Chapter 07
Organization, Teamwork, and Communication
True / False Questions
1. | Every organization has an organizational culture, regardless of size, organizational type, product, or profit objective.
True False |
2. | The more complex organizations become, the less they need to develop formal structures to function efficiently.
True False |
3. | Disadvantages of product departmentalization are that it duplicates functions and does not focus on an organization's overall objectives.
True False |
4. | A wide span of management works best when a manager and subordinates are not in close proximity.
True False |
5. | Multidivisional structure is the simplest organizational structure that is based on direct lines of authority extending from the top executive to the lowest level employees of an organization.
True False |
6. | Horizontal communication involves the traditional flow of information from upper organizational levels downward.
True False |
Multiple Choice Questions
7. | _____ refers to a firm's shared values, beliefs, traditions, philosophies, rules, and role models for behavior.
C. | Organizational culture |
D. | Organizational structure |
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8. | Which of the following is true of organizational culture?
A. | Organizational culture exists only in large organizations that have more than 500 employees. |
B. | Organizational culture is different from corporate culture. |
C. | Organizational culture is more commonly expressed informally. |
D. | Organizational culture cannot be expressed formally through mission statements, memos, or manuals. |
E. | Organizational culture is a visual display of an organizational structure, lines of authority, and staff relationships. |
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9. | Jenna is interviewing to work at a doctor's office. During the interview process, the hiring manager had her come in and talk to some of the employees about the office's culture. All of the following things she learned relate to the office's culture EXCEPT
A. | the office has a business casual dress code. |
B. | her job will consist of answering phones, checking patients in and out, and filing patient information. |
C. | some of the employees formed an office bowling league. |
D. | the doctors often chip in to buy the rest of the office lunch on Fridays. |
E. | the employees pride themselves on maintaining a clean, comfortable, and positive environment for their patients. |
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10. | Which of the following is a means of informally expressing an organization's culture?
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11. | Which of the following is a formal expression of an organization's culture?
B. | extracurricular activities |
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12. | Saddle Up, a small tack store in Massachusetts, stresses a culture of excellent customer service. To ensure customer satisfaction, the store allows customers to return most items hassle-free, even certain items that have been opened and used, such as boots, helmets, and saddles, as long as they are still in good condition. The store has a bargain section at the back of the store to sell returned items at lower prices. However, certain items, such as vet supplies, fly spray, supplements, and tack cleaning supplies, can only be returned if they are still sealed. In implementing its return policy, the store trusts its employees to
A. | adhere to strict guidelines. |
B. | only take back items that are in new condition. |
C. | ask customers for detailed reasons for their returns. |
D. | use their best judgment. |
E. | always check with the corporate office before accepting a return. |
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13. | Organizational cultures that lack positive values may result in all of the following EXCEPT
B. | unproductive and indifferent employees. |
C. | employees with poor attitudes. |
D. | negative customer relations. |
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14. | All of the following are results of establishing a positive organizational culture EXCEPT doing so
A. | sets the tone for all other decisions. |
B. | is important for organizational performance. |
C. | is important for employee satisfaction. |
D. | can make employees unproductive and indifferent. |
E. | helps build an effective organizational structure. |
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15. | Which of the following statements is true about organizational structure?
A. | It is only applicable to formal organizations. |
B. | It is the arrangement or relationship of positions within an organization. |
C. | It is usually not seen in government and nonprofit organizations. |
D. | It does not require any planning in small organizations. |
E. | It remains the same even as a company grows in size. |
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16. | The managers of Rug Emporium, a large rug store, decide to have a sale. The store manager works with the advertising department to make the public aware of the sale, with department managers to schedule enough salespeople to handle the increased customer traffic, and with merchandise buyers to ensure that enough rugs are available to meet expected consumer demand. What does this scenario best describe?
A. | how people must work together to achieve the store's objectives |
B. | how the store manager must do everything to achieve the store's objectives |
C. | that the store doesn't need organizational structure to have a sale |
D. | that developing appropriate organizational structures is not challenging for managers |
E. | that it is easier to charge low prices all the time than to have a sale |
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17. | Marvin started a small restaurant business. At first, he did everything himself, buying the ingredients, preparing and serving the food, creating the menu and setting the prices, and handling the finances of the restaurant. As his business grows, Marvin may have to do all of the following EXCEPT
A. | hire waiters and waitresses. |
B. | designate someone to manage the restaurant. |
C. | keep doing everything himself. |
D. | leave the restaurant to meet with suppliers. |
E. | hire someone to maintain the accounting, payroll, and tax functions. |
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18. | Which of the following is a primary function of an organizational chart?
A. | It lists the financial assets of an organization. |
B. | It depicts the processes involved in the assembly line of an organization. |
C. | It is a visual display of the organizational structure. |
D. | It is essentially designed to help customers track their products. |
E. | It is a visual display of a firm's shared values and philosophies. |
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19. | Which of the following does an organizational chart display?
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20. | Greg owns a local ice cream store. His business started small, but over the years, word of mouth brought more people into town to try his delicious homemade ice cream. Since business is booming, Greg has decided to expand his business and open three additional stores in surrounding towns. What does growth like this require, in terms of structure?
A. | Growth requires flexibility, and thus, no structure. |
B. | Growth requires adopting a universal structure that works for all businesses. |
C. | Growth requires letting employees determine what the structure should be. |
D. | Growth requires developing a formal structure to function efficiently. |
E. | Growth requires developing a rigid structure that never undergoes changes. |
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21. | Carolyn manages a frozen pizza company. In order to earn profits, she must determine what activities are required to achieve the company's objectives. All of the following are activities this company would need to do EXCEPT
A. | talking to competitors to make sure their recipe is unique. |
B. | purchase ingredients from suppliers. |
C. | prepare and bake the dough and place the other ingredients on the dough. |
D. | package and label the frozen pizza. |
E. | ship the frozen pizza to grocery stores around the country. |
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22. | _____ is the division of labor into small, specific tasks and the assignment of employees to do a single task.
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23. | What is the rationale for specialization?
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24. | Auto Corp., a large auto parts store, did an experiment to see whether it was faster to have one person work on each car repair or have a team of people work together on a repair. It found that each employee, working independently, could do one to three auto repairs per day. However, when one person removed the old part, another person prepared the new part, and a third person installed the new part, they were able to complete up to twenty repairs per day. This scenario demonstrates that
A. | specialization doesn't dramatically increase the output. |
B. | working independently is more rewarding than working together. |
C. | specialization requires a company to have fewer skilled workers. |
D. | people can perform more efficiently if they master just one task rather than all tasks. |
E. | people should master all tasks even if they will only perform one task. |
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25. | Which of the following is an advantage of job specialization?
A. | It allows workers to specialize in a variety of skills. |
B. | It makes training employees easier. |
C. | It can never lead to dissatisfaction and boredom among employees. |
D. | It completely eliminates the need for departmentalization within an organization. |
E. | It requires employees to perform more than one task within a firm. |
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26. | Which of the following is a disadvantage of job specialization?
A. | It makes the process of training employees complex. |
B. | It wastes time as employees keep shifting roles. |
C. | It can lead to dissatisfaction and boredom among employees if overly done. |
D. | It adversely affects the efficiency of employees in a particular job. |
E. | It restricts an organization from outsourcing employees. |
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27. | 18th-century economist Adam Smith illustrated improvements in efficiency in manufacturing units through the application of
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28. | _____ is the grouping of jobs into working units usually called units, groups, or divisions.
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29. | Stuart owns a large manufacturing company that supplies food and beverages to grocery stores. His company uses more than one departmentalization plan to enhance productivity. His company would have all of the following departments EXCEPT a _____ department.
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30. | Small businesses commonly employ _____ departmentalization.
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31. | A company that has departments for marketing, finance, personnel, and production is organized by
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32. | If the type of departmentalization used by an organization tends to emphasize departmental units rather than the organization as a whole and decision making is slow, then these would be weaknesses indicative of _____ departmentalization.
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33. | Kendall works at a small publishing house that groups jobs by functional activities. Her company has departments focused on editorial, marketing, finance, production, legal, and human resources. Which of the following is most likely true of the departments in Kendall's company?
A. | Since each department focuses on its own tasks, little coordination is needed between the company's departments. |
B. | Organizing departments this way simplifies decision making. |
C. | Organizing departments this way allows the company to get closer to its customers. |
D. | Organizing departments this way allows the company to address the unique requirements of each type of customer. |
E. | Each functional department is managed by an expert in the work done by the department. |
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34. | Smooth Sailing Cruises has different departments for frequent travelers and occasional travelers. This illustrates _____ departmentalization.
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35. | Which of the following is a similarity between customer departmentalization and geographical departmentalization?
A. | They both prohibit specialization. |
B. | They both group jobs according to a customer's geographic location. |
C. | Neither focuses on the organization as a whole. |
D. | They both require minimal administrative staff to coordinate operations. |
E. | Neither can be used in large organizations. |
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36. | An electronic company has a computer electronics division, telecommunications equipment division, and kitchen appliances division. Which of the following methods of departmentalization does the company use to structure its organization?
A. | product departmentalization |
B. | geographical departmentalization |
C. | functional departmentalization |
D. | customer departmentalization |
E. | process departmentalization |
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37. | Which of the following is an advantage of product departmentalization?
A. | It avoids duplication of functions. |
B. | It emphasizes the achievement of an organization's overall objectives rather than a product itself. |
C. | It eliminates functional activities within a department. |
D. | It simplifies decision making and helps coordinate all activities related to a product. |
E. | It allows an organization to effectively share resources between two or more product departments. |
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38. | Spicy Dish, a large distributor of canned beans and salsa, is organized into four business units: (1) North America Salsa, (2) North America Legume, (3) Latin America, and (4) Europe and Asia. What two types of departmentalization are illustrated in this example?
B. | product and geographical |
C. | customer and geographical |
D. | functional and customer |
E. | geographical and functional |
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39. | Multinational corporations often use a geographical approach to departmentalization because
B. | of vast differences between different regions. |
C. | they want to avoid duplication of tasks. |
D. | they require a small administrative staff. |
E. | of their ability to standardize products and services. |
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40. | Red Finch Products Inc. groups employees based on whether they are going to handle the sales account of a wholesale customer, regular consumer, first-time buyer, or a one-time buyer. Which of the following methods of departmentalization is the company using?
A. | product departmentalization |
B. | geographical departmentalization |
C. | functional departmentalization |
D. | customer departmentalization |
E. | process departmentalization |
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41. | Razor Automobiles Inc. has slightly different versions of the same car for the American, European, and Asian markets. Its employees are grouped into divisions based on the market they have been assigned. This is an example of _____ departmentalization.
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42. | Software Solutions Inc., a large software company, has different representatives to assist business clients and individual clients. This is an example of _____ departmentalization.
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43. | Which of the following is a disadvantage of geographical departmentalization?
A. | It focuses on an organization as a whole rather than emphasizing departmental units. |
B. | It prohibits specialization among employees. |
C. | It results in duplication of tasks. |
D. | It is limited to small organizations. |
E. | It is inefficient when businesses want to quickly respond to regional customers. |
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44. | Which of the following concepts deals with giving employees the power to make commitments and use resources to accomplish the assigned tasks?
A. | delegation of authority |
E. | specialization of tasks |
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45. | Melanie's Macaroni is a new restaurant that prepares childhood favorites in new ways to appeal to adults. The restaurant's owner has assigned an employee to create a new advertising campaign to attract customers. Which of the following is something the employee will need to carry out this assignment?
A. | the authority to make decisions about the advertising materials and costs |
B. | access to competitors' advertising materials |
C. | the approval of the owner for every decision |
D. | the approval of the owner for every request for materials |
E. | input from other employees for every decision |
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46. | _____ is the obligation placed on employees through delegation to perform assigned tasks satisfactorily.
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47. | _____ is the principle that employees who accept an assignment and the authority to carry it out are answerable to a superior for the outcome.
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48. | Which of the following statements is true about delegation of authority in the context of an organization?
A. | It does not relieve a superior of accountability for a delegated job. |
B. | It does not give employees the power to make decisions about using resources to accomplish assigned tasks. |
C. | It does not hold an employee to whom the authority was delegated accountable for the results of a task. |
D. | It is meant to put additional pressure and burden on managers who are delegating tasks to subordinates. |
E. | It is a concept popular only in small businesses and sole proprietorships. |
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49. | Marilyn, the president of EduPub, an educational publishing company, delegates responsibility for all editorial activities to Susan, the executive editor. Susan accepts this responsibility and has the authority to obtain all relevant information, make decisions about what to publish, and delegate any and all activities to her subordinates. She delegates all the editorial activities to the managing editors of each academic discipline. In turn, these managers assign specific projects to their development editors. Who is ultimately accountable to Marilyn for all the editorial activities?
D. | the development editors |
E. | the managing editors and development editors |
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50. | The extent to which authority is delegated throughout an organization determines its
B. | degree of centralization. |
E. | level of standardization. |
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51. | Kevin is a salesman at a large computer company where all the decisions are made by the top levels of management. However, his managers give him the responsibility to carry out his daily and routine sales activities. What type of organization does Kevin work for?
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52. | Which of the following is a drawback of centralization?
A. | It fails to delegate responsibility for carrying out daily and routine procedure to lower level employees. |
B. | It is ineffective when the decisions to be made are risky. |
C. | It results in a flat organizational structure. |
D. | It requires lower-level managers to have strong decision-making skills. |
E. | It may take a long time for an organization as a whole to implement decisions and respond to changes and problems on a regional scale. |
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53. | _____ is usually preferred when the decisions of a company are very risky and low-level managers lack decision-making skills.
B. | Delegation of authority |
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54. | Which of the following is true of decentralization?
A. | It concentrates the decision-making authority at the top. |
B. | It is highly effective for businesses where risky decisions are to be made. |
C. | It reduces an organization's ability to react to changes quickly. |
D. | It isolates lower-level managers from decision making. |
E. | It is characteristic of organizations that operate in complex environments. |
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55. | Kristen is a manager at a small diner in a tourist town. There are many competing restaurants in the area, so the restaurant owners depend on Kristen and her employees to pay attention to what customers order most often to determine what the daily and weekly specials should be. Kristen has the authority to make changes to the menu and offer promotions to attract more patrons. What type of organization does Kristen manage?
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56. | Which of the following is an advantage of decentralization?
A. | It does not require low-level managers to be highly skilled in decision making. |
B. | It is highly effective when risky decisions have to be made. |
C. | It may increase the organization's productivity. |
D. | It increases the levels of management within an organization. |
E. | It results in a tall organizational structure. |
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57. | When an organization has a structure in which decision-making authority is delegated as far down the chain of command as possible, it is said to be exercising
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58. | Which of the following characteristics of a company would make decentralization difficult?
A. | lower-level managers with strong decision-making skills |
B. | flexible processes and diverse products |
C. | lower-level managers with a good understanding of the external environment |
D. | lower-level managers who can react quickly to changes |
E. | standardized processes and core products |
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59. | Span of management refers to the
A. | number of subordinates reporting to a manager. |
B. | experience, in terms of years, of managers in a company. |
C. | duration of time required for an employee to get promoted to a manager position. |
D. | number of roles that the management of an organization performs. |
E. | number of managers working in the top management of an organization. |
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60. | A wide span of management is appropriate when
A. | superiors and subordinates are not in close proximity. |
B. | managers have many responsibilities in addition to supervision. |
C. | interactions between superiors and subordinates are frequent. |
D. | subordinates are highly competent. |
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61. | A narrow span of management is appropriate when
A. | superiors and subordinates are not in close proximity. |
B. | managers have few responsibilities other than supervision. |
C. | interactions between superiors and subordinates are not frequent. |
D. | subordinates are highly competent. |
E. | managers face few problems. |
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62. | Which of the following statements is true about span of management?
A. | According to experts, top managers should directly supervise more than 10 to 20 people. |
B. | A narrow span of management exists when a manager directly supervises a large number of subordinates. |
C. | Wide spans of management work well when a manager has many responsibilities in addition to the supervision and faces many problems. |
D. | Wide spans of management are more common in decentralized firms, whereas narrow spans of management are typical in centralized organizations. |
E. | In narrow spans of management, the level of interaction between superiors and subordinates is usually low. |
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63. | Donna is a manager of an online clothing store. She has five employees who work remotely in their homes in New York, Texas, California, Colorado, and Florida. In addition to managing her employees and having a phone meeting with each of them weekly, Donna also orders merchandise, manages the inventory, coordinates shipping to customers, and manages the company's advertising and finances. What type of span of management does this scenario describe?
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64. | Philip is a manager at a large office supplies store, where his main responsibility is managing 30 employees. His employees are highly competent, so he doesn't need to interact with them frequently and few problems arise. His company has a set of specific operating procedures that govern his activities and the activities of his employees. What type of span of management does this scenario describe?
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65. | Organizational layers, in the context of assigning responsibility in an organization, refer to the levels of
A. | management in the organization. |
B. | stakeholders present outside the organization. |
C. | tests that a job applicant has to go through to be hired. |
D. | stakeholders present within the organization itself. |
E. | communication that an employee has to go through on a normal work day. |
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66. | Which of the following statements accurately describes the difference between tall and flat organizations?
A. | Tall organizations have lower administrative costs when compared to flat organizations. |
B. | Tall organizations have a narrow span of management, whereas flat organizations have a wide span of management. |
C. | Communication is faster in tall organizations when compared to flat organizations. |
D. | Flat organizations employ more managers compared to tall organizations. |
E. | Managers in tall organizations spend more time supervising and working with subordinates when compared to managers in flat organizations. |
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67. | Which of the following statements is true about organizational layers?
A. | The more layers in an organization, the lower its administrative costs. |
B. | The more layers in an organization, the flatter its organizational structure. |
C. | The more layers in an organization, the wider its span of management. |
D. | The more layers in an organization, the slower the communication. |
E. | The more layers in an organization, the less managers it has. |
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68. | Auto Mart, a large car company, has store managers, district managers, regional managers, and functional managers. What type of organization does this describe?
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69. | Carlos manages a hardware superstore, where he supervises 50 employees. Because he manages a large number of employees, fewer management layers are needed, and thus, his organization is flat with a wide span of management. As a result, what is most likely true of Carlos's duties, in comparison with managers in tall organizations?
A. | He spends less time supervising subordinates. |
B. | He spends less time working with subordinates. |
C. | He spends more time communicating with middle management. |
D. | He performs less administrative duties. |
E. | He performs more administrative duties. |
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70. | In the context of different forms of organizational structure, which of the following is true of line structure?
A. | It has an ambiguous chain of command. |
B. | It slows down decision making. |
C. | It is the simplest organizational structure. |
D. | It requires managers to specialize in any one particular skill. |
E. | It is common in large, multinational organizations. |
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71. | An organizational form that is based on direct lines of authority from the top executive to the lowest level of employees is called a _____ structure.
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72. | Gerald is the owner of a popular restaurant. He has appointed a manager who takes care of the day-to-day operations of the restaurant and reports to Gerald at the end of each week. The manager is assisted by a junior manager, who supervises the rest of the staff in the restaurant. Thus, Gerald's restaurant is using a _____ structure.
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73. | An advantage of line structure in organizations is that it
A. | enables managers to make decisions quickly. |
B. | gives all employees the power to veto a decision, irrespective of hierarchy. |
C. | allows managers facing a decision to consult any and as many superiors as they wish. |
D. | does not require managers to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. |
E. | allows managers to specialize in the one activity in which they are knowledgeable. |
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74. | A disadvantage of line structures is that they
A. | lack a clear chain of command. |
B. | make decision making excessively complicated for managers. |
C. | provide no direct lines of authority. |
D. | create work duplication and confusion. |
E. | require managers to possess a wide range of knowledge and skills. |
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75. | Which of the following statements is true about the line-and-staff structure?
A. | It allows line managers to focus on their expertise in the business operation. |
B. | It creates work duplication. |
C. | It eliminates the problem of overstaffing. |
D. | It provides clear and unambiguous lines of communication. |
E. | It gives staff managers direct authority over line managers. |
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76. | Which of the following is a disadvantage of line-and-staff structures?
A. | They result in both line and staff managers performing the same functions or tasks. |
B. | They are limited to small organizations. |
C. | They allow staff managers to have direct authority over line managers. |
D. | They create ambiguous lines of communication. |
E. | They fail to allow managers to have direct authority over subordinates in their own departments. |
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77. | Leonard and Carol are both managers at a home improvement store. Leonard oversees the flooring, lighting, appliances, and hardware departments. Carol provides each of these departments with advice and support in the areas of finance and human resources. Which of the following is true regarding Leonard and Carol's roles in the company?
A. | Leonard is a line manager, while Carol is a staff manager. |
B. | Leonard is a staff manager, while Carol is a line manager. |
C. | Carol has direct authority over Leonard and his subordinates. |
D. | Carol does not have direct authority over subordinates in the finance and human resources departments. |
E. | Leonard and Carol are both line managers, who focus on their area of expertise in the operation of the business. |
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78. | Multidivisional structures
A. | are less likely to provide products that meet the needs of customers. |
B. | organize departments into larger groups called divisions. |
C. | bring together specialists from various divisions to work on a single project. |
D. | make decision making slower. |
E. | are traditional and less innovative. |
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79. | Which of the following is an advantage of multidivisional structures?
A. | They make it easy to realize economies of scale that result from grouping functions together. |
B. | They completely eliminate work duplication among different divisions. |
C. | They are the simplest form of organizational structure. |
D. | They are highly effective when standardized products are required. |
E. | They allow divisional and department managers to specialize. |
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80. | Which of the following is a disadvantage of a multidivisional structure?
A. | It does not permit delegation of decision-making authority. |
B. | It slows down decision making. |
C. | It inevitably creates work duplication. |
D. | It does not allow divisional and department managers to specialize. |
E. | It fails to create products that meet the needs of particular customers. |
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81. | Several years ago, Rick started his own heating and HVAC business. As his business grew, Rick noticed that his traditional structure was becoming difficult to coordinate, making communication difficult and decision making slow. He decided to restructure his business, organizing his departments into six larger groups: (1) heating repairs, (2) heating sales, (3) heating installation, (4) air conditioning repairs, (5) air conditioning sales, and (6) air conditioning installation. What type of structure has Rick adopted?
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82. | In Red Bridge Infrastructure, specialists from different departments are deployed together to form a project team and work on a single project, such as building a bridge or restoring a road. As a result, employees have to report to their functional managers as well the concerned project managers. Thus, Red Bridge Infrastructure is using a _____ structure.
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83. | Which of the following is a basis for using a matrix structure within an organization?
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84. | Which of the following organizational structures is also called a project management structure?
D. | multidivisional structure |
E. | line-and-staff structure |
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85. | Which of the following is true of matrix structures?
A. | In matrix structures, employees are responsible to two managers. |
B. | Matrix structures are rarely temporary. |
C. | Matrix structures are generally inexpensive and simple. |
D. | Matrix structures eliminate the problem of intersecting lines of authority. |
E. | Matrix structures reduce flexibility and creativity within an organization. |
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86. | Which of the following is an advantage of a matrix structure?
A. | It provides a clear chain of command to employees. |
B. | It eliminates the problem of intersecting lines of authority. |
C. | It is the least expensive method to organize a business. |
D. | It is the simplest form of organizational structure. |
E. | It provides flexibility, enhanced cooperation, and creativity. |
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87. | Which of the following is a disadvantage of matrix structures?
A. | They do not permit intersecting lines of authority. |
B. | They provide no scope for flexibility and creativity. |
C. | They require employees to report to only one manager. |
D. | They are generally expensive and quite complex. |
E. | They bring together specialists from the same department. |
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88. | Matrix structures have been used in all of the following industries EXCEPT
C. | independent retailing. |
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89. | Compared to work teams, work groups
A. | have shared leadership roles. |
B. | have a specific purpose that is different from the broader organizational mission. |
C. | create collective work products. |
D. | have individual accountability. |
E. | measure performance directly by assessing collective work. |
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90. | Liz is taking a college business class. Her professor splits the class into work teams to complete a project. Each team must create a fictional company, create a business plan for a new product, and market that product in a class presentation. Which of the following would be true of Liz's work team?
A. | It has a strong, clearly focused leader. |
B. | Each team member has individual accountability. |
C. | Team members share leadership and create collective work products. |
D. | The team structure discourages open-ended discussions and active problem-solving meetings. |
E. | It measures effectiveness indirectly. |
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91. | What is the purpose of work teams?
C. | individual work products |
E. | individual accountability |
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92. | Which of the following statements is true of work groups?
A. | They measure performance directly by assessing collective work products. |
B. | They share leadership roles. |
C. | They create individual work products. |
D. | They pursue objectives that are different from the broader organizational mission. |
E. | They have both individual and mutual accountability. |
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93. | All of the following are true of virtual teams EXCEPT
A. | virtual teams are not very common in everyday business. |
B. | virtual teams are becoming more prominent as the number of employees working remotely is increasing. |
C. | committees, task forces, project teams, product-development teams, quality-assurance teams, and self-directed work teams can all be virtual teams. |
D. | virtual teams rely on e-mail, audio conferencing, fax, Internet, videoconferencing, and other technological tools to accomplish their goals. |
E. | virtual teams open up opportunities for different companies. |
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94. | A permanent, formal group that performs a specific task is a
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95. | MB Inc. has an independent, permanent work group that develops and revises codes of ethics, suggests ways the organization can contribute toward the environment, and regularly reviews other specific issues and concerns within the organization. This is an example of a
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96. | Which of the following is a temporary group of employees, usually chosen for their expertise, responsible for bringing about a particular change?
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97. | Which of the following statements is true about task forces?
A. | They are usually permanent. |
B. | They comprise members from a single functional department. |
C. | Their membership is usually based on organizational position rather than expertise. |
D. | They are responsible for routine quality checks. |
E. | They may occasionally comprise of individuals from outside an organization. |
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98. | Which of the following is an advantage of having a task force?
A. | Since task forces only last for a few months, employees can quickly solve issues and go back to their regular work. |
B. | Since task forces are comprised of employees from different departments, they can tackle major company issues. |
C. | Since task forces are always comprised of individuals from outside the company, they can objectively solve issues. |
D. | Since task forces are permanent, their members get really good at solving issues. |
E. | Since task force membership is comprised of top managers, task forces have the authority to make changes quickly. |
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99. | When a large accounting firm reorganized, laying off 50 employees, it faced lawsuits alleging that the layoffs targeted minorities and women. The firm developed a two-year group to address the allegations and provide recommendations for improving company reorganization practices. What type of group does this scenario describe?
D. | a quality-assurance team |
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100. | All of the following are true of teams EXCEPT they
A. | benefit from pooling members' knowledge and skills. |
B. | require harmony, cooperation, synchronized effort, and flexibility to maximize their contribution. |
C. | function best when they have more than 10 members. |
D. | motivate workers by providing internal and external rewards. |
E. | boost productivity and cut costs. |
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101. | Project teams
A. | are permanent, informal groups that work on multiple projects. |
B. | are composed of individuals from one functional area. |
C. | recruit employees based on organizational position and hierarchy. |
D. | run their operation and have total control of a specific work project. |
E. | only solve specific quality problems. |
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102. | A special type of project team that focuses on devising, designing, and implementing a new product is a
A. | product-development team. |
E. | quality-assurance team. |
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103. | To meet the competition in the mobile phone industry, Vibgyor Electronics Inc. has created a new project team to conceive, design, and implement a smart phone that will have some breakthrough features. The team includes specialists from various divisions, such as the computer division, software division, and television division. This project team is an example of a
E. | product-development team. |
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104. | Which of the following teams consists of fairly small groups of workers brought together to address specific quality, service, or productivity problems within an organization?
B. | product-development teams |
D. | quality-assurance teams |
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105. | Auto Giant Inc. released a new car model a year ago, and it has received customer complaints about the flimsy plastic used around the lights and in the interior consoles of the car. To address this problem, Auto Giant Inc. forms a quality circle. What is a benefit of forming this type of group?
A. | It will shift the organization to a more participative culture. |
B. | It can include customers to help ensure that the resolution of the problem satisfies their needs. |
C. | It can devise, design, and implement a new car that will be better than the existing one. |
D. | It can deliver a new and improved product to customers. |
E. | It can change rapidly to respond to customer needs. |
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106. | A _____ is a group of employees responsible for an entire work process or segment that delivers a product to an internal or external customer.
E. | self-directed work team |
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107. | Which of the following is true of self-directed work teams?
A. | They are designed to give employees a feeling of ownership of a whole job. |
B. | They reduce an organization's ability to respond to customer needs. |
C. | They offer limited job assignments to their members. |
D. | They are designed to allow members to report to both functional and project managers. |
E. | They limit an employee's ability to cross-train to master other jobs. |
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108. | All of the following are alternatives to face-to-face communications EXCEPT
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109. | Keith's company uses internal networks to share information with employees. What is an advantage of using this type of network?
A. | It limits communication from different departments. |
B. | It can help with the flow of everyday business activities. |
C. | It completely eliminates the need to send e-mails. |
D. | It allows management to communicate with employees without any employee feedback. |
E. | It is completely separate from social media to help employees separate work from home life. |
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110. | Which of the following is a problem created by increased access to the Internet at work?
A. | Employees may abuse company e-mail and Internet access. |
B. | Internet use can be more expensive than hardware or software. |
C. | Extensive Internet use has led to an increase of people working remotely. |
D. | Internet use can prevent employees from collaborating with their teams. |
E. | The Internet inhibits the flow of everyday business activities. |
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111. | What is upward communication?
A. | communication about organizational goals to employees |
B. | communication between different units and departments within an organization |
C. | communication that flows from lower to higher levels of an organization |
D. | communication between peers and colleagues |
E. | communication between customers and employees |
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112. | Katie is a supervisor at a fast food restaurant. Every week, she submits a progress report to Molly, the restaurant manager, to let her know how the restaurant is doing and to bring any employee performance concerns and customer feedback to her attention. What type of communication does this scenario describe?
A. | downward communication |
C. | horizontal communication |
D. | diagonal communication |
E. | confidential communication |
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113. | Which of the following is an example of downward communication?
B. | information exchange between team members |
D. | employee suggestions to top management |
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114. | Hector is a manager of a bookstore. At the end of each year, he gives his employees performance reviews to let them know what they are doing well, what they need to improve, and their annual raise amount. This is a form of _____ communication.
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115. | Downward communication typically conveys
A. | organizational rumors. |
B. | assignments of tasks and responsibilities. |
D. | improvement suggestions. |
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116. | In an automobile company, the vice president of research and development wants to plan and coordinate the launch of a new car with the vice president of marketing. Any related communication between them will be referred to as _____ communication.
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117. | Mark and Dan are both managers at a sporting goods store. Mark is a manager in the finance department and Dan is a lower-level manager from the shoe department. When these managers communicate, it is known as _____ communication.
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118. | Laura and Gwen are friends who work at the same company but in different departments. They often go out for lunch and drinks after work, and sometimes, they send each other personal e-mails and instant messages at work. Such friendships comprise the _____ of a firm.
E. | diagonal communication |
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119. | Which of the following is a part of informal communication channels?
C. | details on organizational strategy |
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120. | Claudia is a manager of a real estate company. She is aware that her company has an active grapevine because she has heard her employees gossiping in the lunch room and around the office. All of the following are things she can do to use the grapevine to her advantage EXCEPT
A. | confronting her employees about gossip. |
B. | using it as a sounding device for possible new policies. |
C. | floating ideas, soliciting feedback, and reacting accordingly. |
D. | feeding it facts to squelch rumors and incorrect information. |
E. | using its information to improve decision making. |
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121. | Which of the following refers to the exchange of information among colleagues and peers on the same organizational level?
B. | asynchronous communication |
C. | horizontal communication |
D. | diagonal communication |
E. | downward communication |
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122. | Mary, a project manager at a software company, informs her subordinates of the organization's new policies and code of conduct. This is an example of _____ communication.
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123. | Diagonal communication
A. | is the traditional flow of communication between employees and customers. |
B. | occurs when individuals from different units and departments within an organization communicate. |
C. | flows from lower organizational levels to higher ones. |
D. | occurs with communication between peers and colleagues within a department. |
E. | is an informal method of communication that can improve decision making within an organization. |
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124. | Venus Electronics Inc. wants to ensure that its products best suit the needs of its customers, so the head of the marketing department holds a meeting with the managers of the production department. This illustrates _____ communication.
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125. | Which of the following is true regarding monitoring communications?
A. | Technological advances and the increased use of electronic communication in the workplace have eliminated the need to monitor communications within companies. |
B. | Most companies trust employees to monitor their own computer usage. |
C. | Most companies allow employees to determine appropriate Internet use. |
D. | All policies that monitor employee computer usage disrespect employee privacy. |
E. | Failing to monitor employees' use of e-mail, social media, and the Internet can be costly. |
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126. | Which of the following do employees list as their top complaint, related to communication, in the workplace?
A. | There is too much gossip at work. |
B. | Their managers send them too many personal e-mails. |
C. | Their managers fail to listen to their concerns. |
D. | Various activities interrupt messages. |
E. | There are too many channels of communication. |
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127. | Which of the following statements is true about e-mail communication?
A. | Employees and managers are increasingly using phone conversations instead of e-mail. |
B. | E-mail sent from corporate accounts is the property of the sender. |
C. | In-depth tasks are usually communicated via e-mail. |
D. | Using work e-mail accounts to send personal information may be against company policy. |
E. | Most companies don't have e-mail policies. |
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Essay Questions
128. | What is an organizational structure? How does it develop?
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129. | Differentiate between work groups and work teams.
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130. | How can managers monitor and make communication more effective?
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