Deck 15: Organizational Structure, Culture, and Development

Question 1

Hector and Janet have both been temporarily removed from their regular jobs to work with a group charged with planning and organizing an open house for their organization. These two people are part of a

A) project task force.
B) special team.
C) team organization.
D) centralized organization.

Answer 1

project task force.

Question 2

The number of subordinates reporting to a single supervisor is referred to as

A) line-staff structure.
B) leader-member exchange.
C) chain of command.
D) span of control.

Answer 2

span of control.

Question 3

The term "centralization" of organizational structure refers to

A) the ratio of workers to managers.
B) the degree to which decisions are made at the top level of the organization.
C) whether workers performing the same functions are placed in the same department.
D) the number of divisions in an organization that are formed around products.

Answer 3

the degree to which decisions are made at the top level of the organization.

Question 4

In a line-staff organizational structure, the maintenance crew that sweeps the floors of Macy's Department Store at night would be

A) line employees.
B) staff employees.
C) neither line nor staff.
D) either line or staff.

Question 5

A marketing specialist works with an artist and a designer to develop new toys for children. Sometimes conflict occurs when the group makes decisions. These people are probably employed by a

A) traditionally structured organization.
B) functionally structured organization.
C) nontraditionally structured organization.
D) centralized organizational structure.

Question 6

For the past ten years, Ryan has worked in a group in which each member is skilled, knowledgeable, and performs a variety of jobs. He enjoys his job except for the conflict that arises when the group makes decisions. Ryan works in a

A) team organization.
B) project task force.
C) traditional organization.
D) product support group.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of a tall organizational structure?

A) They offer many promotional opportunities
B) There is usually adequate supervision
C) There is a narrow span of control
D) There is great interaction between all levels of the organization

Question 8

Which of the following does organizational structure NOT refer to?

A) The number of different positions in an organization
B) The arrangement of organizational positions
C) The relationships between organizational positions
D) The authority and responsibility associated with organizational positions

Question 9

Bureaucracies

A) are generally inefficient.
B) are generally efficient.
C) are gradually replaced by nontraditional structures.
D) are positively related to worker job satisfaction and initiative.

Question 10

An organization with a long chain of command and a narrow span of control is referred to as a __________ organization.

A) short
B) flat
C) tall
D) lean

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a bureaucracy?

A) specialization of labor
B) emphasis on written records
C) favoritism in promotions
D) employment decisions based on merit

Question 12

Kevin is one of four product managers in one organization, and Lisa is vice president of sales for all products in another organization. Kevin's organization reflects a __________ design while Lisa's reflects a __________ design.

A) centralized, decentralized
B) decentralized, centralized
C) divisional, functional
D) functional, divisional

Question 13

The fact that each worker in a bureaucracy has a well-defined set of tasks to perform represents which of the following bureaucracy characteristics?

A) specialization of labor
B) well-defined authority hierarchy
C) formal rules and procedures
D) impersonality

Question 14

Nontraditional organizational structures are NOT characterized by

A) group decision making.
B) flexibility and adaptability.
C) lack of a traditional status hierarchy.
D) stability and resistance to change.

Question 15

An advantage of a functional structure over a divisional structure is that a functional structure

A) creates workers who are "generalists."
B) eliminates duplication of functions.
C) eliminates interdepartmental rivalries.
D) prevents over-specialization.

Question 16

Three dimensions used to classify organizational structures include

A) line-staff, traditional, and functional.
B) traditional, centralized, and functional.
C) chain of command, functional, and matrix.
D) divisional, line-staff, and matrix.

Question 17

The Consolidated Cookie Company's New Jersey factory has a separate unit that makes their chocolate crunch cookies and another unit that is completely responsible for all operations in producing CCC's lemon meringue cookies. The CCC New Jersey factory has a __________ organizational structure.

A) nontraditional
B) functional
C) divisional
D) consolidated

Question 18

In a university, professors are designated as

A) line employees.
B) staff employees.
C) both line and staff employees.
D) neither line nor staff employees.

Question 19

A project task force is a __________ organizational structure.

A) traditional
B) nontraditional
C) bureaucratic
D) permanent

Question 20

The "impersonality" of bureaucracies refers to the fact that

A) people rarely have the opportunity to get to know one another.
B) workers are so rigidly controlled that they lose their individual identities.
C) work-related decisions are based on logic rather than emotions.
D) workers treat customers with unfriendly attitudes.

Question 21

Woodward's examination of organizational structure included all but which of the following types of organizations?

A) Manual production
B) Small batch production
C) Mass production
D) Continuous process production

Question 22

Action research

A) is identical to hypothesis-testing research.
B) is specific to a particular organization.
C) does not involve applications.
D) does not use objective research methods.

Question 23

Organizational culture has been found to be influenced by

A) the size of the organization.
B) formal forces.
C) technology used by the organization.
D) the type of organizational structure.

Question 24

Organizational development

A) is a method of solving immediate problems in an organization.
B) consists of a single method for helping organizations change and innovate.
C) emphasizes change.
D) emphasizes stability.

Question 25

The Woodward contingency model of organizational structure considers the interaction of organizational structure and

A) task design.
B) work technology.
C) the external environment.
D) organizational size.

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT one of the five dimensions of organizational culture outlined by Hofstede?

A) individualism-collectivism
B) masculinity-femininity
C) uncertainty avoidance
D) legitimate-illegitimate

Question 27

According to Lawrence and Lorsch's contingency model of organizational structure, as the external environment increases in complexity, organizations must

A) increase in differentiation and integration.
B) decrease in differentiation and integration.
C) increase in differentiation and decrease in integration.
D) increase in integration and decrease in differentiation.

Question 28

According to the Woodward contingency model of organizational structure, complex continuous process manufacturing that demands high quality requires a complex technology with a

A) flat organizational structure.
B) large number of workers reporting to each supervisor.
C) wide span of control.
D) narrow span of control.

Question 29

According to the Lawrence and Lorsch contingency model of organizational structure, differentiation refers to the

A) complexity of structure in an organization.
B) lack of collaboration among divisions.
C) fact that different workers learn to specialize in different tasks.
D) number of different products produced.

Question 30

Which one of the following was NOT one of the four categories of organizational technology studied by Perrow?

A) Routine
B) Nonroutine
C) Craft
D) Administrative
E) All of the above were categories studied by Perrow

Question 31

Matrix organizations are most successful when they

A) perform work that requires creativity and innovation.
B) have clear rules and operational guidelines.
C) produce only one product.
D) perform tasks that can be easily broken down into components.

Question 32

An organizational development practitioner is also known as a(n)

A) efficiency expert.
B) problem solver.
C) intervention agent.
D) change agent.

Question 33

A matrix organization is likely to have a __________ structure.

A) functional
B) technological
C) decentralized
D) tall

Question 34

Which one of the following is NOT used as an OD technique?

A) Survey feedback
B) Process consultation
C) Team building
D) Job enrichment
E) All of the above are used as OD techniques

Question 35

Matrix organizations are

A) slow to change and innovate
B) generally very large organizations.
C) characterized by a lack of coordination of workers' efforts.
D) structured by both product and function.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a method of measuring organizational culture?

A) a focus on the "artifacts" of an organization
B) survey instruments
C) the Organizational Culture Profile (OCP)
D) the Organizational Practices Scale
E) All of the above are methods used to measure organizational culture.

Question 37

According to Perrow's contingency model of organizational structure,

A) technology adjusts to organizational structure.
B) organizational structure adjusts to technology.
C) organizational structure dictates the type of technology used.
D) there is no relationship between technology and organizational structure.

Question 38

Bill was recently hired to conduct a survey of employee attitudes for a large organization. As an OD consultant, his first step should be

A) reviewing relevant scientific research.
B) data gathering and diagnosis.
C) joint action planning.
D) evaluation.

Question 39

According to Perrow's contingency model of organizational structure, persons engaged in scientific research would be engaged in __________ technology.

A) routine
B) nonroutine
C) craft
D) administrative

Question 40

Organizational culture is NOT related to

A) the organization's competition.
B) beliefs about the organization's products.
C) technology used in the organization.
D) ethnicity of the workforce.
E) All of the above are related to organizational culture

Question 41

The nontraditional structure is best for most organizations today.

Question 42

A survey can have a positive effect on worker attitudes only if management

A) is interested in the employees' views.
B) is willing to accept upward communication.
C) does not interfere with survey administration.
D) takes steps to address the problems identified by the survey.

Question 43

One problem with bureaucracies is that certain individuals are promoted because of who they know rather than how well they perform their jobs.

Question 44

FACTUAL: Organizational Development ANSWER c Quality circles are typically

A) composed of untrained members.
B) formed to solve a variety of problems at once.
C) comprised of volunteers from the same work areas.
D) committed to one method of problem solving.

Question 45

According to Perrow, technology adjusts to the organizational structure.

Question 46

The line-staff structure increases organizational productivity by allowing workers to perform a wide variety of jobs.

Question 47

In centralized organizational structures, decision making power is dispersed at each departmental level.

Question 48

The Woodward contingency model of organizational structure looks at how structure influences technology.

Question 49

Employees are asked detailed questions about their opinions of the organization. This information is used as the starting point for organizational change. This is an example of the OD technique known as

A) survey feedback.
B) group decision making.
C) participative management.
D) job enrichment.

Question 50

Which of the following is required in successful management by objectives programs?

A) guidelines for improvement
B) the highest goals possible
C) emphasis on work group instead of individual goals
D) total freedom for the workers to set their own goals

Question 51

The organizational development technique where the OD practitioner works as a teacher to help the organization to solve its own problems is known as

A) joint action planning.
B) management by objectives.
C) OD intervention.
D) process consultation.

Question 52

Matrix organizations can work with all types of tasks and all kinds of workers.

Question 53

A line-staff organization is a traditional organizational structure.

Question 54

The last step in process consultation is

A) evaluation and disengagement.
B) diagnosis and disengagement.
C) intervention and disengagement.
D) developing the contract.

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT a potential drawback to sensitivity training?

A) Risk of psychological casualties
B) Skills gained may not transfer to work settings
C) Results of research on its effectiveness are inconclusive
D) Group interactions are unstructured

Question 56

Regarding the effectiveness of organizational development programs,

A) there is no doubt that they are usually effective.
B) it is difficult to evaluate their effectiveness.
C) they are not at all effective.
D) None of the above

Question 57

Span of control refers to the number of levels of supervisors in an organizational hierarchy.

Question 58

Functional structures are based on types of products or customers.

Question 59

The OD technique that relies on goal setting is

A) team building.
B) management by objectives.
C) OD intervention.
D) process consultation.

Question 60

A group of employees meet to improve their performance by identifying the strengths and weaknesses in their interactions with one another. This is known as

A) a quality circle.
B) sensitivity training.
C) team building.
D) process consultation.

Question 61

Define organizational development and its purposes, as well as two OD methods.
INSERT TRANSPARENCY MASTERS STARTING HERE

Question 62

Compare and contrast Woodward's and Perrow's contingency models of organizational structure.

Question 63

The failure of quality circles can often be traced to lack of management support.

Question 64

Describe various nontraditional organizational structures.

Question 65

Action research is entirely different from social science research.

Question 66

Describe various dimensions of organizational structure.

Question 67

Research indicates that the driving force in developing organizational culture is the structure of the organization.

Question 68

Explain how the structure of organizations is influenced by the external environment.

Question 69

By understanding and assessing an organization's culture, it becomes easier to predict organizational behavior under different circumstances.

Question 70

In the Lawrence and Lorsch contingency model of organizational structure, the term integration refers to the amount of collaboration among divisions of an organization.

Question 71

The larger culture of a nation or society usually has very little influence on the culture within organizations.

Question 72

In organizational development, a consultant usually tries to slow down or prevent change.

Question 73

Compare and contrast traditional and nontraditional organizational structures, including examples of each.

Question 74

List and describe Hofstede's five dimensions of organizational culture.

Question 75

Discuss organizational culture in terms of important influences on its development within an organization.

Question 76

Describe the six characteristics of the bureaucracy and their purposes.

Question 77

There is no firm answer to the question of whether or not organizational development programs are effective.