Module 1: Pre-Class Quiz Questions

Question 1

What can you do to try to screen out a**holes during the hiring process?

a. Ask referees to answer honestly and transparently in response to questions like, “do they work well with others?”
b. Call up referees to ask directly whether the potential hire is an a**hole.
c. Force references to choose between two negative qualities, such as: “What’s more likely: that this applicant will be a total pushover or maybe a little manipulative?”

Answer 1

c. Force references to choose between two negative qualities, such as: “What’s more likely: that this applicant will be a total pushover or maybe a little manipulative?”

Question 2

Which lens reframes the current situation to help you take a learning perspective?

Answer 2

Long lens

Question 3

Which lens builds empathy, which usually helps others behave better because they feel “seen”?

Answer 3

Reverse lens

Question 4

Which lens helps open you up to alternatives besides the story you’re currently telling yourself?

Answer 4

Lens of realistic optimism

Question 5

What assumption should you make when dealing with a difficult person, and why?

a. Assume you don’t know why the other person is being mean, because it helps you give them the benefit of the doubt, rather than getting defensive immediately.
b. Assume you don’t know why the other person is being mean. Do this because it inspires curiosity to find out what’s going on.
c. Assume the other person has the best intentions, even if they aren’t implementing them well. Do this because it helps you give them the benefit of the doubt, rather than getting defensive immediately.
d. Assume the other person has the best intentions, even if they aren’t implementing them well. Do this because it inspires curiosity to find out what’s going on.

Answer 5

b. Assume you don’t know why the other person is being mean. Do this because it inspires curiosity to find out what’s going on.

Question 6

Which of the following is the most effective way to design a reward system that reduces a**hole behaviour?

a. Create larger-than-average incentives that differentiate superstar employees from the rest.
b. Incentivize individual achievement primarily, meaning that each employee will be fully responsible for their own individual outcomes.
c. Give subordinates power over their bosses, such as choosing who to work for, or rating their bosses’ behaviour.

Answer 6

c. Give subordinates power over their bosses, such as choosing who to work for, or rating their bosses’ behaviour.

Question 7

Why was the lettuce prank so effective (The Office Without Assholes)?

a. Because it was nonthreatening.
b. Because it made a point about how his comments made his employees feel.
c. Because it was funny.
d. All of the above.

Answer 7

d. All of the above.

Question 8

In the podcast, they mention this study of how much toxic behavior impacts profits. Using data from over 50,000 employees across 11 companies, which one of these did they conclude is better?

a. Replacing an average performer with a star had about the same impact on profitability as replacing a toxic worker with an average one.
b. Replacing a toxic worker with an average one was doubly profitable as replacing an average performer with a star.
c. Replacing an average performer with a star was doubly profitable as replacing a toxic worker with an average one.

Answer 8

b. Replacing a toxic worker with an average one was doubly profitable as replacing an average performer with a star.

Question 9

Which lens are you employing?

Ask yourself, “What are the facts in this situation?” and, “What’s the story I’m telling myself about those facts?”

Answer 9

Lens of realistic optimism

Question 10

Which lens are you employing?

Look at the situation through the other person’s perspective by asking questions like, “What is this person feeling, and in what ways does that make sense?” or “Where do they see my responsibility in all this?”

Answer 10

Reverse lens

Question 11

Which lens are you employing?

Look beyond the present to imagine a better future by asking questions such as “How can I grow and learn from this experience?”

Answer 11

Long lens

Question 12

During the podcast Adam Grant makes several arguments about why he thinks every leader has a responsibility to strive for a no-ahole culture. He uses all of these reasons EXCEPT ONE. Which one does he NOT use? Avoiding aholes …

a. … helps the firm be more profitable.
b. … helps firms attract and retain the most talented people.
c. … helps employees perform better at their work.
d. … ensures employees will not feel upset at work.
e. … is possible without reducing performance, because a**hole star performers are rarely so valuable as to be irreplaceable.
f. … is the right thing to do, ethically.

Answer 12

d. … ensures employees will not feel upset at work.

Question 13

According to Sheila Heen in the podcast, which of these is the best way to deal with an a**hole?

a. Use humour such as, “It was my impression that you were smarter and more creative than that, so I bet you could come up with ways to be just as clear, without having to actually rip somebody else apart. But maybe I’m overestimating you, maybe that’s not true.”
b. Say something like, “I don’t know why you feel the need to undermine me or demean me. I don’t know why you feel the need to humiliate everybody and control everything.”
c. Do nothing so the behavior fades over time when they don’t get the reaction they expect.
d. Confront them in the moment.

Answer 13

a. Use humour such as, “It was my impression that you were smarter and more creative than that, so I bet you could come up with ways to be just as clear, without having to actually rip somebody else apart. But maybe I’m overestimating you, maybe that’s not true.”

Question 14

What saying did Luis von Ahn have to sum up his conclusions about hiring? What did he mean by it?

a. “It’s better to have a hole than an ahole”. Meaning that he most wants to create an environment where he looks forward to going to work.
b. “I mainly just want to have a place where I go to work every day”. Meaning that he most wants to create an environment where he looks forward to going to work.
c. “It’s better to have a hole than an ahole”. Meaning it’s better to have nobody filling a position than a jerk.
d. “I mainly just want to have a place where I go to work every day”. Meaning it’s better to have nobody filling a position than a jerk.

Answer 14

“It’s better to have a hole than an a**hole”. Meaning it’s better to have nobody filling a position than a jerk.

Question 15

Why would a company implement an algorithm in their decision-making process?

a. To reduce the amount of available information.
b. To replace human judgement.
c. To reduce human biases in decisions.
d. None of the above.

Answer 15

c. To reduce human biases in decisions.

Question 16

In a decision-making situation, giving disproportionate importance to the first information received is known as…

a. … the Confirming-Evidence Trap
b. … the Overconfidence Trap
c. … the Sunk-Cost Trap
d. … the Anchoring Trap

Answer 16

d. … the Anchoring Trap

Question 17

Which one of the following is the best strategy to reduce the potential influence of Confirming-Evidence Trap?

a. Never think of the status-quo as the only alternative.
b. Deciding alone.
c. Actively look for evidence that would disconfirm what you already believe.
d. Trying to frame the problem in a different way.

Answer 17

c. Actively look for evidence that would disconfirm what you already believe.

Question 18

To reduce the complexity of many decisions we take, we often rely on routines known as …

a. Calculations
b. Calling a friend
c. Statistics
d. Heuristics

Answer 18

d. Heuristics

A heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows people to solve problems and make judgments quickly and efficiently. These rule-of-thumb strategies shorten decision-making time and allow people to function without constantly stopping to think about their next course of action.

Question 19

Five years ago, you bought shares of the company “Enron Tax Services Ltd.”. Unfortunately, the company has been posting losses in the last years and this has reduced the value of the shares you own. The future of the company looks rather bleak. Nevertheless, you keep on believing that you should not sell the shares. In fact, you would like to buy even more shares of the company, to avoid losing the time and money you’ve already invested. This is an example of which trap?

a. Mouse Trap
b. Framing Trap
c. Anchoring Trap
d. Sunk-Cost Trap

Answer 19

d. Sunk-Cost Trap

Question 20

What is the best defence against psychological traps?

Answer 20

Awareness

Question 21

True of False: The way a problem is posed can influence the way someone thinks about it. This is called the Framing Trap.

Answer 21

True

Question 22

Considering the decision-support tools reviewed in the Bonabeau article, which is the best tool to balance capacity with demand in a theme park? Consider that in a theme park there are thousands of visitors with different preferences, who are interrelated, but unpredictable.

a. Scenario planning
b. Interactive evolution by experts
c. Optimization
d. Agent-based modeling

Answer 22

d. Agent-based modeling

An agent-based model is a class of computational models for simulating the actions and interactions of autonomous agents with a view to assessing their effects on the system as a whole.

Question 23

According to the Bonabeau article, gut decisions are best for which type of situations?

a. Simple situations where there are only few alternatives to choose from, and it is relatively easy to see the effects of choosing one over the other.
b. Chaotic environment where there are too many options to choose from. The subconscious mind will do the job of finding the right alternative.
c. Situations that require subjectivity.
d. Ambiguous situations when one cannot fully understand the consequences of the decisions. The subconscious mind processes information better than our conscious thought, therefore, one should leave it for the instinct.

Answer 23

a. Simple situations where there are only few alternatives to choose from, and it is relatively easy to see the effects of choosing one over the other.

Question 24

Which of the following are required for intuitive decision making?

a. Balanced emotions, pattern recognition and ability to see similar patterns in other fields.
b. Paucity of emotions, pattern recognition and ability to see similar patterns in other fields.
c. Paucity of emotions and pattern recognition.
d. None of the above.

Answer 24

a. Balanced emotions, pattern recognition and ability to see similar patterns in other fields.

Question 25

What is a crucial mechanism for reducing biases during intuitive decisions?

a. Self-efficacy.
b. Relying on an algorithm.
c. Self-checking.
d. Relying on experience.

Answer 25

c. Self-checking.

Question 26

The ability to see similar patterns across different fields is called ____________.

Answer 26

Cross-indexing

Question 27

True or False: New decision-support tools eliminate human intuition.

Answer 27

False

Question 28

True or False: All of these factors increase the degree to which you should rely on instinct over rational analysis to make decisions: larger numbers of options, more data, bigger challenges.

Answer 28

False

Question 29

Why are ethical dilemmas among the toughest decisions?

a. There is more than one answer.
b. There is no clear right or wrong.
c. What is best for one party, might not be that desirable to another.
d. All of the above.

Answer 29

d. All of the above.

Question 30

True or False: Virtue ethics emphasizes developing moral rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.

Answer 30

False.

This character-based approach to morality assumes that we acquire virtue through practice. By practicing being honest, brave, just, generous, and so on, a person develops an honorable and moral character. According to Aristotle, by honing virtuous habits, people will likely make the right choice when faced with ethical challenges.

So, virtue ethics helps us understand what it means to be a virtuous human being. And, it gives us a guide for living life without giving us specific rules for resolving ethical dilemmas.

Question 31

We are supposed to acquire virtue through…

Answer 31

Practice

Question 32

Which of the ethical theories is most likely to consider treating Uday leniently because he has a newborn baby?

a. Virtue ethics
b. Distributive Justice
c. Utilitarianism
d. Procedural Justice
e. Deontology

Answer 32

a. Virtue ethics

Question 33

A pharmaceutical company releases a drug which can cause side effects to some people. The government approves the drug considering that there are more people who gain from the medicine than people who incur potential side effects. Which ethical theory best describes the government’s choice to approve the drug?

a. Virtue Ethics
b. Consequentialism
c. Utilitarianism
d. Deontology

Answer 33

c. Utilitarianism

Question 34

In the case, Siddhant must think about [distributive justice/procedural justice] when determining how to treat Uday relative to other employees, and [distributive justice/procedural justice] when determining whether Uday will receive any penalties relative to others.

Answer 34

In the case, Siddhant must think about [procedural justice] when determining how to treat Uday relative to other employees, and [distributive justice] when determining whether Uday will receive any penalties relative to others.

Question 35

Ethics based on deontology refers to _______. The biggest challenge for this form of ethics is that it ignores _________.

Answer 35

Ethics based on deontology refers to [rules]. The biggest challenge for this form of ethics is that it ignores [consequences].

Question 36

Utilitarian ethics determines the right thing to do by examining __________.

Answer 36

Outcomes

Question 37

Select all examples of a distributive negotiation.

a. None of the other options are true.
b. Finally you have decided to sell your old car. You have put an advert with all it specifics and the price. Few days later you get a call from an interested party, which proposes a price for a car that is $200 less than what you have offered.
c. Both you and your work colleague work part-time - you have to agree upon the division of hours.
d. You have came across a watch in a flea market, however, as the price for the used watch seems unreasonably high, you try to get a better deal.

Answer 37

Distributive negotiation is the process of dividing up the pie of value in negotiation.

b. Finally you have decided to sell your old car. You have put an advert with all it specifics and the price. Few days later you get a call from an interested party, which proposes a price for a car that is $200 less than what you have offered.
c. Both you and your work colleague work part-time - you have to agree upon the division of hours.
d. You have came across a watch in a flea market, however, as the price for the used watch seems unreasonably high, you try to get a better deal.

Question 38

True or False: Distributive and integrative negotiation are mutually exclusive strategies (both strategies cannot be used at once, i.e. either one takes place, or the other).

Answer 38

False.

Even in cooperative negotiations, distributive bargaining will come into play. Distributive bargaining and integrative bargaining are not mutually exclusive negotiation strategies. Integrative bargaining is a good way to make the pie (joint value) as large as it can possibly be, but ultimately the parties must distribute the value that was created. If they are able to expand the pie enough, distribution is easy. If there is still not enough to give each side what it wants, however, distributive negotiation will be more difficult.

Question 39

True or False: One of the integrative negotiation strategies is to ask questions, and then listen carefully.

Answer 39

True

Question 40

Which has NOT been proposed as a recommendation for negotiating a salary?

a. Consider the context in which negotiation takes place – is one negotiating for a salary in a local company or a multinational corporation?
b. Adapt your negotiating style.
c. Gather information about the role, think of value you bring to the organization, and develop alternatives to the current negotiation.
d. Find out who the negotiation takes place with. Gathering information on the person may assist in achieving a starting pay increase.

Answer 40

d. Find out who the negotiation takes place with. Gathering information on the person may assist in achieving a starting pay increase.

Question 41

True or False: Knowing your and other party’s BATNA is important for both distributive and integrative negotiation.

Answer 41

True.

BATNA = Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement.

It is defined as the most advantageous alternative that a negotiating party can take if negotiations fail and an agreement.

Question 42

According to the readings, what could be done when there is little or no trust between the negotiators?

a. Bringing in an intermediary.
b. Negotiation with distrustful negotiators should not be proceeded.
c. Sharing information first, in such a way revealing your good intentions.
d. Building relationship with the other party by organizing informal events.

Answer 42

a. Bringing in an intermediary.

Question 43

What is the essence of integrative negotiation?

a. Expanding the pie.
b. Sharing the pie in equal parts.
c. It has nothing to do with the pie. Fair negotiation is the key.
d. Claiming as much of the pie as possible.

Answer 43

a. Expanding the pie.

Question 44

What techniques are typically associated with integrative negotiation?

a. Seek creative alternatives that primarily satisfy the other party.
b. Focus on positions rather than interests.
c. Present your objectives as necessary and inevitable.
d. None of the other options are true.
e. Exchange information over preferences, in order to get a bargaining advantage over the other party.

Answer 44

d. None of the other options are true.