Deck 10: Managing Organizational Structure and Culture

Question 1

A product structure makes it necessary for corporate managers to supervise directly each division's day-to-day operations.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Organizational design remains consistent across all organizations.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The characteristics of an organization's human resources is an important factor in determining the type of organizational structure.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A functional structure becomes more efficient when an organization's task environment is rapidly changing.

Question 5

The goal behind creating a divisional structure is to create smaller, more manageable units within the organization.

Question 6

Increasing the degree of responsibility that a worker has over his or her job is known as job enrichment.

Question 7

Organizational architecture is the combination of organizational structure, culture, control systems, and human resource management (HRM) systems that together determine how efficiently and effectively organizational resources are used.

Question 8

It's easier for managers to gain access to scarce resources when the external environment is changing quickly.

Question 9

A product structure lets divisional managers respond quickly and appropriately to the changing task environment.

Question 10

Managers are most likely to adopt a global geographic structure when they pursue a multidomestic strategy.

Question 11

An organizational structure should be designed in such a way that employees don't develop supportive job behaviors and attitudes.

Question 12

When managers organize divisions according to the type of customer they market their products to, they adopt a product structure.

Question 13

Task identity refers to the degree to which a worker feels his or her job is meaningful because of its effect on people inside the organization or on people outside the organization.

Question 14

When people who perform similar jobs are grouped together, it becomes difficult for managers to monitor and evaluate their performance.

Question 15

Managers who make design choices that increase job enlargement are likely to increase the degree to which people behave mechanically.

Question 16

It's easier for managers to communicate and coordinate with one another when they are responsible for several different kinds of products.

Question 17

The process by which managers establish the structure of working relationships among workers in an organization is called organizing.

Question 18

Different strategies need different organizational structures and cultures.

Question 19

The degree to which a job gives an employee the freedom to schedule different tasks and decide how to carry them out is known as task significance.

Question 20

An organizational structure composed of all the departments that an organization requires to produce its goods or services is known as a functional structure.

Question 21

A matrix structure is also known as product team structure.

Question 22

Organizational values and norms do not have any influence on an employee's decisions and actions.

Question 23

Effective managers constantly scrutinize their hierarchies to see whether the number of levels can be increased.

Question 24

A tall organization has fewer levels of authority relative to the size of the organization.

Question 25

A liaison role provides sufficient coordination when more than two functions or divisions share many common problems.

Question 26

Inert cultures are those whose values motivate and inspire employees.

Question 27

A market structure does not allow managers to act flexibly in making decisions in response to customers' changing needs.

Question 28

Span of control refers to the number of subordinates who report directly to a manager.

Question 29

The chain of command in an organization is the hierarchy of authority for the organization.

Question 30

A cross-functional team is a group of managers brought together from different departments to perform organizational tasks.

Question 31

Decentralizing authority allows an organization and its employees to behave in a flexible way even as the organization grows and becomes taller.

Question 32

The design of the organizational structure does not influence the organizational culture.

Question 33

The shared set of beliefs, expectations, values, and norms in an organization is known as organizational architecture.

Question 34

In a flat, decentralized structure people have little personal autonomy, and norms that focus on being cautious emerge because predictability and stability are desired goals.

Question 35

The flatter the hierarchy of an organization the less flexible the organization becomes.

Question 36

Centralized authority helps managers to keep the organizational hierarchy flat.

Question 37

The matrix structure of an organization is usually very rigid.

Question 38

People have more personal autonomy in tall, centralized organizations.

Question 39

By decentralizing authority, an organization establishes values that inhibits creativity.

Question 40

Organizational culture is shaped by the personal and professional characteristics of people within the organization.

Question 41

The process by which managers decide how to divide tasks into specific jobs is known as _____.

A) job design
B) job procurement
C) span of control
D) task analyzability
E) integrating mechanization

Question 42

_____ refers to the formal system of task and job reporting relationships that determines how employees use resources to achieve organizational goals.

A) Organizational socialization
B) Organizational culture
C) Organizational structure
D) Organizational norms
E) Organizational values

Question 43

The more complicated the technology that an organization uses, the:

A) lesser is the need for a progressive culture.
B) greater is the need for a flexible structure.
C) more appropriate is a formal structure.
D) easier it is to regulate the technology.
E) fewer are the unexpected events that arise.

Question 44

Kevin noticed that Derek, an automotive technician at his repair shop, was getting bored of repeatedly performing the lone task of changing oil, so Kevin assigned him the additional duty of fixing tires. This is an example of _____.

A) job simplification
B) job enrichment
C) job enlargement
D) span of control
E) task analyzability

Question 45

Increasing the number of different tasks in a given job by changing the division of labor is known as _____.

A) job simplification
B) job enlargement
C) job enrichment
D) span of control
E) job autonomy

Question 46

Which of the following is true about routine technology?

A) It is characterized by high task variety and low task analyzability.
B) Problems encountered while using it requires significant nonprogrammed decision making.
C) Regulating and controlling an organization that uses it is difficult.
D) It is best suited for a company that uses an organic structure.
E) Problems encountered while using it do not vary much.

Question 47

Task variety refers to:

A) the degree to which programmed solutions are available to people or functions to solve the problems they encounter.
B) the number of new or unexpected problems that a person or function encounters in performing jobs.
C) the degree to which a worker finds his job captivating or interesting.
D) the number of different goods or services that a particular company markets.
E) the degree to which a particular task needs highly skilled workforce.

Question 48

Which of the following is more likely to be true for an organization that has a highly skilled workforce?

A) The structure of the organization inclines more toward being mechanistic in nature.
B) Authority is concentrated at the top of the organizational hierarchy.
C) Employees are guided and governed by strict rules, SOPs, and norms.
D) Employees are closed monitored by their supervisors.
E) The organizational culture is based on values that foster employee autonomy.

Question 49

Increasing the degree of responsibility a worker has over a job is called _____.

A) job enlargement
B) job simplification
C) job enrichment
D) span of control
E) task analyzability

Question 50

_____ is the process by which managers create a specific type of organizational structure and culture.

A) Forward vertical integration
B) Tactical planning
C) Contingency planning
D) Economies of scale
E) Organizational design

Question 51

Which of the following is true of a low-cost strategy?

A) It fares best in an organization with an informal structure.
B) It fares best in an organization with more liberal norms.
C) It fares best in an organization that gives its employees a lot of autonomy.
D) It is aimed at increasing the value of goods as perceived by customers.
E) It gives managers greater control over the organizational activities.

Question 52

Which of the following organizing choices are managers most likely to make to obtain scarce resources under a rapidly changing external environment?

A) Establish restrictive norms that guide and govern employees' activities
B) Centralize authority
C) Use a mechanistic form of organizing
D) Establish values that emphasize obedience
E) Create an entrepreneurial culture

Question 53

_____ refers to the shared set of beliefs, values, and norms that influence how people and groups work together to achieve organizational goals.

A) Organizational structure
B) Organizational culture
C) Organizational hierarchy
D) Organizational effectiveness
E) Organizational intelligence

Question 54

The degree to which programmed solutions are available to people or functions to solve the problems they encounter is known as _____.

A) task identity
B) task specialization
C) task autonomy
D) task variety
E) task analyzability

Question 55

Which of the following is a result of too much job simplification?

A) Increased motivation among employees
B) Reduced job monotony
C) Reduced efficiency
D) Increased level of performance
E) Greater number of tasks for each employee

Question 56

Which of the following organizing choices are managers most likely to make if the external environment is stable and resources are readily available?

A) Decentralize authority
B) Create a more organic organizational structure
C) Cultivate an entrepreneurial culture in the organization
D) Establish values and norms that emphasize change and innovation
E) Use detailed rules, SOPs, and restrictive norms to govern employees' activities

Question 57

The result of the job design process is a(n):

A) decrease in efficiency and effectiveness.
B) division of labor among employees.
C) decrease in employee productivity.
D) increase in the number of tasks that each employee has to perform.
E) decrease in job specialization.

Question 58

The greater the level of uncertainty in an organization's environment:

A) the more complex its strategy and technology.
B) the less qualified and skilled its workforce.
C) the less likely employees are to be given autonomy.
D) the more likely managers are to design a mechanistic structure.
E) the more likely the organizational culture is rigid and inflexible.

Question 59

Which of the following is true of an organization with a stable external environment and readily available resources?

A) Less coordination and communication are needed among people and functions to obtain resources.
B) Managers face greater problems in trying to gain access to resources.
C) Managers typically make organizing choices that result in more flexible structures.
D) Authority is likely to be decentralized.
E) Lower-level employees are encouraged to make important operating decisions.

Question 60

A _____ strategy that is aimed at driving down expenditures in all functions usually fares best in a more _____ structure with more conservative norms.

A) differentiation; flexible
B) differentiation; stable
C) low-cost; formal
D) low-cost; informal
E) low-cost; organic

Question 61

The idea behind the concept of job enrichment is:

A) increasing workers' responsibility increases their involvement in their jobs.
B) increasing the range of tasks performed by a worker reduces boredom and fatigue.
C) increasing the number of tasks performed by a worker reduces the need for additional human resources.
D) reducing the number of tasks that each worker performs simplifies their jobs.
E) reducing workers' responsibility reduces the work-related stress accompanying their jobs.

Question 62

Josh works for a company where he is given the freedom to decide how best to carry out the tasks assigned to him. From the information given, it can be said that Josh's job has _____.

A) low skill variety
B) high task identity
C) low task significance
D) high feedback
E) high autonomy

Question 63

Task significance refers to the:

A) degree to which a worker feels his or her job is meaningful because of its effect on people inside the organization or on people outside the organization.
B) extent to which a job requires that a worker perform all the tasks necessary to complete the job, from the beginning to the end of the production process.
C) degree to which a job gives an employee the freedom and discretion needed to schedule different tasks and decide how to carry them out.
D) extent to which a job requires that an employee use a wide range of different skills, abilities, or knowledge.
E) extent to which actually doing a job provides a worker with clear and direct information about how well he or she has performed the job.

Question 64

Which of the following structures is the most flexible?

A) Functional structure
B) Product structure
C) Market structure
D) Geographic structure
E) Matrix structure

Question 65

What is the advantage of a product structure?

A) It allows managers to gain expertise in many industries.
B) It allows functional managers to fine-tune their skills in a particular product area.
C) It allows managers to group people by function and product simultaneously.
D) It distances divisional managers from the customers thus increasing the organizational stability.
E) It permanently assigns employees to a cross-functional team that is empowered to bring a new product to market.

Question 66

Andy, the CEO of Alpha Inc., structured his organization according to the goods it manufactured. Which of the following structures is the organization using?

A) Geographic structure
B) Market structure
C) Product structure
D) Functional structure
E) Customer structure

Question 67

The extent to which doing a job gives the worker direct and clear information about how well the worker is performing the job is known as:

A) task identity.
B) feedback.
C) autonomy.
D) task significance.
E) skill variety.

Question 68

The degree to which a job allows a worker to schedule the tasks of the job and to decide how to carry out these tasks is known as _____.

A) autonomy
B) task identity
C) task significance
D) skill variety
E) span of control

Question 69

RST consulting has offices in different locations around the country. Each division is self-contained and caters to the needs of the specific region in which it is located. This is an example of a _____.

A) market structure
B) customer structure
C) product structure
D) functional structure
E) geographic structure

Question 70

What is the goal behind the creation of a divisional structure in an organization?

A) To create smaller, more manageable units within the organization
B) To merge all the departments that the organization requires to produce its goods or services
C) To permanently assign employees to cross-functional teams
D) To group people and resources by function and product simultaneously
E) To do away with dual reporting relationships and two-boss employees

Question 71

The extent to which a job requires the worker to use a wide range of knowledge and abilities is known as _____.

A) task identity
B) task significance
C) autonomy
D) skill variety
E) span of control

Question 72

Which of the following is true of a matrix structure?

A) Managers organize divisions based solely on the type of good or service they provide.
B) Managers organize divisions based solely on the area of the country or world they operate in.
C) Managers organize divisions based solely on the type of customer they focus on.
D) Managers group people who perform similar jobs.
E) Managers group people by function and product simultaneously.

Question 73

The extent to which a job requires that a worker perform all the activities that are required to complete a job is called:

A) skill variety.
B) task identity.
C) task significance.
D) span of control.
E) autonomy.

Question 74

When managers organize divisions based solely on the type of customer they focus on, they adopt a _____.

A) product structure
B) geographic structure
C) market structure
D) functional structure
E) product team structure

Question 75

According to Hackman and Oldham's job characteristics model, which of the following employees are more likely to be satisfied and to perform at a high level?

A) Those who work under close supervision
B) Those who work in rigid organizational structures
C) Those who work in organizations where authority is centralized
D) Those who work in total seclusion
E) Those who are responsible for their work outcomes

Question 76

A _____refers to an organizational structure composed of all the departments that an organization requires to produce its goods or services.

A) product structure
B) matrix structure
C) product team structure
D) functional structure
E) customer structure

Question 77

A _____ refers to an organizational structure that simultaneously groups people and resources by function and by product.

A) matrix structure
B) market structure
C) product structure
D) functional structure
E) divisional structure

Question 78

Which of the following is true of a functional structure in an organization?

A) It allows managers to adequately respond to a changing competitive environment.
B) As the organization grows, it becomes more effective.
C) It makes monitoring and evaluating the performance of workers difficult.
D) It results in workers performing at a low level.
E) It eliminates the need for cooperation within a function.

Question 79

Which of the following is an example of the means by which the degree of responsibility workers have over their jobs can be increased?

A) Encouraging workers to stick to the established method of doing the job
B) Allowing workers to monitor and measure their own performance
C) Encouraging workers to hone their current skills rather than develop new skills
D) Giving workers detailed instructions about how to do their work
E) Encouraging workers to turn to their superiors when faced with unexpected situations

Question 80

In which of the following types of organizational structures are employees referred to as two-boss employees?

A) Product structure
B) Matrix structure
C) Geographic structure
D) Functional structure
E) Divisional structure