I/O Psych (Leadership, Work Teams, Decision Making)

Question 1

The Ohio State University studies found that leader behaviour can be described in terms of two basic dimensions:

Answer 1

consideration and initiating structure

Question 2

While male and female leaders do not differ in terms of consideration or initiating structure, female leaders are more likely to adopt a _____ decision-making style

Answer 2

participative

Question 3

Judge et al.’s meta-analysis of research on the Big Five personality traits found ______ was the strongest predictor of effective leadership

Answer 3

extraversion

Question 4

Fiedler’s ______ theory distinguishes between high and low _______ leader. The former are most effective in situations that are _______, while the latter are more effective when the situation is ______

Answer 4

contingency; LPC; moderately favorable; very high or low in favorability

Question 5

cognitive resource theory predicts that the impact of a leader’s intelligence and experience on his/her performance is moderated by the _______

Answer 5

stressfulness of the situation

Question 6

According to Hersey and Blanchard’s ________ model, the choice of an effective leadership style depends on the employee’s level of _________, which is determined by a combination of ability and willingness to assume responsibility

Answer 6

job maturity

Question 7

A participating leader is most effective when employees are high in ______ and low in _________

Answer 7

ability; willingness

Question 8

The Vroom-Yetton_jago normative model distinguishes between five decision-making strategies and provides a ______ to help leaders select the optimal strategy

Answer 8

decision tree

Question 9

A ______ leader recognizes the need for change and is able to create and communicate a ______ that guides that change

Answer 9

transformational; vision

Question 10

A _____ leader focuses more on stability than on change

Answer 10

transactional

Question 11

Conformity to group norms is usually greater in ______ situations and highly complex situations

Answer 11

ambiguous

Question 12

Deviation from group norms is usually discouraged except when a member has accumulated _____ credits

Answer 12

idiosyncrasy

Question 13

Group cohesiveness is maximized when group members are relatively _______ with regard to personality characteristics, abilities, ect. and when members participate in defining _______

Answer 13

homogeneous; group goals and norms

Question 14

Group tasks are classified in terms of five types. When the task is _______, the final group product represents a combination of the contributions of individual group members; but when the task is ________, the final product is the average of the individual members’ contributions

Answer 14

additive; compensatory

Question 15

For a ________ task, group performance is limited by the weakest member; for a ________ task, group members must accept the solution offered by one of the members and on a _______ task, group members decide how to combine the contributions of individual members

Answer 15

conjunctive; disjunctive; discretionary

Question 16

With regard to group composition, groups that are ________ tend to perform better on tasks that are complex and require creativity

Answer 16

heterogeneous

Question 17

Social ______ is one consequence of group membership. It occurs when individuals exert less ______ when participating in a group than when working alone

Answer 17

loafing; effort

Question 18

The mere presence of others can result in either social _______ or inhibition. The former is more likely when the task is _____, while the latter is more likely when the task is _______

Answer 18

facilitation; simple or well learned; complex or new

Question 19

Group development typically involves 5 stages: forming, storming, ________, performing, and adjourning

Answer 19

norming

Question 20

Communication networks are classified as centralized or decentralized. Centralized networks are most effective for ________ , while decentralized networks are better for ________ tasks and are associated with greater overall _______

Answer 20

simple; complex; satisfaction

Question 21

The ______ model of decision-making proposes that decision-makers consider all alternatives and then choose the optimal one

Answer 21

rational-economic

Question 22

The bounded rationality model proposes that decision-makers ______ rather than optimize by choosing the first alternative that meets the minimum acceptable criteria

Answer 22

satisfice

Question 23

While group decision-making is sometimes better than individual decision-making, it can be negatively affected by __________, which occurs when a highly cohesive group suspends critical thinking

Answer 23

groupthink

Question 24

The problem of groupthink can be alleviated by having a member play _______ or by bringing in outside opinions

Answer 24

devil’s advocate

Question 25

Another potential problem is group ______, which occurs when groups make decisions that are either more risky or more _______ than individual decisions

Answer 25

polarization; conservative

Question 26

_______ was developed as a method for improving group decision-making and involves allowing members to say whatever comes to mind without criticism

Answer 26

brainstorming

Question 27

Formal methods of conflict resolution include bargaining, which is more likely to be successful when all parties view it as a _________ situation

Answer 27

win-win

Question 28

In _______, a neutral third party attempts to facilitate voluntary agreement between the disputants

Answer 28

mediation

Question 29

In arbitration, the third party has greater authority. For example, in _______ arbitration, the disputants agree in advance to accept the arbitrator’s recommendations

Answer 29

binding

Question 30

According to Fiedler’s contingency model, low-LPC leaders perform most effectively in:

Answer 30

highly unfavorable or highly favorable situations.
(According to Fiedler, low-LPC (task-oriented) leaders are most effective in extreme situations – i.e., in situations that are either very favorable or very unfavorable. In contrast, high-LPC (person-oriented) leaders are most effective in moderately favorable situations.)

Question 31

According to Herbert Simon, decision-making in organizations is often affected by:

Answer 31

bounded rationality
(According to Simon, decision-makers are sometimes less than totally rational due to limitations related to abilities, time, and resources. He referred to this type of decision-making as bounded rationality.)

Question 32

A transformational leader is most likely to use which of the following to motivate employees?

Answer 32

framing

framing involves describing an organization’s goals and activities in ways that make them meaningful to employees.

Question 33

Groupthink is least likely to occur when:

Answer 33

dissent among group members is encouraged

Question 34

Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model proposes that the most effective leadership style:

Answer 34

depends on the maturity of the worker
(According to Hersey and Blanchard, the most effective leader is one who matches his or her style to the worker’s job maturity, which is determined by the worker’s motivation and ability.)

Question 35

Heterogeneity of team members is:

Answer 35

associated with greater creativity and better decision-making

Question 36

If you are using a decision tree to determine which leadership style to adopt (e.g., autocratic, consultative, or group), you are relying on the work of:

Answer 36

Vroom, Yetton, and Jago

Question 37

Social loafing is most likely to occur when:

Answer 37

the group is large and the task is additive

Question 38

Social loafing is most likely to occur when:

Answer 38

the group is very large

Question 39

To gain “idiosyncrasy credits,” you would:

Answer 39

consistently conform to group norms.

Question 40

When hired to settle a dispute between members of an organization, a mediator:

Answer 40

helps disputants identify alternative solutions to the problem