1、Chapter 3 Organizational Culture and Environment: The Constraints TRUE/FALSE QUESTIONS THE MANAGER: OMNIPOTENT OR SYMBOLIC? 1. In the symbolic view of management, managers are seen as directly responsible for an organization’s success or failure. 2. The current dominant assumption in management
2、theory suggests that managers are omnipotent。 3. The view of managers as omnipotent is consistent with the stereotypical picture of the take—charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization's objectives. 4. The symbolic view of management impact is useful in
3、 explaining the high turnover among college and professional sports coaches, who can be considered the “managers” of their teams。 5. In the omnipotent view of management, much of an organization’s success or failure is due to forces outside management’s control. 6. In the symbolic view of manageme
4、nt, it is unreasonable to expect managers to have a significant effect on the organization’s performance. 7. In the omnipotent view of management, a manager's role is to create meaning out of randomness, confusion, and ambiguity. THE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE 8. An organizational culture refers to a
5、 system of shared meaning。 9. Organizational cultures influence how employees behave in an organization. 10. Organizational culture is a perception, not reality. 11. Presently, there is no method for analyzing or assessing organizational culture. 12. Strong cultures have more influence on employ
6、ees than do weak cultures。 13. An increasing body of evidence suggests that strong cultures are associated with high organizational performance. 14. Compensation structures are considered to be a primary dimension of organizational culture. 15. Most organizations have very weak cultures. 16. An
7、organization's founder has little influence on its culture. 17. Rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the key values of an organization. 18. Organizational stories typically contain a narrative regarding significant events or people. 19. Employee stock options
8、are one example of a material symbol that might represent organizational culture。 20. The link between values and managerial behavior is fairly straightforward。 CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ISSUES FACING MANAGERS 21. A strong ethical culture is likely to have a powerful positive influence on em
9、ployee behavior. 22. Low risk tolerance generally leads to high ethical standards within an organization. 23. Companies that allow their employees freedom tend to encourage innovative cultures。 24. To encourage a customer—responsive culture, organizations should formalize and enforce strict custo
10、mer service policies。 25. Customer service employees tend to provide better customer service when they are very clear about their employee roles。 26. To increase customer responsiveness, organizations should hire employees who are outgoing and friendly。 THE ENVIRONMENT 27. The part of the enviro
11、nment directly related to achievement of an organization’s goals is the specific environment。 28. The general environment refers to environmental factors operating inside an organization. 29. Environmental uncertainty can be divided into two dimensions: degree of trust and degree of integration.
12、30. Because certainty is a threat to an organization’s effectiveness, managers try to minimize it。 31. The term suppliers includes providers of financial and labor inputs. 32. Industry conditions are an example of an organization's general environment。 33. Economic conditions are part of the orga
13、nization’s specific environment。 MULTIPLE—CHOICE QUESTIONS For each of the following choose the answer that most completely answers the question. THE MANAGER: OMNIPOTENT OR SYMBOLIC? 34. Which of the following represent the two views of managerial impact on the success or failure of the organiza
14、tion? a. omnipotent and symbolic b. omnipotent and reflective c. symbolic and interactive d. reflective and interactive 35. The omnipotent view of management states that ________________。 a. the top manager is the only person in charge b. managers are directly responsible for an organization
15、's success or failure c. that there is only one boss in the organization, and she or he is responsible for delegating orders d. managers have little or no responsibility for an organization’s success or failure 36. The __________ view of management is consistent with the stereotypical picture of
16、the take—charge business executive who can overcome any obstacle in carrying out the organization’s objectives。 a. omnipotent b. symbolic c. functional d. systems 37. Which of the following most accurately reflects the symbolic view of management? a. Managers are directly responsible for a
17、n organization’s success or failure。 b. Managers have little or no responsibility for an organization’s success or failure. c. External forces are directly responsible for an organization’s success or failure. d. Employees are directly responsible for an organization’s success or failure. 38. In
18、ternal constraints that restrict a manager's decision options _______________. a. exist within every organization b. do not exist, as all managers have decision-making discretion c. exist only to the extent that upper management imposes them d. exist only to the extent that followers won't do as
19、 they are told 39. The current dominant assumption in management theory suggests _______________. a. a balanced view of managers as symbolic and omnipotent b. an emphasis on the view that managers are symbolic c. an emphasis on the view that managers are omnipotent d. that both the symbolic an
20、d omnipotent views are obsolete 40. According to the symbolic view, managers have a(n) _____________ effect on substantive organizational outcomes。 a. neutral b. controlling c. limited d. unlimited 41. Managers may be able to expand their areas of discretion by _______________. a. telling th
21、eir employees what to do b. changing and influencing their organization’s culture and environment c. electing new government officials at the federal and state level d. changing employers and working for a different boss 42. The symbolic view of management is based upon the belief that managers
22、symbolize _________。 a. control and influence b. ambiguity and confusion c. stakeholders' interests d. decisions of top management 43. In reality, managers are most accurately viewed as _________. a. dominant over an organization's environment b. neither helpless nor all powerful c. powerles
23、s to influence an organization’s performance d. ultimately responsible for organizational outcomes THE ORGANIZATION’S CULTURE 44. The culture of an organization is analogous to the _____________ of an individual。 a. skills b. personality c. motivation d. ability 45. All organizational cultur
24、es consist of each of the following except _________。 a. shared values b. principles c. innovation d. traditions 46. Organizational culture is concerned with how members perceive the organization, not whether they __________. a. like the organization b. like their peers c. like their bosses
25、 d. like their customers 47. Strong cultures _____________。 a. are found in organizations with high employee turnover b. have a minimal influence on employee decision making c. can be found in all organizations that exist d. have a greater influence on employees than do weak cultures 48. Emplo
26、yees in organizations with strong cultures _______________。 a. are more committed to their organizations b. are more likely to leave their organizations c. are more willing to perform illegal activities d. are more likely to follow directives from peers 49. Which of the following phrases is as
27、sociated with the definition of organizational culture? a. individual response b. shared meaning c. diversity of thought d. explicit directions 50. Which of the following is not considered to be a dimension of organizational culture? a. attention to detail b. people orientation c. purchasing
28、 policies d. aggressiveness 51. Which of the following dimensions of organizational culture is defined as the degree to which an organization’s actions and decisions emphasize maintaining the status quo? a. stability b. outcome orientation c. team orientation d. innovation and risk taking 52
29、 A company whose managers focus on results, rather than how results are achieved, most likely possesses a high degree of which of the following? a. outcome orientation b. people orientation c. team orientation d. aggressiveness 53. Sony Corporation’s focus on product innovation is an example o
30、f which of the following dimensions of organizational culture? a. attention to detail b. people orientation c. outcome orientation d. aggressiveness 54. Which of the following most accurately reflects the difference between strong cultures and weak cultures? a. Strong cultures tend to encoura
31、ge employee innovation, while weak cultures do not. b. Weak cultures are found in most organizations, whereas strong cultures are relatively rare。 c. Strong cultures have less of an influence on employee behavior than do weak cultures. d. Company values are more deeply held and widely shared in s
32、trong cultures than in weak cultures。 55. Corporate ___________ are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the values of an organization。 a. languages b. rituals c. symbols d. ceremonies 56. Which of the following represents the most significant ways through which corpo
33、rate cultures are transmitted to employees? a. rituals, myths, competitions, and language b. symbols, rituals, language, and business systems c. stories, rituals, symbols, and language d. language, stories, rituals, and rewards 57. When employees at Microsoft use terms such as work judo, eating
34、 your own dog food, and flat food, they are using organizational __________。 a. languages b. rituals c. symbols d. ceremonies 58. Most organizations have ____________ cultures。 a. very weak b. weak to moderate c. moderate d. moderate to strong 59. The original source of an organization’s
35、culture usually ________________。 a. is shared among the first workers hired into the organization b. is formulated by the board of directors when the organization is formed c. identifies what the organization is successful doing d. reflects the vision or mission of the organization’s founder 6
36、0. Organizational _____________ typically contain narratives about significant events or people in the organization。 a. stories b. rituals c. charts d. material symbols 61. All of the following are mentioned in the textbook as examples of material symbols except ____________.
37、 a. employee dress attire b. size of employee offices c. availability of stock options d. reserved parking spaces for certain employees 62. The link between organizational values and managerial behavior is _____________。 a. usually uncertain b. fairly straightforward c. often highly complex
38、 d. relatively dynamic 63. In learning an organization’s specific language, members are displaying their _________________. a. willingness to communicate with the organization’s stockholders b. confidence that they will soon be promoted to greater responsibility c. willingness to help preserve
39、 the culture of the organization d. consent to share material symbols with the other members of the organization 64. An organization’s culture affects managers by ______________。 a. providing them with additional decision-making power b. restricting them from disciplining certain employees c.
40、encouraging them to bend or even break company rules d. establishing what is appropriate and expected behavior CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE ISSUES FACING MANAGERS 65. Which of the following is most likely to have a highly ethical organizational culture? a. a highly aggressive, competitive busi
41、ness b. a company with high risk tolerance c. a business that focuses strictly on outcomes d. a business with outgoing and friendly employees 66. To encourage ethical cultures, managers should _________________. a. enforce strict discipline policies b. encourage employees to compete c. act in
42、 their own self-interest d. serve as visible role models 67. A company that primarily values a strong sense of purpose through meaningful work has a(n) _________________ organizational culture。 a. spiritual b. customer—responsive c. ethical d. innovative 68. Conscientious employees with good
43、listening skills are highly valuable for building a(n) _________________ organizational culture。 a. ethical b. innovative c. customer—responsive d. spiritual 69. An innovative organizational culture is characterized by all of the following characteristics except _________________. a. freedom
44、b. conformity c. debates d. risk taking 70. Workplace spirituality has become important in the contemporary workplace because it helps to _________________. a. reduce unemployment rates b. boost company profits c. restore a sense of community d. bring religion into business 71. Which of the
45、following is most characteristic of an organization with a strong spiritual culture? a. Employees are encouraged to express themselves. b. Such companies experience high employee turnover。 c. Employees are rewarded for innovation and risk taking. d. Employees are required to join organized relig
46、ions。 72. Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between spirituality and business profitability? a. Evidence shows that spirituality and business profitability are incompatible。 b. Limited evidence suggests that spirituality may be compatible with profitability。 c. Research
47、shows that workplace spirituality constrains employee performance. d. High productivity has been extensively documented in spiritual workplaces. THE ENVIRONMENT 73. External environment refers to _________________。 a. forces outside the organization that limit the organization’s performance b.
48、factors and forces outside the organization that affect the organization’s performance c. forces and institutions inside the organization that affect the organization’s performance d. forces inside the organization that increase the organization’s performance 74. According to the textbook, the __
49、 environment includes those constituencies that have a direct and immediate impact on managers’ decisions and actions and are directly relevant to the achievement of the organization's goals. a. general b. specific c. secondary d. forward 75. An organization's specific environment
50、 ________________。 a. is unique and changes with conditions b. is the same regardless of the organization's age c. is determined by the top level of management d. must be quantified to establish its existence 76. The main forces that make up an organization’s specific environment are __________






