Deck 3: A: Communication Implications of Major Organizational Theories

Question 1

Three men Frederick Taylor,Henri Fayol,and Max Weber were largely responsible for developing the major concepts of the Scientific Management approach.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Bureaucratic authority,according to Weber,was to rest on formalized rules,regulations,and procedures that made authority "rational legal".

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Follett characterized conflict as destructive because it interferes with the smooth operation of an organization.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Communication,from the Scientific Management perspective,was informal,with peer communication encouraged.

Question 5

The Human Behavior school focuses on the role of communication for developing organizational power.

Question 6

The Hawthorne effect refers to the importance of physical working conditions for productivity.

Question 7

The Scientific Management theorists viewed organizational culture as important for successful organizations.

Question 8

Max Weber is frequently referred to as the father of bureaucracy.

Question 9

Fayol's five basic activities of management are planning,organizing,commanding,coordinating,and controlling.

Question 10

Traditional authority,according to Weber,is associated with specific characteristics of the person exerting authority.

Question 11

Frederick Taylor held workers responsible for devising the scientific method of work.

Question 12

Henri Fayol is credited with the first known attempt to describe broad principles of management.

Question 13

The Scientific Management theorists believed communication was management's responsibility and should flow primarily in a vertically downward direction.

Question 14

Charismatic authority,according to Weber,is based on the specific characteristics of the person exerting authority.

Question 15

Bureaucratic authority,according to Weber,represented the ideal for organizations.

Question 16

Taylor described the first known reference to horizontal communication when he advised using the "gang plank" in specific types of situations.

Question 17

Weber introduced the time and motion study to industrial society.

Question 18

The Human Behavior school shifts the emphasis from the structure of organizations,work design,and measurement to the interactions of individuals,their motivations,and influence on organizational events.

Question 19

Management and workers are equally responsible for communication from the Scientific Management point of view.

Question 20

Communication,from the Scientific Management point of view,was to be a tool of management designed to facilitate task completion and,as such,was to operate as one of many organizational variables.

Question 21

McGregor's Theory X-Theory Y concept is a way to distinguish between the scientific and human behavior perspectives.

Question 22

The Hawthorne effect was the first documentation in industrial psychological research of the importance of human interaction and morale for productivity.

Question 23

Rensis Likert believed his linking-pin organizational design could replace an emphasis on managerial communication.

Question 24

Rensis Likert is known for his theory of participative management.

Question 25

Likert's concept of participative management rested on his contention that the supportive atmosphere of the effective group promoted creativity,motivated people to use the communication process as both senders and receivers,and exerted more influence on leadership than in other types of systems.

Question 26

Both Scientific Management and Human Behavior approaches have been criticized for their failure to integrate organizational structure,technology,and people with the larger environment in which organizations exist.

Question 27

Herbert Simon described organizational behavior as a complex network of decisions,with decision-making processes influencing the behavior of the entire organization.

Question 28

Rensis Likert proposed that employee-centered management was superior to the prescriptions of the Scientific Management approach.

Question 29

Likert contended groups with high loyalty and attraction communicated less and were more receptive to communication from others than groups where loyalty and attraction were not high.

Question 30

The worker characterized by Theory Y finds work as natural as play and as such is self-directed and self-controlled.

Question 31

The Integrated perspectives school attempts to explain how people,technologies,and environments integrate to influence goal-directed behavior.

Question 32

Theory X assumes that workers are creative and capable of organizational creativity.

Question 33

The sociotechnical approach to organizational theory attempted to balance human social-psychological needs with organizational goals.

Question 34

Both Theory X and Theory Y assume that organizations have difficulty in using human resources.

Question 35

Simon described satisficing as the making of decisions with full information and confidence that the decision will be the best.

Question 36

Theory X assumes that workers must be directed and threatened with punishment to achieve organizational productivity.

Question 37

Theory Y managers assume that most people actually prefer to be directed in order to avoid responsibility for their actions.

Question 38

Communication is more important to the Human Behavior theorists than to those writing from the Scientific Management perspective.

Question 39

Work groups are equally important in both the Scientific and Human Behavior perspectives.

Question 40

Sociotechnical integration rested on two assumptions: (1)organizational production is optimized through optimizing social and technical systems,and (2)a constant interchange exists between the work system and the broader environment.

Question 41

Contingency theory supports the "one best way" to organize as described by Scientific Management theorists.

Question 42

Lawrence and Lorsch describe contingency theory as the establishment of internal organizational operations contingent or dependent upon external environmental needs and individual needs.

Question 43

In Peter Senge's The Fifth Discipline,five disciplines converge to innovate learning organizations.

Question 44

Proponents of the contingency approach have specific prescriptions for organizing which are appropriate for all organizations.

Question 45

Joan Woodward researched British manufacturing firms in an effort to develop a list of characteristics that would indicate differences in organizational structure.

Question 46

Systems theorists relate the closed organizational system to a closed thermodynamic system,contending they both will approach a condition of maximum entropy with no further possibility of useful work.

Question 47

The cultural theorists underscore the importance of values for excellent organizations and the need for values to become part of the shared realities of organizational members.

Question 48

An autopoietic structure has a unique identity and clear boundary,yet is merged with its environment.

Question 49

Stories and myths about the behaviors of heroes help organizational members determine what they have to do to succeed and what is valued by the organization.

Question 50

The systems approach emphasizes interaction with the environment beyond the organization.

Question 51

Strong organizational values may limit change and encourage obsolescence when organizational values come in conflict with changing environments requiring new decisions and approaches.

Question 52

According to systems theory,the organic system is suited to change,while the mechanistic system functions best in stable conditions.

Question 53

The organic system is least suited to change,while the mechanistic system functions best in stable conditions.

Question 54

Integrated perspectives theories reject the "one best way" of Scientific Management approaches.

Question 55

Systems theorists advance a principle of optimization or looking for minimum output in return for minimum input.

Question 56

Schein's organizational midlife stage is characterized by a cultural constraint on innovation and emphasis on preservation of the past.

Question 57

Cultural approaches to organizational theory describe how organizational members collectively interpret the organizational world around them in order to define the importance of organizational happenings.

Question 58

In systems theory,the organization takes in materials and human resources (inputs),processes materials and resources (throughput),and yields a finished product (output)to the larger environment.

Question 59

A closed system limits exchange with the environment and seeks to operate as a self-contained unit.

Question 60

Integrated perspectives theories place greater emphasis on the external environment than do either Scientific Management or Human Behavior approaches.

Question 61

Postmodern and Critical Perspectives focus on power and domination,and on challenges to hierarchy,bureaucracy,and management control.

Question 62

Habermas contends that communication is foundational to all organizing,influence,and decision making.

Question 63

The fragmentation view suggests both the strong culture and subculture view adequately explain the nature of change in which most organizations and individuals find themselves.

Question 64

Peters and Waterman contend that excellent companies have a bias for action,are close to the customer,are hands-on,value-driven,and stick to the knitting.

Question 65

Clegg contends that postmodernism rejects the concepts of task specialization,mass consumption,and specialized jobs for which workers are completely trained.

Question 66

According to Alvesson and Deetz,the goal of critical theory is to create societies and workplaces free of domination,with all members having equal opportunity to contribute.

Question 67

Ashcraft believes that there are distinctions between bureaucratic and feminist organizations.

Question 68

Lack of consistency,lack of consensus,and ambiguity are all the hallmarks of a fragmentation view of culture.

Question 69

Karl Weick suggests that decisions in organizations are usually made according to well-organized plans.

Question 70

Deal and Kennedy suggest that the business environment is the least important influence in shaping a corporate culture.