Chapter 13

Question 1

authority

Answer 1

A force for achieving desired outcomes that is prescribed by the formal hierarchy and reporting relationships (p. 481)

Question 2

centrality

Answer 2

A trait of a department whose role is in the primary activity of an organization (p. 488)

Question 3

collective bargaining

Answer 3

The negotiation of an agreement between management and workers (p. 498)

Question 4

competition

Answer 4

Rivalry between groups in the pursuit of a common prize (p. 475)

Question 5

confrontation

Answer 5

A situation in which parties in conflict directly engage one another and try to work out their differences (p. 498)

Question 6

coping with uncertainty

Answer 6

A source of power for a department that reduces uncertainty for other departments by obtaining prior information, prevention, and absorption (p. 489)

Question 7

decision premises

Answer 7

Constraining frames of reference and guidelines placed by top managers on decisions made at lower levels (p. 483)

Question 8

dependency

Answer 8

One aspect of horizontal power: when one department is dependent on another, the latter is in a position of greater power (p. 487)

Question 9

domains of political activity

Answer 9

Areas in which politics plays a role. Three domains in organizations are structural change, management succession, and resource allocation (p. 491)

Question 10

financial resources

Answer 10

Control over money is an important source of power within an organization (p. 488)

Question 11

intergroup conflict

Answer 11

Behaviour that occurs between organizational groups when participants identify with one group and perceive that other groups may block their group’s goal achievements or expectations (p. 475)

Question 12

labour-management teams

Answer 12

Teams designed to increase worker participation and to provide a cooperative model for addressing union–management issues (p. 498)

Question 13

negotiation

Answer 13

The bargaining process that often occurs during confrontation and enables the parties to systematically reach a solution (p. 498)

Question 14

network centrality

Answer 14

Top managers increase their power by locating themselves centrally in an organization and surrounding themselves with loyal subordinates (p. 484)

Question 15

nonsubstitutability

Answer 15

A trait of a department whose function cannot be performed by other readily available resources (p. 489)

Question 16

organizational politics

Answer 16

Activities to acquire, develop, and use power and other resources to obtain a preferred outcome when there is uncertainty or disagreement about choices (p. 490)

Question 17

political model

Answer 17

A definition of an organization as being made up of groups that have separate interests, goals, and values in which power and influence are needed to reach decisions (p. 479)

Question 18

political tactics for using power

Answer 18

These include building coalitions, expanding networks, controlling decision premises, enhancing legitimacy and expertise, and making a direct appeal (p. 494)

Question 19

power

Answer 19

The ability of one person or department in an organization to influence others to bring about desired outcomes (p. 480)

Question 20

power sources

Answer 20

There are five sources of horizontal power in organizations: dependency, financial resources, centrality, nonsubstitutability, and the ability to cope with uncertainty (p. 487)

Question 21

rational model

Answer 21

A description of an organization characterized by a rational approach to decision making, extensive and reliable information systems, central power, a norm of optimization, uniform values across groups, little conflict, and an efficiency orientation (p. 479)

Question 22

sources of intergroup conflict

Answer 22

Factors that generate conflict, including goal incompatibility, differentiation, task interdependence, and limited resources (p. 476)

Question 23

strategic contingencies

Answer 23

Events and activities inside and outside an organization that are essential for attaining organizational goals (p. 486)

Question 24

tactics for enhancing collaboration

Answer 24

Techniques such as integration devices, confrontation and negotiation, intergroup consultation, member rotation, and shared mission and superordinate goals that enable groups to overcome differences and work together (p. 497)

Question 25

tactics for increasing power

Answer 25

These include entering areas of high uncertainty, creating dependencies, providing resources, and satisfying strategic contingencies (p. 492)