and it is as possible that an important solution will find an appropriate problem as vice versa-this is referred to as the mixed scanning model.

Question 32

The elements of managing organizational change include providing a rationale, providing a plan, and implementing the change. Providing a rationale for change simply means getting information and making sense of it.

Question 33

Briefly explain how strategic planning is different from operations planning, personnel planning, environmental scanning, and decision making.

Question 34

Explain the implicit and explicit aspects of articulating the mission.

Question 35

Explain the differences between networking and partnering.

Question 36

Describe the reasoned-choice, incremental, mixed scanning, and "garbage can" models of decision making.

Question 37

Many consider organizational change the supreme leadership competency because of its difficulty and importance to organizational survival. Discuss some of the challenges in making organizational change. (Kanter, Stein, and Jick 1992).