Test Bank For Reframing Organizations: Artistry, Choice, and Leadership, 6th Edition

Package Title: Bolman Testbank Course Title: Reframing Organizations, 6th Edition Chapter Number: 2 Question type: Multiple Choice 1) Steven suspects that, no matter how well he does his job, if one mistake delays the product launch, he will be stuck with a poor job evaluation. If his fears were to come true, this would demonstrate what fallacy of organizational failure? a) blaming people b) blaming the bureaucracy c) thirsting for power d) blaming the lack of resources Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 2) In economic theory, what is the defining characteristic of “rational man”? a) “Rational man” bases his decisions on logic and facts, rather than intuition. b) “Rational man” synthesizes opposing views to come up with a superior solution. c) “Rational man” maximizes utility by considering all available options and choosing the best. d) “Rational man” is able to achieve an objective view of any situation by overcoming any and all internal biases or prejudices. Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 3) In their critique of “rational man” economic theory, March and Simon argue that much of human behavior can be explained by the desire to “satisfice.” What does the term “satisfice” mean in this context? a) All individuals strive for the greatest pleasure and the least amount of pain. b) Given the fact that individuals have limited information and restricted ability to process what is available, they often choose the very first option that seems good enough when making a decision. c) Becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to understand the universal reason, which is the first step taking control of one’s life. d) All individuals at some level rely on the artistic side of their personality—their love of artifice—when developing a satisfactory solution to a problem. Answer: b Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 4) Which one of these is NOT a common fallacy in explaining organizational problems? a) blaming people b) thirsting for power c) system weaknesses d) blaming the bureaucracy Answer: c Difficulty: Easy Bloomcode: Comprehension Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 5) Which of the following statements is TRUE about blaming people for problems in the organization? a) Condemning individuals shows the limitations of the hiring process. b) Blaming an individual means that the position was not well defined and the roles and responsibilities must become more structured. c) Individuals are blamed when they attempt to bend the goals and policies of the organization to meet their own needs. d) Condemning individuals oversimplifies reality and keeps us from developing more comprehensive understanding of organizational issues. Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Bloomcode: Comprehension Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 6) According to the Blame the Bureaucracy fallacy, organizations are stifled either because of too many rules and red tape or because of the chaos created by a lack of clear goals and roles. From the perspective of this fallacy, what needs to be done to address the problem? a) The organization needs either more or fewer rules and procedures, and tighter or looser job descriptions. b) The organization needs to bring in new management with a clear command-and-control perspective. c) Upper management must work to instill a new “entrepreneurial culture” across all organizational divisions. d) Larger organizational structures need to be broken up into smaller, leaner teams so they can work more efficiently. Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.1 Describe each of the three common fallacies in explaining organizational problems. Section Reference: Sec 2.1 Common Fallacies in Explaining Organizational Problems Question type: Multiple Choice 7) Bolman and Deal cite an individual working for a large governmental agency who states “communications in organizations are rarely candid, open, or timely.” This is an illustration of which organizational peculiarity? a) organizations are complex b) organizations are surprising c) organizations are deceptive d) organizations are ambiguous Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.2 Provide an example for each of the four peculiarities of organizations. Section Reference: Sec 2.2 Peculiarities of Organizations Question type: Multiple Choice 8) In the Amtran example cited by Bolman and Deal, everyone in the room endorsed Helen Demarco’s suggestion that a feasibility study be conducted for the CEO’s pet project. As the project progressed, how did this vote of confidence make Helen feel? a) She was glad to see that her work was appreciated. b) She felt that, to some extent, she had failed at her job. c) She felt she did not deserve the recognition, since a number of other team members were equally responsible for the success of the project. d) She appreciated the respect of her fellow team members, but resented the fact that upper management did not acknowledge her accomplishment. Answer: b Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.2 Provide an example for each of the four peculiarities of organizations. Section Reference: Sec 2.2 Peculiarities of Organizations Question type: Multiple Choice 9) Within the context of the main peculiarities of organizations specified by Bolman and Deal, what phrase best concludes the following sentence: “When a quality initiative fails or a promising product tanks, subordinates often: a) turn on each other.” b) blame upper management.” c) clam up or cover up.” d) admit their mistakes and promise to do better.” Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.2 Provide an example for each of the four peculiarities of organizations. Section Reference: Sec 2.2 Peculiarities of Organization Question type: Multiple Choice 10) What is the source of ambiguity in an organization? a) Available information is incomplete. b) Ambiguity is intentionally manufactured to conceal problems. c) Different people interpret the same information in a variety of ways. d) All of the choices are correct. Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Bloomcode: Comprehension Learning Objective: LO 2.2 Provide an example for each of the four peculiarities of organizations. Section Reference: Sec 2.2 Peculiarities of Organizations Question type: Multiple Choice 11) In terms of organizational health, what is the main consequence when the link between “cause” (an individual’s action) and “effect” (the result of that action) is severed? a) The reward management system breaks down. b) Organizational learning is difficult to impossible. c) Communication across organizational divisions proves less effective. d) Management is no longer to engage in long-range planning. Answer: b Difficulty: Hard Bloomcode: Evaluation Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 12) What does the term “complex causal loops” mean within the context of complex modern organizations? a) When mistakes are made, organizational divisions go back and forth blaming each other rather than working together to come up with solutions. b) It is difficult to anticipate how action in one part of the organization will impact other parts of the organization. c) Management comes up with a “right” solution and then goes out in search of facts to justify that solution. d) Effective organizations rely heavily on “feedback loops” which institutionalize. Answer: b Difficulty: Hard Bloomcode: Evaluation Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 13) What was the main failing of the “system map” CEO Robert Nardelli created for Home Depot? a) By implementing a command and control structure, Nardelli neglected the aspects of customer care that had made Home Depot successful. b) By overemphasizing the importance of smaller scrum teams in new product development, upper management was no longer able to steer development in ways that would anticipate customer demand. c) Insisting on a clear, institutional division between IT and Marketing meant that the company could not effectively use insights gained from mining customer sentiment as part of its marketing strategy. d) Devolving power and decision-making to the local level—the individual store managers in the case of Home Depot—made collective action difficult to coordinate in the face of an economic downturn. Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 14) According to Barry Oshry, system blindness: a) occurs in a limited amount of organizations. b) causes low-level employees to feel overwhelmed by complexity, responsibility, and overwork. c) is rooted in troubled relationships between groups that have little grasp of what’s going on outside their own neighborhood. d) frees us from cycles of blaming and self-defense. Answer: c Difficulty: Easy Bloomcode: Comprehension Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 15) What best describes the “tug of war” middle managers experience in an organization where system blindness predominates? a) Upper management expects middle management to take risks and yet punishes them when things go wrong, whereas rank and file employees expect middle management to push back against upper management when workloads get too high. b) Middle managers are torn between insisting that projects be completed on time and insisting that quality remain high. c) Middle managers are asked to impose discipline from above, but their subordinates want them to act more like colleagues than bosses. d) Middle managers often discover that they have been tasked with projects that cannot be completed using the budgeted resources. Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 16) Both Barry Oshry and Peter Senge argue that our failure to read system dynamics leads to a particular result. What is that result? a) In an attempt to resolve a problem, complex issues are broken down into what are perceived to be more manageable chunks, resulting in oversimplified solutions that make the problem worse. b) Upper management attempts to impose a solution from above, which often causes resentment lower down the organizational ladder. c) Middle management proves unwilling to innovate, since it fears it will be punished for any failures that occur. d) Persistent cycles of blame and self-defense block effectiveness and learning. Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Application Learning Objective: LO 2.3 Explain the concept of organizational learning with reference to the works of Senge, Oshry, and Argyris and Schön. Section Reference: Sec 2.3 Organizational Learning Question type: Multiple Choice 17) When trying to make sense of a complicated and ambiguous situation, Bolman and Deal argue that our first instinct is to: a) rely on the wisdom and experience of older mentors. b) impose our own unspoken (and unexamined) assumptions about how the world works on the problem before us. c) turn to others for their opinion and work towards coming up with a joint solution. d) choose the best framework for dealing with the issue. Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Application Learning Objective: LO 2.4 Explain how mental models are used to cope with organizational ambiguity and complexity. Section Reference: Sec 2.4 Coping with Ambiguity and Complexity Question type: Multiple Choice 18) Gavin de Becker has stated that “Many experts lose the creativity and imagination of the less informed.” What does this statement mean in an organizational context? a) So-called “expert advice” is often no better than the advice of non-experts. b) Experts, because they rely on previous patterns of thinking, often overlook a new element when it appears. c) Instinct, not expertise, is always the prime mover of innovation. d) Overspecialization inevitably kills the creative spark Answer: b Difficulty: Easy Bloomcode: Knowledge Learning Objective: LO 2.4 Explain how mental models are used to cope with organizational ambiguity and complexity. Section Reference: Sec 2.4 Coping with Ambiguity and Complexity Question type: Multiple Choice 19) Ashley had been provided an updated description of her job responsibilities. Although she had been told to expect it, her manager never sat down with her to explain the changes. For Ashley, this resulted in: a) confusion. b) erosion of effectiveness. c) analysis paralysis. d) confusion, erosion of effectiveness and analysis paralysis. Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.4 Explain how mental models are used to cope with organizational ambiguity and complexity. Section Reference: Sec 2.4 Coping with Ambiguity and Complexity Question type: Multiple Choice 20) When examining the effect of mental models on decision-making, researchers determined that: a) decision makers tend to trust those from the same social and ethnic background more than individuals form a different social or ethnic background. b) decision makers fail when they switch from one mental model to another in solving a problem. c) decision makers rely on others more to strengthen preconceived thinking than to gain new information. d) the main challenge faced by decision makers is to ensure that one mental model is dominant throughout an entire organizational structure. Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Bloomcode: Analysis Learning Objective: LO 2.4 Explain how mental models are used to cope with organizational ambiguity and complexity. Section Reference: Sec 2.4 Coping with Ambiguity and Complexity