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WorksheetsOrganizational Behavior (PGTO) WGU Pre-Assessment
Total questions: 46
Worksheet time: 23mins
Employees A and B work together on the same project team. When the team faces a complex problem, the team leader usually asks B to generate alternative solutions for the team to consider. Experience has shown that B is more likely to take initiative, set ambitious goals, and feel that the team can effectively influence its environment. Employee A tends to do well on routine jobs, is plagued with self-doubt, and feels that the team is largely powerless over its environment.
Which statement is correct?
Employee A exhibits positive core self-evaluation, and employee B exhibits negative core self-evaluation.
Employee A exhibits negative core self-evaluation, and employee B exhibits positive core self-evaluation.
Employee A exhibits negative core self-evaluation, and employee B exhibits negative core self-evaluation.
Employee A exhibits positive core self-evaluation and employee B exhibits positive core self-evaluation.
Employee B was upset by Employee A's behavior at the department's planning meeting. Which factors will influence Employee B's perception in this situation? Choose 1 answer
Stimulation, task, and skills
Situation, target, and perceiver
Problem, criteria, and alternatives
Heredity, environment, and perceiver
A person is broadminded, courageous, and forgiving. Which type of values are these? Choose 1 answer
Terminal values
Transitory values
Determinate values
Instrumental values
An employee enjoys having a large span of responsibility and is motivated to do well because of personal feelings.Which kind of reward is this?
Choose 1 answer
Intrinsic reward
Extrinsic reward
Affiliation reward
Compensatory reward
Which theory of motivation focuses on 5 levels of needs, and further separates those needs by lower-order needs and higher-order needs?
Choose 1 answer
McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory
McClelland’s Theory of Needs
Two-Factor Theory
Manager A supervises 10 district units with 100 employees and receives $100,000 in compensation. Manager B supervises 5 district units with 50 employees and also receives $100,000 in compensation. Manager A is upset by this relationship and is looking for a new job.
Which theory explains A's motivation to look for a new job?
Choose 1 answer
Equity theory
Inequity theory
Perception theory
Perceptual fairness theory
A manager challenged an employee to produce an average of 24 assemblies each day for a week. This production goal was higher than the employee had ever achieved during any week. The manager gave the employee a tally sheet to mark after each assembly was completed.
Considering the goal-setting theory of motivation, the manager was counting on which factors to influence the employee to achieve the production goal?
Choose 1 answer
Challenge and direction
Feedback and reflection
Specificity and feedback
Challenge and power
Which stage of the five-stage group development model is characterized by developing close relationships and cohesiveness?
Choose 1 answer
Forming
Norming
Storming
Performing
What defines a set of expected behavior patterns attributed to a person occupying a given position in a social unit?
Choose 1 answer
Group role
Group norm
Group status
Group conformity
Which type of group is defined by the organization's structure?
Choose 1 answer
Unified group
Formal group
Informal group
Designated group
To resolve a conflict between the department staff and the janitorial staff, the department head informs the department staff of a new policy prohibiting the eating of food at the desk.Which type of conflict resolution technique does this represent?
Choose 1 answer
Problem solving
Authoritative command
Altering the human variable
Altering the structural variables
What is an advantage of a group that is not very cohesive?
Choose 1 answer
There is less need for giving rewards as group rewards.
When making a group decision, groupthink is more likely to occur.
When performance norms are high, productivity will be higher than in a cohesive group.
When performance norms are low, productivity may be higher than in a cohesive group.
Which term describes the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually?
Choose 1 answer
Social loafing
Independent effort
Selective perception
Employee disengagement
What is a strength of group decision making?
Choose 1 answer
Power of groupthink
Increased diversity of views
Conformity pressures in groups
Reduced time for making decisions
Which statement is true about work teams?
Choose 1 answer
Members work together to neutralize synergy.
The members' primary focus is on improving individual effort.
The primary goal is to share information that is helpful to individual efforts.
Members of the group generate positive synergy through coordinated effort.
What type of team is formed when employees from about the same hierarchical level but from different work areas come together to accomplish a task?
Choose 1 answer
Virtual team
Diverse team
Divergent team
Cross-functional team
What are primary factors that differentiate virtual teams from face-to-face teams?
Choose 1 answer
Reduce paraverbal cues and create more frequent social context
Reduce telecommunications costs and increase paraverbal cues
Improve employee satisfaction and create more frequent social context
Overcome time and space constraints and create limited social context
What is a characteristic of problem-solving teams that is different than cross-functional teams?
Choose 1 answer
Problem-solving team members meet only on a virtual basis.
Problem-solving team members come from different work units.
Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit.
Problem-solving teams use only computer technology to tie them together physically
A team was assigned a project. Halfway through the project it was obvious that the team was failing to meet expectations. Management had made sure that individuals assigned to the team had good interpersonal skills as well as good problem-solving and decision-making skills. However, they overlooked other abilities of team members required for accomplishing the work.Which ability necessary for team members was overlooked?
Choose 1 answer
Type D personality
Technical expertise
Authoritarian personality
Propensity for social loafing
When organizing a team to develop a new quality control system, management wanted to assign team members having characteristics common to effective teams.Which list specifies common characteristics of effective teams?
Choose 1 answer
A climate of trust, members who fill role demands, and a large team size
Group performance evaluation, absence of conflict, and members who fill role demands
A manageable level of conflict, members who are conscientious, and effective leadership
Group performance evaluation, members who score low on the personality characteristic of extroversion, and effective leadership
A company switched from assembly lines to self-managed work teams.What can team members do to improve the synergy and success of their teams?
Choose 1 answer
Change work group roles at random
Assign individual roles rather than mutual team roles
Share information but not engage in collective performance goals
Take action on problems as individual members as well as in work teams
A company is changing their work organization from employees working individually to the use of teams.Which reward system could be used to foster long-term team effectiveness?
Choose 1 answer
Reward system that recognizes only group activity
Reward system that rewards only individual performance
Reward system that discourages collaboration by individuals
Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity
Management is considering a reorganization of sales regions and plans to allow employees to live and work in their respective sales territories throughout the United States. However, the vice president of sales wants the regionally-dispersed agents to participate in weekly sales meetings.Which type of teams should be organized?
Choose 1 answer
Virtual teams
Quality teams
Self-managed teams
Cross-functional teams
What is the optimal method for maximizing team member participation in a global meeting?
Choose 1 answer
Hard copy messaging
E-mail communications
Video conferencing technology
Unilateral communication techniques
A newly-formed team is struggling to become productive but cannot decide who should do what.How should the team leader attempt to resolve the problem?Choose 1 answer
Resign as team leader
Coach the team through the difficulty
Disband the team because the problem cannot be solved
Research the problem and impose a solution without argument
A newly-formed team is struggling to become productive but cannot decide who should do what. How should the team leader attempt to resolve the problem? Choose 1 answer
Resign as team leader
Coach the team through the difficulty
Disband the team because the problem cannot be solved
Research the problem and impose a solution without argument
Which option defines organizational culture?
Choose 1 answer
A diverse cultural subset working together to strengthen impact
A shared system of meanings that is unique to the organization
An organizational segmentation according to cultural background
A human resources department program for recognizing diversity
Which attributes are included in the seven primary characteristics that define an organization's culture?
Choose 1 answer
Aggressiveness, competitive focus, innovation
Political attitude, attention to detail, team orientation
Team orientation, political orientation, people orientation
Attention to detail, innovation and risk taking, people orientation
What is one of the forces that plays a particularly important role in sustaining an organization's culture?
Choose 1 answer
Socialization process
Individualized interaction
Personal background of key employees
Educational level achieved by key employees
How can an organization transmit its culture to its employees?
Choose 1 answer
By analyzing employee gripes and complaints
By using material symbols and specific language
By requiring employees to memorize the mission statement
By influencing the balance of employees' cultural backgrounds
When is organizational culture considered dysfunctional?
Choose 1 answer
When strong organizational cultures prohibit prejudice
When core values are in agreement throughout the organization
When different employee groups communicate common problems
When cultural incompatibility deters making acquisitions or mergers
What is an advantage of a strong organizational culture?
Choose 1 answer
Employee behavior is rarely affected.
There is a lack of behavioral consistency.
The company has low employee turnover.
Organizational purpose results in limited cohesiveness.
How might a charismatic leader work to increase performance in an organization?Choose 1 answer
Articulate an appealing vision.
Demonstrate Type A behavior.
Avoid unconventional behavior.
Issue a memo calling for increased effort.
How can an organization transmit its culture to its employees?
Choose 1 answer
By analyzing employee gripes and complaints
By using material symbols and specific language
By requiring employees to memorize the mission statement
By influencing the balance of employees' cultural backgrounds
When is organizational culture considered dysfunctional?
Choose 1 answer
When strong organizational cultures prohibit prejudice
When core values are in agreement throughout the organization
When different employee groups communicate common problems
When cultural incompatibility deters making acquisitions or mergers
What is an advantage of a strong organizational culture?
Choose 1 answer
Employee behavior is rarely affected.
There is a lack of behavioral consistency.
The company has low employee turnover.
Organizational purpose results in limited cohesiveness.
How might a charismatic leader work to increase performance in an organization?Choose 1 answer
Articulate an appealing vision.
Demonstrate Type A behavior.
Avoid unconventional behavior.
Issue a memo calling for increased effort.
Which contingency theory of leadership proposes that early in the interaction between a leader and a given follower the leader implicitly categorizes the follower as an "in" or an "out"?
Choose 1 answer
Path-goal theory
Leader-participation model
Situational leadership theory
Leader-member exchange theory
What is a characteristic employed by transformational leaders?
Choose 1 answer
Contracts exchange of rewards for effort
Provides vision and sense of mission and gains trust
Practices management by exception
Intervenes only if performance standards are not met
Which approach might be used to mentor a less-experienced employee?
Choose 1 answer
Coaching and threatening
Refereeing and counseling
Counseling and sponsorship
Threatening and sponsorship
Which conflict-resolution techniques might a manager use to control the level of conflict that has become dysfunctional?
Choose 1 answer
Roughing and compromise
Authoritative command and roughing
Expansion of resources and confrontation
Superordinate goals and altering the structural variables
Recognize how workplace politics influence behavior within an organization.How do employees often respond when feeling threatened by organizational politics?Choose 1 answer
With defensive behaviors
With proactive behaviors
With high performance pressures
With organizational investment
What is a purpose of employee performance evaluations?
Choose 1 answer
To provide feedback and determine reward allocations
To determine who is best tuned to organizational politics
To serve as a screening device for selecting new employees
To measure the physiological symptoms of organizational dysfunctionality
What is true about the relationship between performance evaluation and motivation?
Choose 1 answer
The relationship is a function of the degree of indirect empowerment of the supervisor.
The relationship is negative because performance appraisals have no impact on employee behavior.
The relationship is acceptable but performance evaluations have little potential for impacting motivation.
supervisors must have confidence that the effort they exert will lead to a favorable employee performance.
In which circumstances would the use of 360-degree performance evaluations apply?
Choose 1 answer
When only internal customer feedback is helpful
When only external customer feedback is helpful
When both internal and external customer feedback is helpful
When feedback from supervisors is helpful but customer feedback is not helpful
A company has restructured around teams but performance has not met expectations.What should be the main evaluation criterion in an appropriate performance evaluation for supporting and improving the performance of teams?Choose 1 answer
Team activities
Team cooperativeness
Team members' attitudes
Team results being tied to important goals
