Test Bank For Supervision of Police Personnel, 9th Edition

Supervision of Police Personnel, 9e (Iannone/Iannone/Bernstein) Chapter 2 The Supervisor’s Function in Organization, Administration, and Management 2.1 Multiple Choice Questions 1) What term refers to working out in broad outline the things that need to be done and the methods for doing them to accomplish the purpose set for the enterprise? A) Organizing B) Planning C) Staffing D) Directing Answer: B Page Ref: 13 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 2) Which of the following statement is true with regards to plans? A) Procedural plans relating to standard operating procedures (SOPs) are useful as guides to personnel in such activities as serving and processing arrest warrants, recording and processing crime or incident reports, and processing traffic citations. B) Tactical plans are those that are prepared to meet exigencies encountered by police, such as widespread civil disorders, unusual crime problems, civil defense needs, or major disasters. C) Operational plans are those designed to give guidance and direction to personnel in the performance of normal police activities. D) All of the above Answer: D Page Ref: 14 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Intermediate 3) Which of the following plans relate to matters such as budget preparation and the use and control of funds allotted for personnel, equipment, and supplies? A) Fiscal B) Operational C) Tactical D) Procedural Answer: A Page Ref: 14 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 4) ________ are plans consisting of a set of broad principles that guide personnel in the accomplishment of general organizational objectives. A) Procedures B) Goals C) Objectives D) Policies Answer: D Page Ref: 14 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Intermediate 5) Supervisors should be alert for confusion in the interpretation of policy by subordinates, especially at times when policy is changed or when subordinates join the unit from another where it is interpreted differently. When such confusion is revealed through feedback, supervisors should promptly take whatever steps may be required to do which of the following? A) Clarify conflicts and ensure uniformity in application. B) Create conflict to ensure conformity. C) Solicit communication. D) All of the above Answer: A Page Ref: 15 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Intermediate 6) Which of the following are plans providing specific guides to conduct and performance? A) Policies B) Direct order C) Generic procedures D) Rules and regulations Answer: D Page Ref: 15 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 7) Which function involves not only putting a prepared plan into operation but also following through with observation and inspection to determine that the work ordered was actually and properly done? A) Directing B) Organizing C) Staffing D) Coordinating Answer: A Page Ref: 16 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 8) Perhaps no function of management is more important than that of ________ of human effort to ensure unity of action not only between individuals but also between organizational units. This activity must occur at all levels to prevent disharmony. A) Consolidation B) Coordination C) Cancellation D) Control Answer: B Page Ref: 16 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 9) Which of the following is true in regards to the line organization? A) The straight-line organization often called the individual, military, or departmental type, is the simplest and perhaps the oldest form and is seldom encountered in any but the smallest of organizations. B) Quick decisions can be made in the line organization because of the direct lines of authority, and members in the chain of command know to whom they are accountable and who is accountable to them. C) One disadvantage inherent in the line-type organization is that supervisory personnel are too often required to perform the duties of specialists because little use is made of the latter for giving advice and counsel to line units. D) All of the above Answer: D Page Ref: 18 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 10) All of the following are true of the functional organization except: A) The functional organization in its pure form is rarely found in present-day organizations except at or near the top level. B) The functional organization does not divide responsibility and authority among several specialists. C) The functional responsibility of each “functional manager” is limited to the particular activity over which he has control, regardless of who performs the function. D) Coordination of effort in this type of organization becomes difficult since the employees responsible for results may be subject to the functional direction of several persons. Answer: B Page Ref: 19 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Difficult 11) Which of the below is accurate in regards to task forces? A) While the structure poses unique managerial challenges, a task force can often be very effective in addressing a specific problem. B) Task forces can be very effective because they are highly focused on coordinated effort. C) Their inherent violation of the unity of command principle causes them to get bogged down over time. D) All of the above Answer: D Page Ref: 20 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 12) All of the following are true regarding the line and staff organization except: A) The line and staff type organization is a combination of the line and functional types and is found in almost all but the very smallest police agencies today. B) It combines staff specialists or units with line organization. C) The service of knowledge can be provided to line personnel by specialists such as the criminalist, the training officer, the research and development specialist, the public relations officer, or the intelligence specialist. D) Channels of responsibility and authority are a problem. Answer: D Page Ref: 20 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 13) Organizational structures are established to designate how work is to be divided among the various components of the establishment. Regardless of what basis is used for this division—whether work is apportioned according to function performed, as in the laboratory; by area, as in a system of precincts, geographic divisions, or beats; by clientele handled, as in youth activities or juvenile offenses; or by purpose, as in public relations activities, traffic control, etc.—the division must be: A) Logical and practicable. B) Logical and personal. C) Lackluster and practicable. D) Legal and practicable. Answer: A Page Ref: 21 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Intermediate 14) For best results, the principle of ________ and the law of productivity, require assigning to each worker the fewest possible kinds of tasks or operations in order to improve the quality and increase the quantity of work, thereby giving the highest class of work to suit the worker’s natural abilities. A) Stagnation B) Spatiality C) Specialization D) Speediness Answer: C Page Ref: 22 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 15) Which principle has been applied to the police, military and administrative organizations, and relates to the number of subordinates who can be supervised effectively by one supervisor? A) Span of command presence B) Span of authority C) Confederation D) Span of control Answer: D Page Ref: 22 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 16) Which of the following is true regarding delegation? A) The principle of delegation relates to the process of committing an activity to another’s care. B) It is closely related to the principle of span of control in that even though the span is excessive, the harm from it can be reduced by the delegation of much detail to subordinates. C) Those supervisors who refuse to allow anything to be done except under their direct control are the primary causes of the crippling bottlenecks that slow or stop effective operations. D) All of the above Answer: D Page Ref: 23 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 17) Although many activities can be passed down to others through the process of delegation, the supervisor cannot avoid the responsibility for such activities. Many supervisors have suffered dire consequences by assuming that a job entrusted to a subordinate relieved them of their responsibility for completing the job. They should be encouraged to delegate all possible tasks to the lowest level in the organization where the necessary ability to perform them exists, but in doing so, they do not shed their responsibility for the completion of the task and their: A) Personal involvement in doing the task. B) Accountability for the results. C) Superiority. D) None of the above. Answer: B Page Ref: 23 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Intermediate 18) Delegation may be accomplished by a specific or general directive either in writing or orally. A simple task may be delegated in a simple manner. A complex delegation should be supported by a comprehensive ________ directive clearly identifying the problem and the procedures to be followed if necessary. A) Oral B) Legalistic C) Written D) Collaborative Answer: C Page Ref: 24 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 19) Once a job has been delegated, its importance has been explained, and necessary instructions have been clearly given for its accomplishment, the supervisor should discreetly ________ as needed to ensure that employees are progressing satisfactorily. A) Follow-up B) Manage C) Do work D) Take over Answer: A Page Ref: 25 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 20) Which principle specifies that the head of an organization or unit within it should not find it necessary to act personally on each matter coming under their general jurisdiction? A) The Supervision Principle B) The Leadership Principle C) The Exception Principle D) The Management Principle Answer: C Page Ref: 25 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Intermediate 2.2 True/False Questions 1) The focus of an organization’s administrative subsystem is on authority, structure, and responsibility within the organization. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 12 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 2) The major portion of the supervisor’s job may be categorized into three broad areas: leading, directing, and controlling individuals and groups that are formally or informally arranged. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 12 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 3) While a supervisor’s job deals primarily with the directing of subordinates, they need not concern themselves with the internal conditions of the organization involving both concrete matters, such as environmental working conditions and the provision of equipment, and more abstract factors, such as morale and esprit de corps. Answer: FALSE Page Ref: 12 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 4) Good planning is at the heart of efficiency, since it provides the framework for organization by specifying what should be done to meet objectives, who should do the work, and how their efforts can be coordinated. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 5) Policies, orders, and plans should be concise and clear while being inflexible enough to not allow adjustment as conditions dictate. Answer: FALSE Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 6) Tactical plans relating to standard operating procedures (SOPs) are useful as guides to personnel in such activities as serving and processing arrest warrants, recording and processing crime or incident reports, and processing traffic citations. Answer: FALSE Page Ref: 14 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 7) A policy manual is worthwhile as a guide for personnel to apply to all facets of police operations. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 15 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 8) Supervisors must continuously analyze the organizational structure within their sphere of operations to facilitate communication between the elements of the hierarchy and provide clear-cut downward lines of authority and responsibility and upward lines of accountability. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 15 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 9) Recruitment, training, and placement are not proper and necessary staffing functions of each supervisor. Answer: FALSE Page Ref: 16 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 10) The function of providing direction to subordinates and control of their activities is one that consumes much of the supervisor’s time. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 16 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 11) Quick decisions can be made in the line organization because of the direct lines of authority, and members in the chain of command know to whom they are accountable and who is accountable to them. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 18 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 12) The functional responsibility of each “functional manager” is limited to the particular activity over which he or she has control, regardless of who performs the function. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 19 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 13) The principle of unity of command should not be practiced in every organization. Answer: FALSE Page Ref: 22 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 14) The principle of delegation relates to the process of committing an activity to another’s care. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 23 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 15) Delegation may be accomplished by a specific or general directive given either in writing or orally. Answer: TRUE Page Ref: 24 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 2.3 Fill in the Blank Questions 1) The major portion of the supervisor’s job may be categorized into three broad areas: leading, ________, and controlling individuals and groups that are formally or informally arranged. Answer: Directing Page Ref: 12 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 2) ________ is the establishment of the formal structure of authority through which work subdivisions are arranged, defined, and coordinated for the defined objective. Answer: Organizing Page Ref: 13 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 3) ________ plans are those designed to give guidance and direction to personnel in the performance of normal police activities. Answer: Operational Page Ref: 14 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 4) ________ are plans consisting of a set of broad principles that guide personnel in the accomplishment of general organizational objectives. Answer: Policies Page Ref: 15 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 5) Recruitment, ________, and placement are proper and necessary staffing functions of each supervisor. Answer: Training Page Ref: 16 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 6) The straight ________ organization, often called the individual, military, or departmental type, is the simplest and perhaps oldest form and is seldom encountered in any but the smallest of organizations. Answer: Line Page Ref: 18 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 7) The ________ of work involves not only the breaking down of a particular job into its component parts but also the recombining of these parts into a completed unit of work. Answer: Division Page Ref: 21 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 8) The principle of unity of ________ should be practiced in every organization. This principle requires that every employee be under the direct command of one superior. Answer: Command Page Ref: 22 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 9) The Span of ________ relates to the number of subordinates who can be supervised effectively by one supervisor. Answer: Control Page Ref: 22 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 10) The ________ principle prevails at all levels of the organizational hierarchy and is dependent on the effective application of the delegation function, which will free the superior from a mass of routine detail that might be better handled by subordinates. Answer: Exception Page Ref: 25 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 2.4 Matching Questions Match the POSDCORB acronym listed in Column 1 to its activities in Column 2. A) Working out in broad outline the things that need to be done and methods for doing them to accomplish the purpose set for the enterprise B) The establishment of the formal structure of authority through which work subdivisions are arranged, defined, and coordinated for the defined objective C) Keeping those who the executive is responsible for informed through records, research, and inspection D) A form of fiscal planning, accounting, and control E) The all-important duty of interrelating the various parts of the work F) The continuous task of making decisions and embodying them in specific and general orders and instructions and serving as the leader of the enterprise G) The whole personnel function of bringing in and training the staff and maintaining favorable conditions of work 1) Planning Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 2) Organizing Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 3) Staffing Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 4) Directing Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 5) Coordinating Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 6) Reporting Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic 7) Budgeting Page Ref: 13 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Basic Answers: 1) A 2) B 3) G 4) F 5) E 6) C 7) D Match the organizational structures listed in Column 1 to its descriptions in Column 2. A) This is often called individual, military, or departmental type. It is the simplest and perhaps the oldest form and is seldom encountered in its true form, except in the smallest of organizations. It involves a division of the work into units with a person in charge who has complete control and who can be held directly accountable for results, or lack of them. B) This type of structure is rarely found in present-day organizations except near the top level. It divides the responsibility and authority among specialists. The manager’s responsibility in this type of organization is limited to the particular activity over which he has control regardless of who performs the function. C) This type of structure is found in almost all but the very smallest police agencies. Channels of responsibility and authority are thus left intact, since the specialist’s responsibility is to “think and provide expertise” for the line units, which are then responsible for “doing.” 8) Line Organization Page Ref: 18-20 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 9) Functional Organization Page Ref: 18-20 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic 10) Line and Staff Organization Page Ref: 18-20 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Basic Answers: 8) A 9) B 10) C 2.5 Essay Questions 1) What is meant by “span of control”? How is it affected by organizational structure? What other factors affect span of control? Answer: The span of control relates to the number of subordinates who can be supervised effectively by one supervisor. This limit is small, from three to five at the top level of the organization, and broadens at the lower levels. It is dependent on such factors as the capacities of the supervisor and those supervised, the types of work being performed, and the complexity of the work. Other determining factors include the area covered by it, the distances between elements, the time needed to perform the tasks, the homogeneity of operations, the types of persons served, and the effectiveness of managers. Page Ref: 22-23 Objective: To become acquainted with the fundamental principles of organization, administration, and management Level: Basic 2) How do delegation, the exception principle, and the principle of completed staff work interrelate? Answer: The exception principle is inseparable from the principle of delegation. It prevails at all levels of the organizational hierarchy and is dependent on the effective application of the delegation function, which will free the superior from a mass of routine detail that might be better handled by subordinates. Training is the key to the successful application of the principle. Superior officers should pass on all possible work to subordinates except that which is appropriate to the particular level that the superiors occupy. Supervisors should reserve for themselves only those decisions their subordinates are not equipped to make. They should avoid becoming bogged down with detail so that they can be free to integrate the work being performed within their sphere of operation into that of the entire organization. Page Ref: 25-26 Objective: To gain an appreciation of how the tenets of administration and management affect the supervisor Level: Intermediate 3) Define the essential nature of completed staff projects. Answer: The principle of completed staff projects requires that the person to whom work has been assigned through the delegation process can complete it so that the only thing left to be done by the person who delegated it is to approve it. Page Ref: 26 Objective: To gain an appreciation of how the tenets of administration and management affect the supervisor Level: Intermediate 2.6 Critical Thinking/Discussion Questions 1) How may a supervisor best utilize the talents of the natural leaders in the organization even though they are not officially designated as such? What are these natural leaders called? Answer: The formally structured and recognized relationships within the organization will have superimposed on them the informal groups, with their own leader or leaders, unrecognized on the organizational charts. Through these natural leaders, often without bars or stripes, the wise supervisor will accomplish many of his objectives. These natural leaders are called informal leaders. Page Ref: 12 Objective: To gain an understanding of the types of organizational structures and how they can be used to aid in the management process Level: Intermediate 2) Why can ultimate responsibility not be delegated? Answer: Ultimate responsibility rests with the supervisor, not the delegates. Although many activities can be passed down to others through the process of delegation, the supervisor cannot avoid the responsibility for such activities. Many supervisors have suffered dire consequences by assuming that a job entrusted to a subordinate relieved them of their responsibility for completing the job. They should be encouraged to delegate all possible tasks to the lowest possible level in the organization where the necessary ability to perform them exists, but in so doing, they do not shed their responsibility for the completion of the task and their accountability for the results. Page Ref: 23 Objective: To become familiar with the supervisor’s administrative functions Level: Intermediate