Deck 3: Decision Making Problem Solving and Ethics

Question 1

A supervisor's decision always contains an element of uncertainty.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Span of management is the number of decisions a manager can make in one day.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Supervisors are, first and foremost, "fixers."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

When solving a problem, it is important to identify the factors causing the problem.

Question 5

Even if an outcome is inevitable, a decision is always needed.

Question 6

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) helps identify a group's problem-solving style.

Question 7

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people who rely on intuition tend to be patient and realistic.

Question 8

Handling a severe accident warrants a programmed decision.

Question 9

Determining whether a decision is achieving results involves the control function of management.

Question 10

Whom to promote to a supervisory position is an unprogrammed decision.

Question 11

Decision making is considering and selecting a course of action from among alternatives.

Question 12

Sometimes policies, procedures, and rules provide information that affect a decision.

Question 13

Managers must make decisions whenever they perform any of the five management functions-planning, organizing, staffing, controlling, and leading.

Question 14

A situation that is viewed as a source of anxiety or distress can best be called an opportunity.

Question 15

Supervisors must make more decisions more frequently-and often more quickly-than other managers.

Question 16

Every effective supervisor must be a good detective.

Question 17

In a cost/benefit analysis, a supervisor evaluates what each alternative will cost in terms of financial resources alone.

Question 18

Decision makers attempt to minimize the possibility of risk by not attempting to forecast outcomes or variables.

Question 19

Programmed decisions are decisions that occur infrequently and require a different response each time.

Question 20

Joan reported late for work on several occasions this week. In handling this situation, her supervisor Jim will probably use a programmed decision.

Question 21

Which of the following is true of managers?

A) Top managers must make more decisions more often.
B) Supervisors direct employees' behavior toward achieving their own goals.
C) Employees look to top managers for more direction, guidance, and protection than do subordinates of managers at lower levels.
D) The lower the level of management, the smaller the span of management.

Question 22

Which of the following is true of the elements involved in decision making?

A) In many supervisory situations, no decision is needed, and decision making would be in vain.
B) A supervisor's decision making is oriented towards the present only and should never contain an element of uncertainty.
C) Decision making involves an unconscious process of selection.
D) The decision to do nothing is always the best decision for a supervisor, because it it is always best to let the top management to make decisions.

Question 23

Brainstorming is a process that is used as a technique to foster creative problem solving.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of decision making?

A) If a given event is inevitable, a decision need not be made.
B) Decisions should never contain an element of uncertainty.
C) The possibility of doing nothing is not an alternative in the decision making process.
D) A decision is made only when there is a single solution to a problem.

Question 25

Synergy means that the whole is less than the sum of the parts.

Question 26

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator measures four dichotomies of personality types.

Question 27

The autocratic style is the only style that the Vroom-Yetton model describes.

Question 28

A _____ is one which is routine and repetitive.

A) non-programmed decision
B) linear decision
C) programmed decision
D) reflexive decision

Question 29

Fluency is the ability to let ideas flow out of your head like water over a waterfall.

Question 30

The Vroom-Yetton model provides guidelines on the extent to which subordinates are involved in decision making or problem solving.

Question 31

A non-programmed decision:

A) is routine and repetitive.
B) is the decision taken by a supervisor when a given situation is inevitable.
C) requires different responses each time.
D) is handled by supervisors in a systematic way as it requires the same response each time.

Question 32

The lower the level of management, _____.

A) the wider the manager's span of management
B) the less frequently the manager needs to make decisions
C) the lesser the managers spend time interacting with their subordinates
D) the higher the manager's authority

Question 33

The highest level of ethical behavior is the legal level, adhering to the "law of the land."

Question 34

Ethics are the standards that are used to judge rightness or wrongness of a person's behavior toward others.

Question 35

The _____ is the number of immediate employees a supervisor can supervise effectively.

A) span of organization
B) span of management
C) span of leadership
D) span of decision making

Question 36

The Crawford Slip technique makes use of two elements that are important to creativity: fluency and leniency.

Question 37

The decision about how frequently to do maintenance servicing is an example of a:

A) single-use decision.
B) programmed decision.
C) reflexive decision.
D) non-programmed decision.

Question 38

The nominal group technique is structured and generates ideas through round-robin individual responses.

Question 39

_____ is best defined as the conscious consideration and selection of a course of action from among available alternatives.

A) Creative planning
B) Decision making
C) Scenario planning
D) Balancing

Question 40

If there is only one alternative, _____.

A) the rank-and-file employees make the decision for the whole organization
B) it is best for the supervisor to take no action against the problem
C) no decision to needs to be made.
D) the outcome is always undesirable.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is true of problem solving?

A) The golden rule of management is that a supervisor should always consider a problem as an opportunity.
B) Decision making is unrelated to problem solving.
C) Effective supervisors analyze problems, and solve them by eliminating their causes.
D) Placing greater emphasis on problems can help a supervisor to identify opportunities.

Question 42

Why do supervisors need to make decisions more frequently than other managers?

Question 43

According to Myers and Briggs, people who rely primarily on _____ tend to be patient, practical, and realistic.

A) sensing
B) thinking
C) intuition
D) feeling

Question 44

According to the Crawford Slip technique, _____ is the ability to use free association to generate or classify ideas in categories.

A) fluency
B) tactility
C) flexibility
D) synergy

Question 45

_____ is one of the two elements of the Crawford Slip technique.

A) Fluency
B) Rigidity
C) Responsibility
D) Synergy

Question 46

Discuss how decision making relates to the five management functions.

Question 47

Following up on decision making involves exercising the management function of:

A) downsizing.
B) centralizing.
C) leading.
D) controlling.

Question 48

A fire accident just occurred in the department that Tom supervises. Which type of decision must Tom make in the given situation?

A) A non-programmed decision
B) An opportunity decision
C) A programmed decision
D) A repetitive decision

Question 49

When a supervisor solves a problem or makes the decision himself, using the information available to him, he is using the _____.

A) autocratic approach
B) group concensus approach
C) consultative approach
D) optimum decision style

Question 50

_____ are the standards used to judge the "rightness" or "wrongness" of one person's behavior toward others.

A) Policies
B) Objectives
C) Rules
D) Ethics

Question 51

_____ is used to select the preferred alternative once the alternatives have been developed and information about them has been collected.

A) A Gantt chart
B) A cost/benefit analysis
C) A PERT chart
D) The critical path method

Question 52

In deciding between two alternatives, the supervisor should choose the one that:

A) gives the greatest payoff at the lowest cost.
B) gives the greatest payoff at the highest cost.
C) gives the least payoff at the lowest cost.
D) gives the least payoff at the highest cost.

Question 53

The last step in the decision-making process is:

A) selecting the preferred alternative.
B) implementing the decision.
C) following up and evaluating decisions.
D) evaluating and interpreting alternatives.

Question 54

According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, people who prefer _____ are skillful in dealing with matters that require logic, objectivity, and careful examination of facts.

A) feeling
B) intuition
C) thinking
D) sensing

Question 55

Improving an already effective preventive maintenance system is an example of:

A) a non-programmed decision.
B) opportunity decision making.
C) problem solving.
D) an organizational policy.

Question 56

_____ means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

A) Synergy
B) Energy
C) Fluency
D) Equity

Question 57

Which of the following is TRUE about the nominal group technique?

A) Round-robin responses are used in this technique.
B) All responses are expressed verbally in this technique.
C) It is a non-structured technique.
D) It inhibits creativity.

Question 58

_____ is a good technique to use to generate a full set of alternatives.

A) Marketing
B) Testing the communication systems
C) Brainstorming
D) Checking out office rumors

Question 59

According to Myers and Briggs, people who prefer _____ tend to be successful in applying skills in interpersonal and human relations.

A) thinking
B) sensing
C) feeling
D) intuition

Question 60

The first step in the decision making process is to:

A) provide feedback.
B) define the problem.
C) select alternatives for the problem.
D) develop alternatives for the problem.

Question 61

What role do ethics play in the decision process?

Question 62

Define decision making and give an example.

Question 63

What does the cost/benefit analysis entail?

Question 64

Describe the four internal dimensions of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and some of the characteristics of the people who demonstrate each dimension.

Question 65

List and discuss the six steps in the decision-making process.

Question 66

Differentiate between programmed and non-programmed decisions, and give an example of each.

Question 67

Describe the two elements that are important in achieving creativity in the Crawford Slip technique.

Question 68

Describe what brainstorming is used for and the four guidelines that are part of this technique.