Q&A Hero

Q: Compare and contrast the following sources of leadership: external leadership, participative leadership, and self-leadership.

Q: Discuss what is meant by we all lead ourselves. Does this mean that all leaders effectively lead themselves? If not, what are some of the weaknesses in a self-leadership process that can occur?

Q: If an individual provides the manager suggested goals, expectations, and tasks, there is participative leadership occurring.

Q: We choose what we are and what we become through various self-influence processes.

Q: Self- leadership consists of a process of influence for ourselves towards accomplishing goals.

Q: All influence that an individual experiences comes from influential external leaders.

Q: The concept of self-leadership is primarily derived from research on social cognitive theory and intrinsic motivation theory.

Q: Self-leadership is a comprehensive process of self-influence that only consists of behavioral strategies of influence.

Q: Most leadership literature focuses on influenced exercised by one or more persons over others.

Q: Which of the following are results from engaging in effective self-leadership processes and making choices that are beneficial? a. unhappiness b. discontentment c. wrong work d. motivation

Q: Which of the following is left up to us? a. how we feel b. how we hear verbal messages c. where we work d. all of these

Q: Who is ultimately your leader? a. yourself b. your boss c. your coworkers d. the world

Q: What happens when we use our influence on ourselves? a. participatory leadership b. external leadership c. internal leadership d. shared leadership

Q: Which theory is vicarious learning and symbolic mechanisms for learning and experiencing tasks and events a key part of? a. intrinsic motivation theory b. social role theory c. social cognitive theory d. goal setting theory

Q: The importance on capacity of a person to manage or control oneselfparticularly when faced with difficulty, which theory is important tasks a key component of? a. social cognitive theory b. intrinsic motivation theory c. social impact theory d. social role theory

Q: Which of the following theories have been primarily driving research in self-leadership? a. social cognitive and social role theories b. intrinsic motivation and social role theories c. social role theory d. social cognitive and intrinsic motivation theories

Q: ______ theory recognizes the importance of natural rewards from doing actives that we enjoy. a. Intrinsic motivation b. Social cognitive c. Social role d. Social impact

Q: ______ theory recognizes the adoption and change of human behaviors as a complex process with many parts. a. Intrinsic motivation b. Social cognitive c. Social impact d. Social role

Q: If individuals are engaging in strategic analysis and strategic implementation parts of self-leadership, what parts of self-leadership are they engaging in? a. the what b. the what and how c. the how and why d. the why and how

Q: When engaging in self-leadership strategies, which of the following does a process of self-influence strategies include? a. behavioral strategies b. cognitive strategies c. behavioral and cognitive strategies d. personality strategies

Q: How did Condoleezza Rice demonstrate self-leadership? a. She decided to be a concert pianist. b. She felt she was a failure. c. She was a difficult child. d. She worked hard and learned from her failures.

Q: Self-leadership involves strategies that help individuals understand ______. a. what and why we need to do certain activities b. what, why, and how we need to do certain activities c. why and how we need to do certain activities d. what and how we need to do certain activities

Q: Which of the following can influence self-leadership? a. type of outcome b. culture c. country d. all of these

Q: Which of the following are ways in which individuals can effectively lead themselves? a. focus on positives in work b. be discontent c. give up self-leadership potential to others d. not focusing on what drives their happiness

Q: Having control over your own lives, including where we work and whom we work for, can be known as ______. a. making our own lunch b. picking our path c. deciding our future d. choosing our destiny

Q: All of the following are ways in which you lead yourself, even in highly controlled situations, except for which of the following? a. choosing the order in which tasks are completed b. choosing to set a higher personal goal than what boss expects c. having boss set the order of tasks d. being tough on self for the smallest mistakes

Q: Having little or no control over work can result in ______. a. feeling empowered b. being content at work c. greater risk of coronary disease d. not having to make any decisions

Q: Which of the following represents a situation in which we influence our own behavior? a. low and high control situations b. moderate control situations c. high control situations d. low, medium, and high control situations

Q: Which of the following is an example of self-leadership? a. working with a boss to set goals b. setting self-goals to accomplish c. the boss setting goals d. the boss consulting you before setting goals

Q: Which of the following is not an example of external leadership? a. a manager setting the goals for the next quarter b. a manager working with an employee to set goals for the next quarter c. a manager setting the time periods for which work will be done d. a manager setting the work schedule

Q: Which of the following is not an example of participative leadership? a. a manager and subordinate reaching a shared expectation for sales increase in the next quarter b. a manager telling a subordinate the expectations for sales increases in the next quarter c. a manager and subordinate reaching an expectation of a reward for completing a certain task d. a manager and subordinate discussing how to improve the sales in the next quarter

Q: Which of the following forms of leadership can exert influence over an individuals behavior? a. externally oriented b. participative c. self-leadership d. all of these

Q: The most commonly recognized source of leadership involves influence that leaders exercise over their followers. Which form of leadership is this representative of? a. externally oriented b. participative c. self-leadership d. shared leadership

Q: Which of the following are areas that leadership can originate from? a. external leadership and coworkers b. yourself, external leadership, and the group c. the group d. yourself and coworkers

Q: In which of the following situations do we lead ourselves? a. deciding which methods to use when completing a task b. deciding how to respond to a question c. negating anything we hear and making the communication our own d. all of these

Q: Self-leadership can originate from ______. a. influence over others b. leadership we exercise over ourselves c. power given by authorities d. rewards and punishments

Q: All of the following are key components of the most useful definitions of leadership except ______. a. process of influence b. directing behavior c. involving others d. toward accomplishing goals

Q: Leadership has been conceived in which of the following manners? a. a personality concept b. a form of persuasion c. an instrument of goal achievement d. all of these

Q: Engaging in self-leadership strategies to learn optimism can have direct bearing on success in life areas such as ______. a. work and school b. work and sports c. work, school, and sports d. school and sports

Q: 5. With the increasing importance of teams in the workplace, describe the differences between groupthink and teamthink. How can self-leadership strategies reduce groupthink and increase teamthink?

Q: 4. Explain the basic premise of mental team self-leadership, and how (if it does) it differs from individual level self-leadership. What are the key collective mental strategies, and what does each skill add to mental team self-leadership?

Q: 3. What are the key behavioral team-self-leadership practices, and how do these differ from individual level approaches? Are these aspects of self-leadership ones that can only be applicable at the individual level, the team level, or both? Why?

Q: 2. How do the terms self-leadership and teams not contradict one another? What are the key components of team-self leadership and how do those (if they do) differ from individual self-leadership?

Q: 1. Discuss the role of synergy within a team and how synergy can lead to overall higher performance and greater accomplishments as compared to an individual effort. Provide an example that shows how synergy can be applied to explain why this may lead to greater performance.

Q: To ensure the proficient implementation of strategy in an organization, top-level executives can best achieve this by delegating authority to middle and lower-level managers and by creating a sense of empowerment among employees. True or false? Explain and justify your answer.

Q: Give two examples of "symbolic" culture-changing actions and two examples of "substantive" culture-changing actions.

Q: Identify and briefly discuss four steps that managers can take to change a culture that is out of step with the company's strategy.

Q: The single most visible factor that distinguishes successful culture-change efforts from failed attempts is competent leadership at the top. True or false? Explain and justify your answer.

Q: Briefly identify three types of unhealthy corporate cultures.

Q: What are the five traits of unhealthy cultures?

Q: Identify the characteristics of an unhealthy culture and briefly describe three types of unhealthy cultures that adversely impact the corporate climate and performance.

Q: Identify and briefly explain the two types of healthy cultures and how they aid in good corporate strategy execution.

Q: What are the distinctive features of adaptive corporate cultures?

Q: What are the distinctive features of high-performance corporate cultures?

Q: Identify and discuss the purpose and benefits of closely aligning corporate culture with the requirements for proficient strategy execution.

Q: How can one tell whether a company has a strong or weak corporate culture?

Q: After a company's corporate culture is established, what are four approaches that can be used to perpetuate the culture?

Q: Values and ethical standards not only must be explicitly stated but they also must be deeply ingrained into the corporate culture. True or false? Explain.

Q: A company's corporate culture is grounded in and shaped by its core values and ethical standards and drives a shared commitment to achieve the firm's strategic and financial objectives. True or false? Justify your answer.

Q: Identify and briefly discuss the key features that can be used to describe the corporate culture of a company.

Q: What is meant by the term corporate culture? Why is corporate culture an important factor in implementing and executing strategy?

Q: The task of top executives in making corrective adjustments includes: A. knowing when to continue with the present corporate culture and when to shift to a different and better corporate culture. B. being good at figuring out whether to arrive at decisions quickly or slowly in choosing among the various alternative adjustments. C. thoroughly analyzing the situation and exercising good business judgment in deciding what actions to take. D. deciding whether to try to fix the problems of poor strategy execution or simply shift to a strategy that is easier to execute correctly. E. deciding how to identify the problems that need fixing.

Q: All of the following are examples of leadership actions or managerial practices taken to foster a results-oriented, high-performance culture EXCEPT: A. treating employees as individuals with no regard for their rank or contributions. B. building morale and fostering pride. C. setting stretch objectives and clearly communicating expectations for reaching targets. D. using motivational techniques and compensation incentives to inspire employees. E. using the tools of benchmarking, best practices, business process reengineering, TQM, and Six Sigma to focus attention on continuous improvement.

Q: Which of the following is NOT an example of leadership actions or managerial practices taken to foster a results-oriented, high-performance culture? A. Treating employees as valued partners B. Utilizing people-management practices to build morale and foster pride C. Setting stretch objectives and clearly communicating expectations for reaching targets D. Using motivational techniques and compensation incentives to inspire employees E. Following a must-be-invented-here mindset

Q: The leadership challenges that top executives face in making corrective adjustments when things are not going well include: A. knowing when to replace poorly performing workers and when to do a better job of coaching them to do the right things. B. being able to discern whether to emphasize adjustments that will promote better achievement of strategic performance targets or whether to emphasize adjustments that will promote better achievement of financial performance targets. C. undertaking a thorough analysis of the situation, exercising good business judgment in deciding what actions to take, and then ensuring good implementation of the corrective actions that are initiated. D. having the analytical skills to separate the problems due to a bad strategy from the problems due to bad strategy execution. E. deciding whether the company would be better off making adjustments that curtail the achievement of strategic objectives or that curtail the achievement of financial objectives or that curtail the achievement of some of both.

Q: Which of the following managerial practices is NOT used to lead the effort to foster a results-oriented, high-performance culture? A. Using empowerment to help create a fully engaged workforce B. Making champions out of the people who spearhead new ideas and/or turn in winning performances C. Celebrating individual, group, and company successes D. Treating employees as valued partners in the drive for operating excellence and good business performance E. Placing a premium on not making mistakes, prompting managers to lean toward safe, conservative options intended to maintain the status quo

Q: Which of the following techniques abbreviated as MBWA is utilized by leaders to stay informed on how well the strategy execution process is progressing? A. Managing by walking around B. Managing business with action C. Multi-business warning actions D. Managers being well-advised E. Multi-business walking ahead

Q: When management is leading the drive for good strategy execution and operating excellence, it calls for all of the following actions on their part EXCEPT: A. staying on top of what is happening. B. monitoring progress closely. C. putting constructive pressure on the organization to execute the strategy with excellence. D. establishing a must-be-invented-here mindset. E. empowering rank-and-file employees to act on their own initiative.

Q: Which of the following is NOT one of the leadership roles that senior managers have to play in pushing for good strategy execution and operating excellence? A. Learning the obstacles in the path of good execution and clearing the way for progress B. Being out in the field, seeing how well operations are going C. Being out front personally, leading the execution process and driving the pace of progress D. Weeding out managers who are consistently in the ranks of the lowest performers (the bottom 10 percent) and who are not enthusiastic about the strategy or how it is being executed E. Delegating authority to middle and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward

Q: In leading the push for proficient strategy execution and operating excellence, the roles of top-level managers include all of the following EXCEPT: A. being out in the field and seeing how well operations are going. B. delegating authority to middle and lower-level managers and creating a sense of empowerment among employees to move the implementation process forward. C. gathering information firsthand and gauging the progress being made. D. learning the obstacles in the path of good execution and clearing the way for progress. E. holding periodic ceremonies to honor people who excel in displaying the company values and ethical principles.

Q: Leading the drive for good strategy execution and operating excellence calls upon senior executives to:A. be very personable, effective communicators, and skilled in the empowerment of company personnel.B. personally lead the implementation process and drive the pace of progress.C. delegate little to subordinates and, instead, personally exert a strong, highly visible influence on the company's approaches to strategy execution.D. be creative in establishing policies and procedures that will instill high standards of operating excellence.E. be charismatic, decisive decision-makers, and make inspiring speeches at company events.

Q: Changing a problem culture: A. is never a short-term exercise. B. is always a short-term exercise. C. requires a determined effort by a limited number of employees. D. is usually easier than it is to instill a strategy-supportive culture from scratch. E. can be achieved by an overnight transformation.

Q: Symbolic culture changing actions include all of the following EXCEPT: A. leading by example. B. reinforcing and celebrating culture-change successes. C. praising individuals and groups that exemplify the new desired behavior. D. ensuring top executives' actions match their rhetoric. E. revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change.

Q: The most important symbolic actions are those that top executives take to: A. lead by example. B. lead by influence. C. follow by example. D. follow the majority. E. lead to the contrary.

Q: Which of the following is NOT likely to be an effective management action (making a compelling case to employees) about culture-remodeling efforts that can create a better strategy-culture fit? A. Citing reasons why and how certain behavioral norms and work practices in the current culture pose obstacles to good execution of new strategic initiatives B. Explaining how new behaviors and work practices that are to be introduced and have important roles in the new culture will be more advantageous and produce better results C. Calling upon first-level supervisors and rank-and-file employees to identify cultural barriers to good strategy execution and then to lead the cultural change effort D. Granting pay raises to individuals who step out front, lead the adoption of the desired work practices, display the new-style behaviors, and achieve pace-setting results E. Revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change

Q: Changing a problem culture to create better alignment with strategy generally does NOT involve: A. replacing old-culture managers with new-breed managers. B. designing compensation incentives that boost the pay of teams and individuals who display the desired cultural behaviors and hit change-resisters in the pocketbook. C. altering the company's financial objectives. D. using company gatherings and ceremonial occasions to praise individuals and groups that display the desired new cultural traits and behaviors. E. both symbolic and substantive actions by executives to implant new cultural behaviors.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a substantive culture-changing action that a company's managers can undertake to alter a problem culture? A. Promoting individuals who are known to possess the desired cultural traits, who have stepped forward to advocate the shift to a different culture, and who can serve as role models for the desired cultural behavior B. Appointing outsiders with the desired cultural attributes to high-profile positions C. Screening all candidates for new positions carefully, and hiring only those who appear to fit in with the new culture D. Urging company personnel to search outside the company for work practices and operating approaches that may be an improvement over what the company is presently doing, and paying sizable bonuses to those employees who identify practices that the company ends up adopting E. Designing compensation incentives that boost the pay of teams and individuals who display the desired cultural behaviors and hitting change-resisters in the pocketbook

Q: Which of the following is a substantive culture-changing action that a company's managers can undertake to alter a problem culture? A. Identify aspects of the present culture that pose problems. B. Revise policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change and replace senior executives who are resisting and obstructing needed organizational and cultural changes. C. Empower employees to adopt whatever new work practices they believe will be an improvement. D. Make a concerted effort to turn the company's core competencies into distinctive competencies. E. Shift from decentralized to centralized decision-making so as to give senior executives more authority and control in driving cultural change.

Q: The menu of actions management can take to change problem culture does NOT include which of the following? A. Making a compelling case for why the company's new strategic direction and culture-remodeling efforts are in the organization's best interests and why company personnel should wholeheartedly join the effort to doing things somewhat differently B. Replacing senior executives who are strongly identified with the old culture and who may be stonewalling needed organizational and cultural changes C. Promoting individuals who are known to possess the desired cultural traits, who have stepped forward to advocate the shift to a different culture, and who can serve as role models for the desired cultural behavior D. Revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change E. Shifting from decentralized to centralized decision-making so as to give senior executives more authority and control in driving the cultural change

Q: Which one of the following is NOT an appropriate step management can take to change a problem culture? A. Identifying which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy execution and which ones are not B. Specifying what new actions, behaviors, and work practices should be prominent in the "new" culture C. Appointing a team of key managers and employees to design a plan for cultural change and then lead the internal effort to change the culture D. Talking openly about the problems of the present culture and how new behaviors will improve performance E. Employing visible, forceful actionsboth substantive and symbolicto ingrain a new set of behaviors, practices and cultural norms