Deck 2: Job Performance

Question 1

Adaptive task performance involves employee responses to task demands that are novel, unusual, or, at the very least, unpredictable.

Answer 1

True
Explanation: Adaptive task performance involves employee responses to task demands that are novel, unusual, or, at the very least, unpredictable.

Question 2

Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions.

Answer 2

True
Explanation: Property deviance refers to behaviors that harm the organization's assets and possessions. For example, sabotage represents the purposeful destruction of physical equipment, organizational processes, or company products.

Question 3

Creative task performance is a behavior that is only valuable in jobs such as artist and inventor.

Answer 3

False
Explanation: Creative task performance is not only relevant to jobs such as artist and inventor; its emphasis has been increasing across a wide variety of jobs. Indeed, more than half the total wages and salary in the United States are paid to employees who need to be creative as part of their jobs.

Question 4

Creative task performance is the degree to which individuals develop ideas or physical outcomes that are both novel and useful.

Question 5

Employees' performance of routine task behaviors is becoming increasingly important as globalization, technological, advances, and knowledge-based work increase the pace of change in the workplace.

Question 6

Political deviance refers to behaviors that intentionally harm the organization's assets and possessions.

Question 7

Interpersonal citizenship behavior is most important when people work in large groups.

Question 8

Wasting resources is the most common form of production deviance.

Question 9

Very few 360-degree feedback systems ask employees to provide ratings of their own performance.

Question 10

Organizational citizenship behaviors benefit the larger organization by supporting and defending the company, working to improve its operations, and being especially loyal to it.

Question 11

Social networking sites and their applications can be used to monitor employee performance.

Question 12

Forced ranking systems can force managers to give bad evaluations to good performers.

Question 13

O*NET captures the "numerous small decisions" that separate the most effective organizations from their competitors.

Question 14

The MBO approach involves collecting performance information not just from the supervisor but from anyone else who might have firsthand knowledge about the employee's performance behaviors.

Question 15

Routine task performance can involve employee responses to task demands that are novel, unusual, or, at the very least, unpredictable.

Question 16

In addition to being more cognitive, knowledge work tends to be more structured and static in nature.

Question 17

Sometimes the best task performers engage in counterproductive behavior.

Question 18

Service work contexts place a greater premium on high levels of citizenship behavior and low levels of counterproductive behavior.

Question 19

Evaluating an employee's performance based on results alone provides the best picture of which employees are worth more to an organization.

Question 20

Citizenship behavior is defined as voluntary employee activities that may or may not be rewarded.

Question 21

Donnell is a computer programmer whose job performance rating notes the fact that he often goes out to the parking lot and sits in his car during lunch hour. He is otherwise sociable and never late coming back from lunch; therefore, this is not an appropriate item to include on his job performance rating because it

A) is not a behavior relevant to the accomplishment of organizational goals.
B) demonstrates an undue focus on interpersonal citizenship behavior.
C) relates to his task performance rather than his job performance.
D) implies that he is doing something wrong by sitting in his car.
E) concerns citizenship behavior rather than job performance.

Question 22

Employee behaviors that are directly involved in the transformation of organizational resources into the goods or services that the organization produces are referred to collectively as

A) behaviorally anchored rating scales.
B) citizenship behavior.
C) task performance.
D) job performance.
E) civic virtue.

Question 23

An artist, Martel is known for his bright canvases awash in extraordinary color combinations. His pieces bring tens of thousands of dollars at auction, and this allows him to pay the salary of assistants, such as Brendan. An aspiring young painter, Brendan mixes paints, cleans brushes, and maintains the inventory of art supplies in Martel's studio. The difference between their two positions is best described in organizational terms by saying that Martel's work involves ________ task performance.

A) creative task performance, whereas Brendan's is primarily concerned with adaptive
B) adaptive task performance, whereas Brendan's is primarily concerned with creative
C) adaptive task performance, whereas Brendan's is primarily concerned with routine
D) routine task performance, whereas Brendan's is primarily concerned with adaptive
E) creative task performance, whereas Brendan's is primarily concerned with routine

Question 24

Remaining composed and cool when faced with difficult circumstances or a highly demanding workload or schedule, and acting as a calming and settling influence to whom others can look for guidance, are all part of ________, one of the behaviors involved in adaptability.

A) dealing with uncertain and unpredictable work situations
B) handling emergencies or crisis situations
C) demonstrating interpersonal adaptability
D) solving problems creatively
E) handling work stress

Question 25

________ is the value of the set of employee behaviors that contribute, either positively or negatively, to organizational goal accomplishment.

A) Citizenship behavior
B) Task performance
C) Job performance
D) Knowledge work
E) Civic virtue

Question 26

Employee responses to job demands that are novel, unusual, or unpredictable are a part of

A) job performance.
B) adaptive task performance.
C) job analysis.
D) routine task performance.
E) citizenship behavior.

Question 27

Damita finds an advertisement for a bookkeeper position at a small business. The ad mentions handling accounts payable and accounts receivable, payroll, worker's compensation and unemployment insurance, and other financial matters related to the operation of the company. These items in the job description are all examples of

A) job analysis.
B) task performance.
C) job performance.
D) citizenship behavior.
E) forced ranking.

Question 28

Today, Jamie, a police officer with a big-city force, apprehended a suspect fleeing the scene of a convenience store robbery. The suspect ran for three blocks before Jamie managed to tackle and handcuff him and read him his rights, by which time other officers had arrived on the scene to take him down to the station for booking. Jamie later described the situation to family and friends as "all in a day's work," but in organizational terms this is an example of

A) job performance.
B) citizenship behavior.
C) routine task performance.
D) creative task performance.
E) adaptive task performance.

Question 29

Vincenza is an accountant whose client list includes an array of Fortune 500 companies. She has developed algorithms that have saved her clients millions of dollars, and as many satisfied customers have said, her solutions are often unexpected, but always legal and always effective. Yet Vincenza says that the real star in her family is her younger sister Siena, whose poetry has been published in a number of journals. Siena's poetry does not pay the bills, but it did get her noticed by a major publisher, who employed her to work in their mail room-a job that has given Siena the opportunity to meet a number of famous authors. In terms of organizational behavior, the best way to describe the difference between Vincenza's and Siena's jobs is to say that Vincenza's job ________ than Siena's.

A) is much more involved in creative task performance
B) requires a good deal more education
C) has more to do with routine tasks
D) involves much less creativity
E) pays much more

Question 30

Selena sells luxury cars for a living, but in recent months her sales have slumped. This is partly due to an economic recession, which has led to a downturn in the market. In addition, Selena has been distracted by the fact that her mother has been in the hospital. As a result of her decline in sales, Selena recently received a bad job performance rating. Why would she have grounds to dispute this rating?

A) Her mother's illness is a factor beyond her control.
B) Results do not tell her how to reverse a "bad year."
C) The economic downturn is a factor beyond her control.
D) Her manager's focus on the bottom line has led to social undermining.
E) She is contributing to the organization in ways that go beyond the bottom line.

Question 31

Cheryl continually boosts morale at the sales office of Monroe Consumer Products, and she has helped a number of her colleagues through difficult situations. Nevertheless, she received a bad job performance rating due to the fact that her sales for the quarter were down. This job performance rating is

A) wrong; Cheryl is contributing to the organization in ways that go beyond the bottom line.
B) wrong; an emphasis on results such as sales would encourage Cheryl to behave unethically.
C) right; even if Cheryl can claim problems that were beyond her control, it is no one's concern but her own.
D) right; if Cheryl is rewarded with a good job performance rating, it will encourage other employees to slack off.
E) right; in spite of her positive qualities, Cheryl has failed to produce, and results are what really matter in the end.

Question 32

As the manager of the local Express Package Services, a retail shipping facility, DeAnna is evaluating the employees who work at the counter. She looks at such factors as positive or negative customer comments about each employee, their sales relative to those of their coworkers, the amount of time they spend with each customer, and so forth. DeAnna is evaluating each of these employees in terms of their

A) task performance.
B) job performance.
C) citizenship behavior.
D) counterproductive behavior.
E) courtesy.

Question 33

In their evaluation of his performance as a trainer in the sales department of Ogilvy Pharmaceuticals, Jeremy's supervisors look at such factors as the amount of time he spends with each of his trainees, his coverage of all key points in training, his success rate in turning out trained salespeople within the amount of time allotted, and so forth. In other words, Jeremy's supervisors are evaluating his

A) task performance.
B) job performance.
C) service work.
D) boosterism.
E) civic virtue.

Question 34

The explicit obligations that an employee must fulfill to receive compensation and continued employment are referred to as

A) job performance.
B) citizenship behavior.
C) knowledge work.
D) task performance.
E) civic virtue.

Question 35

Well-known responses to normal job demands that occur in a predictable way are a part of

A) job performance.
B) adaptive task performance.
C) knowledge work.
D) routine task performance.
E) citizenship behavior.

Question 36

Agnes is an inventor whose work has made people's lives better in a number of ways. As one commentator observed, "It's not just that her work is original-wearing shoes on your head is original-but it's also useful." Agnes's work is an example of

A) organizational citizenship behavior.
B) interpersonal citizenship behavior.
C) adaptive task performance.
D) creative task performance.
E) routine task performance.

Question 37

Teresa works in a chemical factory where her job involves inspecting containers of kerosene as they pass down the assembly line. She goes through a five-step process compliant with safety regulations laid down in the company manual, and she seldom has to think about her work. One day, however, a fire broke out on the line, and Teresa, who saw it before anyone else, grabbed an extinguisher just in time. Had she not acted quickly, the fire would have quickly spread, potentially resulting in widespread injuries and even death. In terms of organizational behavior, what is the best way to describe this situation?

A) Teresa's job is usually very routine, but on this occasion it became exciting.
B) Teresa's job demands that she remain vigilant, but this time she needed to be extra-vigilant.
C) Normally, Teresa's job involves routine task performance, but this situation required adaptability.
D) Usually, Teresa's job calls for routine task performance, but in this situation she had to be creative.
E) On a typical day, Teresa's job requires adaptability, but this situation called for creative task performance.

Question 38

LeAnne is exhausted after another long day of answering the phones at the law firm of Boardman, Holloway, and Shriver. She says those three names several hundred times a day, followed by "How my direct your call?" This is an example of

A) adaptive task performance.
B) routine task performance.
C) citizenship behavior.
D) job performance.
E) knowledge work.

Question 39

When job performance evaluation time rolls around, Michael always comes out ahead of his coworkers, but his success comes at a price. He has been known to give his supervisors negative (and sometimes unTrue) information about his coworkers, and when it looks as though someone else may be about to get a better job performance evaluation, bad things tend to happen to that person, such as lost paperwork and missed meetings due to deleted calendar appointments. In terms of organizational behavior and the principles of job performance evaluations, it is clear that

A) the organization has failed to create a sense of group cohesion and an attitude of organizational citizenship.
B) unethical behavior on the part of his supervisors has led Michael to seek advancement by any means possible.
C) Michael is showing the kind of resourcefulness that rightly has earned him high job performance ratings in the past.
D) other employees have failed to understand, as Michael clearly has, that personal success equates with organizational success.
E) his supervisors' emphasis on results has created an environment in which an employee might use unethical behavior to get ahead.

Question 40

Handling work stress and emergencies, solving problems creatively, and responding to unpredictable demands are all aspects of

A) citizenship behavior.
B) civic virtue.
C) helping.
D) adaptability.
E) service work.

Question 41

One of the interpersonal citizenship behaviors is

A) voice.
B) civic virtue.
C) sportsmanship.
D) boosterism.
E) charity.

Question 42

Although interpersonal citizenship behavior is beneficial in many contexts, it may be most important when people work in

A) service jobs.
B) managerial jobs.
C) small groups.
D) large groups.
E) technical jobs.

Question 43

Felicia is an experienced lab technician, but at the moment she is not working in the lab. She is reviewing a list of activities associated with her job and rating them in terms of their importance. Most likely, Felicia is a

A) job seeker considering the best qualities she could bring to her new job.
B) soon-to-be retiree preparing to train the person who will replace her.
C) boss completing a job performance evaluation of her subordinates.
D) subject matter expert involved in a job analysis.
E) researcher conducting an industrywide study.

Question 44

________ is the type of citizenship behavior that benefits coworkers and colleagues and involves assisting, supporting, and developing other organizational members in a way that goes beyond normal job expectations.

A) Social
B) Interpersonal
C) Organizational
D) Altruistic
E) Political

Question 45

Candace hopes to get a job with the U.S. Foreign Service, serving as a liaison between an overseas embassy and the local population. She has an uncanny ability with languages, but if she wants to function well in her dream job, she also needs to be

A) open-minded, flexible, and a good listener.
B) reliable, detail-oriented, and unchanging.
C) flamboyant, articulate, and irrepressible.
D) easy to train and a good rule-follower.
E) creative, fearless, and original.

Question 46

Today was a tough day at Brightland Real Estate. Word came down from city hall about new zoning requirements that will make it harder to sell property for development, so Kenny, the head broker, called a meeting in the conference room. He had asked the office manager to print out some reports for him, but just as he was starting the meeting, he realized she had given him the wrong documents and then, as soon as she went to pull the right ones off of her computer, the power went out. Yet Kenny managed to smile and even joke about the situation, cheering others up in the process. His behavior is an example of

A) helping.
B) courtesy.
C) sportsmanship.
D) civic virtue.
E) boosterism.

Question 47

Some people react to bad rules or policies by constructively trying to change them instead of passively complaining about them. This positive characteristic is known as

A) helping.
B) sportsmanship.
C) voice.
D) civic virtue.
E) boosterism.

Question 48

The O*NET is useful for many things, but it does not provide

A) a resource for organizations that find it impractical to use job analysis.
B) the task requirements unique to a particular organization.
C) the knowledge and skills required to perform a task.
D) the characteristics of most jobs in terms of tasks.
E) the behaviors associated with a given job.

Question 49

If organizations find it impractical to use job analysis to identify the set of behaviors needed to define task performance, they can use

A) a job performance ranking.
B) 360-degree feedback.
C) management by objectives.
D) behaviorally anchored rating scales.
E) the Occupational Information Network.

Question 50

Organizational citizenship behaviors include

A) sportsmanship.
B) civic virtue.
C) courtesy.
D) helping.
E) respect.

Question 51

Amanda and her team are about to begin performing a job analysis for the position of structural engineer at their firm. The very first thing they should do is

A) examine highly rated activities, which can then be incorporated into training programs as learning objectives.
B) consult with a technical university to determine the requirements for obtaining a degree in structural engineering.
C) generate a list of activities involved with the job, using data collected through observations, surveys, and interviews.
D) look for activities that can become a part of performance evaluation systems as measures to evaluate task performance.
E) arrange for a group of subject matter experts to evaluate the job in terms of the importance and frequency of the activities involved.

Question 52

Interpersonal citizenship behaviors include helping, courtesy, and

A) generosity.
B) voice.
C) sportsmanship.
D) boosterism.
E) civic virtue.

Question 53

The process by which an organization determines the requirements associated with a specific job is referred to as a

A) job analysis.
B) forced ranking.
C) job evaluation.
D) ranking analysis.
E) forced analysis.

Question 54

Anyone who talks to Maurice for more than a few minutes knows that he works for Ocean Bay Resorts, which he always maintains is the best vacation rental company in the country. In fact, Maurice has plenty of positive things to say about his employer, and if there are any negatives, no one would know it from talking to him. Maurice's behavior is an example of

A) voice.
B) helping.
C) civic virtue.
D) boosterism.
E) sportsmanship.

Question 55

Tandy works in the legal department for SportCity, a chain of health clubs with a large regional office. In addition to performing the functions directly associated with her job, she goes out of her way to represent her department in companywide meetings, keeps up with announcements relevant to the legal department, and stays up to date on industry news related to SportCity. Her behavior is an example of

A) helping.
B) boosterism.
C) civic virtue.
D) sportsmanship.
E) voice.

Question 56

Kevin works for Outrageous Burger, a nationwide fast-food chain, but his job does not involve flipping patties or making fries. Instead, he is sitting before a computer screen in the company's corporate offices, writing something. "Place the two halves of the bun on the counter," one line reads, "then add enough shredded lettuce to cover the bottom bun to a depth of not more than 0.25 inches." In all likelihood, Kevin is writing a

A) series of directions for a training script.
B) list of core job tasks for a detailed job analysis.
C) critique of an employee's mishandling of job tasks.
D) report for an industry publication regarding job tasks.
E) detailed analysis of a day in the life of a fast-food worker.

Question 57

Gloria, Angelica, and Roberto all work for Dr. Elena at Brite & Beautiful Dentistry. One day, Gloria was in the small parking lot behind the office and noticed a sizeable pool of water near the building, even though it had not rained recently. She and the others began to monitor the situation, and soon determined that they had a leak somewhere in the drainage pipes, so Roberto called a plumber. The plumber came out the next day, and though he agreed with their assessment that they had a leaky pipe, he could not find the exact spot where the water was leaking. Given that the pipes lay under concrete, digging them out would involve a great deal of time and expense-not to mention noise and dust. Then Angelica had an idea: since Dr. Elena, like many dentists, kept a small amount of radioactive material on hand for making dental implants, they could release an extremely small portion through each of the sinks, toilets, and other drains in succession, then use a Geiger counter, which measures radioactivity, to locate the leak. Her coworkers scoffed, but Dr. Elena said it would be possible to release an amount of material too small to be harmful, but large enough to register on the Geiger counter. The plumber said it sounded like a good idea to him, and thanks to Angelica, within a little more than an hour's time, he had located the leak and was able to fix it with a minimum of trouble. In arriving at this solution, Angelica demonstrated one of the behaviors involved in adaptability, namely

A) dealing with uncertain and unpredictable work situations.
B) learning work tasks, technologies, and work situations.
C) handling emergencies or crisis situations.
D) demonstrating interpersonal adaptability.
E) solving problems creatively.

Question 58

Emily, Shalonda, and Tomas all work at Terence Butler Life & Auto, an insurance agency. Their boss, Terence, has a very full schedule, but he knows he can rely on his three employees. Emily specifically takes on the role of attending all community-related meetings and functions where the agency might have a stake, and Shalonda helps out with constructive suggestions on the operation of the office. Tomas makes it his job to serve as unofficial representative for the agency, ensuring that it maintains a positive image not only with customers, but also with neighboring businesses and the community as a whole. These employees' actions are examples of

A) creative task performance.
B) organizational citizenship behavior.
C) routine task performance
D) adaptive task performance
E) interpersonal citizenship behavior.

Question 59

________ describes voluntary employee activities that may or may not be rewarded but that contribute to the organization by improving the overall quality of the setting in which work takes place.

A) Creative task performance
B) Adaptive task performance
C) Counterproductive behavior
D) Citizenship behavior
E) Routine task performance

Question 60

The two main categories of citizenship behavior are

A) social and organizational.
B) social and intrapersonal.
C) social and political.
D) interpersonal and political.
E) interpersonal and organizational.

Question 61

Everyone at the St. Louis offices of Dominique Marceau Cosmetics, from the president to the lowest salesperson, came to the company holiday party-all except for Melanie, who told her coworkers that going to the party was "a waste of time." When her supervisor told her she had been missed, she claimed that her mother was sick, but she later laughed about this behind her supervisor's back and said that she spent the evening out partying with friends. Her behavior shows a lack of

A) voice.
B) helping.
C) civic virtue.
D) boosterism.
E) sportsmanship.

Question 62

Serious interpersonal counterproductive behaviors include

A) sabotage.
B) harassment.
C) incivility.
D) gossiping.
E) wasting resources.

Question 63

Property deviance behaviors include

A) sabotage and theft.
B) sabotage and harassment.
C) wasting resources and theft.
D) wasting resources and harassment.
E) wasting resources and substance abuse.

Question 64

Employee behaviors that intentionally hinder organizational goal accomplishment are referred to as ________ behaviors.

A) negative
B) aggressive
C) deviant
D) counterproductive
E) assaultive

Question 65

Behaviors that intentionally disadvantage other individuals rather than the larger organization are referred to as

A) property deviance.
B) wasting resources.
C) substance abuse.
D) personal aggression.
E) political deviance.

Question 66

Personal aggression behaviors include

A) incivility and abuse.
B) incivility and sabotage.
C) harassment and abuse.
D) harassment and sabotage.
E) harassment and substance abuse.

Question 67

Blake leads a design team that consists of four members, including himself, but the workload has become such that they need to add a fifth member. He is considering a variety of candidates, who have relatively equivalent skill sets when it comes to the work, and all are more or less equally easy to get along with. Given all this, Blake should be looking for a candidate who demonstrates

A) a propensity for speaking well of the company to outsiders.
B) the capacity for heading off problems before they arise.
C) the ability come up with novel solutions to problems.
D) a habit of keeping up with changes in the industry.
E) a tendency to come to the aid of their coworkers.

Question 68

________ is made up of behaviors that focus specifically on reducing the efficiency of work output.

A) Political deviance
B) Property deviance
C) Personal aggression
D) Political aggression
E) Production deviance

Question 69

Production deviance behaviors include

A) wasting resources and substance abuse.
B) wasting resources and sabotage.
C) theft and substance abuse.
D) theft and harassment.
E) theft and sabotage.

Question 70

Behaviors that intentionally harm the organization's assets and possessions are referred to as

A) production deviance.
B) political deviance.
C) property deviance.
D) personal aggression.
E) organizational aggression.

Question 71

Communication that is rude, impolite, discourteous, and lacking in good manners is

A) abusive.
B) incivil.
C) gossiping.
D) harassment.
E) property deviance.

Question 72

Angry at his boss and coworkers, Jerome has booby-trapped the cartridges in the office printers so that ink will bleed all over each page. His behavior is an example of

A) wasting resources, a type of production deviance.
B) wasting resources, a type of property deviance.
C) sabotage, a type of production deviance.
D) sabotage, a type of property deviance.
E) sabotage, a type of political deviance.

Question 73

Danielle is a model of good citizenship, particularly of the interpersonal variety. She regularly volunteers to do things for her work group, helps orient new members, attends functions that help the group, and assists others with their work for the benefit of the group. Yet her supervisor is not completely pleased with Danielle's job performance, most likely because her citizenship behaviors are

A) a distraction to her fellow employees.
B) at odds with her stated job description.
C) not motivated by genuine concern for others.
D) the consequence of deep underlying insecurities.
E) distracting her from other duties and responsibilities.

Question 74

Minor interpersonal counterproductive behaviors include

A) sabotage.
B) harassment.
C) incivility.
D) abuse.
E) theft.

Question 75

When employees use too many materials or too much time to do too little work, this is ________ deviance.

A) wasting resources, a form of production
B) wasting resources, a form of property
C) sabotage, a form of property
D) sabotage, a form of production
E) sabotage, a form of political

Question 76

Serious organizational counterproductive behaviors include

A) incivility.
B) harassment.
C) gossiping.
D) sabotage.
E) abuse.

Question 77

The most common form of production deviance is

A) theft.
B) incivility.
C) wasting resources.
D) substance abuse.
E) harassment.

Question 78

When Rebecca and Julie worked together on a project last year, both did more than their share and earned a nice bonus from their boss. Julie was then sent to another state to help set up a new office over the summer, and from her messages on social media, Rebecca could tell that she was working harder than ever. In the fall, when Julie returned to her home office, Rebecca suggested that they work together on a new project. This time, however, things did not go well: Julie seemed to lose interest quickly, and Rebecca began to feel resentful when she realized that she was doing most of the work. What most likely happened?

A) Julie lacked civic virtue.
B) Rebecca demonstrated a lack of civic virtue.
C) Julie began suffering from citizenship fatigue.
D) Rebecca failed to show a proper level of sportsmanship.
E) Julie was strong on interpersonal citizenship, but not organizational.

Question 79

Bradley may be only an entry-level fry cook at Danny Boy's, a fast-food restaurant, but he thinks and acts far beyond his pay grade. He continually offers the manager suggestions regarding how to improve efficiency in the kitchen, and more often than not, the manager adopts his ideas. Bradley was also the one who pointed out that the way they were disposing of used cooking grease presented an environmental hazard and a possible fire hazard. His behavior exemplifies

A) courtesy.
B) boosterism.
C) sportsmanship.
D) civic virtue.
E) voice.

Question 80

Minor organizational counterproductive behaviors include

A) sabotage.
B) harassment.
C) incivility.
D) gossiping.
E) wasting resources.