California State University, Northridge

MGT 360

Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1

Bauer & Erdogan

FWK Test Item File

Chapter 15

TRUE/FALSE

1)Nordstrom’s has a lengthy employee handbook full of rules and regulations designed to emphasize quality in customer service.

 

 

2. Organizational culture is a system of shared assumptions, values and beliefs that show employees what are appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.

 

 

3. Individuals are more aware of their firm’s culture when they have an opportunity to compare it with that of another firm.

 

 

4. Research suggests that corporate strategy is the most important factor for business success, but organization culture is a close second.

 

 

5. Researchers found a relationship between organizational success, measured by indicators like revenues, sales and market share, and organizational culture.

 

 

6. The three levels of organizational culture are beliefs, assumptions and artifacts.

 

 

7. The deepest or innermost level of organizational culture is values.

 

 

8. Firms with an aggressive culture can face a number of lawsuits because of the focus on outperforming the competitor at all costs.

 

 

9. Outcome-oriented cultures hold managers accountable for performance but not employees.

 

 

10. If performance pressures increase too much, individuals begin to see their peers as competitors and short-term results become important, which can create unethical behaviors.

 

 

11. Creating a safety culture can reduce accidents, improve employee retention and increase profitability due to reduced workers’ compensation claims.

 

 

12. A strong culture always outperforms a weak culture because of the consistency of expectations.

 

 

13. Subcultures can arise from the personal characteristics of employees and managers or the conditions of the workplace.

 

 

14. Employee perceptions of subcultures have little impact on employee performance or commitment to the organization.

 

 

15. Countercultures are never tolerated in an organization once they are identified.

 

 

16. Organizational structure is the most important factor in the creation of an organization’s culture.

 

 

17. A founder’s values could be one explanation for the difficulty encountered when trying to change a culture.

 

 

18. Founder values are a part of the company culture regardless of the success of the firm.

 

 

19. Companies within the same industry generally have similar organizational cultures, but on occasion, they can be wildly different.

 

 

20. The industry influence over culture suggests that it may not be possible to duplicate the culture of a firm in another industry.

 

 

21. Organizational cultures help determine who is hired by a firm.

 

 

22. Organization choice of individuals for employment is impacted by culture, but that culture also impacts the self-selection out of that process by some individuals.

 

 

23. Individuals high in agreeableness would likely seek out firms with aggressive cultures.

 

 

24. Person-organization misfit is one of the important reasons for employee turnover.

 

25. The attraction-selection-attrition process is an example of a method that maintains a certain level of homogeneity in personalities and values within an organization.

 

 

26. Onboarding activities in a firm produce higher levels of job satisfaction in new employees but have little impact on their organizational commitment long term.

 

 

27. The inability to network is a major reason why new employees either leave their jobs voluntarily or are terminated within the first two years of employment.

 

 

28. Computer-oriented orientation programs are more cost effective and more effective in conveying the firm’s culture than classroom-oriented programs.

 

 

29. While managers and supervisors are very important in helping new employees adjust to a firm’s culture, coworkers actually hamper the process.

 

 

30. Mentors and protégés who had input into the matching process were no more satisfied with the outcome of the program then were those who were placed into a mentor-protégé pair.

 

 

31. It is less important to find an individual to serve as a mentor who personifies company values than to find an individual who is enthusiastic about participating in the program.

 

 

32. Leader role modeling is an important influence in the creation or change in an organization’s culture.

 

 

33. A firm that rewards the achievement of goals only, and not the process to achieve those goals, is likely to have an outcome-based culture.

 

 

34. A firm that uses a ranking system where employees are pitted against each other for the top rewards is more likely to have an aggressive culture.

 

 

35. The behaviors that are punished, ignored or rewarded are likely to help determine how a culture evolves in a firm.

 

 

36. All mission statements are effective because they describe who the companies are and what they do.

 

37. Extending benefits to full- and part-time employees as well as spouses and domestic partners can convey to those employees the people orientation of the firm.

 

 

38. While a firm’s physical layout impacts motivation and job satisfaction, it does little to convey company culture.

 

 

39. Culture is generally resistant to change efforts.

 

 

40. Two conditions that help effect a cultural change include experiencing failure in a firm and changes in the external environment impacting the firm.

 

 

41. The first step in the cultural change process is changing leaders and the leadership team.

 

 

42. Renovating the firm’s facilities and updating a firm’s logo can help enable a cultural change.

 

 

43. Making ethics assessment a regular part of performance evaluation can ensure ethical behavior becomes part of a firm’s core values.

 

 

44. The culture of a company is heavily impacted by the culture of its nation of origin.

 

 

45. The Japanese culture emphasizes harmony, so it is highly unlikely a Japanese company would have an aggressive culture.

 

 

 

FILL IN THE BLANK

46. The system of shared assumptions, values and beliefs that show employees what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior is                                                                                      

                              .

 

47. Beliefs about human nature and reality that are below the awareness level are

                              .

 

48. The corner office is an example of a cultural                                                   .

 

49. Cultures that are flexible, adaptable and experiment with new ideas are

                            cultures.

 

50.                                               value competitiveness and outperforming competitors and may not feature corporate social responsibility.

 

51. Cultures that value fairness, supportiveness and respecting individual’s rights are

                                                                                             .

 

52.         cultures are predictable, rule-oriented and bureaucratic.

 

53. Firms that emphasize achievement, results and action are                                                         

cultures.

 

54. Emphasis on precision and paying attention to details characterize a                                     

                         culture.

 

55. A                                 culture is one that is shared by organization members and is very difficult to alter in any business situations like mergers or acquisitions.

 

56. Cultures that emerge in different departments, branches or geographic locations are called    .

 

57. A                                   is a form of a                                           that shares values and beliefs in direct opposition to the values of the larger organization.

58. The most important factors in the creation of an organization’s culture are

                        ,                                   and                                      .

 

59.                                refers to the process where new employees learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills and behaviors required to function effectively within the organization.

 

60.                             or relationship building is an important activity new employees can undertake to ensure their adjustment to a firm.

 

61. A                                               program indoctrinates new employees to the company culture, as well as introducing them to their new jobs and colleagues.

 

62. A trusted person who provides an employee with advice and support regarding career related matters is a                                                              .

 

63. A statement of purpose describing who the company is and what it does is a

                                                     .

 

64. Repetitive activities within an organization that have symbolic meaning are called

                           .

 

65.                                                         is the process by which employees modify their own beliefs and behaviors to reflect those of the leader.

 

 

SHORT ANSWERS

 

66. Define organizational culture.

 

 

67. What impact does culture have on the organization?

 

 

68. What are the three levels of culture?

 

 

 

69. Name two dimensions of culture according to the organizational culture profile and provide an example for each.

 

 

 

70. What is a strong culture?

 

 

71. Describe a subculture and provide an example.

 

 

72. What is a counterculture and what is an example of it?

 

 

73. How are cultures created?

 

 

74. What are key factors in maintaining a firm’s culture?

 

 

75. What is the attraction-selection-attrition process?

 

 

 

76. What is employee onboarding?

 

 

77. What is the new employee’s role in onboarding?

 

 

78. What is a mentor?

 

 

79. How do leaders influence culture?

 

 

80. What are key factors in a reward system that reflects the culture of the firm?

 

 

81. Describe two visual elements of a firm’s culture and provide an example of each.

 

 

82. What are the six steps to changing a culture?

 

83. What is key to maintaining ethics in a firm’s culture?

 

 

84. What impact does the national culture of a country have upon its domestic company cultures?

 

 

 

ESSAY

 

85. Choose an organization and using the dimensions of culture, describe which dimensions are present in the firm.

 

 

86. Choose a firm with which you are very familiar and discuss how culture was created and is maintained in that firm. Use the culture creation-maintenance model to frame your discussion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

87. Design an onboarding program for a firm of your choice. Make sure to include what employee, leader and coworker roles will be during the onboarding.

 

 

ANS: New employees need to seek feedback and network, gather information and manage their first impressions.

Current coworkers need to convey information and support new employees in general.

Leaders need to be cognizant of the style they exhibit and its influence on the program, role model the firm’s values and react consistently to the actions of those around him.

 

88. You are going to your first full-time position in the morning. What can you do to make sure you get “on board” immediately?

 

 

89. What are some of the visual elements of the culture of your firm?