Deck 14: Managing Conflict and Change

Question 1

Since change is a fact of organizational life,supervisors:

A) must decide whether organizations should change.
B) should not be change agents since only top management makes changes.
C) must decide how to make the changes work.
D) must tactfully refer the problem to higher-level managers.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

_____ is the ability to manage emotions and interpersonal relationships.

A) Emotional intelligence
B) Emotional maturity
C) Emotional contagion
D) Positive discipline

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following will the loser experience when conflict is viewed as a win-lose proposition?

A) Frustration
B) Exhilaration
C) Satisfaction
D) Procrastination

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following defines a hidden agenda?

A) A list of what has to be done and kept in a safe, locked place
B) A central concern that is left unstated
C) A method of smoothing
D) A situation where a person's feelings are confidentially disclosed

Question 5

In cultures where people place a higher value on harmony than on "telling it like it is",which of the following strategies are they most likely to implement for managing conflict?

A) Forcing
B) Avoidance
C) Confrontation
D) Resolution

Question 6

The struggle that results from incompatible or opposing needs,feelings,thoughts,or demands within a person or between two or more people is known as:

A) competition.
B) conflict.
C) frustration.
D) crusade.

Question 7

Which of the following is a term used for a person who is empathetic,has concern for others,and understands how people operate in groups?

A) Self-motivated
B) Self-regulated
C) Socially aware
D) Skillful leader

Question 8

Conflict arising within an individual is defined as:

A) interpersonal conflict.
B) structural conflict.
C) strategic conflict.
D) intrapersonal conflict.

Question 9

Which of the following is true about conflict between work and family demands?

A) Employees try to balance work and family instead of choosing one over the other.
B) Many companies realize that there is labor supply shortage and have begun to adopt family-friendly policies and values.
C) The majority of organizations demand 40 hours per week or less to maintain a high-powered career.
D) Work always takes precedence over family demands.

Question 10

When initiating conflict resolution,the supervisor should:

A) act as soon as he/she is aware of the problem.
B) ignore it at first; it may go away.
C) allow his/her emotions to enter the conflict to gain a better understanding of the problem.
D) focus on the personalities of those involved.

Question 11

Conflict management is:

A) responding to problems stemming from conflict.
B) resolving only strategic conflicts.
C) managing one's relationship with family.
D) resolving conflicts within oneself.

Question 12

_____ refers to settling on a solution that gives each person part of what he/she wanted.

A) Strategic avoidance
B) Consolidation
C) Compromise
D) Resolution

Question 13

Conflict between individuals is called:

A) structural conflict.
B) interpersonal conflict.
C) organizational conflict.
D) intrapersonal conflict.

Question 14

The first step in initiating conflict resolution is:

A) listening to the solution.
B) restating the problem.
C) understanding the conflict.
D) attempting to place blame.

Question 15

Managing a conflict by confronting the problem and solving it is known as:

A) compromise.
B) forcing.
C) conflict resolution.
D) consolidation.

Question 16

Conflicts that arise from the way a company is organized are known as:

A) interpersonal conflicts.
B) structural conflicts.
C) grievance conflicts.
D) compromise conflicts.

Question 17

Burger Pit decided to hold a contest between franchises to determine who could prepare certain items on the menu the fastest.Each franchise would select a team to represent it and the winners would receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Disney World.Which type of conflict does the contest signify?

A) Structural conflict
B) Interpersonal conflict
C) Positive conflict
D) Strategic conflict

Question 18

Which of the following is a reason for structural conflict?

A) Difficulty in balancing one's roles at work and at home
B) Variety in employees' values and opinions
C) Various groups in an organization share resources
D) Using competition to motivate employees to do exceptional work

Question 19

When responding to a conflict where the other person is emotional,one should:

A) explain the constructive ways of using emotions.
B) first let that person vent those feelings.
C) concentrate on the problem at hand and not let the employee be emotional.
D) use avoidance or smoothing as a way to manage the conflict.

Question 20

Nat schedules the employees of a print shop that is open 24 hours a day.Recently,two of his senior employees had a tiff since each of them wanted both Friday and Saturday nights off to go out with their girlfriends.Nat gave one employee Friday nights off and the other employee Saturday nights off.Which of the following strategies is Nat using to manage conflict?

A) Avoiding
B) Smoothing
C) Compromise
D) Grievance redressal

Question 21

The consequences of a conflict depend solely on the way that it is resolved.

Question 22

Mark,a supervisor in a company,is friendly with his co-workers and gets a lot done through them.Which of the following is he using to build a power base?

A) Hanging around with greedy, pushy, or unethical co-workers
B) Developing alliances with others in the organization
C) Seeking control over resources
D) Establishing a close relationship with the manager

Question 23

Rod is a project engineer who possesses great problem-solving abilities and knowledge of the software system used by his company.He is considered as his group's informal leader because of his:

A) position power.
B) political power.
C) personal power.
D) connection power.

Question 24

Supervisor James wanted his part-time crew in the night shift to work harder,so he transferred his most hardworking night-shift worker,Mary,to the day shift,which she had been wanting for a long time.James has used which type of power to reinforce hard work?

A) Connection power
B) Supervisory power
C) Reward power
D) Referent power

Question 25

The ability to influence people to behave in a certain way is called:

A) conflict resolution.
B) power.
C) nepotism.
D) unethical leadership.

Question 26

When choices are not obvious,they result in conflict.

Question 27

Lewin's model of change defines unfreezing as:

A) people reverting to old practices.
B) people recognizing a need for change.
C) people trying to behave differently.
D) people making the new behavior permanent.

Question 28

Sometimes conflict can be a positive force.

Question 29

Power that arises from an individual's formal role in an organization is:

A) position power.
B) personal power.
C) physical power.
D) legitimate power.

Question 30

If a supervisor has control over scheduling a change,he/she should:

A) build on failures so that the employees will learn from them.
B) make sure that the deadlines are reasonable.
C) have employees undergo training before they are told about the new change.
D) focus on enforcing change without worrying about the implications.

Question 31

Which of the following is a guideline that supervisors may use in implementing change?

A) Keep reasons for change confidential
B) Reassure employees by hiding bad news
C) Roll out the change gradually
D) Implement change without employee involvement

Question 32

To propose a change effectively,the supervisor should begin by:

A) analyzing it.
B) cautiously recommending it.
C) convincing top management.
D) writing a proposal.

Question 33

According to Lewin's model of change,refreezing involves:

A) people who try to behave differently.
B) people who make a new behavior part of their routine.
C) people who relearn old habits.
D) people who resist change.

Question 34

Which of the following is a requisite of a change agent?

A) Should have expertise in the area affected
B) Should have coercive power
C) Should be a Type A personality
D) Should possess referent power

Question 35

Which of the following is a commonly used political strategy in an organization?

A) Delegating personal tasks to workers
B) Evaluating a worker on racial basis
C) Building relationships at all levels
D) Salvaging others' reputation

Question 36

Legitimate power:

A) arises from fear related to the use of force.
B) arises from a person's knowledge or skills.
C) comes from the emotions a person inspires.
D) comes from the position a person holds.

Question 37

Offering ideas,sharing progress reports,and announcing accomplishments are examples of:

A) seeking control over resources.
B) making a good impression.
C) signaling confidence.
D) helping others.

Question 38

Power that arises from possessing valuable data is called:

A) information power.
B) expert power.
C) legitimate power.
D) coercive power.

Question 39

Frustration refers to the struggle that results from opposing needs,feelings,thoughts,or demands within a person.

Question 40

Intentional acts of influence to enhance or protect the self-interest of individuals or groups are called:

A) role conflicts.
B) strategic conflicts.
C) hidden agendas.
D) organizational politics.

Question 41

People's resistance to change is greatest when they are not sure what to expect or why the change is necessary.

Question 42

Employees in many non-Western cultures who place a lower value on harmony are less likely than employees from Western cultures to complain to their supervisor.

Question 43

Intrapersonal conflicts may arise from differing opinions,misunderstandings of a situation,or differences in values or beliefs.

Question 44

Often a conflict exists simply because the other person has not understood your point of view or your situation.

Question 45

A sales department holding a contest for the highest sales volume and the most impressive example of delighting a customer is a type of structural conflict.

Question 46

If the parties to a conflict are peers of the supervisor,then mediating the conflict is part of the supervisor's job.

Question 47

Economic trends and the size and composition of the workforce are examples of the management sources of change.

Question 48

The most direct-and sometimes the most difficult-way to manage conflict is to confront the problem and solve it.

Question 49

According to Lewin's model of change,before a change can occur,employees must see the status quo as more than ideal.

Question 50

An important part of unfreezing is for employees to be rewarded for behavior that shows they have made the desired change.

Question 51

Conflict is a cause,but not a consequence of change.

Question 52

When initiating conflict resolution,a supervisor should act as soon as he/she is aware of the problem.

Question 53

Confronting and solving a problem leads to the assumption that the parties to the conflict have a win-lose conflict.

Question 54

Compromising strategies are most useful for conflicts that are not serious and for which a solution would be more difficult than the problem justifies.

Question 55

Compromise does not really solve the underlying problem.

Question 56

When an individual intentionally brings about a conflict to achieve an objective,it is called a structural conflict.

Question 57

An assumption made by Lewin's model of change is that,when employees begin changing,the organization must provide a way for the new behavior to become established practice.

Question 58

Factors that can affect the success of a change include the kind of change to be made.

Question 59

A step the supervisor should take when mediating a conflict is to encourage the employees to summarize what has been discussed and agreed upon.

Question 60

One way to avoid contributing to interpersonal conflicts is to ensure that the work environment fosters differences of opinion.

Question 61

The change process is complete only when employees recognize the need for change.

Question 62

List the six steps a supervisor should follow to respond to conflicts.

Question 63

The key to implementing change is to build on failures.

Question 64

Describe the different types of conflict.

Question 65

Compare and contrast position power to personal power by first defining both and then,giving an example of each.

Question 66

What are the sources of change and explain why employees and supervisors resist change?

Question 67

Building on successes generally entails starting with basic changes in values,rather than beginning with an effort to change behaviors.

Question 68

Identify and describe both positive and negative aspects of conflict.

Question 69

Describe how supervisors can implement change.

Question 70

Compare and contrast the compromising strategy of conflict management to conflict resolution.

Question 71

What are the different types of power a supervisor may have and list their sources?

Question 72

Referent power comes from the emotions a person inspires.

Question 73

Implementing change and resolving conflicts are easier for a person who has a relatively strong position in the organization.

Question 74

Briefly describe Lewin's model of change and its different phases.

Question 75

Doing favors can help a supervisor develop alliances with others in an organization.

Question 76

To do favors so that others will be in one's debt is an important way supervisors can build their power bases.

Question 77

In many situations,a supervisor wants to make a change but needs to ask higher-level management for authority to implement it.

Question 78

A supervisor should use social occasions as an opportunity to make a big impression.

Question 79

Every supervisor has some personal power with the employees he/she supervises.

Question 80

A person with legitimate power is often called "charismatic".