Q&A Hero

Q: Transformational leaders encourage employees to experiment with current practices and question the ways things are currently being done.

Q: A strategic vision is necessarily abstract.

Q: A strategic vision should unify management and external stakeholders but does not need to involve non-managerial employees.

Q: Transformational leaders shape a strategic vision of the future that focuses employees on a superordinate organizational goal.

Q: Unlike the traditional view of leadership, shared leadership lacks formal authority.

Q: Organizational behavior takes the view that only people in management and other positions of formal authority in organizations can be leaders.

Q: Shared leadership is the view that anyone in the organization may be a leader in various ways and at various times.

Q: Shared leadership roles are formally assigned by the team and managers.

Q: A supervisor uses subtle persuasion to ensure that subordinates have the motivation and role clarity to achieve specified goals. This can be considered leadership.

Q: Leadership is the ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute to organizational effectiveness.

Q: What are the different ways in which authentic leaders regulate their decisions and behavior?

Q: List and explain the main categories of leadership competencies.

Q: Briefly describe the implicit leadership theory.

Q: Briefly explain the concept of leadership substitutes.

Q: Briefly explain the important contingencies of path-goal theory.

Q: Briefly explain the four leadership styles prescribed in the path-goal leadership styles.

Q: Discuss the nature of task-oriented and people-oriented leadership styles. How do these styles relate to a leader's effectiveness?

Q: Can transformational leadership be equated with charismatic leadership?Explain your answer.

Q: List the various elements of transformational leadership. There are several descriptions of transformational leadership, but most include the following four elements: Create a strategic vision, communicate the vision, model the vision, and build commitment toward the vision.

Q: Explain the concept of shared leadership.

Q: Bob's Small Business Bob owns a small business with 12 employees. He is anticipating a large contract in the near future which he hopes will triple his profit and double the number of employees he will hire. Bob has always been a very likable man and a dependable, hard-working person. He is very worried about his ability to take on twice as many employees and continue on a successful path. From the information provided, which of the following best encompasses Bob's weakest leadership competency according to the competency perspective? A. Self-concept B. Integrity C. Cognitive intelligence D. Personality E. Practical intelligence

Q: MoneySafe MoneySafe, a financial services organization, uses performance-based reward systems across various departments to keep employees directed toward organizational goals. The management believes that these rewards might replace or reduce the need for task-oriented leadership. Which of the following leadership styles is of least importance under these circumstances? A. Authentic B. Transformational C. Task-oriented D. People-oriented E. Servant

Q: CPA4U Gina and Chen are both managers at CPA4U, a large accounting firm. Each has a very different management style. Gina is very outgoing and constantly checking on her subordinates to see if there is any way she can help them to complete their projects. She also brings in fresh flowers for the lunchroom weekly and always remembers everyone's birthday. Chen is much more introverted and communicates with his subordinates mainly through email and he has his subordinates submit daily reports on their progress towards the weekly goals he has assigned them. Which type of leader is Chen? A. Servant leader B. Emotional leader C. Path-goal leader D. Task-oriented leader E. Transformational Leader

Q: Johni's Company Johni is the CEO of a struggling company. She has listened to her employee's complaints and concerns about where the corporation is going and has developed a new vision that she feels will help develop a common bond throughout the organization. Johni then hosted a company-wide picnic where she delivered an inspiring speech about the new plans for the business, including her plans for more open communication between management and employees. After her speech, management and employees all participated in trust building exercises and each employee had a one-on-one conversation with Johni. What is the next step Johni should take if she wants to continue on towards her vision? A. Build commitment toward the vision. B. Empower the employees to build the vision further. C. Model the vision. D. Communicate the vision. E. Develop a strategic vision.

Q: EFT, Inc.EFT, Inc. wants to empower and engage its employees. They have several teams consisting of highly skilled employees and no one person on these teams has a specifically assigned position. Instead, employees lead each other as the occasion arises so there is no formal hierarchy or organizational chart.This type of leadership is most effective when:A. there is an internally competitive culture.B. employees learn to influence others through their enthusiasm, logical analysis, and involvement of others in their vision.C. coworkers maintain separate work areas and do not involve themselves with others work.D. employees have a fear of failure.E. there is a learning orientation culture.

Q: EFT, Inc. EFT, Inc. wants to empower and engage its employees. They have several teams consisting of highly skilled employees and no one person on these teams has a specifically assigned position. Instead, employees lead each other as the occasion arises so there is no formal hierarchy or organizational chart. This type of leadership is known as: A. Shared B. Servant C. Managerial D. People-oriented E. Transformational

Q: People tend to evaluate female leaders slightly less favorably than male leaders because: A. women tend to adopt a directive style of leadership. B. people have more trust in authoritarian leadership than participative leadership. C. they tend to rely on gender stereotypes and prototypes of leaders. D. women tend to use one leadership style whereas effective leaders use many styles. E. women are more people-oriented than task-oriented.

Q: How do women differ from men in their use of leadership styles? A. Women tend to use more of the people-oriented leadership style than do men. B. Women and men use all leadership styles to about the same extent. C. Women tend to use more of the task-oriented leadership style than do men. D. Women tend to use more of the participative leadership style than do men. E. Women tend to use directive styles of leadership in organizations.

Q: Which of the following statements about leadership and gender is true? A. Male leaders tend to use the participative style more often than do female leaders. B. Men tend to have better interpersonal skills compared to women. C. Male and female leaders generally do not differ in their use of participative leadership. D. Female leaders do not comply with follower expectations. E. Male and female leaders generally do not differ in their use of task-oriented and people-oriented leadership.

Q: Which of the following statements about culture and leadership is true?A. Participative leadership is perceived as characteristic of effective leadership in low power distance cultures.B. There are no similarities and only differences in the concept and preferred practice of leadership across cultures.C. Transformational leadership theory explains differences in leadership practices across cultures.D. Employees in high power distance cultures prefer a participative leadership style.E. People's expectations from their leaders are universalthey do not differ across countries.

Q: The competency perspective of leadership indicates leadership: A. performance. B. potential. C. behavior. D. contingency. E. transformation.

Q: Which of the following is a limitation of the competency perspective of leadership? A. It ignores the potential traits of a leader and hence cannot be used to identify leaders. B. It suggests that leadership varies according to situations but does not provide remedies to solve any problems related to it. C. It supports the view that every individual possesses leadership qualities. D. It does not consider the importance of integrity and emotional intelligence in leadership. E. It views leadership as something within a person.

Q: _____ is knowing yourself and being yourself. A. Authenticity B. Integrity C. Cognition D. Humility E. Drive

Q: _____ leadership refers to how well leaders are aware of, feel comfortable with, and act consistently with their self-concepts. A. Authentic B. Transformational C. Servant D. Path-goal E. Implicit

Q: Which of the following statements about emotional intelligence and leadership is true? A. Emotional intelligence is one of the most frequently identified contingencies of employees when choosing the best leadership style. B. Emotional intelligence is one of the desired competencies of effective leaders. C. Emotional intelligence is the psychological condition that makes people want to believe that leaders make a difference. D. Emotional intelligence refers to the leader's above-average cognitive ability to process information. E. Emotional intelligence makes leaders function with a managerial rather than a transformational orientation.

Q: Effective leaders have a strong need for socialized power, meaning that they want power as a means to accomplish organizational objectives and similar good deeds. This behavior of leaders refers to:A. emotional intelligence.B. cognitive intelligence.C. integrity.D. drive.E. leadership motivation.

Q: Which of the following characteristics addresses leaders' high need for achievement? A. Integrity B. Emotional intelligence C. Drive D. Self confidence E. Leadership motivation

Q: Successful leaders have a positive self-evaluation, including high self-esteem, self-efficacy, and internal locus of control. This refers to the leaders' _____. A. drives B. self-concept C. cognitive intelligence D. emotional intelligence E. leadership motivation

Q: The competency perspective of leadership identifies drive, integrity, and emotional intelligence as the: A. substitutes for leadership. B. main elements of situational leadership theory. C. competencies of effective leaders. D. contingencies in path-goal theory. E. essential traits of engaging in managerial leadership.

Q: According to the competency perspective of leadership: A. effective leadership involves being both task-oriented and people-oriented. B. the best leadership style depends on the situation. C. introducing specific environmental conditions can replace the need for leaders. D. leadership is a personal characteristic of the person. E. people tend to inflate the importance of leadership in explaining organizational events.

Q: According to the _____ perspective of leadership, leadership is associated with the personal characteristics of the person. A. shared B. competency C. managerial D. contingency E. implicit

Q: The competency (trait) perspective of leadership: A. is one of the most recently studied perspectives of leadership. B. is no longer accepted as an approach to understanding leadership in organizations. C. takes a contingency approach by identifying the best leadership competencies under different conditions. D. holds the view that leaders' competency is dependent on the situation. E. presents the view that certain personal characteristics distinguish great leaders from the rest of us.

Q: Which of the following leadership approaches directly support the idea that the "romance of leadership" is important in leadership? A. Transformational leadership perspective B. Managerial leadership perspective C. Implicit leadership perspective D. Contingency perspective of leadership E. Servant perspective of leadership

Q: When people have leadership prototypes, they: A. attribute the actions of leaders to external causes rather than to internal attributes. B. give leaders more credit or blame than due because of their need to believe that life's events are caused mainly by human agents. C. believe that effective leaders should concentrate on increasing organizational effectiveness rather than other activities. D. believe that leaders are effective only if they behave consistently with their own preconceptions of how an effective leader should act. E. tend to observe the leader's performance rather than physical features and other traits.

Q: Leadership prototypes refer to:A. preconceived beliefs about the features and behaviors of effective leaders.B. factors that substitute leadership in organizations.C. a theoretical construct that encompasses all the qualities of leadership.D. the models of ideal leadership in various situations based on previous experience.E. an amalgam of the least effective leadership characteristics leaders should avoid.

Q: The concept of leadership prototypes is an important component of:A. competency theory.B. implicit leadership theory.C. Fiedler's contingency perspective.D. transformational perspective.E. path-goal theory of leadership.

Q: Implicit leadership theory states that: A. everyone is capable of being an effective leader. B. the best leadership style depends on both the characteristics of employees and the environment in which they work. C. leadership is a perception, not the actual behaviors and competencies of people. D. everyone has preconceived beliefs about leaders. E. leaders should act as change agents in organizations.

Q: Sanco Systems uses performance-based reward systems across various departments to keep employees directed toward organizational goals. The management at Sanco Systems believes that these rewards might replace or reduce the need for task-oriented leadership. Which of the following leadership theories supports this action? A. Situational leadership B. Servant leadership C. Managerial leadership perspective D. Leadership substitutes E. Competency perspective

Q: _____ theory identifies conditions that either limit the leader's ability to influence subordinates or make a particular leadership style unnecessary. A. Transformational leadership B. Managerial leadership C. Leadership substitutes D. Path-goal E. Implicit leadership

Q: Fiedler's contingency model of leadership has made an important and lasting contribution to the study of leadership because it: A. is the only leadership theory to adopt a contingency approach. B. was the first theory to recognize the existence of leadership substitutes. C. suggests that organizations need to engineer the situation to fit the leader's preferred style. D. discovered that effective leaders do not have a common set of competencies. E. is the only theory to adopt the implicit leadership perspective.

Q: Fiedler's contingency model of leadership states that the best leadership style depends on: A. the leader's emotional intelligence. B. the level of situational control. C. the leader's level of servant leadership. D. the leader's knowledge of the employee's job. E. ability and motivation of followers.

Q: Which of the following explicitly argues that people have a preferred leadership style based on their personality, so organizations should move leaders into situations that fit their preferred style? A. Path-goal theory B. Transformational leadership C. Implicit leadership perspective D. Leadership competencies perspective E. Fiedler's contingency model of leadership

Q: According to Fiedler's contingency model of leadership: A. everyone has the same capacity to become an effective leader. B. effective leaders are able to change their style to fit the situation. C. the best leadership style depends on the availability of leadership substitutes. D. leader effectiveness depends on whether the person's natural leadership style is appropriately matched to the situation. E. effective leaders vary their style with the ability and motivation (or commitment) of followers.

Q: Telling, selling, participating, and delegating represent the four leadership styles identified in: A. path-goal theory. B. transformational leadership theory. C. leadership competencies theory. D. situational leadership theory. E. implicit leadership theory.

Q: According to the situational leadership theory developed by Hersey and Blanchard, effective leaders should vary their style with the: A. ability and motivation of followers. B. availability of leadership substitutes. C. leader's capacity to engage in participative management. D. leader's integrity, influence, and other traits or competencies. E. leaders' personality and perceptions.

Q: A problem associated with path-goal theory is that: A. it has received less research support than other contingency leadership models. B. some elements of the theory have not yet been investigated. C. it ignores the possibility that the best leadership style depends on the situation. D. it overlooks the two dimensions of leadership identified in the managerial leadership perspective of leadership. E. it ignores team dynamics as a possible contingency of leadership.

Q: Which of the following leadership styles should be used by leaders when team cohesiveness is low? A. Directive B. Supportive C. Participative D. Achievement-oriented E. Authoritative

Q: People with an external locus of control tend to be more satisfied with _____ leadership styles. A. achievement-oriented and directive B. participative and directive C. directive and supportive D. supportive and achievement-oriented E. supportive and participative

Q: According to path-goal theory, a combination of _____ leadership is best for employees who are (or perceive themselves to be) inexperienced and unskilled. A. achievement-oriented and directive B. participative and directive C. directive and supportive D. supportive and achievement-oriented E. supportive and participative

Q: Path-goal theory argues that: A. leadership is relatively unimportant in high-performance organizations. B. participative leadership is the most effective style of leadership. C. supportive leadership is best suited to maximize organizational performance. D. great leaders have certain common personal characteristics and goals. E. effective leaders select the most appropriate behavior based on the situation.

Q: Which of the following leadership styles in path-goal theory is most closely associated with goal-setting and positive self-fulfilling prophecy? A. Directive B. Supportive C. Participative D. Achievement-oriented E. Encouraging

Q: Which of the following leadership styles in path-goal theory is the same as people-oriented leadership? A. Directive B. Supportive C. Participative D. Achievement-oriented E. Telling

Q: Which of the following is a leadership style identified in path-goal theory? A. Achievement-oriented leadership B. Selling leadership C. Transformational leadership D. Emotional intelligence E. Managerial leadership

Q: Which of the following leadership theories or perspectives explicitly includes the participative and the directive styles? A. Competency (trait) perspective B. Transformational leadership theory C. Implicit leadership perspective D. Path-goal theory E. Managerial leadership perspective

Q: Servant leadership emphasizes the notion that: A. employees are paid to serve their leaders. B. leaders should be able to serve the organization by maximizing employee performance. C. employees are servants in the organization, so they should place organizational objectives above their personal needs. D. leaders should serve the organization rather than the society. E. leaders serve followers, rather than vice versa.

Q: According to studies of task- and people-oriented leadership effectiveness, the best leaders: A. Rely on task-oriented behaviors B. Rely on people-oriented behaviors C. Use both task-oriented and people-oriented behaviors D. Research studies do not support any relationship between leader behaviors and leader effectiveness E. Research has not been done on this topic

Q: _____ includes defining and structuring work roles, clarifying employees' work duties and procedures, and pushing employees to reach their performance capacity. A. Achievement-orientation B. Participation-orientation C. Task-orientation D. Transformational-orientation E. People-orientation

Q: _____ leadership includes showing mutual trust and respect for subordinates and having a desire to look out for their welfare. A. Task-oriented B. People-oriented C. Achievement-oriented D. Transaction-oriented E. Participation-oriented

Q: Task-oriented leaders: A. establish challenging goals. B. develop mutual trust and respect for subordinates. C. listen to employees' suggestions. D. do personal favors for employees. E. establish a personal relationship with employees.

Q: Transformational leaders: A. improve the operational efficiency of an organization. B. support the current strategy and ensure that the employees perform tasks more effectively. C. energize and direct employees to a new vision and corresponding behaviors. D. help employees become more proficient and satisfied in the current situation. E. influence employees by negotiating services from them.

Q: Managerial leaders: A. engage in participative leadership. B. build a strategic vision to change the organization. C. support and guide the performance and well-being of individual employees. D. possess all of the competencies of great leaders. E. act as change agents in the organization.

Q: Which of the following is a limitation of the transformational perspective of leadership? A. It focuses too much on how leaders improve organizational efficiency. B. It is typically presented as a universal rather than contingency perspective. C. Transformational leaders are not defined in terms of their success. D. It totally ignores the need for having an organizational change agent. E. Transformational leaders are often judged based on specific behaviors.

Q: Organizational behavior research indicates that transformational leaders produce _____ followers, whereas charismatic leaders produce dependent followers. A. unskilled B. directive C. empowered D. real E. servant

Q: Charisma refers to: A. the personal traits that provide referent power over others. B. the traits that lead to managerial leadership. C. the situational traits that lead to transformational leadership. D. the people-oriented behaviors displayed by individuals. E. any situation where followers attribute positive things to leaders who do not really deserve this credit.

Q: Which of the following refers to "walking the talk"? A. The leader uses metaphors to symbolize the vision to the employees. B. The leader continuously works as a part of a team to know them better. C. The leader provides specific instructions to help employees understand the task requirements. D. The leader steps out and behaves in ways that symbolize the vision. E. The leader continuously analyzes the path that the organization is taking.

Q: _____ represents the heart of transformational leadership. A. Effectiveness B. Charisma C. Operational efficiency D. Strategic vision E. Emotional intelligence

Q: Which leadership theory or perspective adopts the view that leaders are agents of change? A. Transformational leadership perspective B. Path-goal theory C. Implicit leadership perspective D. Managerial perspective E. Leadership substitutes

Q: Which of the following statements is most consistent with the view of shared leadership? A. Shared leadership operates out of one formally assigned position shared by two employees. B. Leaders should share their power and responsibility to avoid self-serving bias among employees. C. Leadership of an organization is broadly distributed rather than assigned to one person. D. For organizations to move from autocratic to democratic institutions, shared leadership must be implemented. E. A team should have more than one leader to perform effectively.

Q: Which of the following is the most accurate definition of leadership? A. Leadership refers to transforming the day-to-day activities of an organization to increase its effectiveness. B. Leadership refers to the personality traits of an individual which makes him or her guide an organization to better performance and effectiveness. C. Leadership refers to the abilities of an individual to act according to the changes in the environment. D. Leadership is influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations. E. Leadership refers to the capabilities of certain individuals to introduce successful changes in organizational performance.

Q: Surveys report that women are rated lower than men on the emerging leadership qualities of coaching, teamwork, and empowering employees.