Q&A Hero

Q: (p. 249-250) Compare and contrast rational decision making and bounded rationality.

Q: The opinion seeker/giver clarifies key issues.

Q: (p. 246, 249) Explain the two methods that employees can use to make decisions.

Q: The initiator, orienter, and energizer are goal-oriented task roles.

Q: (p. 243, 245-246) Define social learning theory. Explain the four steps of the modeling process.

Q: A group member who says, "Let's stop wasting time and get down to business. How do we solve this problem?" is performing a task role.

Q: A group member who says, "The key issue here is performance," is functioning in a maintenance role.

Q: (p. 242- 243) Compare and contrast the five schedules of reinforcement. Provide an example of each.

Q: Norms tend to be enforced by group members when they help individuals avoid embarrassing situations.

Q: (p. 241) A student does his homework and assignments just to avoid being yelled at by the professor. Examine the form of reinforcement used in this situation.

Q: Norms develop from critical events in the group's history.

Q: (p. 241) What are the four contingencies of reinforcement? Explain each by providing an example.

Q: Nonconformists experience criticism and even ostracism.

Q: (p. 239-240) Organizations impart certain types of knowledge to employees through formal training whereas some forms of information cannot be communicated through such trainings. Identify and compare the two types of knowledge these information represent.

Q: Roles are more encompassing than norms.

Q: (p. 259) Transfer of training can be fostered if organizations create a(n) _____, an environment that can support the use of new skills. A. locus of control B. internal heuristic C. climate for transfer D. community of practice E. social network

Q: (p. 259) Which of these occurs when the knowledge, skills, and behaviors used on the job are maintained by the learner once training ends and generalized to the workplace once the learner returns to the job? A. Heuristics B. Communities of practice C. Illusion of control D. Transfer of training E. Attribution anchoring

Q: People in collectivist cultures tend to have higher role ambiguity than people in individualistic cultures.

Q: (p. 259) _____ are groups of employees who work together and learn from one another by collaborating over an extended period of time. A. Heuristics developers B. Communities of practice C. Control moderators D. Internal advocates E. Attribution anchors

Q: Role ambiguity occurs when others have inconsistent or conflicting expectations from the focal person.

Q: (p. 258) Learning has _____ effect on performance and _____ effect on commitment. A. a moderate negative; a moderate positive B. a strong positive; a moderate negative C. a weak negative; a strong positive D. a moderate positive; a weak positive E. a weak positive; a moderate negative

Q: Women tend to experience greater work-versus-family role conflict than men because they typically shoulder more of the household, child care, and elder care duties.

Q: Ken pushed very hard to go with the bubble project rather than the wave project. There have been several cost overruns, the project is two weeks beyond its finish date, and the technology just isn't working out as planned. Ken increases the funding for the third time and hires three new designers to help revamp the look of the product. Ken is engaging in ______. A. escalation of commitment B. goal directed behavior C. selective perception D. a fundamental attribution error E. projection

Q: Positive and negative peer pressure powerfully influence role performance.

Q: (p. 255) _____ refers to the decision to continue to follow a failing course of action. A. Availability bias B. Confirmation bias C. Escalation of commitment D. Gambler's fallacy E. Halo effect

Q: A supportive, democratic, decentralized, and participative leadership style is most effective early in the group development process.

Q: (p. 255) A worker comes late to the work site. An external attribution will occur if there is high ______, high ______, and low ______. A. consensus; consistency; extinction B. consensus; distinctiveness; consistency C. consistency; distinctiveness; consensus D. extinction; consistency; distinctiveness E. consensus; consistency; distinction

Q: When group members accurately perceive important deadlines, the pacing of work and timing of interdependent tasks tend to be more efficient.

Q: The content and delivery of interpersonal feedback among work group or committee members can be used as a gauge of whether the group is developing properly.

Q: (p. 254-255) An employee comes late to the office. An internal attribution will occur if there is low ______, low _____, and high _____. A. consensus; consistency; extinction B. consensus; distinctiveness; consistency C. consistency; distinctiveness; consensus D. extinction; consistency; distinctiveness E. consensus; consistency; distinctiveness

Q: (p. 254) Sally's daughter just started going to school. As a result, Sally has been coming to work early for the past few weeks. Her colleagues are under the impression that Sally is a Type A person. Sally's colleagues are subject to: A. self-serving bias. B. fundamental attribution error. C. anchoring error. D. illusion of control error. E. halo effect.

Q: The credibility of peer feedback typically increases as the group develops.

Q: (p. 253) Albert manages a large retail store. He has the authority to appoint employees in the store. The store does not have a specialized human resource executive and Albert himself conducts selection interviews. Albert has not received any training on selection and recruitment. This often leads to selection errors. Albert selected an applicant only because he displayed personality traits similar to one of his best performers. Identify the bias facing Albert in this case. A. Anchoring B. Recency C. Framing D. Representativeness E. False consensus

Q: As the group develops, positive feedback typically decreases and negative feedback typically increases.

Q: (p. 253) Conrad is the manager of a large retail store. He has the authority to appoint employees in the store. The store does not have a specialized human resource executive and Conrad himself conducts selection interviews. He has not received any training on selection and recruitment. This often leads to selection errors. Conrad interviews people mainly to analyze if they have ability to address the latest problem that the store is facing. Identify the bias facing Conrad in this case. A. Anchoring B. Representativeness C. Framing D. Contrast E. Recency

Q: Interpersonal feedback typically becomes more specific as the group develops.

Q: (p. 252) Albert is the manager of a large retail store. He has the authority to appoint employees in the store. The store does not have a specialized human resource executive and Albert himself conducts selection interviews. Albert has not received any training on selection and recruitment. This often leads to selection errors. Albert does not prepare in advance for interviews. He asks questions that come to his mind easily during interviews. This indicates _____. A. availability bias B. bandwagon effect C. self-fulfilling prophecy D. projection bias E. social identification

Q: Interpersonal feedback remains constant during the group development process.

Q: (p. 253) The tendency to rely too heavily on one trait or piece of information when making decision refers to which of these biases? A. Availability bias B. Confirmation bias C. Anchoring D. Gambler's fallacy E. Halo effect

Q: De-norming, de-storming, and de-forming are all observed stages of group decay.

Q: (p. 252) The tendency for people to base their judgments on information that is easier to recall refers to the: A. availability bias. B. bandwagon effect. C. self-fulfilling prophecy. D. projection bias. E. environmental bias.

Q: The last stage in Tuckman's five-stage theory of group development is called "performing."

Q: (p. 252) _____ are simple, efficient, rules of thumb that allow us to make decisions more easily. A. Heuristics B. Perceptions C. Self-fulfilling prophecies D. Climates of transfer E. Attributions

Q: Group cohesiveness is a major by-product of the performing stage of group development.

Q: (p. 252) A(n) _____ occurs when assumptions are made about others on the basis of their membership in a social group. A. availability bias B. bandwagon effect C. self-efficacy D. projection bias E. stereotype

Q: According to Tuckman's five-stage theory of group development, during the "norming" stage, subgroups take shape and subtle forms of rebellion occur.

Q: (p. 252) At a World Issues Conference, all the participants were asked to develop responses to two case situations. People split themselves up into teams based on their occupations. Which of the following helps to explain why the participants acted this way? A. Self-fulfilling prophecy B. Bandwagon effect C. Social identity theory D. Projection bias E. Collective perception

Q: Candor is imperative in any working relationship, but it's especially necessary when there's a social aspect involved.

Q: (p. 252) The belief that others think, feel, and act the same way as you do refers to: A. availability bias. B. anchoring effect. C. bandwagon effect. D. projection bias. E. halo effect.

Q: A social networking site is a web site that provides a virtual community for people interested in a particular subject or just to "hang out" together.

Q: (p. 252) The tendency of people to see their environment only as it affects them and as it is consistent with their expectations is called: A. social identification. B. selective perception. C. availability bias. D. environmental bias. E. thin-slicing.

Q: An organizational function of formal groups is to reduce the individual's anxieties and feelings of insecurity and powerlessness.

Q: (p. 251) _____ is the process of selecting, organizing, storing, and retrieving information about the environment. A. Perception B. Reinforcement C. Heuristic D. Stereotyping E. Attribution

Q: An organizational function of formal groups is to develop, enhance, and confirm the individual's self-esteem and sense of identity.

Q: (p. 250) Bounded rationality advocates: A. pick the alternative that minimizes value. B. evaluate all alternatives simultaneously. C. use accurate information to evaluate alternatives. D. develop an exhaustive list of alternatives to consider as solutions. E. choose the first acceptable alternative.

Q: Socializing and training newcomers is an individual function of formal groups.

Q: (p. 250) To be a rational decision maker, one should do all of these EXCEPT: A. boiling the problem down to something that is easily understood. B. evaluating all the alternatives simultaneously. C. using accurate information to evaluate alternatives. D. picking the alternative that maximizes value. E. developing an exhaustive list of alternatives to consider as solutions.

Q: An organizational function of formal groups is to coordinate interdepartmental efforts.

Q: (p. 250) _____ results when decision makers select the first acceptable alternative considered. A. Emergence B. Neutralization C. Optimization D. Satisficing E. Stereotyping

Q: The basis of an informal group is friendship.

Q: (p. 250) The notion that decision makers simply do not have the ability or resources to process all available information and alternatives to make an optimal decision refers to: A. management by exception. B. communities of practice. C. bounded rationality. D. projection bias. E. structure bias.

Q: A formal group is formed by the organization to help accomplish organizational goals.

Q: (p. 249) The first step in rational decision making is to: A. generate the list of available alternatives. B. identify the criteria that are important in making the decision. C. evaluate the alternatives that are available. D. choose a person who could evaluate the decision. E. choose the solution that maximizes value.

Q: Individual goals are one of the sociological criteria of a group.

Q: (p. 249) A new, complex, and unrecognized situation calls for: A. structured decisions. B. external decisions. C. direct decisions. D. nonprogrammed decisions. E. irrational decisions.

Q: A group is two or more freely interacting individuals who share collective norms and goals and have a common identity.

Q: (p. 248) _____ can be described as emotionally charged judgments that arise through quick, non-conscious, and holistic associations. A. Performance orientations B. Intuition C. Faulty attributions D. Calculations E. Rational decisions

Q: A crowd on a street corner watching a man play the tambourine fits the definition of a group.

Q: Grace is in charge of staffing for the pediatric unit and must make sure there are always enough nurses on the unit. When Reg breaks his leg skiing and can't work for several weeks, Grace is able to competently and easily decide how to adjust the schedule. She has done this many times over many yeaers. Schedule reshuffling is a(n) _____ for her. A. programmed decision B. non-programmed decision C. escalation of commitment D. projection E. self-serving decision

Q: Modern managers need a solid understanding of groups and group processes to both avoid their pitfalls and tap their vast potential.

Q: (p. 246) _____ decisions are decisions that become somewhat automatic because people's knowledge allows them to recognize and identify a situation and the course of action that needs to be taken. A. Programmed B. Unstructured C. Indirect D. Spontaneous E. Surface

Q: What is cyberloafing?

Q: (p. 246) When an individual has a _____, building competence is deemed more important than demonstrating competence. A. productivity bias B. learning orientation C. projection bias D. performance orientation E. negative reinforcement

Q: Describe the differing communication styles of men and women in work groups. What can be done to ensure that everyone's view is presented?

Q: (p. 245) The last step of behavior modeling is: A. reinforcement. B. production process. C. attention process. D. retention process. E. behavior assessment.

Q: How does a manager decide the optimum size of a work group?

Q: ________ does not always result in positive outcomes for the organization. Employees who witness other employees not being punished for leaving early, taking long lunch breaks, and taking supplies home may engage in the same counterproductive activities. A. Behavioral modeling B. Continuous reinforcement C. Selective perception D. Production processes E. Goal orientation

Q: Distinguish between roles and norms. Why do norms exist in organizations?

Q: (p. 245) Which of the following is the first step in the behavior modeling process? A. Reinforcement B. Production processes C. Attentional processes D. Retention processes E. Extinction

Q: What are the key issues in each stage of the Tuckman's group development process?