LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
Difficulty: Easy
Quest. Category: Concept
35) Samantha Reeves works as a sales manager at Synergy Bank. Explain the nature of tasks she would be performing according to Mintzberg's concept of leadership role.
Answer: The leadership role comprises hiring, training, motivating, and disciplining employees. If Reeves undertakes the leadership role, she would be hiring sales executives and other team members. She would also be training them on product knowledge and motivating them to reach their sales targets. In addition, she would be disciplining employees to follow rules and regulations and the code of conduct of the organization.
LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
AACSB: Analytical thinking
Difficulty: Moderate
Quest. Category: Application
36) According to Mintzberg, how does the monitor role differ from the disseminator role?
Answer: The monitor role involves collecting information from external organizations and institutions, typically by scanning the news media including the Internet, and talking with other people to learn of changes in the public's tastes, what competitors may be planning, and so forth. On the other hand, the disseminator role comprises transmitting information received from outsiders or from other employees to members of the organization.
LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
Difficulty: Moderate
Quest. Category: Synthesis
37) How do Mintzberg's roles of a liaison, spokesperson, and entrepreneur differ from one another? Explain.
Answer: According to Mintzberg's managerial roles, a person with the role of a liaison has an interpersonal role. The role involves maintaining a network of outside contacts who provide favors and information. The role of a spokesperson, on the other hand, is an informational role. It involves transmitting information to outsiders on organization plans, policies, actions, and results. This person serves as an expert on the organization's industry. In contrast, the role of an entrepreneur is a decisional role. It deals with searching organizations and its environment for opportunities and initiating projects to bring about change.
LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
Difficulty: Moderate
Quest. Category: Synthesis
38) What are conceptual skills? How are they different from human skills?
Answer: Conceptual skills comprise the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. The abilities to integrate new ideas with existing processes and innovate on the job are crucial conceptual skills for today's managers. On the other hand, the ability to understand, communicate with, motivate, and support other people, both individually and in groups, defines human skills. For instance, many people are technically proficient, but they are poor listeners. They are unable to understand the needs of others or are weak at managing conflicts. Managers should have good human skills because they need to get tasks done by people.
LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
Difficulty: Moderate
Quest. Category: Synthesis
39) What is organizational behavior?
Answer: Organizational behavior is the study of what people do in an organization and how their behavior affects the organization's performance. It studies three determinants of behavior in organizations: individuals, groups, and structure. In addition, OB applies the knowledge gained about individuals, groups, and the effect of structure on behavior in order to make organizations work more effectively. It is concerned specifically with employment-related situations and thus emphasizes behavior as related to concerns such as jobs, work, absenteeism, employee turnover, productivity, human performance, and management.
LO: 1.2: Define organizational behavior (OB).
Difficulty: Moderate
Quest. Category: Concept
40) Which of the following does systematic study use to look at relationships to attribute causes and effects?
A) intuition
B) feelings
C) data
D) instinct
E) premonition
Answer: C
Explanation: Systematic study looks at relationships to attribute causes and effects, and bases the conclusions on scientific evidence, that is, on data gathered under controlled conditions and measured and interpreted in a reasonably rigorous manner.
LO: 1.3: Show the value to OB of systematic study.
Difficulty: Easy
Quest. Category: Concept
41) Which of the following is true regarding systematic study?
A) It attributes causes and effects based on intuition.
B) It involves supporting decisions based on gut feelings.