Deck 19: Managing Organization Culture

Question 1

Organizational commitment is defined as the dedication showed by an organization to the well-being of its employees.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

New recruits must be able to practice new jobs, at times employing trial and error, without fear of punishment or failure.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Once an innovation dimension is established, management can be assured that it will continue to exist over time.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Given an explicit organization culture, organization members tend to make decisions that are consistent with the values embedded in that culture.

Question 5

An organization with a market culture focuses exclusively on its customers.

Question 6

A clan culture is an organization culture with a strong external focus coupled with a high degree of flexibility and discretion.

Question 7

All organization members should always be thinking about their individual performance.

Question 8

Organizational myths are commonly discouraged as they tend to distort the real picture of an organization.

Question 9

The establishment and growth of culture within an organization can be influenced by specific actions taken by management.

Question 10

Cultural artifacts can change over time as organization culture changes.

Question 11

Organization culture is established by a manager or the founder of the organization at the time of its creation.

Question 12

Customer dimension is an element of organization culture that focuses on making sure a product, in the opinion of the customer, does what it is supposed to do.

Question 13

In an adhocracy culture, leaders are seen more as mentors and perhaps even parent figures.

Question 14

Subcultures can affect management efforts both positively and negatively.

Question 15

Even though an organization culture might be considered healthy, increasing a cultural focus on risk-taking or excellence in job performance might make it even healthier.

Question 16

An adhocracy culture is characterized by a pyramidal structure in which leaders are considered all-important.

Question 17

Organization cultures that have a spiritual emphasis typically focus on one specific type of spiritual belief or religion.

Question 18

Management can ensure that employees choose the desired ethical behavior in every situation by providing ethical training.

Question 19

An organizational saga is a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person or institution that is considered to illustrate an organization culture ideal.

Question 20

Individuals within the workplace with a hierarchy culture are more concerned about efficiency and let formal rules and policies govern how they operate.

Question 21

Leaders in an organization with a hierarchy culture tend to focus on ________.

A) informal work practices
B) relationships with all stakeholders in the market
C) decentralization and increasing cohesion among members
D) coordination and organization
E) innovation and commitment to cost containment

Question 22

The shared values about organizational functioning held by the majority of organization members is known as the ________.

A) leading organization subculture
B) organization design
C) organizational hierarchy
D) dominant organization culture
E) organizational effectiveness

Question 23

Which of the following statements is true of organization culture?

A) Organization culture ensures complete personal and corporate transparency.
B) Organization culture is conceptualized and implemented by the founders of the organization at the time of establishment.
C) Organization culture can be characterized in an organization by describing dimensions such as organizational norms and habits.
D) Organization culture is often wrongly confused to mean the same as the personality of the organization.
E) Organization culture is conceptually distinct from ideas such as organizational rituals and special language.

Question 24

Edwin is starting his new job as an executive with a publishing firm. Which of the following statements would be an indication that his new company has a hierarchy culture?

A) Edwin's supervisor constantly emphasizes on the need for innovation during the orientation session.
B) Edwin is told that he will have to perform duties that might be significantly different from those mentioned in his job description.
C) Edwin learns that the firm has no formal set rules or procedures within the workplace that he is expected to follow.
D) Edwin's new firm's CEO stresses on the need to achieve coordination and organization within the firm in his welcome speech.
E) Edwin's new firm is characterized by flexibility and discretion, coupled with a strong external focus.

Question 25

An adhocracy is a culture reflecting an organization with ________.

A) formal rules and policies for employees
B) a strong internal focus
C) an emphasis on stability and control
D) a simple structure or lack of structure
E) autocratic leadership

Question 26

________ is an organization culture characterized by an internal focus along with an emphasis on stability and control.

A) Bureaucracy culture
B) Market culture
C) Clan culture
D) Hierarchy culture
E) Adhocracy culture

Question 27

Which of the following types of organizational culture is oriented toward all the stakeholders of an organization?

A) clan culture
B) adhocracy culture
C) hierarchy culture
D) market culture
E) bureaucracy culture

Question 28

________ is a set of shared values that organization members have regarding the functioning and existence of their organization.

A) Organizational space
B) Corporate governance
C) Organization culture
D) Corporate behavior
E) Organizational ecology

Question 29

________ is an organization culture characterized by flexibility and discretion along with an external focus.

A) Bureaucracy culture
B) Market culture
C) Clan culture
D) Hierarchy culture
E) Adhocracy culture

Question 30

Which of the following is a characteristic specific to an organization with a market structure?

A) commitment to employees
B) shared values and goals among members
C) simple organization structure
D) focus on outpacing the competition
E) cohesion among members

Question 31

Mark is an intern with Preston and Southend, a law firm. He finds that the senior employees are highly involved in the training and acquaintance of younger staff within the organization. The firm also displays a high degree of commitment towards employees and resembles a close-knit family, with emphasis placed on teamwork and shared values. What type of organization is prevalent in Preston and Southend?

A) clan culture
B) adhocracy culture
C) hierarchy culture
D) market culture
E) bureaucracy culture

Question 32

Which of the following is a characteristic of an organization with a clan culture?

A) strong external focus
B) autocratic leadership
C) emphasis on stability and control
D) cohesion among members
E) hard-driving leadership

Question 33

________ is an organization culture that reflects values that emphasize stability and control along with an external focus.

A) Adhocracy culture
B) Clan culture
C) Market culture
D) Hierarchy culture
E) Bureaucracy culture

Question 34

Leaders in organizations with clan cultures are likely to be ________.

A) autocrats
B) mentors
C) micromanagers
D) dictators
E) controllers

Question 35

A(n) ________ is an organization culture characterized by a strong internal focus with a high degree of flexibility and discretion.

A) adhocracy culture
B) clan culture
C) hierarchy culture
D) bureaucracy culture
E) market culture

Question 36

Which of the following workplace characteristics is found in an organization with an adhocracy culture?

A) structured
B) creative
C) formal
D) efficiency-oriented
E) hierarchical

Question 37

Andrew is three months into his new job with Schezny and Co. Which of the following statements made by Andrew about his company will support his claim that the company has a market culture?

A) The firm's culture reflects values that emphasize stability and control along with a strong internal focus.
B) The firm's leaders are hard-driving, focus on winning, achieving stretch goals, and outpacing the competition.
C) The firm encourages activities that reflect shared values and goals, teamwork, and organization commitment to employees.
D) The firm's culture is characterized by a simple structure or a lack of structure.
E) The firm has no formal set of rules or procedures in place for employees and encourages creativity in the workplace.

Question 38

During an interview, Roy asks his interviewer about the type of culture of the organization. The interviewer informs Roy that the organization has a very simple structure and interactions between employees are extremely informal in nature. Also, there are few rules and procedures that employees are expected to follow. Employees are encouraged to take risks and be creative in the workplace. The organization most likely has a(n) ________.

A) clan culture
B) hierarchy culture
C) adhocracy culture
D) market culture
E) bureaucracy culture

Question 39

A(n) ________ is a document that reflects the core values of an organization and suggests how organization members should act in relation to them.

A) code of conduct
B) business record
C) memorandum of understanding
D) operating agreement
E) mission statement

Question 40

Leaders in an organization with a market culture tend to be ________.

A) accommodating
B) mentors
C) conservative
D) hard-driving
E) parent figures

Question 41

The ________ dimension of organization culture is a facet or organization culture that focuses on making sure that an organization emphasizes not only what is good for the organization, but what is good for other human beings.

A) quality
B) customer
C) ethics
D) spirituality
E) innovation

Question 42

Which of the following statements is true of the ethical dimension of an organization's culture?

A) Rewarding ethical behavior of the past decreases the probability that organization members will act ethically in the future.
B) Ethics training guarantees that employees will choose the desired ethical behavior in every possible situation.
C) Ethics training normally focuses on developing a common understanding throughout the organization of the role ethics plays in organizational operations.
D) Management should refrain from promoting employees on the sole basis of their previous ethical behavior.
E) The ethics dimension of the organization's culture has historically been the most emphasized dimension.

Question 43

Which of the following activities is a manager most likely to perform if he or she is from an organization with a hierarchy culture?

A) Give employees regular feedback on how well they are performing their jobs.
B) Hold people accountable for generating innovative ideas.
C) Talk to people about their new ideas and what they expect the results of ideas could be.
D) Reward those who come up with new ways to perform work.
E) Make continuous improvement a feature of the workplace.

Question 44

The ________ dimension of organization culture is an aspect of organization culture that encourages the application of new ideas to the improvement of organizational processes, products or services.

A) spirituality
B) quality
C) customer
D) innovation
E) diversity

Question 45

The ________ dimension of organizational culture is an aspect of organizational culture that encourages organization members to integrate spiritual life and work.

A) innovation
B) spirituality
C) quality
D) diversity
E) ethics

Question 46

________ is defined as the dedication of organization members to uphold the values of the organization and to make worthwhile contributions to fulfilling organizational purpose.

A) Job satisfaction
B) Organizational effectiveness
C) Employee proactivity
D) Business resilience
E) Organizational commitment

Question 47

An organization with a highly competitive "a results or else" mentality can be said to follow a(n) ________.

A) market culture
B) adhocracy culture
C) clan culture
D) bureaucracy culture
E) ethical culture

Question 48

The ________ dimension of organization culture is a component of organization culture that encourages the existence of basic human differences among organization members.

A) spirituality
B) customer
C) diversity
D) innovation
E) ethics

Question 49

Which of the following dimensions of an organization's culture is emphasized by the management if it hopes to win customer loyalty and repeat purchases through customer satisfaction with products or services?

A) ethics dimension
B) innovation dimension
C) quality dimension
D) diversity dimension
E) spirituality dimension

Question 50

A(n) ________ is a dimension of an organization that helps to describe and reinforce the beliefs, values, and norms in which an artifact exists.

A) archaeological artifact
B) cultural artifact
C) mentifact
D) family artifact
E) biofact

Question 51

The ________ dimension of organization culture is an element of organization culture that focuses on making sure that a product, in the opinion of the customer, does what it is supposed to do.

A) ethics
B) technological
C) quality
D) diversity
E) innovation

Question 52

Which of the following activities is a manager most likely to perform if he or she is from an organization with a market culture?

A) Celebrate the successes of work teams and individuals.
B) Make continuous improvement a feature of the workplace.
C) Understand the keys to his or her competitors' success.
D) Talk to people about their new ideas and what they expect the results of ideas could be.
E) Establish vehicles for trying out new ideas.

Question 53

A(n) ________ is a belief of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment.

A) more
B) value
C) aesthetic
D) virtue
E) vice

Question 54

Which of the following activities is a manager most likely to perform if he or she is from an organization with a clan culture?

A) Make sure employees know exactly what is expected of them.
B) Accept only world-class quality in products and services.
C) Track how competitors are doing.
D) Give customers what they want the first time.
E) Celebrate the successes of work teams and individuals.

Question 55

An organization's ________ helps employees understand why their organization exists.

A) vision statement
B) propaganda
C) statement of faith
D) mission statement
E) balance sheet

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true of the steps managers undertake to build a high-performance organization culture?

A) Managers must ensure that all employees always put the organization's performance above their own.
B) Managers should strive to ensure that organizational mission and employees' performance are distinct parameters and are delinked from each other.
C) Management must hire and retain talented employees even if they are more expensive, as they are normally an effective means to better organizational performance.
D) An organization's management should encourage natural development of its culture, and should refrain from trying to influence its development.
E) The performance of managers should be tracked with job-related progress being communicated to them only through formal channels.

Question 57

The ________ dimension of organization culture is a facet of organization culture that focuses on catering to the needs of those individuals who buy goods and services produced.

A) customer
B) innovation
C) technological
D) spirituality
E) ethics

Question 58

Which of the following activities is a manager most likely to perform if he or she is from an organization with an adhocracy culture?

A) Standardize policies and procedures so employees know exactly how to get work accomplished.
B) Reward those who come up with new ways to perform work.
C) Give employees regular feedback on how well they are performing their jobs.
D) Establish a structured monitoring system that shows how well employees are performing jobs.
E) Include in employee orientation a focus on tradition, values, and vision of the organization.

Question 59

A ________ is a formally drafted document that summarizes the primary beliefs within the culture of a specific organization in which they have an emotional investment.

A) values statement
B) guidance document
C) bench memorandum
D) testament
E) green paper

Question 60

Which of the following is an advantage to organizations that emphasize the diversity dimension of their culture?

A) increased perspectives on problem solving
B) lower organizational expenditure
C) greater customer loyalty towards their products
D) improved homogeneity of the workforce
E) higher levels of creativity among employees

Question 61

________ refers to a formal activity conducted on important organizational occasions.

A) Organizational storytelling
B) Organizational saga
C) Organizational myth
D) Organizational ceremony
E) Organizational identification

Question 62

Which of the following is the first step in an organizational socialization process?

A) providing initial work experiences
B) recruiting new employees
C) defining informal organization
D) providing role models
E) evaluating the cultural fit

Question 63

Organizational ________ is the process by which management can appropriately integrate new employees within an organization's culture.

A) restructuring
B) identification
C) resilience
D) socialization
E) configuration

Question 64

An organizational ________ is a narrative describing the adventures of a heroic individual or family significantly linked to an organization's past or present.

A) myth
B) saga
C) symbol
D) emblem
E) jargon

Question 65

Which of the following characteristics is found in a healthy organization culture?

A) strong results-orientation
B) profit-driven business practices
C) commitment to getting work done by any possible means
D) avoidance of risky business practices
E) unquestioned integrity and consistency

Question 66

The act of passing organizational myths and sagas to other organization members is known as organizational ________.

A) mentoring
B) identification
C) storytelling
D) configuration
E) proactivity

Question 67

In which of the following examples is the use of organizational language as a cultural artifact most evident?

A) Lee Iacocca's efforts to save Chrysler Corporation from bankruptcy
B) Henry Ford's famous line: "Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black."
C) Prudential Life Insurance Company's use of the Rock of Gibraltar as a symbol of the company's dependability, strength, and unchanging commitment to customers
D) Google's popular slogan: "Don't be evil."
E) Mary Kay Cosmetics' annual sales celebrations for employees

Question 68

An organizational ________ is a popular belief or story that has become associated with a person or institution that is considered to illustrate an organization culture ideal.

A) saga
B) ceremony
C) myth
D) emblem
E) jargon

Question 69

The purpose of an organizational saga is to ________.

A) clarify the purpose of the organization
B) explain organizational beginnings or events that are of great significance to the organization
C) identify and perpetuate the organization's shared values
D) build employee commitment reflected by organizational myths
E) appropriately integrate new employees within an organization's culture

Question 70

A(n) organizational ________ is an object that holds meaning beyond its intrinsic content.

A) saga
B) symbol
C) myth
D) jargon
E) anecdote

Question 71

How does building a hierarchy of objectives help build a high-performance organization culture?

Question 72

How are organization cultures classified? What are the different types of organization culture that exist?

Question 73

Provide a brief description of organization culture.

Question 74

An organization culture is said to be ________ if it does not facilitate the accomplishment of the organization's mission and objectives.

A) diverse
B) irrelevant
C) homogeneous
D) unhealthy
E) omnipresent

Question 75

What are the functions of organization culture?

Question 76

Which of the following is the final step in an organizational socialization process?

A) providing initial work experiences
B) knowledge transfer to the new employees
C) defining informal organization
D) providing role models
E) evaluating the cultural fit

Question 77

What is an organization subculture? What is its significance for an organization?

Question 78

Write a short note on the importance of organization culture.

Question 79

Which of the following is a characteristic of new recruits during their first year in an organization?

A) exceptionally high productivity rates
B) low incidence of mistakes
C) struggle to fit within the organization
D) greater likelihood to break organizational rules
E) good acquaintance with organization culture

Question 80

What aspect of organization culture is reflected in the extent to which it facilitates the achievement of organizational mission and objectives?

A) homogeneity
B) profitability
C) economy
D) diversity
E) health