Deck 8: Organizational Culture

Question 1

 Which of the following statements about strong cultures is true?

A) Strong cultures often result in greater role ambiguity.
B) Strong cultures allow a company to run more smoothly and quickly.
C) Strong cultures lead to decreased performance in stable environments.
D) In strong cultures, there are low levels of agreement among employees.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

 Which of the following is the best example of an organization with a strong culture?

A) TechPark is a company characterized by low levels of agreement among employees about what is valued in the organization.
B) The employees of Z-Gadgets, a manufacturing company, experience role ambiguity and therefore they require more coordination and monitoring.
C) The performance of ElectronicZone tends to fluctuate, wherein it's good under stable environments and very poor under turbulent environments.
D) Z-Furn's organizational culture is very flexible and can be easily changed in response to changing environments.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

 When a Ritz-Carlton employee went above and beyond what was asked to create a memorable experience for guests, he was

A) following formal, written organizational rules and guidelines.
B) disregarding organizational assumptions.
C) showing a lack of organizational commitment.
D) following the informal rules embodied in organizational culture.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

 Which of the following is a source from which a firm's culture develops?

A) The employees' skill set
B) The suppliers and customers
C) The organization's competitors
D) The founder of the organization

Question 5

 Which of the following levels of organizational culture refers to the visible organizational structures, processes, and languages?

A) Artifacts
B) Values
C) Assumptions
D) Beliefs

Question 6

 When employees of Hewlett-Packard had difficulty adjusting to a changing marketplace and a new CEO, they demonstrated a(n)

A) strong culture.
B) weak culture.
C) passive culture.
D) aggressive culture.

Question 7

 Which of the following statements is true of the levels of organizational culture?

A) Assumptions are deeply embedded in an organization's culture.
B) It is quite difficult to note the artifacts present in an organization.
C) Assumptions are the meanings that members of an organization attach to artifacts.
D) Values are visible organizational structures, processes, and languages.

Question 8

 Which of the following best describes an organization's artifacts?

A) Day-to-day behaviors that can be observed
B) The underlying essence of why members of an organization act as they do
C) Relational factors between an organization's culture and its performance
D) Aspects deemed important by members of an organization

Question 9

 Which of the following statements is true of the role of founders in influencing culture?

A) The founders take the least risk and therefore do not feel as much anxiety as their employees.
B) In allowing values to trump economics, founders tend to have a weak influence on the company's culture.
C) A founder cannot make any risky decisions as he/she is required to account to everyone in the organization.
D) Founders are uniquely situated to be innovative and to exemplify innovation to their employees.

Question 10

 Which of the following is a disadvantage of a strong culture?

A) A strong culture seldom influences an organization's performance.
B) A strong culture tends to be difficult to change.
C) In a strong culture, the goals are unclear.
D) A strong culture requires more coordination and monitoring.

Question 11

 The employees of Konakoala Company are in high agreement about company values but have little passion for them. Konakoala's culture is

A) strong.
B) weak.
C) passive.
D) aggressive.

Question 12

 Which of the following characterizes a weak culture?

A) Employees require less coordination and monitoring
B) High role clarity
C) Allows a company to run more smoothly and quickly
D) No agreement on the firm's values

Question 13

 Which of the following is a characteristic of an organization's culture?

A) Culture is unchangeable.
B) Culture is unrelated to performance.
C) Culture is dynamic.
D) A company's culture can be easily copied by competitors.

Question 14

 Which of the following is the best example of an organization with a weak culture?

A) TechPark is a company characterized by low levels of agreement among employees about what is valued in the organization.
B) The employees of Z-Gadgets, a manufacturing company, experience role clarity, in which they operate autonomously with little monitoring.
C) The performance of ElectronicZone tends to fluctuate, wherein it's good under stable environments and very poor under turbulent environments.
D) Z-Furn's organizational culture is very inflexible and cannot be easily changed in response to changing environments.

Question 15

 Which of the following is an advantage of a strong culture?

A) A strong culture has been linked to better levels of performance.
B) Strong cultures increase performance even in turbulent environments.
C) Organizations with strong cultures only encourage ethical behavior.
D) It is a simple and easy task to change the strong culture of an organization.

Question 16

 When Ms. Chase interviews prospective employees, she shows them the office layout, the work space, the game room, and the professional awards displayed in the lobby. In doing so, she is sharing the _____ of the company's culture.

A) artifacts
B) values
C) beliefs
D) assumptions

Question 17

 An organization's _____ defines how people think, feel, and act, and it moves at an almost subconscious level.

A) structure
B) design
C) culture
D) strategy

Question 18

 _____ refer to the meanings that members of an organization attach to visible aspects of a firm.

A) Artifacts
B) Values and beliefs
C) Assumptions
D) Objectives

Question 19

 Which of the following refers to an organization's assumptions?

A) Aspects deemed important by members of an organization
B) Relational factors between an organization's culture and its performance
C) The underlying essence of why members of an organization act as they do
D) Day-to-day behaviors that can be observed

Question 20

 Ben & Jerry's 5-to-1 policy, whereby executives could not earn more than five times the amount of the lowest-paid employee, is an example of a company's

A) cultural artifacts.
B) cultural beliefs and values.
C) cultural assumptions.
D) mission.

Question 21

 Analyze the ways in which a strong culture can affect a firm's performance.

Question 22

 Thomas is the top manager of a firm that is going to acquire another firm in a similar industry. In terms of culture, which of the following should Thomas do after acquiring the company?

A) Thomas should preserve those elements of each culture that are essential to the company's well-being.
B) Thomas should completely adopt the culture of the acquired company.
C) Thomas should encourage employees to follow both cultures in an attempt to avoid any conflict situations.
D) Thomas should stick to his own organization's culture regardless of whether the acquired company's culture is efficient or not.

Question 23

 Over time, the process of cultural socialization can result in a decreased level of commitment to an organization.

Question 24

 _____ directly impact culture in the manner in which they encounter big problems, solve those problems, and see the effects of their solutions.  

A) Suppliers
B) Competitors
C) Customers
D) Teams

Question 25

 Which of the following questions regarding culture should a manager address while acquiring a company?

A) Which culture is the best?
B) How socialized are the employees?
C) Is culture linked to performance?
D) Where are the similarities and differences between the merging cultures?

Question 26

 Discuss the role of founders in influencing a firm's culture.

Question 27

 Evaluate the importance of culture in mergers and acquisitions.

Question 28

 The process of understanding how work gets done and how individuals should interact is called

A) socialization.
B) internalization.
C) identification.
D) adaptation.

Question 29

 Which of the following aspects of a leader's role in relation to culture is deemed critically important to an organization's success?

A) Acquire more companies and adopt all elements of the acquired company's weak culture.
B) Reward employees and managers with pay based on commitment and continue raising the bar.
C) Empower employees to make independent decisions and to find ways to improve operations.
D) Inspire managers and employees to work as they wish in an attempt to reduce their job-related stress.

Question 30

 Which of the following helps organizations to socialize employees?

A) The intermediaries used to reach customers
B) Role modeling, leader examples, and coaching
C) Technologies used in manufacturing a firm's product
D) Employee characteristics such as age and experience

Question 31

 It is the culture of the organizational structure that drives performance.

Question 32

 Which of the following evolves over three stages-from compliance to identification to internalization?

A) Internal integration
B) Organizational commitment
C) Cultural socialization
D) External adaptation

Question 33

 Strong cultures lead to increased performance in both stable and turbulent environments.

Question 34

 Describe three elements that can be helpful in assessing a firm's culture.

Question 35

 In formal organizations, the backbone of culture generally begins with a founder.

Question 36

 The number of values a firm holds is not as important as how strongly held they are and how much organizational buy-in they generate.

Question 37

 Identify the different levels of a firm's culture and their specific attributes.

Question 38

 When employees take risks that are not financially prudent in their quest for new innovation, they are likely following in the path of the company's

A) board of directors.
B) founders.
C) stockholders.
D) new CEO.

Question 39

 Once a behavior has become an assumption, it is even more visible.

Question 40

 The embedded nature of culture often makes change very difficult even in the face of strong competitive pressures.