2.PA Wrong Answers

Question 1

Question: 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?

A. Stimulation, task, and skills
B. Situation, target, and perceiver
C. Problem, criteria, and alternatives
D. Heredity, environment, and perceiver

Answer 1

Answer: B. Situation, target, and perceiver

Explanation: Perception is influenced by factors related to the situation (e.g., context and time), the target (e.g., behavior of others), and the perceiver (e.g., personal attitudes and experiences).

Question 2

Question: A person is broadminded, courageous, and forgiving. Which type of values are these?

A. Terminal values
B. Transitory values
C. Determinate values
D. Instrumental values

Answer 2

Answer: D. Instrumental values

Explanation: Instrumental values refer to preferred modes of behavior or means of achieving terminal values. They include traits such as being honest, courageous, and forgiving.

Question 3

Question: Which theory of motivation focuses on 5 levels of needs and further separates those needs by lower-order needs and higher-order needs?

A. McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y
B. McClelland’s Theory of Needs
C. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory
D. Two-Factor Theory

Answer 3

Answer: C. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Explanation: Maslow’s theory outlines five levels of needs: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. It differentiates between lower-order (basic) and higher-order (psychological and self-fulfillment) needs.

Question 4

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?

A. Challenge and direction
B. Feedback and reflection
C. Specificity and feedback
D. Challenge and power

Answer 4

Answer: C. Specificity and feedback

Explanation: The goal-setting theory emphasizes the importance of specific, clear goals and feedback to drive motivation and performance.

Question 5

Which type of group is defined by the organization’s structure?

A. Unified group
B. Formal group
C. Informal group
D. Designated group

Answer 5

Answer: B. Formal group

Explanation: A formal group is defined by the organization’s structure and has designated work assignments and roles.

Question 6

Management has noticed that the quality improvement work group is struggling because members seem to be working in different directions. Which suggested action can the company take to increase group cohesiveness?

A. Make the group larger
B. Physically isolate the group
C. Establish more rigid roles for group members
D. Decrease the difficulty of becoming a group member

Answer 6

Answer: B. Physically isolate the group

Explanation: Isolating the group helps members interact more closely, fostering unity and cohesiveness.

Question 7

What is an advantage of a group that is not very cohesive?

A. There is less need for giving rewards as group rewards.
B. When making a group decision, groupthink is more likely to occur.
C. When performance norms are high, productivity will be higher than in a cohesive group.
D. When performance norms are low, productivity may be higher than in a cohesive group.

Answer 7

Answer: D. When performance norms are low, productivity may be higher than in a cohesive group.

Explanation: Low cohesion may result in higher individual productivity when performance norms are not aligned.

Question 8

What is a strength of group decision making?

A. Power of groupthink
B. Increased diversity of views
C. Conformity pressures in groups
D. Reduced time for making decisions

Answer 8

B. Increased diversity of views

Explanation: Group decision-making allows for a wider range of perspectives, enhancing creativity and decision quality.

Question 9

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?

A. Virtual team
B. Diverse team
C. Divergent team
D. Cross-functional team

Answer 9

D. Cross-functional team

Explanation: A cross-functional team includes employees from different departments or work areas working toward a common goal.

Question 10

What is a characteristic of problem-solving teams that is different than cross-functional teams?

A. Problem-solving team members meet only on a virtual basis.
B. Problem-solving team members come from different work units.
C. Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit.
D. Problem-solving teams use only computer technology to tie them together physically.

Answer 10

Answer: C. Problem-solving team members come from the same work unit.

Explanation: Problem-solving teams typically consist of members from the same department who address specific issues within their work area.

Question 11

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?

A. Reward system that recognizes only group activity
B. Reward system that rewards only individual performance
C. Reward system that discourages collaboration by individuals
D. Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity

Answer 11

Answer: D. Reward system that rewards both individual and group activity

Explanation: A reward system that acknowledges both individual and team achievements helps sustain long-term team effectiveness.

Question 12

What is one of the forces that plays a particularly important role in sustaining an organization’s culture?

A. Socialization process
B. Individualized interaction
C. Personal background of key employees
D. Educational level achieved by key employees

Answer 12

Answer: A. Socialization process

Explanation: The socialization process integrates new members into the organization’s culture, reinforcing shared values and practices.

Question 13

How can an organization transmit its culture to its employees?

A. By analyzing employee gripes and complaints
B. By using material symbols and specific language
C. By requiring employees to memorize the mission statement
D. By influencing the balance of employees’ cultural backgrounds

Answer 13

Answer: B. By using material symbols and specific language

Explanation: Organizations communicate and reinforce their culture through symbols, stories, and language that embody their values and traditions.

Question 14

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”?

A. Path-goal theory
B. Leader-participation model
C. Situational leadership theory
D. Leader-member exchange theory

Answer 14

Answer: D. Leader-member exchange theory

Explanation: This theory suggests that leaders form unique relationships with each subordinate, categorizing them into “in-groups” or “out-groups.”

Question 15

Which approach might be used to mentor a less-experienced employee?

A. Coaching and threatening
B. Refereeing and counseling
C. Counseling and sponsorship
D. Threatening and sponsorship

Answer 15

Answer: C. Counseling and sponsorship

Explanation: Effective mentoring includes providing guidance (counseling) and actively promoting the employee’s career development (sponsorship).

Question 16

Which conflict-resolution techniques might a manager use to control the level of conflict that has become dysfunctional?

A. Roughing and compromise
B. Authoritative command and roughing
C. Expansion of resources and confrontation
D. Superordinate goals and altering the structural variables

Answer 16

Answer: D. Superordinate goals and altering the structural variables

Explanation: Setting overarching goals and changing structural elements are effective techniques for managing dysfunctional conflict.

Question 17

What is a purpose of employee performance evaluations?

A. To provide feedback and determine reward allocations
B. To determine who is best tuned to organizational politics
C. To serve as a screening device for selecting new employees
D. To measure the physiological symptoms of organizational dysfunctionality

Answer 17

Answer: A. To provide feedback and determine reward allocations

Explanation: Performance evaluations are used to give feedback and allocate rewards based on an employee’s performance.

Question 18

What is true about the relationship between performance evaluation and motivation?

A. The relationship does not depend on the perceptual process.
B. The relationship is strongest when employees are not aware of the criteria used for the evaluations.
C. Performance evaluations have little potential for impacting motivation.
D. Employees must have confidence that the effort they exert will lead to a favorable performance evaluation.

Answer 18

Answer: D. Employees must have confidence that the effort they exert will lead to a favorable performance evaluation.

Explanation: Performance evaluations are more motivational when employees trust that their efforts will be fairly assessed.

Question 19

In which circumstances would the use of 360-degree performance evaluations apply?

A. When only internal customer feedback is helpful
B. When only external customer feedback is helpful
C. When both internal and external customer feedback is helpful
D. When feedback from supervisors is helpful but customer feedback is not helpful

Answer 19

Answer: C. When both internal and external customer feedback is helpful

Explanation: 360-degree performance evaluations involve gathering feedback from a variety of sources, including internal colleagues, external clients, supervisors, and subordinates, providing a comprehensive view of the employee’s performance.