Chapter 1: Organizations, Work, and Applied Psychology

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. A(n) ______ is a collection of people working together in a division of labor to achieve a common purpose.

A. organization

B. market

C. university

D. leader

Learning Objective: 1-1: Describe what an organization is and how applied psychology can help organizations make the wisest use of the people who staff them.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Pervasiveness of Organizations
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

2. All of the following are common inputs to organizations EXCEPT ______.

A. energy

B. people

C. sales

D. information

Learning Objective: 1-1: Describe what an organization is and how applied psychology can help organizations make the wisest use of the people who staff them.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Pervasiveness of Organizations
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

3. According to the reading, the first rule of psychology is that people are ______.

A. similar

B. human

C. useful

D. different

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Differences in Performance
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

4. In an idealized existence, we would be able to ______.

A. place all individuals into jobs that are perfectly suited for them

B. pay all workers the same no matter what job they did

C. create jobs where individual differences did not matter for performance

D. have no need for personnel psychology

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: A Utopian Ideal
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

5. Whether employed as industrial/organizational psychologists, or clinical or social psychologists, all psychology is concerned with studying ______.

A. animals

B. organizations

C. people

D. gender differences

Learning Objective: 1-2: Define the terms applied psychology, talent management, human resource management, and personnel psychology and understand how they differ.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Personnel Psychology and Talent Management in Perspective
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Application of knowledge

6. Personnel Psychology includes all of the following areas of interest EXCEPT ______.

A. job analysis

B. selection

C. training and development

D. leadership

Learning Objective: 1-2: Define the terms applied psychology, talent management, human resource management, and personnel psychology and understand how they differ.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Personnel Psychology and Talent Management in Perspective
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Application of knowledge

7. ______ is the ability of an individual or organization to compete, connect, exchange, or collaborate all over the world.

A. Globalization

B. Technology

C. Talent management

D. Commerce

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Globalization of Product and Service Markets
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

8. Globalization is causing organizations to have to become more ______.

A. independent

B. interdependent

C. localized

D. growth-based

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Globalization of Product and Service Markets
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

9. Global labor markets, another feature of globalization, are aided by all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A. cheap labor

B. difficulty in communication

C. plentiful resources

D. ease of travel

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Globalization of Product and Service Markets

Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

10. As a result of globalization, your company has began to outsource more work to contractors and utilize more flexible work hours. This is an example of which emerging trend?

A. managerial ability to work across cultures

B. more diversity

C. larger workforces

D. increased workplace flux

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Globalization of Product and Service Markets
Difficulty Level: Hard

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

11. ______ is a unwritten agreement in which the employee and employer develop expectations about their mutual relationship.

A. Psychological agreement

B. Psychological contract

C. Formal agreement

D. Formal contract

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Impact on Jobs and the Psychological Contract
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

12. When did downsizing and the loss of the psychological contract become a major characteristic of corporate America?

A. 1930s–1950s

B. 1960s–1980s

C. 1990s–2010s

D. since 2010

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Impact on Jobs and the Psychological Contract
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

13. The average worker holds approximately how many jobs today compared to their 1970s counterpart?

A. half as many

B. the same number

C. twice as many

D. four times as many

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Impact on Jobs and the Psychological Contract
Difficulty Level: Hard

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

14. All of the following are recent technologies affecting global business mentioned in the reading EXCEPT ______.

A. cell phones

B. big data

C. cloud computing

D. clean-energy technologies

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Effects of Technology on Organizations and People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

15. Research shows that attitudes toward monitoring will be more ______ when organizations monitor their employees within supportive organizational cultures.

A. positive

B. negative

C. unrelated

D. harmful

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Effects of Technology on Organizations and People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

16. The reading mentions that organizations now and in the future will rely more on ______ who are cross-trained in several aspects of the business.

A. super managers

B. transformational leaders

C. jack-of-all-trades

D. multi-specialists

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Effects of Technology on Organizations and People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

17. Traditionally, organizations had been organized by specific units, like accounting and sales, which were called what?

A. controls

B. commands

C. compartments

D. congregations

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations

18. In today’s hypercompetitive work environment, organizations need to be able to do ______ to survive.

A. have managers who rule by command

B. respond quickly to shifting market conditions

C. enforce rigid controls to ensure tasks are coordinated

D. create certainty in decision-making

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Hard

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations

19. Today’s organizations utilize teams that are identifiable social systems with authority to manage their own tasks. These go by a variety names, including all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A. authoritative groups

B. autonomous work groups

C. self-managing work teams

D. process teams

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

20. More and more organizations are tapping into the ______ economy, which capitalizes on talent-on-demand and can help lower overhead costs.

A. basic

B. open

C. outside

D. gig

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations

21. In the United States, it is predicted that by 2050, ______ of the labor force will be age 55 or older.

A. 19%

B. 24%

C. 30%

D. 41%

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Changing Demographics
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

22. According to the reading, which of the following will be a likely consequence of the talent gap in the number of people who possess the necessary skills sets organizations will be looking for?

A. Managing a diverse workforce will be an important and continuing challenge.

B. Schools will offer more traditional programs to teach classic, time-tested skills

C. Finding and keeping workers will no longer be a top priority.

D. The workforce will move toward a younger demographic overall.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Changing Demographics
Difficulty Level: Hard

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

23. If you were born in the year 1968, you are considered to be part of which generation?

A. Baby-boom generation

B. Generation X

C. Millennials

D. Generation Z

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Changing Demographics

Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

24. Which type of studies have shown small or non-existent relationships between the generation you belong to and work-related outcomes?

A. meta-analyses

B. time-lag

C. cross-sectional

D. qualitative

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Changing Demographics

Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

25. All of the following are true about generational differences EXCEPT ______.

A. generations are determined by the year you were born

B. generational differences are caused by broader trends in society and work

C. individual differences are always bigger than generational differences

D. generational diversity does not have much of an impact on workplace practices

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Changing Demographics

Difficulty Level: Hard

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

26. What type of security does the modern worker value most?

A. employment security

B. job security

C. both are valued equally

D. neither are considered much by workers

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Changing Demographics

Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

27. All of the following are listed as ways human resource can be sources of sustained competitive advantage EXCEPT ______.

A. they make sure the organization has workforces in several different nations

B. the skills of the workforce are distinguishable from those of the competitors

C. the skills are not easily duplicated

D. they add positive economic benefits to the process of producing goods/services

Learning Objective: 1-8: Describe how the digital revolution will affect the workplace of the future, and identify emerging research needs in that area.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Implications for Organizations and Their People
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Analytical thinking

28. ______ is a set of interrelated processes designed to attract, develop, and maintain the people in organizations.

A. Organizational development

B. Human resource system

C. Leadership management

D. Capital development system

Learning Objective: 1-8: Describe how the digital revolution will affect the workplace of the future, and identify emerging research needs in that area.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Implications for Organizations and Their People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations

29. If someone doesn’t understand and utilize technology well, we would say that they are low on ______.

A. digital fluency

B. technology fluency

C. Internet fluency

D. modern fluency

Learning Objective: 1-8: Describe how the digital revolution will affect the workplace of the future, and identify emerging research needs in that area.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Implications for Organizations and Their People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

Short Answer

1. Provide an example of how someone observing a specific type of worker might notice differences between individual workers on performance levels.

Learning Objective: 1-3: Explain how demographic changes and diversity will affect recruitment and staffing.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Differences in Performance
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

2. Name and describe the three emerging trends brought about by globalization described in Chapter 1 of the book.

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Globalization of Product and Service Markets
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

3. Describe one positive and one negative to the recent technologies that have transformed global organizations.

Learning Objective: 1-5: Illustrate how technology and globalization are changing work and organizations.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Effects of Technology on Organizations and People
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Contexts of organizations in a global society

4. If you were hiring a manager in today’s digital age in your organization, what type of traits would you want that leader to have?

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Managing in a global context

5. Name and describe the two factors that contribute to an increase in nonstandard work relationships, such as freelancers and temporary help.

Learning Objective: 1-7: Explain the changing roles of managers and workers as the structure and design of organizations continue to evolve.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Changing Roles of Managers and Workers
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations

6. Briefly describe how our “always-on” society has created issues for employees and/or employers.

Learning Objective: 1-8: Describe how the digital revolution will affect the workplace of the future, and identify emerging research needs in that area.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Implications for Organizations and Their People
Difficulty Level: Easy

AACSB: Group and individual behaviors

Essay

1. Define applied psychology, talent management, and personnel psychology. Briefly discuss how they relate to each other and the broader field.

Learning Objective: 1-2: Define the terms applied psychology, talent management, human resource management, and personnel psychology and understand how they differ.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Pervasiveness of Organizations
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Application of knowledge

2. Name and discuss the three underlying assumptions mentioned in Chapter 1 regarding the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of human resource managers.

Learning Objective: 1-4: Understand the managerial implications of generational diversity.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Point of View
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Diverse and multicultural work environments

3. Describe how the digital revolution and technology will affect workplaces now and/or in the future.

Learning Objective: 1-8: Describe how the digital revolution will affect the workplace of the future, and identify emerging research needs in that area.

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Implications for Organizations and Their People
Difficulty Level: Medium

AACSB: Systems and processes in organizations