I/O Psych (Leadership, Work Teams, Decision Making) Flashcards
The Ohio State University studies found that leader behaviour can be described in terms of two basic dimensions:
consideration and initiating structure
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
participative
Judge et al.’s meta-analysis of research on the Big Five personality traits found ______ was the strongest predictor of effective leadership
extraversion
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 ______
contingency; LPC; moderately favorable; very high or low in favorability
cognitive resource theory predicts that the impact of a leader’s intelligence and experience on his/her performance is moderated by the _______
stressfulness of the situation
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
job maturity
A participating leader is most effective when employees are high in ______ and low in _________
ability; willingness
The Vroom-Yetton_jago normative model distinguishes between five decision-making strategies and provides a ______ to help leaders select the optimal strategy
decision tree
A ______ leader recognizes the need for change and is able to create and communicate a ______ that guides that change
transformational; vision
A _____ leader focuses more on stability than on change
transactional
Conformity to group norms is usually greater in ______ situations and highly complex situations
ambiguous
Deviation from group norms is usually discouraged except when a member has accumulated _____ credits
idiosyncrasy
Group cohesiveness is maximized when group members are relatively _______ with regard to personality characteristics, abilities, ect. and when members participate in defining _______
homogeneous; group goals and norms
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
additive; compensatory
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
conjunctive; disjunctive; discretionary
With regard to group composition, groups that are ________ tend to perform better on tasks that are complex and require creativity
heterogeneous
Social ______ is one consequence of group membership. It occurs when individuals exert less ______ when participating in a group than when working alone
loafing; effort
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 _______
facilitation; simple or well learned; complex or new
Group development typically involves 5 stages: forming, storming, ________, performing, and adjourning
norming
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 _______
simple; complex; satisfaction
The ______ model of decision-making proposes that decision-makers consider all alternatives and then choose the optimal one
rational-economic
The bounded rationality model proposes that decision-makers ______ rather than optimize by choosing the first alternative that meets the minimum acceptable criteria
satisfice
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
groupthink
The problem of groupthink can be alleviated by having a member play _______ or by bringing in outside opinions
devil’s advocate
Another potential problem is group ______, which occurs when groups make decisions that are either more risky or more _______ than individual decisions
polarization; conservative
_______ was developed as a method for improving group decision-making and involves allowing members to say whatever comes to mind without criticism
brainstorming
Formal methods of conflict resolution include bargaining, which is more likely to be successful when all parties view it as a _________ situation
win-win
In _______, a neutral third party attempts to facilitate voluntary agreement between the disputants
mediation
In arbitration, the third party has greater authority. For example, in _______ arbitration, the disputants agree in advance to accept the arbitrator’s recommendations
binding
According to Fiedler’s contingency model, low-LPC leaders perform most effectively in:
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.)
According to Herbert Simon, decision-making in organizations is often affected by:
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.)
A transformational leader is most likely to use which of the following to motivate employees?
framing
framing involves describing an organization’s goals and activities in ways that make them meaningful to employees.
Groupthink is least likely to occur when:
dissent among group members is encouraged
Hersey and Blanchard’s situational leadership model proposes that the most effective leadership style:
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.)
Heterogeneity of team members is:
associated with greater creativity and better decision-making
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:
Vroom, Yetton, and Jago
Social loafing is most likely to occur when:
the group is large and the task is additive
Social loafing is most likely to occur when:
the group is very large
To gain “idiosyncrasy credits,” you would:
consistently conform to group norms.
When hired to settle a dispute between members of an organization, a mediator:
helps disputants identify alternative solutions to the problem
