霜标水月孤(moderate)
Chapter 3 – Organizational Culture
In the symbolic view of management, managers are seen as directly responsible for an organization's success or failure.
False (easy)
The current dominant assumption in management theory suggests managers are omnipotent.
True (moderate)
An organizational culture refers to a system of shared meaning.
True (moderate)
Organizational culture is a perception, not reality.
True (moderate)
Strong cultures have more influence on employees than weak ones.
True (moderate)
An organization's founder has little influence on its culture.
False (moderate)
The link between values and managerial behavior is fairly straightforward.
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True (moderate)
Multiple-Choice Questions
What view suggests that managers are directly responsible for an organization's success or failure?
a. Symbolic view of management
b. Autocratic view of management
c. Omnipotent view of management (moderate)
d. Linear view of management
e. Quality view of management
Organizational culture is similar to an inpidual's _____________.
a. skills
b. personality (easy)
c. motivation
d. ability
e. knowledge
Which of the following phrases is associated with the definition of organizational culture?
a. Inpidual response
b. Shared meaning (easy)
c. Diversity of thought
d. Explicit directions
e. Internal growth
The organizational _____________ is (are) a system of shared meaning held by members that distinguish(es) the organization from other organizations.
a. culture (easy)
b. values
c. rituals
d. structure
e. hierarchy
Which of the following is not implied by your text's definition of culture?
a. Culture is a perception.
b. Inpiduals tend to describe an organization's culture in dissimilar terms. (difficult)
c. There is a shared aspect of culture.
d. Organizational culture is a descriptive term.
e. Research suggests seven dimensions to an organization's culture.
Most organizations have ____________ cultures.
a. very weak
b. weak to moderate
c. moderate
d. moderate to strong (moderate)
e. strong to very strong
What is the original source of an organization's culture?
a. The organization's industry
b. The organization's size
c. The organization's age
d. The organization's geographic location
e. The organization's founder (moderate)
_____________ are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce key values of the organization.
a. Rituals (easy)
b. Stories
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c. Symbols
d. Language
e. Habits
Organizational _____________ typically contain a narrative of significant events or people.
a. stories (moderate)
b. rituals
c. organizational chart
d. material symbols
e. language
The link between organizational values and managerial behavior is _____________.
a. uncertain
b. fairly straightforward (moderate)
c. loose and difficult to see
d. unimportant
e. hidden
Scenarios and Questions
Corporate Takeover (Scenario)
Todd works for SeaLan Tech, an environmental consulting firm that has just been purchased by Zerex, Inc., a biomedical research organization. Based on his early encounters with the new upper management from Zerex, he feels that SeaLan is a "lower-key, friendlier" organization. He is concerned that the new company will eliminate this company’s old culture, and he does not like the prospects.
106. If you were talking with Todd and asked him what the term culture meant, he would reply that, basically, it is
a. the formal rules of an organization.
b. the nationality of the workers in the company.
c. a system of shared meaning. (easy)
d. a system that reflects persity and respect for differences.
e. the nonverbal behaviors in an organization.
107. Todd is concerned with the degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than techniques and processes used to achieve those outcomes. He is concerned with _____________.
a. stability
b. aggressiveness
c. team orientation
d. outcome orientation (moderate)
e. people orientation
108. Todd notices that management is very concerned with the effects of outcomes on people within the organization. This is referred to as _____________.
a. stability
b. aggressiveness
c. team orientation
d. outcome orientation
e. people orientation (moderate)
109. Todd is assessing the organization's _____________, the degree to which organizational activities emphasize maintaining the status quo in contrast to growth.
a. stability (moderate)
b. aggressiveness
c. team orientation
d. outcome orientation
e. people orientation
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110.Todd has been learning the seven dimensions of organizational culture. Which of the following is not one of those seven dimensions?
a. Stability
b. Aggressiveness
c. Team orientation
d. Outcome orientation
e. Member orientation (moderate)
Changing Organizational Culture (Scenario)
Mary has been asked by the company president to change the organizational culture to reflect the company's new organizational goals. As executive vice president, she certainly understands the goals, but is really not sure she understands what to do about the culture.
111. Mary asked employees if they knew what constituted "good employee behavior." She found that very few understood and most had a variety of ideas. This is one indication
a. that her company has a strong culture.
b. that her company has a weak culture. (moderate)
c. that her company has no culture.
d. that her company must have high turnover.
e. that her company must not be productive.
112.Mary also found out that in order to build a strong new culture, she should do all but which of the following?
a. Utilize their recruitment efforts.
b. Develop socialization practices to build culture.
c. Encourage a high turnover rate.
d. Have management make explicit what is valued in the organization. (difficult)
e. Encourage employee commitment to organizational values.
113. Mary was surprised to find that most organizational culture strengths are
a. weak.
b. weak to moderate.
c. moderate to strong. (moderate)
d. strong.
e. very strong.
e. varied
Essay Questions
123. In a short essay, identify and define the seven dimensions that make up an organization’s culture.
Answer
a.Innovation and risk taking—degree to which employees are encouraged to be innovative and take risks
b.Attention to detail—degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision analysis and attention to
detail
c.Outcome orientation—degree to which managers focus on results or outcomes rather than on how these
outcomes are achieved
d.People orientation—degree to which management decisions take into account the effects on people in the
organization
e.Team orientation—degree to which work is organized around teams rather than inpiduals
f.Aggressiveness—degree to which employees are aggressive and competitive rather than cooperative
g.Stability—degree to which organizational decisions and actions emphasize maintaining the status quo
(difficult)
125. In a short essay, list and discuss the four most significant ways in which culture is transmitted to employees. Include specific examples of each to support your answer.
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Answer
a.Stories—organizational stories typically contain a narrative of significant events or people including such
things as the organization’s founders, rule breaking, and reactions to past mistakes. For instance, managers at Nike feel that stories told about the company’s past help shape the future. Whenever poss ible, corporate ―storytellers‖ (senior executives) explain the company’s heritage and tell stories that celebrate people getting things done. These stories provide prime examples that people can learn from.
b.Rituals—corporate rituals are repetitive sequences of activities that express and reinforce the values of the
organization, what goals are most important, which people are important, and which are expendable. One of the best-known corporate rituals is Mary Kay Cosmetics’ annual meeting for its sales re presentatives.
At the meeting, salespeople are rewarded for their success in achieving sales goals with an array of flashy gifts including gold and diamond pins, furs, and pink Cadillacs. This ―show‖ acts as a motivator by publicly acknowledging outstanding sales performance.
c.Material symbols—the layout of an organization’s facilities, dress attire, the types of automobiles top
executives are provided, and the availability of corporate aircraft are examples of material symbols. Others include the size of offices, the elegance of furnishings, executive ―perks,‖ the existence of employee lounges or on-site dining facilities, and reserved parking spaces for certain employees. These material symbols convey to employees who is important, the degree of equality desired by top management, and the kinds of behavior that are expected and appropriate.
c1573c8a71fe910ef12df84dnguage—many organizations and units within organizations use language as a way to identify members
of a culture. By learning this language, members attest to their acceptance of the culture and their willingness to help to preserve it. For instance, Microsoft has its own unique vocabulary: ―work judo‖ (the art of deflecting a work assignment to someone else without making it appear that you’re avoiding it) and ―eating your own dog food‖ (the strategy of using your own software programs or products in the early stages as a way of testing it even if the process is disagreeable). Over time, organizations often develop unique terms to describe equipment, key personnel, suppliers, customers, or products that are related to its business.
