California State University, Northridge

MGT 360

Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1

Bauer & Erdogan

FWK Test Item File

Chapter 3

TRUE/FALSE

1)Applicant-matching software reduces the time required to hire candidates.

2. A risk-averse individual is generally a poor fit for a high-tech firm in a dynamic environment.

3. Behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other.

4. Person/job fit is related to job satisfaction.

5. When people fit their jobs, they experience higher levels of stress.

6. There is usually a strong relationship between good person/organization fit and high job performance.

7. Value orientations change dramatically as individuals age and mature.

8. Instrumental values are end states people desire in life.

9. Family security is a terminal value.

10. Behavior may be affected as much by what is expected of us as how we want to behave.

11. Conscientiousness, more than any other personality trait, predicts how successfully a person performs a variety of jobs.

12. People high in openness are more likely to start their own business than those low in openness.

13. Extraverts are happier in their work situations and perform much more effectively than introverts.

14. Extraverts are always model employees.

15. High agreeableness is always a personality trait sought in job candidates.

16. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a very effective employee selection tool.

17. The MBTI classifies individuals on the basis of types, not traits.

18. Positive affective people are absent from work less often.

19. One tip to remember in working with people with negative affectivity is that you can change someone’s personality with relative ease.

20. People who are labeled as high social monitors can experience high levels of stress.

21. Social monitors are especially good at evaluating the performance of other employees.

22. Proactive people understand the political environment in organizations, so they adjust quickly to new jobs.

23. Mary said, “I am quite confident in the plan I developed, as I worked quite diligently on it and I have implemented similar programs in similar settings.” Mary seems to have high self-efficacy.

24. Self-efficacy is the degree to which people have overall positive feelings about themselves.

25. “It was really nothing. These things happen to me because I happen to be in the right place at the right time.” This statement suggests an external locus of control.

26. Research indicates that personality tests are an excellent predictor of performance.

27. One of the challenges of using personality tests in employee selection is that the rankings of the candidates who take the test may be affected by their ability to fake.

28. Our visual perception is biased because we do not perceive objects in isolation.

29. Research suggests that when we do self-evaluations, our scores are consistently higher than the scores given us by our peers and superiors. This is an example of self-enhancement bias.

30. Jacqueline is a college freshman. She loves to sleep late on weekends and assumes that college students in general prefer to sleep late. Jacqueline is making a false consensus error.

31. A neat, professional appearance and a firm handshake are two important aspects of an interview because of the lasting impact first impressions make.

32. If Dan complains about his instructors being boring every time they lecture, he is demonstrating high consistency.

33. The USA, as a country, is considered to have high self-esteem.

34. Individuals with an economic value orientation tend to make more unethical choices.

FILL IN THE BLANK

35. Matching candidates to jobs is a key way of ensuring                                        performance and

                                  turnover in the workplace.

36. Experts suggest that                                      answers to questions in applicant-matching software is difficult because the candidate can not predict the desired profile.

37. The                              perspective suggests behavior is a function of the person and the situation interacting with each other.

38. When hiring individuals, companies are interested in two types of fit:

                                                  and                                                   .

39. Maggie loves routine, repetitive tasks and is very risk averse. She loves working as a cashier. This is an example of person/                                                                              fit.

40. Mark is interviewing with a Wall Street firm. He notes that employees dress in business suits on a daily basis and address each other by Ms. and Mr. He decides that the firm’s culture is too conservative for him. Mark is concerned about person/           fit.

41. Important                              affect the decisions people make, how they perceive their environment and their behavior.

42.                        are stable life goals that people have, reflecting what is most important to them.

43. Broad mindedness, obedience, forgiveness and imagination are examples of

                         values.

44. End states that people desire in life such as a prosperous life are examples of

                               values.

45.         suggests that values are arranged in hierarchical order.

46.                                        is defined as relatively stable feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns a person has.

47. A person who is very curious, original, creative and very adaptable to change is high in               .

48.                                        is the one personality trait that uniformly predicts how high a person’s performance will be across a variety of jobs.

49. People with high                                       are often effective sales representatives.

50. Individuals high in                                      are often effective managers and tend to demonstrate inspirational leadership behaviors.

51. Individuals high in                                   are nice, tolerant, kind and warm people who get along well with others and are valuable additions to any team.

52. A person who is high in                                       are anxious, irritable, aggressive, temperamental, and moody.

53. The                                                    is an instrument that groups individuals by type, not trait, and is useful for team-building and training purposes.

54. Stanley always sees “the glass as half empty.” Stanley is a                                                   person.

55. Gabrielle is a high                                                         . She can walk into a meeting and quickly identify the mood and the key interactions between attendees and adapt her behavior accordingly.

56. Raul is highly respected by his colleagues. When there is a problem, he quickly takes the initiative to find a solution and tries to remove all barriers to success. Raul has a   personality.

57. “I won’t get this job either. I’ve been on twenty interviews already and I haven’t received one callback. I don’t think I’ll ever get a job. I’m such a failure,” says the graduating college senior. The student is exhibiting low                                                                                                              .

58. People with high                                            set higher goals for themselves.

59. The basketball coach says, “This team has to control its own destiny. You cannot be looking to other teams to lose so you can get into the play-offs. Only we can get ourselves into the tournament. We have to take care of our own house.” The coach likely has       .

60. When people believe that things that happen to them happen because of luck, other people or a higher being, they are classified as high in                                                                       

                                          .

61.                                           could be a serious problem when using personality tests in employee selection because it can change the rank ordering of candidates.

62. Harrison was glancing over the list of runners who finished the Boston Marathon and the names of the two runners from his hometown of Richmond, Virginia “jumped” out at him. The phenomenon is an example of the process of

                                      .

63. You are asked to predict how quickly you will run a mile track. You run on a regular basis to stay in shape. You say you will run the track in five minutes. It takes you eight minutes. Your prediction was an example of                                                                                                                                   

                            bias.

64. The assumption that whatever quirks we have are shared by many other people is                                     .

65. You are a manager who believes that all young employees “goof off at work.” You therefore limit the number of assignments you give to your young employees. Lately you have noticed that the young employees in your department are texting on their cell phones, playing computer games and just talking to each other quite a bit. This situation is an example of a                              

                                 .

66. The dramatic drop in sales was discussed at the weekly company meeting. The manufacturing manager kept looking at the production-related aspects of the problem while the marketing manager concentrated on the promotional aspects.

                                                           explains why these two managers were focusing on their specific areas and ignoring others.

67. Since                                                                          are lasting, make sure your résumé is neat in appearance and error free. When interviewing, dress appropriately and greet the interviewer with a firm handshake.

68. Three key factors in understanding attribution are                                             ,

                                   , and                                        .

69. Agnes failed her accounting exam and complains that the exam was too difficult. Marta just ignores her because Agnes did not study at all in the three weeks prior to the exam. Marta is making an   for Agnes’s failure.

SHORT ANSWERS

70. Name and describe the two types of fit companies are interested in assessing when hiring employees, and describe the relationship between each type of fit and work behaviors.

71. What is the difference between a terminal value and an instrumental value? What impact does an assessment of employee values have upon a firm?

72. Briefly discuss each of the five personality traits and the usefulness each has for personnel selection.

73. You work with Ben, one of the most negative individuals you have ever met. How can you work more effectively with him?

74. Explain the difference between self-esteem and self -efficacy.

75. Horace completed a locus of control survey in his organizational behavior class. The results indicate he has a high internal locus of control. What might he read about the trait in the profile of high locus of control individuals?

76. Differentiate between self-enhancement bias and self-effacement bias.

77. Define the concept of stereotypes and give an example.

78. What is a self-fulfilling prophecy?

ESSAY

79. You are a counselor in the career placement office at your university. Jackie, a business student, recently completed a personality survey. You are reviewing the results and find she has low self-esteem and low- to mid-range self-efficacy. Sketch out some possible steps Jackie can begin to undertake to improve both of these personality dimensions.

80. You are a member of a human resource department in a large corporation. One of your colleagues has recently developed a personality test he wants to use along with the cognitive abilities test you have been using to select employees for positions in the firm. He has come to you for help in deciding how to validate the test. What recommendations would you give him?

81. Should personality tests be used in the employee selection process?

82. You are a career development counselor at your university. You have been instructed by your supervisor to develop a program called, “Tips for Your First Interview.” What are some of the tips you could provide students as they prepare for that first interview?

83. What value is added to a firm in knowing the nature of personality traits in other cultures?