Question 1

Goal displacement is

Accepted Answer

A) the tendency for workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems. 
B) a principal of organizational life according to which each individual within a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence. 
C) overzealous conformity to official regulations within a bureaucracy. 
D) the process by which a group,organization,or social movement becomes increasingly bureaucratic.

Question 2

In The Communist Manifesto,Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels charged that the capitalist system reduces workers to a mere "appendage of the machine," which leads to extreme

Accepted Answer

A) motion sickness. 
B) alienation. 
C) anomie. 
D) goal displacement.

Question 3

The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems is known as

Accepted Answer

A) goal displacement. 
B) oligarchy. 
C) manifest destiny. 
D) trained incapacity.

Question 4

The public attention given the failure of various government intelligence-gathering organizations to detect the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001,illustrates which poorly functioning aspect of government bureaucracy?

Accepted Answer

A) division of labor 
B) hierarchy of authority 
C) impersonality 
D) employment based on technical qualifications

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a formal organization?

Accepted Answer

A) a community college basketball team 
B) the people in a New York City subway car 
C) the General Motors Corporation 
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 6

Which sociological perspective might observe the division of labor among the staff members in a hospital emergency room and focus on how the allocation of responsibilities affects their social behavior?

Accepted Answer

A) functionalist perspective 
B) conflict perspective 
C) interactionist perspective 
D) global perspective

Question 7

Which of these comments about a bureaucracy is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) The division of labor has the positive consequence of producing efficiency in large-scale organizations. 
B) The hierarchy of authority has the negative consequence for the individual of depriving employees of a voice in decision making. 
C) An organization's written rules and regulations have the negative consequence of leading to goal displacement. 
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 8

Discuss the state of labor unions with the United States today from the various sociological perspectives.Explain what unique challenges the culture of the U.S.poses for labor unions compared with other nations.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the state of labor unions with...

Question 9

The tendency of workers in a bureaucracy to become so specialized that they develop blind spots and fail to notice obvious problems is known as trained incapacity.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of a negative consequence of bureaucratization?

Accepted Answer

A) the Peter principle 
B) employees deprived of a voice in decision making 
C) the stifling of initiative and imagination 
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

The "iron law of oligarchy" is a principle

Accepted Answer

A) of organizational life according to which even democratic organizations will become bureaucracies ruled by a few individuals. 
B) under which organizations are established on the basis of common interests. 
C) of organizational life according to which each individual in a hierarchy tends to rise to his or her level of incompetence. 
D) None of these answers is correct.

Exam 19: Understanding Organizations