Exam Questions | Managing Individual Differences And – Ch.11

Management, 9e (Kinicki)

Chapter 11 Managing Individual Differences and Behaviour:

Supervising People as People

1) Jamal feels flushed and his heart starts to beat faster when he hears his coworkers describe customers as ignorant. This response is his emotional regulation.

2) Those who have the Type A behavior pattern are involved in a chronic, determined struggle to accomplish more in less time.

3) Internals likely would prefer and respond more productively to incentives such as merit pay or sales commissions.

4) A smoker who claims that the habit is not as dangerous as antismoking messages suggest, saying "My grandmother smokes and she's in her 80s," is attempting to increase cognitive dissonance.

5) Lynn has hired two new employees for her team, Jacques and Bailey. Jacques is outgoing and physically attractive, while Bailey is very bright but seems quiet and unsure. Lynn immediately expects Jacques to outperform Bailey at the job. Lynn is likely experiencing the halo effect.

6) At a recent sales meeting, Kyle blamed his poor sales numbers on bad luck, unclear sales targets, and unfair sales territories. Kyle is engaged in self-serving bias.

7) An example of a self-fulfilling prophecy is a server who expects some poorly dressed customers to be stingy tippers, who therefore gives them poor service, and so gets the result he expected—a much lower tip than usual.

8) Investors who are more likely to buy a stock if they see something about it in the news or if it has a high one-day return provide an example of the recency effect.

9) The glass ceiling is a concept that applies to women, but not to minorities.

10) Your supervisor says the company needs you to stay late to meet an important deadline, but your family expects you to be present for your child's birthday party. You are experiencing role overload.

11) Workplace stress diminishes all of the following EXCEPT

A) positive emotions.

B) job satisfaction.

C) organizational commitment.

D) job performance.

E) job turnover.

12) ________ consists of stable psychological traits and behavioral attributes that give a person his or her identity.

A) Character

B) Personality

C) Attitudes

D) Attributions

E) Values

13) Which of the following is NOT one of the Big Five personality dimensions?

A) tolerance for ambiguity

B) extroversion

C) agreeableness

D) conscientiousness

E) emotional stability

14) ________ is the personality dimension that describes how intellectual, imaginative, curious, and broad-minded a person is.

A) Inquisitiveness

B) Openness to experience

C) Emotional stability

D) Extroversion

E) Inventiveness

15) ________ is the personality dimension that describes how achievement-oriented and persistent a person is.

A) Emotional stability

B) Locus of control

C) Extroversion

D) Conscientiousness

E) Self-efficacy

16) Odell is frequently nervous, tense, and worried, both at work and at home. He likely scores low on which of the Big Five personality dimensions?

A) self-monitoring

B) conscientiousness

C) extroversion

D) openness to experience

E) emotional stability

17) Roberto really enjoys mingling at work functions, both to network for new contacts and simply to share stories with other interesting people. Roberto probably scores high in

A) emotional stability.

B) conscientiousness.

C) agreeableness.

D) extroversion.

E) openness to experience.

18) Margarita believes that she controls her own destiny. She is a rather shy person who is extremely dependable and responsible, and her coworkers respect her greatly. Margarita has a(n) ________ locus of control and would rate high on the ________ dimension of personality.

A) external; extroversion

B) neutral; agreeableness

C) internal; conscientiousness

D) unstable; openness to experience

E) positive; emotional stability

19) Ashish is always coming up with new ideas and seeking funding to explore them. He sees opportunities in the marketplace and wants to be the first person to come up with new products and services that customers want. Ashish, a person who is apt to take initiative and persevere to influence the environment, has a(n) ________ personality.

A) proactive

B) emotionally stable

C) extroverted

D) emotionally intelligent

E) self-efficacious

20) If you have a(n) ________, you believe you control your own destiny.

A) tolerance for ambiguity

B) low level of self-efficacy

C) external locus of control

D) internal locus of control

E) high level of learned helplessness

21) People with ________ exhibit less anxiety, greater motivation, and stronger expectations that effort leads to performance.

A) high self-efficacy

B) high self-monitoring

C) low self-efficacy

D) an internal locus of control

E) an external locus of control

22) Employees with a(n) ________ locus of control will probably resist close managerial supervision and should probably be placed in jobs requiring high initiative and lower compliance.

A) high

B) low

C) external

D) absent

E) internal

23) Maggie's manager notices that she exhibits an external locus of control when she speaks about her work. Her manager should

A) assign Maggie to a highly structured job requiring greater compliance.

B) place Maggie in a job requiring high initiative and low compliance.

C) give Maggie a job with little social contact with coworkers and customers.

D) direct Maggie toward a job with more autonomy.

E) provide incentives such as merit pay or sales commissions.

24) ________ is the extent to which people feel secure and unworried.

A) Self-esteem

B) Openness to experience

C) Self-efficacy

D) Locus of control

E) Emotional stability

25) Boring, tedious jobs generally reduce people's perceptions of their

A) self-esteem.

B) anxiety.

C) tolerance for pain.

D) level of extroversion.

E) self-efficacy.

26) Justyne supervises several employees who seem to have low self-efficacy. To improve this situation, she should do all the following EXCEPT

A) serve as a role model and mentor to them.

B) provide guided experiences.

C) avoid rewarding small successes.

D) nurture their self-efficacy.

E) give positive feedback and constructive pointers.

27) ________ is the extent to which people like or dislike themselves.

A) Emotional stability

B) Self-awareness

C) Locus of control

D) Self-efficacy

E) Self-esteem

28) People with low self-esteem ________ than those with higher self-esteem.

A) are more dependent on others

B) choose more unconventional jobs

C) focus more on their strengths

D) handle failure better

E) exhibit more aggressive behavior

29) If a manager knows one of her employees has low self-esteem and wishes to enhance it, she should

A) provide frequent reminders about improving weaknesses.

B) avoid delegating work to this employee.

C) redesign the work so that it is routine and structured.

D) reinforce the employee's positive attributes and skills.

E) avoid giving feedback.

30) People high in ________ are responsive to others' social and interpersonal cues.

A) self-esteem

B) external locus of control

C) emotional intelligence

D) self-efficacy

E) agreeableness

31) Which emotional intelligence trait tends to be empathetic?

A) social awareness

B) self-awareness

C) self-efficacy

D) self-management

E) relationship management

32) Which of the following is NOT a trait of emotional intelligence?

A) self-awareness

B) self-sufficiency

C) relationship management

D) social awareness

E) self-management

33) ________ is the ability to control your emotions and act with honesty and integrity in reliable and adaptable ways.

A) Self-awareness

B) Situational awareness

C) Social awareness

D) Self-management

E) Relationship management

34) The interdisciplinary field of organizational ________ tries to explain and predict workplace behavior to help managers better lead and motivate others.

A) awareness

B) development

C) culture

D) strategy

E) behavior

35) ________ are abstract ideals that guide one's thinking and behavior across all situations.

A) Ethics

B) Cultures

C) Perceptions

D) Attitudes

E) Values

36) The three components of ________ are affective, cognitive, and behavioral.

A) values

B) stress

C) job satisfaction

D) personality

E) attitudes

37) The ________ component of an attitude consists of the beliefs and knowledge one has about a situation.

A) behavioral

B) decisional

C) perceptual

D) affective

E) cognitive

38) The statement "I really don't like that Randall got so angry in that meeting" reflects the ________ component of an attitude.

A) behavioral

B) factual

C) cognitive

D) value

E) affective

39) The statement "I won't give Austin such a tight deadline again" reflects the ________ component of an attitude.

A) affective

B) decisional

C) cognitive

D) behavioral or intentional

E) factual

40) The statement "Mackenzie is slow to return phone calls" reflects the ________ component of an attitude.

A) behavioral

B) decisional

C) perceptual

D) affective

E) cognitive

41) Because people are uncomfortable with inconsistency between their attitudes and behaviors, they will seek to reduce

A) group behavior.

B) fundamental attribution.

C) cognitive dissonance.

D) causal attribution.

E) a self-serving bias.

42) Under which of the following circumstances would the desire to reduce cognitive dissonance be greatest?

A) when the individual has little control

B) when large amounts of money are on the line

C) when the elements seem like an inconsequential ambiguity

D) when there is little emotional investment in the situation

E) when the components of attitude have no inconsistency

43) Which of the following is NOT one of the main ways to reduce cognitive dissonance?

A) Change your attitude.

B) Complete an emotional intelligence assessment.

C) Change your behavior.

D) Find consonant elements that outweigh the dissonant ones.

E) Belittle the importance of the inconsistent behavior.

44) According to Festinger, how people deal with cognitive dissonance depends on three factors. Which are the correct three factors?

A) importance, control, and rewards

B) control, bias, and personality

C) personality, decision making, and judgment

D) decision making, situation, and bias

E) situation, self-awareness, and control

45) ________ is the process of interpreting and understanding one's environment.

A) Self-awareness

B) Self-management

C) Perception

D) Self-monitoring

E) Openness to experience

46) Which of the following is NOT a step in the perceptual process?

A) causal attribution

B) retrieval from memory

C) selective attention

D) interpretation and evaluation

E) storing in memory

47) Which of the following is NOT a distortion in perception?

A) causal attribution

B) stereotyping

C) halo effect

D) recency effect

E) cognitive dissonance

48) ________ is the tendency to attribute to an individual the characteristics one believes are typical of the group to which that individual belongs.

A) Stereotyping

B) Selective perception

C) Self-serving bias

D) Attribution

E) The halo effect

49) Timothy was hiring a new financial analyst, and he had several good candidates. He was leaning toward hiring Jade, a Japanese American woman, because he thinks Asians are better at math. Timothy is exhibiting which distortion in perception?

A) racism

B) recency effect

C) stereotyping

D) Pygmalion effect

E) self-serving bias

50) ________ occurs when we form an impression of an individual based on a single trait.

A) The recency effect

B) A self-fulfilling prophecy

C) Fundamental attribution error

D) Self-serving bias

E) The halo effect

51) ________ is the tendency to remember recent information better than earlier information.

A) Stereotyping

B) Self-serving bias

C) Fundamental attribution bias

D) Selective perception

E) The recency effect

52) ________ is the tendency to attribute another person's behavior to his or her personal characteristics rather than to the situation the person is in.

A) The halo effect

B) Fundamental attribution bias

C) Self-serving bias

D) Selective perception

E) Stereotyping

53) Because she beat her goal this year by nearly 30 percent, Helena has been telling everyone in the sales department of her incredible skill as a salesperson. But last year when she didn't even reach her goal, she said her failure was due to the poor economy. Helena provides an example of

A) the halo effect.

B) a self-fulfilling prophecy.

C) fundamental attribution bias.

D) selective perception error.

E) self-serving bias.

54) A waitress assumes a group of poorly dressed customers to be ungenerous tippers. She doesn't pay much attention to them during their meal, forgets to bring their drinks, and doesn't ask if they want dessert. In the end, she gets the result that she expects, a very small tip. This is an example of

A) the halo effect.

B) selective perception error.

C) fundamental attribution bias.

D) self-serving bias.

E) a self-fulfilling prophecy.

55) ________ is the extent to which employees have positive or negative feelings about various aspects of their work.

A) Job involvement

B) Job satisfaction

C) Organizational commitment

D) Job performance

E) Job enrichment

56) Alicia really doesn't like her new boss and is not happy with the new tasks she's been assigned and the long hours she's been working. Still, she truly believes in what the company is trying to accomplish. Alicia has

A) poor job performance.

B) low job satisfaction.

C) low organizational commitment.

D) poor job enrichment.

E) low job involvement.

57) If a person is satisfied with their job, which of the following may NOT be reduced?

A) workload

B) absenteeism

C) turnover

D) stress

E) tardiness

58) Stark Industries was just rated number one for job satisfaction on a survey compiled by an outside entity. The report cited that employees at Stark Industries had a strong ________ and reported low levels of ________.

A) job involvement; work–life balance

B) organizational commitment; perceived stress

C) motivation; life satisfaction

D) perceived stress; life satisfaction

E) perceived stress; absenteeism

59) ________ is the extent to which an employee identifies with an organization and is committed to its goals.

A) Job involvement

B) Job performance

C) Job satisfaction

D) Organizational commitment

E) Job enrichment

60) ________ programs help employees integrate and transition to a new job.

A) Organizational citizenship

B) Employee assistance

C) Attribution

D) Onboarding

E) Proactive

61) An employee's ________ behavior helps the employee exceed the work-role requirements for the job.

A) counterproductive work

B) halo effect

C) organizational citizenship

D) self-efficacy

E) proactive

62) Anastasia impressed her boss by making many suggestions for department improvements and by putting in many weekend hours to do extra tasks to develop the new procedures. Anastasia is exhibiting

A) self-efficacy.

B) onboarding traits.

C) the halo effect.

D) organizational citizenship behavior.

E) counterproductive work behavior.

63) Absenteeism, drug and alcohol abuse, and disciplinary problems are examples of

A) organizational citizenship behaviors.

B) self-efficacy.

C) causal attribution.

D) self-serving bias.

E) counterproductive work behaviors.

64) ________ represent(s) all the ways people are unlike and alike.

A) Lifestyle

B) Dimensions

C) Diversity

D) Conditions

E) Background

65) Which of the following is NOT one of the four layers of the diversity wheel?

A) organizational dimensions

B) external dimensions

C) internal dimensions

D) management status

E) personality

66) ________ is at the center of the diversity wheel.

A) Philosophy

B) Philanthropy

C) Perception

D) Personality

E) Psychology

67) Organizational dimensions, the outer layer of the diversity wheel, include all of the following EXCEPT

A) management status.

B) union affiliation.

C) seniority.

D) work location.

E) ethnicity.

68) Which of the following dimensions is NOT an example of an external or secondary dimension on the diversity wheel?

A) religion

B) income

C) geographic location

D) seniority

E) personal habits

69) Which of the following dimensions is an example of an organizational dimension on the diversity wheel?

A) income

B) volunteer experience

C) educational background

D) union affiliation

E) physical abilities

70) Which of the following diversity issues is true in the U.S. workforce?

A) Gay and bisexual male workers earn 10 percent to 32 percent more than equally qualified heterosexual counterparts.

B) Literacy has ceased to be an issue among American workers.

C) The median age of the American worker is at its lowest level in history.

D) People of color have hit the glass ceiling, with whites holding more of the managerial and professional jobs.

E) Workers ages 55 and older are expected to make up over one-half of the labor force in 2024.

71) Which of the following is a common reason that some women face a glass ceiling?

A) poor goal setting

B) inability to motivate others

C) lack of mentors

D) poor financial performance

E) inability to produce high-quality work

72) The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to

A) hire all qualified persons with disabilities who apply.

B) actively solicit job applications from persons with disabilities.

C) hire quotas of qualified persons with disabilities.

D) reasonably accommodate an individual's disability.

E) hire persons with disabilities to qualify for tax breaks.

73) Kwan has a Master's degree in psychology, but he is working at a sunglasses cart in the mall. He is currently experiencing

A) reverse discrimination.

B) the glass ceiling.

C) attribution.

D) underemployment.

E) overemployment.

74) ________ is the belief that one's native country, culture, language, abilities, or behavior is superior to those of another culture.

A) Reverse discrimination

B) Stereotyping

C) An ethical dilemma

D) Ethnocentrism

E) Diversity

75) Investors who are more likely to buy a stock if they see something about it in the news or if it has a high one-day return are experiencing

A) an ethical dilemma.

B) ethnocentrism.

C) the recency effect.

D) reverse discrimination.

E) self-serving bias.

76) ________ is the tension people feel when they are facing or enduring extraordinary demands, constraints, or opportunities and are uncertain about their ability to handle them effectively.

A) Apprehension

B) Role conflict

C) Stress

D) Role overload

E) Anxiety

77) An example of ________ would be when a manager expects employees to perform badly, they probably will, and when the manager expects them to perform well, they probably will.

A) a self-fulfilling prophecy

B) the recency effect

C) self-serving bias

D) stereotyping

E) employee engagement

78) When others' expectations exceed one's ability, ________ occurs.

A) burnout

B) learned helplessness

C) role overload

D) role conflict

E) role ambiguity

79) Charles has important clients in town who want to have dinner, but his mother has a plumbing leak and has asked him to come over and shut off the water until she can get it fixed tomorrow. Charles is experiencing

A) role ambiguity.

B) burnout.

C) learned helplessness.

D) role conflict.

E) role overload.

80) While a moderate amount of stress can have some health and behavioral benefits, excess stress can reveal itself in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) insomnia.

B) slurred speech.

C) hostility.

D) alcohol abuse.

E) heart attack.

81) ________ is a state of emotional, mental, and even physical exhaustion, expressed as listlessness, indifference, or frustration.

A) Eustress

B) Distress

C) Burnout

D) Role overload

E) Role ambiguity

82) Jenn switched jobs to one that was within a half mile of her home and she could walk on most days. After about three months, her new boss announced the company was moving 15 miles outside the city. This would mean that Jenn would now have an hour and half commute that involved a subway and two busses. Her stressor would be considered a

A) negative stressor.

B) strong stressor.

C) crises.

D) hassle.

E) positive stressor.

83) A(n) ________ program includes plans to help employees cope with stress, burnout, substance abuse, health problems, and family issues that influence job performance.

A) holistic wellness

B) employee assistance

C) counterproductive behavior

D) employee engagement

E) career counseling

84) To reduce unhealthy stressors in organizations, which of the following would NOT produce favorable results?

A) provide employee assistance programs

B) recommend a holistic wellness approach

C) make jobs interesting

D) provide close, authoritative supervision

E) make career counseling available

85) Employees at Between the Rounds believe that the company is fair to all employees, regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or disability. It is accurate to say that Between the Rounds has a positive

A) ethnocentric culture.

B) diversity climate.

C) role conflict.

D) employee assistance program.

E) transgender population.

86) Which of the following includes self-efficacy, self-esteem, locus of control, and emotional stability?

A) personality tests

B) organizational behaviors

C) core self-evaluations

D) managerial attitudes

E) personality dimensions

87) ________ is the debilitating lack of faith in your ability to control your environment.

A) Learned helplessness

B) Self-efficacy

C) Self-esteem

D) Locus of control

E) Emotional stability

88) Which of the following is a career readiness competency desired by employers?

A) emotional stability

B) emotional intelligence

C) high self-esteem

D) external locus of control

E) generalized self-efficacy

89) When confronted with pressure, which of the following is true of people with high self-esteem?

A) They become depressed and counterproductive.

B) They become egotistical and boastful.

C) They become focused on their weaknesses.

D) They become dependent on others.

E) They become less able to handle failure.

90) At what point during development are our values set?

A) early adulthood

B) late teens

C) in college

D) early teens

E) mid-thirties

91) How are values different from attitudes?

A) Values are consistent over time.

B) Values are directed toward specific objects.

C) Values are a learned predisposition toward an object.

D) Values directly influence our behavior.

E) Values have three components.

92) Sylvester is 57 and his company is downsizing. He knows that his position is one that will be cut so he has started to prepare his résumé to look for a new job. Hunter tells him not to bother, as he will not get another job, at least not one that is equivalent to his current job. He tells Sylvester that things have changed since Sylvester went to college and that he couldn't realistically offer too much in the workforce today. Hunter is demonstrating a(n)

A) causal attribution.

B) age stereotype.

C) recency effect.

D) implicit bias.

E) halo effect.

93) Research has shown that four-year-old African-American boys are suspended and expelled more often than any other race or gender, regardless of the race of the teacher. The reasons most often given are that they just can't sit still and control their bodies. This is an example of

A) age stereotype.

B) recency effect.

C) halo effect.

D) casual attribution.

E) implicit bias.

94) Darrell makes many mistakes in the accounting system because he does not understand the language and has found the manuals confusing. Gerald makes mistakes because he rushes. This is an example of

A) age stereotype.

B) recency effect.

C) halo effect.

D) casual attribution.

E) implicit bias.

95) On the first day of class, your teacher walked in and told everyone to look to the left and to the right at the people sitting next to them, because at the end of the semester only one of them would still be in the class with a passing grade. The teacher stated a

A) self-serving bias.

B) fundamental attribution bias.

C) self-fulfilling prophecy.

D) race/ethnicity stereotype.

E) recency effect.

96) Which of the following is a personal driver of employee engagement?

A) job characteristics

B) leadership

C) stressors

D) organizational climate

E) personality

97) Managers, Sophie and Bill, know that their employees will show higher levels of commitment to the company if they are able to increase ________. This will make the top executive happy because overall the employees will elicit higher performance and there will be lower employee turnover.

A) leadership

B) job satisfaction

C) employee engagement

D) perception

E) organizational behavior

98) Orchid spa has spent the last year focusing on reducing absenteeism and turnover. It is critical to the business that clients are able to see the same massage therapist or skin specialist every time they come. Which of the following strategies do you think they should try?

A) Have prospective employees take an intelligence test.

B) Limit the number of employees that each supervisor has.

C) Offer employee benefits, such as flexible work hours.

D) Evaluate employee performance weekly.

E) Wait to provide onboarding until the employee has stayed two months.

99) Which generation is the largest adult generation in the United States?

A) traditionalists

B) Centennials

C) Generation X

D) baby boomers

E) Millennials

100) During a managers meeting, Maritza rolled her eyes three times, made a cynical remark, and slammed her notebook down on the table. How would you describe Maritza?

A) She is a stink bomb thrower.

B) She is an entangler.

C) She is a porcupine.

D) She is a complainer.

E) She is a blamer.

101) David decided to start running each night as soon as work ended before heading home. He has found that it has helped him to be more attentive to his family when he gets home, and it has made him feel better about his work day. What is he working on?

A) engaging in emotional regulation

B) channeling his emotions

C) identifying his emotional triggers

D) determining his physiological responses

E) defining his "good attitude" behaviors

102) This question contains two parts; be sure to answer both.

First, list three work-related attitudes to which managers need to be alert.

Next, imagine that you manage the customer-service department at a large chain retail store, such as Lowes. What policies or procedures might you use to keep employees' attitudes positive in each of the three areas?

103) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.

First, identify and define the Big Five personality dimensions.

Second, assume that you are a recruiter for a local company interviewing at your school. Describe how you might assess the extent to which an applicant has each of the Big Five dimensions.

104) Define locus of control, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Explain how a manager might manage employees with each of these personality traits. Describe how you would rate yourself on each of these dimensions and explain your answers.

105) Using the three components of attitude, give an example statement for the following situation: You have a much heavier workload than the other three people in your department who have your same job title. You work until 7 p.m. every night, while your three coworkers leave promptly at 5 o'clock.

106) This question has multiple parts; be sure to answer each.

First, define cognitive dissonance.

Next, describe the three conditions that affect the likelihood that a person will attempt to reduce cognitive dissonance.

Finally, give an example of a time when you felt cognitive dissonance in your own life, and describe how you dealt with it.

107) Define the five types of distortion in perception. Give an example of each.

108) Define the Pygmalion effect, and explain how you can use it to get a final grade of A or B in this class.

109) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.

First, define employee engagement and explain why it is important to managers.

Second, assume you are the manager of a local Subway restaurant. Describe what you would do to increase the level of employee engagement among your employees.

110) Describe the four layers of diversity in Gardenswartz and Rowe's diversity wheel. Provide a definition of the center layer and an example of each of the other layers.

111) Name and describe at least four major barriers to organizational diversity.

112) Using examples, define role overload, role conflict, and role ambiguity.

113) This question has two parts; be sure to answer both.

First, name and describe at least four ways managers can reduce stressors that lead to employee burnout.

Next, describe how you might use these techniques to cope with the following situation: You are the CEO of Gray Enterprises, a highly successful advertising firm located in Boston. Your agency represents major clients worth tens of millions of dollars each year. Because the stakes are so high, account executives and creative directors work 70 to 80 hours a week, and they are stressed out most of the time. You want to do something to help your workers remain productive and focused while helping to prevent burnout.

114) Describe the three types of symptoms of negative stress and provide examples of each.

115) Define stress and describe at least four sources of stress on the job.

116) List and describe the four traits of EI.

117) What is one of the most important skills a job candidate can have? Is there any way to raise emotional intelligence, and if so, how? Suggest some ways you might improve your own emotional intelligence.

118) Define the two attributional tendencies that can distort one's interpretation of observed behavior—fundamental attribution bias and self-serving bias—and provide an example of each.

119) Discuss three types of stereotyping.

120) List four key workplace behaviors that managers must address, so that employees can be influenced to do their best work.