Deck 15: Understanding and Managing Individual Behavior

Question 1

Which one of the following is true for organizational citizenship behavior (OCB)?

A) OCB is a performance measure of efficiency.
B) The requirements of OCB are spelled out in employee job profiles.
C) OCB is the behavior leading to permanent withdrawal from an organization.
D) OCB is discretionary behavior which promotes the effective functioning of the organization.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

What is organizational behavior? How can the study of organizational behavior help managers?

Answer 2

Organizational behavior is a field of study that is concerned specifically with the actions of people at work. It focuses primarily on two areas, individual behavior and group behavior. Group behavior includes norms, roles, team building, leadership, and conflict. The goals of organizational behavior are to explain, predict, and influence behavior. Managers need to be able to explain why employees engage in some behaviors rather than others, predict how employees will respond to various actions the manager might take, and influence how employees behave.

Question 3

Andrea closely monitors the job satisfaction of her subordinates because she believes ________.

A) she will be rated in this area on her performance evaluation
B) it is hard to discipline an employee because of the employee's attitude
C) low satisfaction leads to counterproductive behaviors
D) satisfied workers are more productive

Answer 3

D

Question 4

When someone chooses to act in a certain way, she is demonstrating the ________ component of her attitude.

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) affective
D) practices

Question 5

The goals of OB are to ________.

A) design, produce, and market products desired by consumers
B) explain, predict, and influence behavior
C) recruit, select, and retain qualified employees
D) identify social, environmental, and financial issues

Question 6

The three components that make up an attitude are ________ components.

A) cognitive, affective, and behavioral
B) active, behavioral, and adjustable
C) emotional, creative, and environmental
D) intentional, reactive, and adjustable

Question 7

The goals of organizational behavior can be stated as: If you can explain it, you can predict it. If you can predict it, you can influence it.

Question 8

In the statement, "The highway is very busy at 5 p.m. and is scary to drive on, so I'll wait until 7 p.m. to go home," the phrase, "so I'll wait until 7 p.m. to go home," represents which component of an attitude?

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) emotive
D) affective

Question 9

Organizational behavior is concerned only with group interactions.

Question 10

The ________ component of attitude is based on emotions.

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) affective
D) spiritual

Question 11

In the statement, "The highway is very busy at 5 p.m., and is scary to drive on, so I'll wait until 7 p.m. to go home," the word "scary" represents which component of an attitude?

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) practical
D) affective

Question 12

________ is defined as the failure to report to work.

A) Turnover
B) Tardiness
C) Absenteeism
D) Negligence

Question 13

Which component of attitude is reflected in the sentence, "This is the best way to get to our destination"?

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) emotive
D) affective

Question 14

Organizational citizenship behavior impacts the success of the entire organization.

Question 15

Andrew has been tracking how many positions he has to fill, and how many times he fills the same position. He is concerned that so many people are leaving his organization. Andrew is concerned about ________.

A) absenteeism
B) employee attitudes
C) turnover
D) productivity

Question 16

Organizational citizenship behavior is discretionary behavior that is not part of an employee's formal job requirements.

Question 17

________ is a performance measure of both the efficiency and effectiveness of employees.

A) Employee productivity
B) Organizational citizenship behavior
C) Job satisfaction
D) Employee morale

Question 18

The component of attitude that includes beliefs and opinions is the ________ component.

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) affective
D) mental

Question 19

Individual behavior in organizations includes ________.

A) strategies, norms, and roles
B) attitudes, learning, and motivation
C) structure, culture, and team building
D) policies and procedures

Question 20

The study of group behavior includes the study of ________.

A) perception, motivation, and learning
B) attitudes and personality
C) norms, roles, and leadership
D) organization structure and culture

Question 21

Which one of the following is true for satisfied employees with high organizational commitment?

A) lower rates of turnover and absenteeism
B) higher rates of voluntary turnover
C) higher rates of cognitive dissonance
D) lower levels of job involvement

Question 22

Mary dislikes having to convince prospective customers to buy products that she believes are inferior to others in the market. However, she has sales targets for all products, superior or otherwise, that she must meet in order to receive her commission. Although Mary tries to meet the target sales for all products, she is torn between her beliefs and the actions she must take. This inconsistency or incompatibility is known as ________.

A) negative feedback
B) difficult objectives
C) cognitive dissonance
D) management by objectives

Question 23

Individuals who experience low job satisfaction are more likely to leave their jobs than individuals with high job satisfaction.

Question 24

The degree to which an employee identifies with his or her job or actively participates in it refers to the employee's ________.

A) job involvement
B) organizational citizenship behavior
C) attitude
D) job satisfaction

Question 25

An effective way to increase the job satisfaction of customer service representatives is to increase the level of satisfaction among customers.

Question 26

________ is employees' general belief that their organization values their contribution and cares about their well-being.

A) Job involvement
B) Organizational commitment
C) Perceived organizational support
D) Organizational citizenship

Question 27

The cognitive component of an attitude refers to the beliefs, opinions, knowledge, or information held by a person.

Question 28

"Cody has retired on the job" is an expression used to describe ________.

A) a person approaching full retirement age
B) an employee who is disengaged
C) someone who draws retirement income while continuing to work
D) a person on extended medical leave

Question 29

Brianne has been coming in late and producing less recently, obviously dissatisfied with her job. Her supervisor would like to know how to deal with these behaviors so they don't spread to other employees. His wisest course of action would be to ________.

A) discipline her for being late
B) send her to HR for employee counseling
C) ignore them and hope the situation resolves itself
D) discover the source of her dissatisfaction

Question 30

Satisfaction with one's job does not necessarily lead to lower absenteeism

Question 31

The cognitive dissonance theory proposes that the intensity of the desire to reduce dissonance is determined by ________.

A) importance, influence, and rewards
B) resources, commitment, and organizational structure
C) stability, position, and power
D) awareness, status, and punishments

Question 32

Low levels of perceived organizational support lead to lower turnover.

Question 33

Research indicates that satisfied employees have lower levels of turnover while dissatisfied employees have higher levels of turnover.

Question 34

The regular use of ________ can alert managers to potential problems and employees' intentions early enough to do something about them.

A) employee engagement
B) performance incentives
C) employee benefit plans
D) attitude surveys

Question 35

Bryan has heard that one of his best subordinates is not happy with his job and is thinking of leaving the company. Which one of the following would help Bryan retain this employee?

A) Offer the employee a raise.
B) Find out which work incentive the employee values most.
C) Reduce the employee's workload.
D) Hint at a promotion in the future if the employee stays.

Question 36

The Hawthorne Studies proved that ________.

A) there is a correlation between job satisfaction and productivity
B) a high level of job satisfaction causes higher production
C) a high level of productivity causes higher job satisfaction
D) there is no relationship between job satisfaction and productivity

Question 37

Feelings of fair treatment impact an employee's job satisfaction.

Question 38

Perceived organizational support is the degree to which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals.

Question 39

The degree to which an employee identifies with a particular organization and its goals and wishes to maintain membership in the organization is the employee's ________.

A) job involvement
B) organizational commitment
C) job satisfaction
D) organizational citizenship

Question 40

Job satisfaction tends to increase as income increases.

Question 41

Highly engaged employees tend to have higher absenteeism but work harder when they are present.

Question 42

Sandy is very good at precise work. She does not tire of repetitive work as easily as some of the others. However, when faced with a new problem that requires an innovative solution, her performance is not satisfactory. Sandy's personality is likely to be classified as a(n) ________ type.

A) sensing
B) feeling
C) introvert
D) intuitive

Question 43

Doug is purposeful and an excellent planner. One thing that his team admires him for is his ability to sift through a whole lot of information to extract precisely what is needed for a job at hand. He is also a quick decision maker. Which one of the following personality types does Doug fit into?

A) sensing
B) perceptive
C) extraverted
D) judging

Question 44

Employees with a high level of job involvement strongly identify with and really care about the kind of work they do.

Question 45

Explain the three components of attitude. Give an example that incorporates all three elements.

Question 46

In the Big Five Model of personality, conscientiousness refers to ________.

A) the degree to which someone is calm, enthusiastic, and secure (positive) or tense, nervous, depressed, and insecure (negative)
B) the degree to which someone is sociable, talkative, assertive, and comfortable in relationships with others
C) the degree to which someone is reliable, responsible, dependable, persistent, and achievement oriented
D) the degree of influence the individual believes he or she has over certain factors

Question 47

Cognitive dissonance is any incompatibility or inconsistency between attitudes or between behavior and attitudes.

Question 48

Job satisfaction is a better predictor of voluntary turnover than organizational commitment.

Question 49

Explain cognitive dissonance theory in brief.

Question 50

The Big Five Model of personality includes ________.

A) intuition
B) judgment
C) perception
D) extraversion

Question 51

If you are a good planner and purposeful, you would probably score high on the ________ trait of MBTI®.

A) thinking
B) perceiving
C) introversion
D) judging

Question 52

In the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), "sensing" personality types are those who ________.

A) like solving new problems and dislike doing the same thing over and over again
B) use reason and logic to handle problems
C) have a high need for closure and show patience with routine details
D) see the big picture and dislike routine

Question 53

According to the Big Five Model of personality, a person who has a wide range of interests and is imaginative, fascinated with novelty, artistically sensitive, and intellectual is described as ________.

A) conscientious
B) extraverted
C) emotionally stable
D) open to experience

Question 54

George gets along well with most people in the team. He is good at his job but needs to be reassured once in a while. Another of George's traits is that he is always trying to keep everyone happy. George can be described as a(n) ________ personality.

A) sensing
B) feeling
C) introverted
D) intuitive

Question 55

Define attitudes. List and discuss the three components of attitudes and include an example of a statement that describes each component to support your answer.

Question 56

If your boss could be described as flexible, adaptable, and tolerant, he or she would probably score high on which one of the following aspects of the MBTI®?

A) extraversion
B) sensing
C) feeling
D) perceiving

Question 57

Alan's temperament is not well-suited to being a researcher. He tends to dislike doing the same thing twice and has no patience to sort out information step-by-step. As a result, he often jumps to conclusions. Alan is most likely a(n) ________ type of personality.

A) sensing
B) feeling
C) introversion
D) intuition

Question 58

As a manager, if you prefer to have a harmonious work environment and dislike reprimanding your subordinates, you would probably score high on the ________ aspect of the MBTI®.

A) perception
B) thinking
C) intuition
D) feeling

Question 59

Which one of the following is true according to the MBTI®?

A) Introverted types are practical and prefer routine and order.
B) Feeling types use reason and logic to handle problems.
C) Perceiving types are rigid and structured.
D) Judging types want control and prefer their world to be ordered.

Question 60

In the Big Five Model of personality, ________ refers to the degree to which someone is good-natured, cooperative, and trusting.

A) extraversion
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) emotional stability

Question 61

Sarah, the floor supervisor, seems to be a different person depending on whom she is with and what the situation demands. She has the ability to adjust her behavior as and when required. This indicates that she ________.

A) has low self-esteem
B) is low on Machiavellianism
C) has a high need for affiliation
D) is high in self-monitoring

Question 62

It is very difficult to ruffle Doreen's feathers. She has been called a rock, steadfast, slow to anger, calm in the middle of the storm. Doreen is high in ________.

A) emotional stability
B) sensing
C) conscientiousness
D) thinking

Question 63

________ is a personality trait that measures an individual's ability to adjust his or her behavior according to external situational factors.

A) Self-awareness
B) Self-esteem
C) Self-monitoring
D) Self-management

Question 64

If you believe that you control your own destiny, which one of the following personality traits are you likely to possess?

A) external locus of control
B) risk aversion
C) high self-esteem
D) internal locus of control

Question 65

A person who believes that what happens to him is due to luck or chance is said to have a(n) ________.

A) internal locus of control
B) Machiavellian personality
C) external locus of control
D) self-monitoring personality

Question 66

People with high self-esteem ________.

A) are more prone to conform to the beliefs of those they respect
B) are more likely to seek approval from others
C) are more likely to take unpopular stands
D) are more susceptible to external influence

Question 67

Peter, an assistant manager, exhibits a distinct lack of emotional involvement with his colleagues and subordinates. His entire focus is on achieving the goals he sets, no matter what course he has to take to get there. These traits lead an observer to conclude that Peter ________.

A) is high in Machiavellianism
B) has low self-esteem
C) is high in self-monitoring
D) has an internal locus of control

Question 68

The words "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" are consistent with someone who ________

A) is high in openness to experience
B) has an internal locus of control
C) has an external locus of control
D) is out of control

Question 69

A person who can adapt and adjust behavior to external factors has ________.

A) low self-esteem
B) an internal locus of control
C) high self-monitoring
D) high risk-taking ability

Question 70

A manager makes decisions very quickly and requires little information for making the decisions. Which of the following is a likely reason for this?

A) The manager has low self-esteem.
B) The manager is high in self-management.
C) The manager is high in emotional stability.
D) The manager is high in risk-taking.

Question 71

According to research, employees who have a high internal locus of control ________.

A) exhibit more satisfaction with their jobs than externals
B) are more alienated from their work setting than externals
C) are less involved in their jobs as compared to externals
D) blame their bosses for poor performance more often than externals

Question 72

Though clearly capable, Martina does not seem very confident of herself. She is always unsure of whether she can handle assignments that are difficult and as a result ends up choosing jobs that are fairly straightforward and involve routine work. She is also susceptible to evaluations from other people. Martina seems to have ________.

A) high cognitive dissonance
B) a high Machiavellianism score
C) low self-monitoring
D) low self-esteem

Question 73

Which one of the following is true of a person who believes that "the ends justify the means"?

A) He is likely to be low on self-confidence.
B) He is likely to be high in Machiavellianism.
C) He is likely to have an external locus of control.
D) He is likely to be risk averse.

Question 74

If you like yourself, then your personality would be described as having ________.

A) an internal locus of control
B) a high Machiavellianism score
C) high self-esteem
D) an external locus of control

Question 75

Kevin is a whirlwind as a research and development supervisor. His colleagues are surprised that even though he makes decisions very quickly and always with less information than others, his decisions are as good as anybody else's. This information implies that Kevin has ________.

A) high intuition
B) high Machiavellianism
C) high risk-taking ability
D) low cognitive dissonance

Question 76

Darren enjoys many genres of music and art. He has visited several European countries. It is very likely Darren is high in ________.

A) emotional stability
B) openness to experience
C) conscientiousness
D) agreeableness

Question 77

Edward is the cheerleader type, always smiling, never makes an unkind statement, always looks for the good in people and situations. Edward is high in ________.

A) emotional stability
B) feeling
C) agreeableness
D) perception

Question 78

Individuals with a Type ________ personality impose deadlines on themselves, generally emphasizing quantity over quality.

A) A
B) B
C) X
D) Y

Question 79

An individual who is high in ________ is pragmatic, maintains emotional distance, and believes that ends can justify means.

A) self-esteem
B) Machiavellianism
C) self-monitoring
D) risk taking

Question 80

When coworkers need help, they ask Edwina. She seems to know more about the job than everyone. She graduated with high honors from college and continues to learn all she can about a variety of interests. Edwina would score high in ________.

A) openness to experience
B) perception
C) thinking
D) conscientiousness