Deck 12: Organizational Structure

Question 1

Which information is too much in flux to identify on an organizational chart?

A) Grapevine lines of communication
B) Line and staff authority
C) Span of control
D) Scalar chains

Answer 1

Grapevine lines of communication

Question 2

Max Weber, as part of the scientific management era, contributed immensely to the development of organizational theory. Which statement is not representative of his beliefs?

A) Bureaucracy could provide a rational basis for administrative decisions
B) Worker satisfaction was integral to productivity
C) Organization charts could depict the hierarchy of authority
D) Impersonality of interpersonal relationships should exist in organizations

Answer 2

Worker satisfaction was integral to productivity

Question 3

Which statement concerning organizational culture is true?

A) It presents how employees "perceive" an organization
B) It defines how power is used by organizations to direct the work of others
C) It describes the predictable stages of group and organizational development
D) It is a system of symbols, beliefs, values, history, and communication patterns

Answer 3

It is a system of symbols, beliefs, values, history, and communication patterns

Question 4

Which statement is true regarding depiction of staff positions on an organizational chart?

A) They are depicted as unbroken lines
B) They are represented by double dotted lines
C) They are shown as a solid, vertical line
D) They are identified with a dotted line.

Question 5

What does the term unity of command mean?

A) The number of individuals directly reporting to a manager
B) Having a limited number of top-level managers
C) Each employee having only one boss
D) A flexible structure that encourages participative decision making

Question 6

Which position is characteristic of a middle-level manager?

A) Primary care nurse
B) Team leader
C) Charge nurse
D) Nursing supervisor

Question 7

How does decentralized organizational structure promote decision making?

A) Allows problems to be solved at the level at which they occur
B) Encourages decisions to be made by top-level hierarchy
C) Limits communication to managers at various levels
D) Assigns responsibility at the highest practical level

Question 8

Which statement about organizational centrality is true?

A) It refers to the decision-making structure in an organization
B) It occurs when there is consonance of subunit cultures in the organization
C) It is a position on the organizational chart where types of communication occur
D) It occurs primarily in line relationships

Question 9

Which is a symptom of poor organizational structure?

A) Communication follows the chain of command
B) The smallest possible number of managers exists to keep units functioning
C) The chain of command is fairly short
D) There is a heavy reliance on committees to solve unit problems

Question 10

Which term is used to identify having official power to act?

A) Responsibility
B) Authority
C) Accountability
D) Leadership

Question 11

What does the term "optimum span of control" mean?

A) It defines the manager's decision-making authority
B) It identifies the manager's abilities and responsibilities
C) It refers to a line-and-staff organizational structure model
D) It is the number of subordinates and manager is responsible for

Question 12

Which characteristics are associated with a constructive culture?
1) Affiliative norms
2) Self-actualization
3) Encouragement of humanism
4) Perfectionist norms

A) 1, 2, 3
B) 1, 2, 4
C) 1, 3, 4
D) 2, 3, 4

Question 13

What is needed to change a unit culture that has become firmly entrenched?

A) New leadership
B) A change agent with management skills
C) Identification with a unit that is not entrenched
D) Administration support

Question 14

Which would suggest that flattening of the organization is occurring?

A) There is a collective spirit
B) There is reduction in the administration levels
C) There are shared work goals across units
D) There are formal and informal systems are in place to address conflicts

Question 15

What occurs during implementation of a shared governance model?

A) Lines of authority are altered
B) Joint practice committees are formed
C) Participatory management is initiated
D) The roles of first-level managers are stabilized

Question 16

What is the primary responsibility of the committee chairperson during a committee meeting?

A) Keeping members on task
B) Asking questions
C) Resolving conflicts
D) Providing information on each agenda item

Question 17

What is the leadership role when a unit is attempting to overcome the decentralization of patient care?

A) Determining what changes will be made to the plan of care
B) Facilitating the group's work
C) Identifying the patient care problems
D) Selecting solutions to problems

Question 18

What should the leader remember when forming committees?

A) Committees work best when there is an adequate supply of workers, with 10 members being the minimum
B) Willingness to work hard is the most important criterion for appointment
C) Written agendas provide excessive structure and stifle committee creativity
D) There should be sufficient expertise among committee members to accomplish the assigned task

Question 19

During a strategic planning committee meeting to develop futuristic technology goals, several unit managers spend a considerable amount of time discussing current staffing problems. What is the primary action of the chairperson of this committee?

A) Take the remainder of the meeting time to discuss staffing with all members
B) Adjourn the meeting and reschedule at a time when there are no staffing problems
C) Request that committee members return to discussing items on the agenda
D) Excuse those discussing staffing from the remainder of the meeting

Question 20

Which characteristics are associated with Magnet hospital status?
1) Centralized environment
2) Open, participatory management
3) Improved patient outcomes
4) Higher staff nurse satisfaction

A) 1, 2, 3
B) 1, 2, 4
C) 1, 3, 4
D) 2, 3, 4

Question 21

Which component is considered a part of an organizational structure? Select all that apply.

A) Group formation
B) Lines of communication
C) Decision-making process
D) Channels of legitimate authority

Question 22

What is an institutional grapevine?

A) Organizational gossip
B) An informal channel of communications
C) An institution's informal authority chain
D) The connecting format used on an organizational chart

Question 23

Research supports that organizational restructure affects nursing in what manner?

A) It decreases nursing autonomy
B) It decreases nursing's formal authority
C) It increases the effectiveness of patient care
D) It increases patient autonomy

Question 24

When considering the interprofessional approach to healthcare, to whom does the nurse owe accountability?

A) The physician
B) Their patients
C) Their unit manager
D) Their director of nursing

Question 25

Which statement is true concerning a bureaucratic organization?

A) It is commonly referred to as a line organization
B) It is typically found in large health-care organizations
C) They resemble Weber's original design of organization
D) Its authority is represented by its staff organizational chart