Deck 10: Power, Politics and Decision Making in Organizations

Question 1

Referent power is derived from personal, as opposed to organisational, sources.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Expert power is derived from knowledge or experience.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The Milgram experiments demonstrated that individuals are generally unwilling to obey the commands of authoritative persons.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Directives falling within the 'zone of indifference' are obeyed.

Question 5

When resources are scarce and differences endure, politics and power become central features of organisational life.

Question 6

Pleasant personality characteristics, agreeable behaviour patterns and attractive personal appearance are examples of referent power.

Question 7

Organisational politics is the process by which managers help others to acquire and use the power needed to make decisions.

Question 8

Coalition tactics involve seeking the aid of others to help persuade a target person to do what you request.

Question 9

Empowerment is the process by which managers help others acquire and use the power needed to make decisions in their work.

Question 10

When a person's formal authority breaks down or fails to apply to a particular situation, political actions cannot be used to prevent a loss of influence.

Question 11

Generating trust in relationships involves taking an ethical stance.

Question 12

The two basic types of managerial decisions are routine and programmed.

Question 13

Uncertain environments exist when managers are unable to assign probabilities of an event's occurrence.

Question 14

A supply manager who bases inventory re-orders on quantities of each item ordered in the past could be using an heuristic.

Question 15

Judgement is using intuition to make decisions.

Question 16

The garbage can model of decision-making involves rummaging through dustbins to retrieve information.

Question 17

People in North American societies have been categorised by Hofstede as showing a preference for short-term decision-making.

Question 18

Satisficing occurs when a good enough choice is made.

Question 19

According to behavioural theory, human beings have cognitive limitations that restrict their information processing abilities.

Question 20

One way to avoid an escalating commitment is to look at what others are doing as a cue to what you should be doing.

Question 21

The ability to get someone to do something or to make things happen in a specific way is called:

A) influence
B) coercion
C) Machiavellianism
D) power

Question 22

The ability to get someone else to do something you want done is called:

A) influence
B) power
C) authority
D) compliance

Question 23

__________ is the ability to control another's behaviour because the person wants to identify with the power source.

A) referent power
B) coercion
C) influence
D) Machiavellianism

Question 24

Which of the following is a basis for position power?

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

Question 25

Legitimate power is based on the:

A) subordinate's beliefs that the superior has the right to command
B) knowledge of the boss
C) rewards available to the boss
D) personality of the boss

Question 26

Reward power is the power over subordinates:

A) due to their belief that the superior has a right to command
B) because of knowledge and experience of the superior
C) because they like to identify with the superior
D) because the superior controls money, compliments etc.

Question 27

In the experiments on obedience at Yale University:

A) only a very few subjects would shock another person to a dangerously high level
B) the majority of subjects would shock another person to a dangerously high level
C) most people rejected the apparent authority of the laboratory experimenter
D) a few subjects would shock another person to a dangerously high level

Question 28

The zone of indifference is a:

A) lack of motivation to follow superior's directives
B) high level of motivation to follow a superior's directives
C) willingness of the subordinate to follow directives without critical evaluation or judgment
D) superior ignoring certain mistakes of the subordinates

Question 29

When achieving upward influence, employees:

A) can easily use their position power
B) expect their superiors to support them
C) need to use personal power
D) can rely upon loyalty

Question 30

Reason, coalition, bargaining and assertiveness are all strategies for:

A) enhancing personal power
B) enhancing position power
C) exercising referent power
D) exercising influence

Question 31

The process by which managers help others acquire and use the power needed to make decisions affecting themselves and their work is called:

A) empowerment
B) influence
C) zone of indifference
D) coercion

Question 32

One guideline for implementing a successful empowerment strategy is:

A) delegation of authority should be left ambiguous and open to individual interpretation
B) managers should refrain from communicating to subordinates
C) planning should be separated according to the level of empowerment
D) allow room for error: encouraging employees to be more involved inevitably entails some risk-taking

Question 33

Political power is:

A) power that is directed towards ends not sanctioned by the organisation
B) power used for formally auditing groups and substituting for formal authority
C) power that is overemphasised and upheld by top management
D) power that is used for maintaining the status quo

Question 34

The process of identifying a problem or opportunity and choosing among alternative courses of actions is called:

A) judgment
B) intuition
C) decision making
D) heuristics

Question 35

An uncertain decision environment occurs when:

A) there is only limited certainty of the outcomes of various courses of action
B) those involved in the decision making cannot agree on a course of action
C) information is sufficient to predict the results of each alternative
D) probabilities as to the outcome of various courses of action cannot be predicted

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic steps in systematic decision making?

A) analysing alternative courses of action
B) choosing a preferred course of action
C) consulting and seeking approval of others involved in the decision
D) recognising and defining the problem

Question 37

Which theory of decision making holds that people act only in terms of what they perceive about a given situation?

A) classical
B) heuristic
C) perception
D) behavioural

Question 38

The key difference between making a decision in the classical style and making one in the behavioural style is:

A) the individual's management style
B) the presence of judgemental heuristics
C) whether all parties agree to the course of action
D) the presence of cognitive limitations

Question 39

Satisficing is:

A) choosing the optimum solution to a problem
B) knowing all action alternatives and their consequences before making a decision
C) choosing the first alternative that appears to give an acceptable resolution to a problem
D) making a decision which satisfies all parties

Question 40

Heuristics are:

A) simplifying strategies
B) based on intuition
C) biases that should always be avoided
D) usually used for non-routine problems

Question 41

AII - the second variant on the authority decision in the Vroom-Jago model - means that the manager:

A) shares the problem with subordinates as a group and leads them to a consensus
B) solves the problem alone using information available at that time
C) shares the problem with subordinates individually, and the decision may or may not reflect their input
D) obtains information from subordinates, then solves the problem alone

Question 42

When a manager shares a problem with subordinates or other group members individually, then makes a decision that may or may not reflect their input, the manager is using which variant of the Vroom-Jago model?

A) AI - first variant on the authority decision
B) AII - second variant on the authority decision
C) CII - second variant on the consultative decision
D) CI - first variant on the consultative decision

Question 43

Groupthink is:

A) believing that most problems can be solved
B) an advantage of group decision making
C) when members in highly cohesive groups demand conformity and become unwilling to criticise group members' ideas
D) group decision making carried out by all members

Question 44

A situation in which a person must decide whether to do something that (although benefiting the person or the organisation or both) may be considered unethical or perhaps illegal is called:

A) ethical perspective
B) ethical decision-making standard
C) escalating commitment
D) ethical dilemma

Question 45

Decision making in 'collectivist' cultures:

A) is fast
B) aims at consensus
C) makes implementation difficult
D) is based on simple majority rate

Question 46

Sue is the General Manager of Marketing. She decides to ignore weak scientific evidence that a new food additive will not reduce cancer risks. She tells John, the CEO, that the evidence is not inconsistent with their new marketing campaign for Oat Health Cereal. Which source of power does Sue have?

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

Question 47

Qi Zhang, Chief Comptroller, decides not to say anything about his discovery that Ann Conor, head R & D, has forged documents certifying the quality of components for the new robot. Qi's relationship to Ann is:

A) outward
B) auditing
C) approval
D) vertical

Question 48

Qi Zhang lets Ann know - that he knows. As a result, she provides new documents. Qi has:

A) considered the criterion of individual rights
B) attempted to build personal power
C) started to become a member of the dominant coalition
D) engaged in organisational politics

Question 49

Henry Maxwell, head of Heap Engineering, has asked the maintenance manager to fix an important piece of equipment as a priority. This is an example of what type of relationship?

A) advisory
B) auditing
C) approval
D) service

Question 50

Henry always wears the latest and most expensive suits. One of his employees, Mark, likes to buy similar clothing in order to be just like his boss. Which kind of power is being displayed by Mark?

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

Question 51

Alan Burgess is a manager who has to make a decision about a new telephone system for his financial services company. He shares the problem with various subordinates individually, but his final decision may or may not reflect their input. If Alan were to obtain the necessary information from subordinates but they did not generate or evaluate alternatives, he would be using:

A) the second variant on the authority decision of the Vroom-Jago model
B) the first variant on the authority decision of the Vroom-Jago model
C) the first variant on the consultative decision of the Vroom-Jago model
D) the group or consensus decision of the Vroom-Jago model

Question 52

Jane, sales manager of Heap Engineering believes that the probability of increasing sales during next year is high and the impact of doing so would be great. This decision approach is called:

A) certain
B) uncertain
C) risk
D) competition

Question 53

Heap Engineering, based in Auckland New Zealand,has developed a new child-safe cigarette lighter. Jane, the sales manager, wishes to introduce this design to the European market. The best decision circumstance would be:

A) a high impact on sales and a low probability of success
B) a high impact on sales and a high probability of success
C) a low impact on sales and a high probability of success
D) a low impact on sales and a low probability of success

Question 54

Joyce started the line of carry-out meals several years ago, and is now allocating her advertising budget for the current year based on past years' experience. What kind of decision is this?

A) crafted
B) programmed
C) non-routine
D) classical

Question 55

Barbara Albers is the manager of a small regional airline whose primary customers are people travelling to a major city 150 miles away. A few months ago, she introduced a 'buy one ticket, get one free' promotion to increase air traffic to the city. The promotion was not significantly increasing traffic, primarily because the typical customers were business people who would have flown anyway and who were now bringing along an assistant or other business associate. The promotion was costing the company a lot of money, yet Barbara continued to offer it. Barbara's decision to continue the promotion despite negative feedback is called a(n):

A) escalating commitment
B) anchoring and adjustment heuristic
C) programmed decision
D) representativeness heuristic

Question 56

Ellen Gorski is the buyer at a small boutique who must decide what to buy for the coming Spring season. Before her buying trip, she consults fashion magazines and trade journals, attends fashion shows and the trade shows, and consults with other buyers. She makes her final decisions based on this information along with her instincts about what will sell this year, although she knows that some of it will probably be incorrect. What approach to decision making is Ellen using?

A) programmed response
B) illumination
C) behavioural decision theory
D) brainstorming

Question 57

Ellen Gorski is the buyer at a small boutique who must decide what to buy for the coming Spring season. If Ellen knew exactly what would sell in the boutique that season, as well as the quantity of each item that would be needed, she would be making the decision using what approach?

A) classical theory
B) illumination
C) behavioural theory
D) programmed response

Question 58

Heap Engineering's highly cohesive work team believes that their new lighter design cannot be beaten by the competition. However one team member is in disagreement and the others do their best to persuade him to change his mind. This is an example of:

A) heuristics
B) groupthink
C) group decision effectiveness
D) group process gains

Question 59

Explain the link and difference between power and influence.

Question 60

Explain the concept of 'zone of indifference' and provide an example.

Question 61

Define organisational politics and give three reasons why it can help managers.

Question 62

Describe the two main types of decision that can be made, and give an example of each.

Question 63

What is intuition? Use an example to explain how it might be used.

Question 64

What are the main differences between classical decision-making theory and behavioural decision-making theory?

Question 65

Describe the link between power and influence and analyse how a manager might use the influence process in order to achieve organisational goals.

Question 66

Managers cannot operate without using power bases and engaging in political action in organisations. Discuss, providing illustrations of how a manager might operate.

Question 67

Discuss the various ways a manager might gain managerial power in an organisation and explain the importance of this in a manager's role.

Question 68

What are the three decision environments? Describe the differences between them and what sort of decisions might be best made in each of them.

Question 69

Groupthink is a major disadvantage of group decision making. Discuss this statement, including suggestions for dealing with groupthink.

Question 70

Visual Diagram Questions
(These diagrams can be used to test understanding of concepts rather than mere recollection. The provision of the diagrams removes the pressure to remember but does draw on the ability to explain a visual image. Instructors should take care if using a mix of other questions with visual diagram questions to ensure that the diagram does not provide answers to other questions in a test or exam.)
-Using the diagram below:
a) Define power.
b) Define the different sources of power.
c) Provide an example of how power can influence another person's behaviour.

Question 71

Visual Diagram Questions
(These diagrams can be used to test understanding of concepts rather than mere recollection. The provision of the diagrams removes the pressure to remember but does draw on the ability to explain a visual image. Instructors should take care if using a mix of other questions with visual diagram questions to ensure that the diagram does not provide answers to other questions in a test or exam.)
-The diagram below illustrates the zone of indifference.
a) Explain what this concept means.
b) Provide examples of inside and outside zone of indifference requests for a shop assistant.

Question 72

Visual Diagram Questions
(These diagrams can be used to test understanding of concepts rather than mere recollection. The provision of the diagrams removes the pressure to remember but does draw on the ability to explain a visual image. Instructors should take care if using a mix of other questions with visual diagram questions to ensure that the diagram does not provide answers to other questions in a test or exam.)
-Using the diagram below:
a) Explain what is being illustrated.
b) Explain what limitations could occur in each of these steps.

Question 73

Visual Diagram Questions
(These diagrams can be used to test understanding of concepts rather than mere recollection. The provision of the diagrams removes the pressure to remember but does draw on the ability to explain a visual image. Instructors should take care if using a mix of other questions with visual diagram questions to ensure that the diagram does not provide answers to other questions in a test or exam.)
-The following diagram shows the differences between classical and behavioural decision making.
a) What is meant by cognitive limitations?
b) What are the differences between classical and behavioural decision making?
c) Give an example how a problem would be treated in a classical decision-making and a behavioural decision-making manner.