OB MCQsCh09

Chapter 9  Foundations of Group Behavior

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE 

 

Defining and Classifying Groups

 

1.         Which one of the following characteristics is not necessarily true about groups?

            a.  Group members are interdependent.

            b.  Groups have two or more members.

            c.  Groups have assigned goals.

            d.  Groups interact.

            e.  Groups have shared fates.

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

2.         What sort of groups are defined by the organization’s structure?

a.   informal

b.   task

c.   friendship

d.   interest

e.   formal

(Easy; p. 300)

 

3.         When do informal groups appear?

            a.  in response to the need for social contact

            b.  in reaction to formal groups

            c.  as a result of social needs

            d.  most frequently in bureaucracies

            e.  when formal groups cannot meet their goals

(a; Moderate; p. 300)                     

 

4.         Julia, Bree and David work in different departments, but often eat lunch together. They are an example of what type of group?

a.   formal

b.   informal

c.   command

d.   task

e.   reactant

(Easy; p. 300)

 

5.         Which of the following statements is true?

a.   All task groups are also command groups.

b.   All command groups are also task groups.

c.   All task groups are also friendship groups.

d.   All command groups are also informal groups.

e.   All informal groups are also command groups.

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

6.         The group type that is determined by the organization chart is the _____ group.

            a.  job

            b.  work

            c.  authority

            d.  social

            e.  command

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

7.         Which one of the following group types is organizationally determined?

            a.  job

            b.  task

            c.  work

            d.  authority

            e.  social

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

8.         Groups based on support for a given sports team are examples of what sort of group?

a.   booster

b.   interest

c.   friendship

d.   sports

e.   miscreant

(Easy; p. 300)

 

9.         Employees who band together to seek improved working conditions form a(n) _____ group.

            a.  union

            b.  support

            c.  interest

            d.  work

            e.  emancipated

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

10.       Which of the following statements most accurately describes interest groups?

            a.  They are longer lasting than friendship groups.

            b.  They develop because individual members have one or more common characteristics.

            c.  They are formed because of some common objective.

            d.  They are governed by labor laws.

            e.  They are likely to involve great social conflict.

(Moderate; p. 300)

 

11.       Which of the following is not one of the most common reasons people join groups?

            a.  security

            b.  status

            c.  equity

            d.  power

            e.  goal achievement

(Moderate; p. 301)

 

Stages of Group Development

 

12.       What are the five stages of group development?

            a.  generation, implementation, construction, production, termination

            b.  introduction, development, production, deterioration, adjournment

            c.  initiation, evolution, maturation, degeneration, termination

            d.  forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning

            e.  acting, reacting, enacting, impacting, acting

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

13.       Which stage in group development is most characterized by uncertainty?

            a.  introduction

            b.  storming

            c.  forming

            d.  evolution

            e.  norming

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

14.       Which is the stage of group development characterized by the development of close relationships and cohesiveness?

            a.  bonding

            b.  norming

            c.  performing

            d.  initiating

            e.  forming

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

15.       In the second stage of group development _____.

            a.  close relationships are developed

            b.  the group demonstrates cohesiveness

            c.  intragroup conflict often occurs

            d.  the job task is performed

            e.  groups disband

(Challenging; p. 302)

 

16.       After which stage of a group’s development is there a relatively clear hierarchy of leadership within the group?

            a.  norming

            b.  storming

            c.  development

            d.  evolution

            e.  forming

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

17.       After which stage of a group’s development has the group formed a common set of expectations of member behaviors?

            a.  norming

            b.  storming

            c.  maturation

            d.  development

            e.  forming

(Easy; p. 302)

 

18.       When the group energy is focused on the task at hand, the group has moved to the _____ stage.

            a.  storming

            b.  norming

            c.  production

            d.  maturation

            e.  performing

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

19.       Temporary groups with deadlines tend to follow the _____ model.

            a.  sociometry

            b.  five-stage group development

            c.  punctuated equilibrium

            d.  cluster variance

            e.  frantic action

(c; Moderate; p. 303)

 

20.       A temporary task group working under a time-constrained deadline would be expected to behave in which of the following manners?

            a.  forming, then storming, then norming, then performing, and finally adjourning

            b.  exhibit long periods of inertia interspersed with brief revolutionary changes triggered by its members’ awareness of looming deadlines

            c.  develop plans, assign roles, determine and allocate resources, resolve conflicts, and set norms

            d.  group energy will move rapidly from getting to know and understand each other to performing the task at hand

            e.  a period of activity where tasks are set and the bulk of the project is completed, followed by a period of inertia where what little work remains is performed

(Challenging; p. 302)

 

21.       According to the punctuated equilibrium model, groups tend to experience  what for the first half of the project?

            a.  inertia

            b.  reorganization and redirection

            c.  mid-life crisis

            d.  markedly accelerated activity

            e.  discord

(Moderate; p. 302)

 

Group Properties: Roles, Norms, Status, Size, and Cohesiveness

 

22.       Roles, norms, status, and cohesiveness are examples of _____.

            a.  structural variables

            b.  team mechanisms

            c.  static factors

            d.  team factors

            e.  group properties

(Easy; p. 304)

 

23.       What term is used for a set of expected behavior patterns associated with a particular position in a social unit?

            a.  role

            b.  role perception

            c.  role identity

            d.  role expectation

            e.  identity

(Easy; p. 304-305)

 

24.       When Judith became a doctor she modeled her manner on her observations of more experienced doctors, and also on the behavior of doctors in medical dramas she had enjoyed watching as a child on TV. What is Judith modeling her manner upon?

            a.  the role behaviors of doctors

            b.  her role perception of doctors

            c.  the role identity of doctors

            d.  her role expectation of doctors

            e.  the core role actions of doctors

(Easy; p. 305)

 

25.       Which of the following is true of role identity?

a.   Role perception creates the attitudes and actual behaviors consistent with a role.

b.   People have the ability to shift roles rapidly when the situation requires change.

c.   There is considerable inertia in role identity after roles are changed.

d.   Everyone is required to play one specific role in every situation.

e.   No two people ever agree on what constitutes a role.

(Moderate; p. 305)

 

26.       Most people assume that a police officer should behave in a lawful manner, and not show any favoritism to any particular group, and do their best to uphold the law. What term is used for this kind of belief?

            a.  a norm

            b.  a norm identity

            c.  a role expectation

            d.  a role perception

            e.  a norm violation

(Moderate; p. 305-306)

 

27.       What term is used for the mutual expectations of what management expects from workers, and what workers expect from management?

            a.  group norm

            b.  role expectation

            c.  role identity

            d.  psychological contract

            e.  reactive goals

(Moderate; p. 306)

 

28.       Zach is devout and very active in his church. He is also a very dedicated employee. His manager offers him a promotion but the new role will require him to work Sundays. Zach would like the promotion, but realizes that it would force him to miss some church activities. It is likely that Zach is experiencing which of the following?

            a.  role conflict

            b.  role expectation

            e.  cognitive reactance

(Easy; p. 306)

 

29.       Which of the following was the major finding of Zimbardo’s simulated prison experiment?

            a.  status differences between groups will always result in conflict between those groups

            b.  group cohesiveness is so important that individuals will restrain their natural impulses in order to remain part of the group

            c.  individuals can rapidly assimilate new roles very different from their inherent personalities

            d.  an individual’s emotions and the behavioral responses to those emotions are congruent

            e.  when given the opportunity, people will tend to act in an oppressive manner to those around them

(Moderate; p. 306-307)

 

30.       Which of the following is not a finding of Elton Mayo’s Hawthorne studies?

            a.  a worker’s behavior and sentiments are closely related

            b.  group standards are highly effective in establishing individual worker output

            c.  money was less a factor in determining worker output than were group standards, sentiments, and security

            d.  competition between groups will maximize group output

            e.  group influences are significant in affecting individual behavior

(Challenging; p. 308-309)

 

31.       What term is used for acceptable standards of behavior that are shared by a group’s members?

            a.  norms

            b.  rules

            c.  standards

            d.  codes of behavior

            e.  explicit contracts

(Easy; p. 308)

 

32.       Which is not a common class of norms appearing in most work groups?

a.   performance

b.   appearance

c.   in-group status

d.   social arrangement

e.  allocation of resources

(Easy; p. 310)

 

33.       Which of the following is not an example of a work group norm dealing with performance?

            a.  when an employee needs to look busy

            b.  how hard an employee should work

            c.  the appropriate levels of tardiness

            d.  the acceptable level of output

            e.  the importance of promptness

(Challenging; p. 310)

 

34.       Norms that dictate with whom group members eat lunch, friendships on and off the job, and social games are _____ norms.

            a.  appearance

            b.  social arrangement

            c.  performance

            d.  leisure

            e.  confluence

(Moderate; p. 310)

 

35.       A local government work-crew cleans up parks and other public spaces. In this crew the dirtiest jobs are generally given to the newest members, while the more senior members of the crew tend to do little except draw their pay. What is the class of norms that encompasses arrangements like this?

            a.  performance.

            b.  appearance

            c.  allocation of resources

            d.  financial rewards

            e.  confluence

(Moderate; p. 310)

 

36.       What norms include things like appropriate dress and loyalty to the group or organization?

a.   Performance

b.   Appearance

c.   Social arrangement

d.   Allocation of resources

e.   Confluence

(Easy; p. 310)

 

37.       What term is used for the process by which an individual’s desire for acceptance by the group and the pressure by the group on individual members to match its standards results in a change in individual attitudes and behaviors?

a.   conformity

b.   coercion

c.   commitment

d.   convergence

e.   confluence

(Easy; p. 310)

 

38.       The major contribution of the Asch study was to demonstrate the impact of _____.

            a.  group pressures

            b.  seating arrangements

            c.  convergence

            d.  status

            e.  cognitive dissonance

(Moderate; p. 311)

 

39.       What term is used for antisocial actions by organizational members who voluntarily violate established norms and that result in negative consequences for the organization, its members, or both?

a.   ethical dilemmas

b.   deviant workplace behavior

c.   abnormal behavior

d.   discommitment behavior

e.   reactive affirmation behavior

(Moderate; p. 312)

 

40.       Sally works as a salesperson in a department store. Whenever a customer asks for an item that is in stock but not on display, she usually tells them that the product is out of stock. “It’s a pain going into the stock-room to find an item,” says Sally “Nobody in my department ever tells a customer the truth about what is in stock.” This example illustrates which of the following facts about deviant workplace behavior?

            a.  deviant workplace behavior will arise when tasks that an employee is supposed to perform are unpleasant or difficult

            b.  most workers do not consider lying to a customer be deviant workplace behavior

            c.  workers will lie to customers as long as the customers do not complain about it

            d.  deviant workplace behavior flourishes where it’s supported by group norms

            e.  groups will come to their own conclusions about what is and isn’t appropriate

(Challenging; p. 312)

 

41.       What term is used for the socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others?

            a.  regency

            b.  authority

            c.  status

            d.  command

            e.  magnus

(Moderate; p. 313)

 

42.       Which of the following statements about status is not true?

a.   Status is an important motivator

b.   possession of personal characteristics that are positively valued by the group will give a member higher status.

c.   Low status members are given more freedom to deviate from norms than are other members.

d.   High status members are better able to resist conformity pressures than lower status members.

e.   Conformity is affected by status.

(Moderate; p. 314)

 

43.       High status people tend to _____.

            a.  be more assertive

            b.  assist more

            c.  be more reflective

            d.  have superior insight

            e.  be well liked

(Moderate; p. 315)

 

44.       A group is most likely to tolerate deviation from a group’s conformity norms by which of the following individuals?

            a.  a high status individual who does not care about the social rewards the group provides

            b.  a high status individual who is tightly integrated into the group’s social structure

            c.  a low status individual who has only recently entered the group

            d.  a low status individual who strongly wishes to integrate within the group

            e.  a low status individual who is not well regarded by the rest of the group

(Moderate; p. 315)

 

45.       Your group is engaged in problem solving and your goal is fact-finding. Which of the following size group should be most effective?

            a.  2

            b.  4

            c.  8

            d.  10

            e.  15

(Challenging; p. 316)

 

46.       What term is used for the tendency for individuals to spend less effort when working collectively?

            a.  groupthink

            b.  the rule of diminishing returns

            c.  social loafing

            d.  groupshift

            e.  clustering

(Easy; p. 316)

 

47.       Which of the following is an effective means of countering social loafing?

            a.  increase the rewards the group is given if it succeeds

            b.  increase the amount by which the group’s progress is monitored

            c.  provide means by which individual efforts can be identified

            d.  increase the size of the group

            e.  increase the group’s workload

(Easy; p. 317)

 

48.       If your group must take action, which size should be most effective?

            a.  3

            b.  7

            c.  12

            d.  24

            e.  100

(Challenging; p. 316)

 

49.       What did Ringelmann conclude after he compared the results of individual and group performance?

            a.  the larger the group, the greater the individual productivity

            b.  individual productivity goes down as group size goes up

            c.  total productivity tends to decline in large groups

            d.  group size is not a determinant of individual productivity

            e.  groups served little purpose in organizations

(Moderate; p. 316)

 

50.       Research indicates that the group size that exercises the best elements of both small and large groups is _____.

            a.  4

            b.  7

            c.  9

            d.  12

            e.  20

(Challenging; p. 318)

 

51.       Which of the following statements about groups is true?

            a.  Groups with an odd number of members are preferable to those with an even number

            b.  Groups with an even number of members are preferable to those with an odd number

c.  Groups made up of four members exercise the best elements of both small and large groups.

            d.  Groups that are larger are more likely to be homogenous.

            e.  The relationship between an individual’s input and the group’s output is generally clear.

(Moderate; p. 316)

 

52.       What is it called when an employee uses the organization’s Internet access for personal purposes?

            a.  eTheft

            b.  cyberloafing

            c.  cybertheft

            d.  web surfing

            e.  smurfing

(Moderate; 317)

 

53.       What term is used for the degree to which group members are attracted to one another and are motivated to stay in the group?

            a.  cohesiveness

            b.  integration

            c.  sociability

            d.  reliability

            e.  interdependence

(Easy; p. 318)

 

54.       Which of the following is not likely to increase group cohesiveness?

            a.  a high level of group productivity

            b.  members spending a lot of time together

            c.  the existence of external threats

            d.  the group is physically isolated

            e.  bonding opportunities exist between members

(Moderate; p. 318)

 

55.       What will happen if group cohesiveness is high and performance norms are low?

            a.  internal conflict will be high

            b.  internal conflict will be low

            c.  productivity will be high

            d.  productivity will be low

            e.  it will have little effect on internal conflict or productivity

(Challenging; 318)

 

Group Decision Making

 

56.       Group decisions are generally preferable to individual decisions when which of the following is sought.

            a.  acceptance of the solution

            b.  speed

            c.  efficiency

            d.  clear responsibility

            e.  a conjunctive solution

(Moderate; p. 320)

 

57.       Which is not a weakness of group decision making?

a.   It is time consuming.

b.   There is less originality.

c.   It suffers from ambiguous responsibility.

d.   It can be dominated by one or a few members.

e.   It’s not clear who is accountable for bad decisions.

(Moderate; p. 320)

 

58.       Individual decisions are generally preferable to group decisions when which of the following is sought?

            a.  speed

            b.  creativity

            c.  acceptance

            d.  quality

            e.  broad unanimity

(Moderate; p. 320)

 

59.       What is generally the result of groupthink?

            a.  higher quality decisions

            b.  more risky decisions

            c.  less critical analysis

            d.  unpopular decisions

            e.  social reification

(Moderate; p. 321)

 

60.       Which of the following is a phenomenon in which group pressures for conformity deter the group from critically appraising unusual, minority, or unpopular views?

            a.  group conformity

            b.  groupshift

            c.  groupthink

            d.  compromise

            e.  risk transfer

(Easy; p. 321)

 

61.       What result does groupshift have on the decisions a group makes?

            a.  They are made by groups rather than individuals.

            b.  They are generally riskier.

            c.  They are made more quickly.

            d.  They are less effective.

            e.  They are objectively incorrect.

(Moderate; p. 322-323)

 

62.       Which of the following is not an explanation for the phenomenon of groupshift?

            a.  discussion creates familiarization among members

            b.  most first-world societies value risk

            c.  the group leader usually gets the credit or blame for the group action

            d.  the group diffuses responsibility

            e.  high cohesion

(Challenging; p. 323)

 

63.       Which of the following is likely to generate the least innovative alternatives?

            a.  face-to-face interacting groups

            b.  brainstorming

            c.  Delphi technique

            d.  nominal group technique

            e.  electronic meeting

(Moderate; p. 323)

 

64.       What is brainstorming?

            a.  a technique used to build group cohesiveness

            b.  a technique that tends to restrict independent thinking

            c.  a process for generating ideas

            d.  a process used mainly when group members cannot agree on a solution

            e.  the most effective means of generating answers

(Easy; p. 323)

 

65.       Which type of decision-making group is most committed to the group solution?

            a.  interacting

            b.  brainstorming

            c.  nominal

            d.  electronic

            e.  social

(Challenging; 324)

 

66.       Which of the following  techniques most restricts discussion or interpersonal communication during the decision-making process?

            a.  groupthink

            b.  nominal group

            c.  brainstorm

            d.  electronic meeting

            e.  formal process

(Moderate; p. 324-325)

 

67.       Which of the following is not considered an advantage of electronic meetings?

            a.  honesty

            b.  speed

            c.  receiving credit for the best ideas

            d.  anonymity

            e.  accurate exchange of opinions

(Moderate; p. 325)

 

68.       Which type of meeting is most likely to generate the greatest commitment to the solution?

            a.  interacting

            b.  brainstorming

            c.  nominal

            d.  electronic

            e.  social

 (Moderate; p. 325)

 

69.       What sort of group should you avoid if you want to minimize interpersonal conflict?

            a.  interacting

            b.  brainstorming

            c.  nominal

            d.  electronic

            e.  social

(Moderate; p. 325)