Deck 4: Organizational Strategy and Information Systems

Question 1

Effective, cross-cultural communication in today's global and "flattened" world is:

A) Easy to achieve
B) Difficult to achieve
C) Of little consequence to the organizational strategy
D) Achieved by using the best available technologies
E) No longer an issue for managers

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The organizational structure of Tata Consulting Services (TCS) is a ___________ organizational structure.

A) hierarchical
B) networked
C) matrix
D) flat
E) zero time

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Cognizant's organizational structure was ________, but realized as its organization grew and its services became more complicated that a __________ structure for the organization was more appropriate.

A) hierarchical, networked
B) matrix, networked
C) flat, matrix
D) hierarchical, matrix
E) flat, hierarchical

Answer 3

D

Question 4

A networked organizational structure feels both like a_______ and a_______ organizational structure because it supports a rigid structure with well-connected communication networks.

A) matrix, flat
B) flat, hierarchical
C) hierarchical, hybrid
D) flat, networked
E) matrix, traditional

Question 5

In which type of organizational structure will employees report to two or more supervisors?

A) Hierarchical
B) Networked
C) Flat
D) Matrix
E) Functional

Question 6

Organizational design is all about making sure that _________ are properly allocated, reflecting the structure of formal reporting relationships.

A) decision rights
B) business processes
C) values
D) incentives
E) IS

Question 7

This newer organizational design is designed to be highly flexible so that resources can be configured quickly to respond to changing demands.

A) Up time organization
B) Social networked organization
C) Hierarchical organization
D) Matrix organization
E) Elastic enterprise

Question 8

All statements below are true about a matrix organization structure EXCEPT:

A) The design supports both function and purpose.
B) Operating complexities can be reduced by sharing information among management.
C) Workers are assigned to two or more managers.
D) One weakness is that multiple dimensions of a business are not integrated well with a matrix organization
E) Confusion must be dealt with through frequent meetings and conflict resolution sessions.

Question 9

In which type of organizational structure is power distributed, and particularly suited for an environment that is dynamic and unstable?

A) Flat
B) Networked
C) Hierarchical
D) Matrix
E) Hybrid

Question 10

When using information technologies to collect data for the purpose of monitoring workers, a manager should do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Inform employees when and what is being monitored.
B) Consider the privacy rights of individuals.
C) Ensure monitoring is meaningful to the organization's mission.
D) Capture qualitative inputs in addition to quantitative data.
E) Require workers to complete additional tasks.

Question 11

IS plays three important roles in management control processes. These processes are data collection, evaluation, and _______________.

A) transformation
B) management
C) communication
D) implementation
E) conversion

Question 12

In which type of organizational design do middle managers do the primary information processing and communication function, telling subordinates what to do and then reporting the outcome to senior management?

A) Flat
B) Networked
C) Hierarchical
D) Matrix
E) Hybrid

Question 13

Traditional organizations have one of four types of organizational design. What are these four structure types?

A) Traditional, flat, matrix, technology
B) Hierarchical, flat, matrix, networked
C) Matrix, networked, flat, information
D) Matrix, flat, networked, traditional
E) Social, networked, matrix, hierarchical

Question 14

At Zara, decision rights for ordering have been granted to whom?

A) Regional managers
B) Headquarters
C) Store managers
D) Central production
E) The commercial team

Question 15

In which type of organizational structure is power centralized and the type of environment best supported stable and certain?

A) Flat
B) Networked
C) Hierarchical
D) Matrix
E) Traditional

Question 16

The negative consequences of monitoring an employee's discrete tasks include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) The worker can become disconnected from the larger business process.
B) There can be less of an opportunity for the worker to broaden his/her skills.
C) The worker feels empowered to make significant contributions to the business.
D) The personal freedoms of the worker may be intruded upon.
E) The privacy rights of an employee may be violated.

Question 17

All of the following help to develop informal networks that play an important role in an organization EXCEPT for:

A) Job rotation
B) Company softball team
C) Virtual communities
D) Performance reviews
E) Attendance at a conference

Question 18

Zara's store managers place orders that reflect their localized needs. However, order fulfillment is ultimately the responsibility of the commercial team in headquarters because:

A) Store managers have no real decision rights.
B) The commercial team does not trust the store managers.
C) Store managers do not have visibility into regional demands but the commercial team does.
D) The commercial team has more direct contact with the designers and production.
E) Store managers have no access to sales information for their store.

Question 19

The dimensions of national culture include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) The distribution of power in society
B) The extent to which society tolerates uncertainty
C) Avoidance of uncertainty
D) The acceptance of technology by society
E) The degree to which society engages in future-oriented behaviors

Question 20

This type of organizational structure is based upon the concepts of division of labor, specialization, and unity of command. Key decisions are made at the top and filter down through the organization.

A) Hierarchical
B) Networked
C) Flat
D) Matrix
E) Social

Question 21

________ reduces the operating complexity of a matrix organization.

Question 22

This IT-enabled network links individuals together, regardless of location, so that they may get to know people and find useful information.

Question 23

IS makes it possible to evaluate performance by capturing current data in addition to analyzing historical data. Often managers are faced with an overwhelming volume of data and analyzing it becomes very time consuming, a situation known as ____________.

Question 24

Differences in organizational and national culture normally do not affect system development and use.

Question 25

Ideally, the person who has the most information about a decision and who is in the best position to understand the relevant issues is the person with __________ for the decision.

Question 26

Which of the following is not an organizational structure?

A) Hierarchical
B) Flat
C) Power Distant
D) Matrix
E) Networked

Question 27

The use of performance data by managers is generally welcomed by workers and nonthreatening to workers when the data is used for compensation rather than to improve performance.

Question 28

A matrix organization:

A) Can involve multiple bosses and multiple teams
B) Requires quite a bit of communication to be successful
C) Were rare for quite a while but have become more common in recent years
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 29

A corporate culture is a firm's set of shared values and _______

Question 30

If a technology is to be successfully implemented into an organization, either the technology must fit the organization's culture or the culture must be shaped to fit the behavioral requirements of the technology.

Question 31

Cognizant needed to reinvent its organizational structure many times to make sure that it properly facilitates the flow of information between employees.

Question 32

Which of the following is not an organizational design variable?

A) IT Infrastructure
B) Decision rights
C) Informal networks
D) Structure
E) Formal reporting relationships

Question 33

A firm is usually a mix of different organizational structures, known as a hybrid structure.

Question 34

National culture no longer predisposes workers to act in a certain way.

Question 35

Different organization structures reflect the different organizational strategies that are used by firms to implement their business strategy.
Ans; True

Question 36

The three components of the organizational strategy are organizational design, management control systems and _________.

Question 37

Which organization structure typically assigns workers two or more supervisors in an effort to make sure multiple dimensions of the business are integrated?

A) Hierarchical
B) Flat
C) Matrix
D) Networked
E) Informal

Question 38

This term is used to describe a situation where technology enables individuals from all parts of the organization to reach and communicate with all other parts of the organization.

Question 39

A ________ organization allows a firm to concentrate on both function and purpose.

Question 40

An organization feels hierarchical when IT is used primarily as a communication vehicle.

Question 41

Match the organizational structure to the power structure it supports.

Question 42

Match a firm's actions with the cultural layer it helps to define.

Question 43

Give an example of a tool or virtual community that enables a large, global informal network. What is its value to a participant and the participant's firm?

Question 44

What recommendations would you give a manager who supports a team of individuals with a multitude of cultural differences?
Matching

Question 45

Match the organizational structure to the statement that best represents it.

Question 46

Match the organizational structure that you would find supporting the organization strategy of the following firms:

Question 47

Compare and contrast the organizational structures of Cognizant (after restructuring) and that of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

Question 48

List some examples of informal networking that occurs in organizations. How can management utilize informal networks to the organization's advantage?

Question 49

Hofstede identified cultural dimensions and researched expected behaviors within that society. Match the cultural dimension to the organizational impact it can have.

Question 50

Match the organizational variable to its description.

Question 51

Cognizant moved to a matrix organization to "foster continuous operational implementations and better bottom-line results for clients." Explain how the change of organizational design allowed Cognizant to succeed.

Question 52

How does IS impact the 3 managerial levers: organizational, control and cultural?

Question 53

Explain how Cognizant's "10/10/10" program is designed, its cultural impact and the role IS plays in supporting it.
45 Assume you are a manager of a local doctor's office. How could you use IS to help monitor the performance of the nurses and doctors? State the benefits as well as the challenges.