Deck 10: Leadership of Ethics, Diversity, and Culture

Question 1

A strong culture by itself is generally a guarantee of success.

Answer 1

FALSE

Question 2

The strength of any culture depends on the degree to which a set of norms and values are widely shared and strongly held throughout the organization.

Answer 2

TRUE

Question 3

Promotions based on personal considerations rather than professional considerations are a characteristic of low-performance cultures.

Answer 3

TRUE

Question 4

Culture is a social control mechanism.

Question 5

Halgie Corporation took great efforts toe select a CEO whose personality traits and values fit the company's cultural values. A benefit of this approach is that it enhances successful outcomes.

Question 6

An organization's culture determines the way that it responds to problems of survival in its external and internal environment.

Question 7

A deeply rooted culture that is well matched to strategy and external environmental trends is a not a strong recipe for successful strategy execution.

Question 8

Apecure Corporation is a company where managers, not employees are expected to know all of the answers to problems and is focused on primarily internal operations and ignoring changing external conditions and is an example of insular thinking.

Question 9

Culture has two important functions in that it creates external unity and helps the organization adapt to the internal environment.

Question 10

All organizations have a culture.

Question 11

An organization's culture is considered weak when it conducts its business according to clear and explicit set of principles and values.

Question 12

In high-performance cultures, emphasis is placed on individual goal setting, and in low-performance cultures, emphasis is place on linkages between reward systems and performance.

Question 13

Culture is the aggregate of beliefs, norms, attitudes, values, assumptions, and ways of doing things that is shared by members of an organization and taught to new members.

Question 14

A strong culture is one that offers a flexible values system that encourages employees' freedom of expression through a variety of behaviors.

Question 15

High-performance cultures are results-oriented and avoid risks.

Question 16

Insular thinking is a common characteristic of high-performance cultures.

Question 17

Employees learn what is valued most in an organization by watching what attitudes and behaviors leaders pay attention to and reward and whether the leaders' own behavior matches the espoused values.

Question 18

The extent to which an organization's culture supports or subverts internal management controls will determine if it is functional or dysfunctional.

Question 19

Culture defines the organization's essential purpose.

Question 20

An environment that allows influential managers to operate their units autonomously-like personal kingdoms-is more likely to embrace change.

Question 21

Written values statements have the advantage of explicitly stating the company's position on ethical and moral issues, and they serve as benchmarks for judging both company policies and actions and individual conduct.

Question 22

Top management of Mallon Corporation wants to communicate that it is committed to creating a new culture. The strongest means of doing this is to replace old-culture members who are unwilling to change with a "new breed" of employees.

Question 23

Leaders in bureaucratic cultures perceive their environments as basically stable with an external strategic focus.

Question 24

In a high power-distance culture, leaders and followers interact on several levels as equals.

Question 25

A cooperative culture is the best organizational culture that a company can have.

Question 26

The competitive culture is generally known for its flexibility and innovativeness.

Question 27

Four distinct generations comprise today's workforce-the Traditionalists, the Baby Boomers, the Modernists, and the Generation Xers.

Question 28

The United States and Japan are said to have individualistic cultures.

Question 29

A competitive culture is characterized by an unstable market environment and a strategic leadership focus that is external.

Question 30

In an adaptive culture, management thinking is based on the belief that organizational success is influenced more by events outside the organization than by internal factors.

Question 31

A society with high uncertainty avoidance contains a majority of people who do not tolerate risk, avoid the unknown, and are comfortable when the future is relatively predictable and certain.

Question 32

A code of ethics will still be useful even if an ethical corporate culture and top management support are lacking.

Question 33

Creative solutions to problems are more likely to be reached in diverse work groups than homogeneous groups.

Question 34

An ethics ombudsperson is a single person entrusted with the responsibility of disclosing illegal or unethical practices on the part of the organization.

Question 35

The role of leadership in creating an ethical work environment applies primarily to larger corporations.

Question 36

There are significant interaction effects between organizational practices and national culture.

Question 37

Cooperative culture represents a leadership belief in active monitoring of the external environment for emerging opportunities and threats.

Question 38

A feminine culture, such as Sweden and Denmark, emphasizes developing and nurturing personal relationships and a high quality of life.

Question 39

Because industrialized countries share similar national values, it would be appropriate for the United States to use the same rewards systems for companies in Canada and Mexico.

Question 40

Demographic diversity is the inclusion of all groups at all levels in an organization.

Question 41

Diversity training is most likely to be successful when it is conducted by outside experts on diversity.

Question 42

For organizations to embrace and value diversity, the concept itself must be embedded in the organization's business model.

Question 43

Which of the following is a characteristic of a high-performance culture?

A) culture reinforcement tools
B) intensely people oriented
C) results oriented
D) all of the answers are correct

Question 44

The overall consensus on the effects of diversity on business performance is that diversity leads to better outcomes.

Question 45

Diversity leadership focuses on simply managing the numbers or compliance, while diversity management (institutionalized) focuses on results.

Question 46

All of the following are symbolic leadership actions for shaping culture EXCEPT:

A) creating a strategy-culture fit.
B) celebrating achievements.
C) matching organizational structure to culture.
D) leaders serving as role models.

Question 47

Which of the following is (are) true about the relationship between leadership and culture.

A) The fit between an organization's current or desired culture and CEO traits and values are important.
B) The fit between an organization's current or desired culture and CEO traits and values are unimportant.
C) Matching CEO traits and values to the organization's values enhances successful outcomes.
D) A and c

Question 48

____ leadership actions are explicit and highly visible and are indicative of management's commitment to new strategic initiatives and the associated cultural changes.

A) Symbolic
B) Substantive
C) Traditional
D) Values-based

Question 49

Which of the following statements regarding culture is true?

A) Not every organization has a culture.
B) Culture is recognized as a source of competitive advantage.
C) Culture is the generalized beliefs or behaviors that are considered by an individual or a group to be important.
D) An organization's culture primarily determines the way that employees respond to one another and to its external and internal environments.

Question 50

All of the following are substantive leadership actions for shaping culture EXCEPT:

A) matching HR practices to culture.
B) aligning reward/incentive system with culture.
C) developing a written values statement.
D) interacting face-to-face with rank-and-file.

Question 51

For diversity to succeed, there has to be an explicit corporate philosophy that unambiguously supports it.

Question 52

Diversity can bring about negative outcomes if not effectively managed.

Question 53

Insular thinking is an attribute of a(n) ____ culture.

A) low-performance
B) high-performance
C) bureaucratic
D) adaptive

Question 54

The ultimate objective of diversity training and education is to create a diversity sensitive orientation.

Question 55

A strong culture by itself is not a guarantee of success unless it is also aligned to:

A) the external environment.
B) strategy.
C) leadership.
D) all of the answers are correct

Question 56

The strength of any culture depends on:

A) the leader's relationship with his or her followers.
B) the degree to which a set of norms and values are widely shared and strongly held throughout the organization.
C) how diverse the organization is.
D) how much the organization embraces change.

Question 57

Which of the following is a function of culture?

A) It keeps diversity from becoming extreme.
B) It results in strategic alignment.
C) It helps the organization adapt to the external environment.
D) all of the answers are correct

Question 58

Diversity training is most likely to be successful when it is an on-going activity.

Question 59

Abaco Corporation uses social events to reinforce examples of its values, sees employees as their top asset, have a strong link between performance and rewards and constructively encourages excellence. What type of culture do they have?

A) strong
B) weak
C) hierarchical
D) national

Question 60

A weak culture is likely to exhibit which of the following

A) Low performance
B) Lack of employees' identity with the organization
C) Prevalence of manipulation and internal conflict
D) High performance
E) A, b, and c

Question 61

The strongest sign that management is truly committed to creating a new culture is by:

A) celebrating achievements.
B) replacing old-culture members who are unwilling to change with a "new breed" of employees.
C) interacting face-to-face with rank-and-file.
D) recruiting as many diverse employees as possible.

Question 62

In a(n) ____ culture, management thinking is based on the belief that organizational success is influenced more by events outside the organization than by internal factors.

A) cooperative
B) adaptive
C) competitive
D) bureaucratic

Question 63

Written values statements:

A) have the advantage of explicitly stating the company's position on ethical and moral issues.
B) serve as a building block in the task of culture creation and maintenance.
C) serve as benchmarks for judging both company policies and actions and individual conduct.
D) all of the answers are correct

Question 64

An organization with an internal strategic focus will exhibit a(n) ____ or ____ culture.

A) competitive; bureaucratic
B) adaptive; competitive
C) cooperative; competitive
D) bureaucratic; cooperative

Question 65

Organizations with ____ cultures are highly structured and efficiency driven.

A) competitive
B) adaptive
C) bureaucratic
D) cooperative

Question 66

An employee's disclosure of illegal or unethical practices on the part of the organization is called:

A) ethical disclosure.
B) whistle blowing.
C) moral reasoning.
D) individualism.

Question 67

All of the following countries have collectivistic cultures EXCEPT:

A) Japan.
B) Mexico.
C) Great Britain.
D) Greece.

Question 68

You have been hired as CEO of Lugar Industries and have been asked to change the organizational culture. Because your company operates in a quickly changing environment, you need to have a culture which encourages employees to respond quickly to changes, to take risks, innovate, and have the authority to make quick decisions to take advantage of opportunities and to avoid risks. Based on these conditions, you, as CEO, want a(n) ____ culture.

A) adaptive
B) cooperative
C) bureaucratic
D) competitive

Question 69

The most critical value for leaders to possess is:

A) honesty.
B) ethics.
C) kindness.
D) all of the answers are correct

Question 70

An organization with an external strategic focus and a high degree of environmental turbulence calls for a(n) ____ culture.

A) competitive
B) bureaucratic
C) adaptive
D) cooperative

Question 71

According to a recent study, ____ percent of Fortune 500 companies now have a code of ethics.

A) 50
B) 75
C) 85
D) 90

Question 72

____ people are comfortable with and accepting of the unknown, and tolerate risk and unpredictability.

A) High uncertainty avoidance
B) High power-distance culture
C) Low uncertainty avoidance
D) none of the answers are correct

Question 73

A new CEO is appointed to Xex Corporation. Which of the following should occur for there to be successful outcomes in changing Xex's organizational culture.

A) The CEO traits and values fit the organization's values.
B) The CEO wants to retain old-culture members who are unwilling to change.
C) The CEO's behaviors match his/her espoused values.
D) CEO frequently attends both ceremonial and non-ceremonial events.
E) A, c, and d

Question 74

A(n) ____ culture has an internal strategic focus and operates in a stable environment.

A) cooperative
B) competitive
C) bureaucratic
D) adaptive

Question 75

A single person entrusted with the responsibility of acting as the organization's conscience is called a(n) ____.

A) ombudsperson
B) mentor
C) whistle blower
D) none of the answers are correct

Question 76

____ are generalized beliefs or behaviors that are considered by an individual or a group to be important.

A) Values
B) Ethnocentrism
C) Stereotypes
D) Ethics

Question 77

The United States has a culture where the majority of the population tolerate risk and are relatively comfortable with uncertainty and unpredictability. Which of Hofstede's dimensions of national culture does this describe?

A) uncertainty avoidance
B) long-term orientation
C) bureaucratic
D) none of the answers are correct

Question 78

____ culture represents a leadership belief in strong, mutually reinforcing exchanges and linkages between employees and departments.

A) Cooperative
B) Adaptive
C) Competitive
D) Bureaucratic

Question 79

A competitive culture is characterized by a(n) ____ strategic focus and a(n) ____ environment.

A) internal; stable
B) external; unstable
C) internal; unstable
D) external; stable

Question 80

In a high power-distance culture:

A) leaders and their members interact on several levels as equals.
B) the leader is the primary decision maker.
C) decision making is a group-oriented activity.
D) none of the answers are correct