Deck 3: Solving Problems

Question 1

With most problems,potential causes and solutions are limited.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The first step in any good problem-solving process is to assess the various possible solutions.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The essence of the fundamental attribution error is people tend to overattribute behavior to external rather than internal causes.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Inquiry skills are aimed at understanding people's mental models.

Question 5

Escalation of commitment is a source of judgment error in problem solving.

Question 6

Confidence estimates,trial and error,and healthy skepticism are tactics used to overcome judgment biases.

Question 7

Intuition should be totally discounted in problem solving in the workplace.

Question 8

A good decision is the same as a good outcome.

Question 9

Patterns are the prevailing assumptions,beliefs,and values that sustain current systems.

Question 10

The self-serving bias is a type of fundamental attribution error.

Question 11

Perfect decision making is a boundedly rational process.

Question 12

Problems,by definition,have a clear solution.

Question 13

The affinity (similarity)diagram is a tool for honing inquiry skills.

Question 14

A manager may solve the wrong problem if the right stakeholders are not included in defining the problem to be solved.

Question 15

Framing problems correctly is difficult since our immediate need is to begin solving the problem.

Question 16

Healthy skepticism leads managers to engage in satisficing.

Question 17

Inference is drawing a conclusion about something we do not know based on things we do know.

Question 18

A manager should delegate a decision to subordinates if the decision outcome is of no significance to the organization and employee commitment does not impact the decision outcome.

Question 19

The "hot hand" in basketball is an example of the confirmation bias.

Question 20

One of the problems with organizational problem solving is that symptoms are more visible than their underlying structure.

Question 21

Many managers have damaged their careers by implementing solutions they knew were incorrect but forged ahead even with this knowledge.

Question 22

Research shows high performance standards usually stifle the creativity of problem solvers by putting undue pressure on them.

Question 23

Risk can present itself in terms of dread,whereby people assume consequences truly are unknown.

Question 24

Equifinality is a condition in which different initial conditions lead to similar effects.

Question 25

Which of the following statements,on the ladder of inference,provides objective data?

A)The invitation said "casual dress." Marx arrived in a tuxedo.
B)As Marx knew the COO would be present,he wanted to make a lasting impression.
C)Marx possibly always tries to be the center of attention.
D)Marx is arrogant.I do not want to be on a project team with him.
E)Marx is an idiot.He cannot even read.

Question 26

Managers can often spot bad decision making in others,but they may fail in identifying their own poor decisions.Psychologists refer to this as:

A)bounded rationality.
B)bias blind spot.
C)synthesis.
D)persuasive justice.
E)satisficing.

Question 27

Brainwriting is superior to brainstorming as a process for generating the highest volume of creative ideas.

Question 28

A disciplined protocol is counterproductive to idea generations from brainstorming sessions.

Question 29

Problem-solving experts agree certain patterns that appear in BOTs can help to identify a systematic problem,one not likely to respond to a quick fix.

Question 30

________________ is a defense against judgment biases.

A)Availability
B)Representativeness
C)Anchoring and adjustment
D)Confirmation
E)Confidence estimate

Question 31

Your cousin Vicky remodeled an old beach house last year.Vicky put on a new roof and shelled the driveway.This year,he needs to upgrade the electricity and replace most of the plumbing.You asked him,"Why don't you just sell?" Vicky waved a stack of invoices in your face and said,"I already put this much money into the place!" This statement is an example of the _______________ type of judgment error.

A)availability
B)escalation of commitment
C)anchoring and adjustment
D)confirmation
E)overconfidence

Question 32

Problem-solving experts agree that some patterns like "boom and bust" cycles that appear in BOTs usually respond to a quick fix.

Question 33

When Jill was asked,she chose cars over stomach cancer as the cause of more U.S.deaths per year.When asked why she chose the wrong answer,she said,"I hear about fatal car accidents every day.I never hear about stomach cancer." Jill's type of judgment error was:

A)availability.
B)representativeness.
C)anchoring and adjustment.
D)confirmation.
E)overconfidence.

Question 34

Less than 1 percent of a group of high students ranked their ability to get along with others below average.This statement is an example of the _______________ type of judgment error.

A)availability
B)representativeness
C)anchoring and adjustment
D)confirmation
E)overconfidence

Question 35

Carl,a corporate recruiter,advises his job applicants to start negotiating salaries from a higher bracket.He suggests this,knowing that the applicant will end up with a higher salary if the hiring employer is susceptible to the judgment error of:

A)availability.
B)representativeness.
C)anchoring and adjustment.
D)confirmation.
E)overconfidence.

Question 36

Research shows focused groups perform better than diverse groups on creative problem-solving tasks.

Question 37

A productive failure is one that is regarded as an opportunity to learn.

Question 38

Should managers rely on intuition in problem solving?

A)Yes.Most people systematically apply intuition to problem solving.
B)No.Feelings have no place in management decision making.
C)Yes.Those who track what they learn can effectively replicate the process in future.
D)No.Those who use an inference ladder are more effective decision makers.
E)Yes.Unconscious biases help people hasten their decision-making process.

Question 39

Zack arrived late for a meeting this morning because there was a 20 -car pile-up on the beltway.Ryan,his manager,assumed Zack overslept because he partied too much last night.Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A)Ryan committed a fundamental attribution error.
B)Zack committed a fundamental attribution error.
C)Zack used the ladder of inference.
D)Zack used the self-serving bias.
E)Ryan used the self-serving bias.

Question 40

Rational problem-solving skills are deficient in most young managers because:

A)most problems are complex,without clear definition.
B)decision making is not needed until middle or executive management ranks.
C)young managers have not yet learned to trust their first instincts.
D)young managers are hesitant to act.
E)effective problem-solving frameworks are too complex in form and concept.

Question 41

John attended a PADIL workshop.He is developing inquiry skills to:

A)improve interpersonal relationships.
B)examine mental models.
C)identify black or white events.
D)minimize risk.
E)understand motivation.

Question 42

Satisficing:

A)results from choosing a wrong decision.
B)is a perfect problem solution.
C)replaces sensitivity in corporate decision making.
D)is a result of bounded rationality.
E)constantly leads to overconfidence.

Question 43

The PADIL approach to problem solving includes five major steps.The first step is identified as:

A)prepare.
B)problem.
C)probability.
D)process.
E)presumption.

Question 44

The PADIL approach addresses the "picking the wrong stakeholders" issue in which step?

A)Problem
B)Alternatives
C)Decide
D)Implement
E)Learn

Question 45

Brainwriting sessions can be improved by:

A)limiting diversity of participants.
B)insisting on literal language,not metaphors.
C)assuming a "perfect world."
D)not giving feedback.
E)no stoppage or reflecting at any time during the session.

Question 46

At a recent management department meeting,faculty were given five Sticky Notes to write down their responses to the question,"What are the possible causes of so many student cuts in class?" After all the Sticky Notes were posted,the chairperson said,"These ten seem to deal with the attendance policy,these five talk about how hard it is to walk from one class to the next in the time allotted between classes,and these ten all say that tests don't cover lecture material." The management department was:

A)using an affinity diagram.
B)creating a black and white fallacy.
C)trying the Swiss Cheese technique.
D)using a BOT chart.
E)conducting an iceberg test.

Question 47

According to Vroom and Yetton,which of the following approaches to problem-solving is most manager-driven?

A)Facilitate
B)Delegate
C)Order
D)Decide
E)Challenge

Question 48

Abraham constructed a weighted rank alternatives table to decide where to go to graduate school.His most important criteria were cost,location,and publication opportunities.His four school choices all were ranked highest on the three criteria.Abraham does not know how to choose.He has reached a condition of:

A)equifinality.
B)overconfidence.
C)anchoring and adjustment.
D)devil's advocacy.
E)satisficing.

Question 49

The question,"How will this change affect other things?" is critical to being effective in problem solving.In the problem framing PADIL step,this refers to a:

A)black or white fallacy test.
B)satisficing sequence.
C)bounded approach.
D)systems approach.
E)rational confidence level.

Question 50

In which step of PADIL are alternatives tables and weighted rankings used?

A)Problem
B)Alternatives
C)Decide
D)Implement
E)Learn

Question 51

Which of the following warnings is a good defense for decision biases?

A)Do not jump to conclusions.
B)Do not listen to advice from your friends.
C)Do not look for nonsupporting evidence.
D)Do not fall prey to confidence estimates and ranges.
E)Do not ignore chance.

Question 52

Francesca Bailey,a hospital administrator,needs to tell the facilities manager what color to paint the break room.The color does not really matter to anyone;staff will use the room no matter what color is used.What should Francesca do?

A)Facilitate
B)Delegate
C)Consult individual
D)Consult group
E)Decide

Question 53

Where does an after action review (AAR)fit into the PADIL approach?

A)Problem
B)Alternatives
C)Decide
D)Implement
E)Learn

Question 54

A shirt manufacturer lost 45 percent of its market share last year.The CEO put together a committee to find out what was wrong.He included office staff and vendors.He did not include any current or former customers.Did the CEO make a mistake?

A)Yes.He did not include key stakeholders.
B)No.That action would slow down the process.
C)Yes.He failed to find the facts.
D)No.That action would narrow the focus.
E)Yes.He should have hired an outside consultant.

Question 55

IDEO,a consulting firm,recommends appointing a team member to make sure the team honors brainstorming rules.Which of the following rules is being recommended?

A)Lots of ideas at once.Interrupt as needed.
B)Defer judgment.Do not dismiss ideas.
C)Constantly evaluate ideas.Say,"but…"
D)Go for quality.Ten ideas in a two-hour session is good enough.
E)Let the conversation go where it will.Do not worry about the original topic.

Question 56

Mental models are ________________________________ that sustain current systems.

A)linear learning functions
B)traditional bureaucratic processes
C)prevailing assumptions,beliefs,and values
D)nonlinear learning patterns
E)standard needs,goals,and expectations

Question 57

Salma asked Lillie,"How did you do in the final assessment?" Lillie responded,"I knew everything!" Salma said,"So you can expect a 100! That will be awesome!" Lillie thought for a moment and said,"Maybe not actually that much of everything.I would say 95 to 100." Lillie curbed Salma's judgment bias by using:

A)a confidence estimate.
B)trial-and-error calibration.
C)healthy skepticism.
D)a defense hedge.
E)a hasty generalization fallacy.

Question 58

The visual of a(n)__________ is helpful in illustrating the systems approach to problem solving.

A)capuchin monkey
B)onion
C)airplane
D)bucket
E)iceberg

Question 59

A CEO,heading a major two-year corporate restructuring,asked a stakeholder group such questions as,"Did you feel included in the process?" and "Were your voices heard throughout the two years?" These questions occur in the "___________" step of the PADIL approach.

A)problem
B)alternatives
C)decide
D)implement
E)learn

Question 60

Morgan is discussing a project rollout with his major suppliers as he begins the "_____________" PADIL stage.

A)problem
B)alternatives
C)decide
D)implement
E)learn

Question 61

Vroom and Yetton noted that a decision maker could involve others on a broad continuum ranging from no involvement to full employee delegation.List the key participation approaches this entails.Also discuss four of the factors that must be addressed before you decide which approach is best.

Question 62

Amy works as a junior HR executive at a retail chain.She has been given the responsibility of organizing walk-in interviews on the day before Thanksgiving.She turns up one hour late that morning because of the unusually high traffic.You are her boss and are trying to determine why she came late.What would your response look like? (Hint: Answer this question in light of the fundamental attribution error)

Question 63

What is bounded rationality? Can you give an example of bounded rationality in play in a decision-making process?

Question 64

Describe three myths of problem solving.

Question 65

Describe two tools available for understanding the scope of a problem.

Question 66

What is PADIL? What are its major steps?

Question 67

What are some useful tactics for avoiding common decision biases?

Question 68

List any three ways in which people solve the wrong problem precisely.

Question 69

Consider the fact that 81 percent of surveyed new business owners thought their business had at least a 70 percent chance of success,but only 39 percent thought that most businesses like theirs would succeed.Describe the bias this example illustrates.

Question 70

During an interview,Harry was asked: "Which of the following causes more deaths per year in the United States,suicide or homicide?" He answered homicide even though suicides lead to more deaths by a ratio of 2:1.What is this kind of bias called? Are there any uses of this kind of bias?

Question 71

You are a student of an organizational behavior (OB)course.You are not entirely convinced that the course content you are being taught is relevant to the real world and would like to see a revision of it.Perform a stakeholder analysis for this issue.

Question 72

Your friend has invited you today evening to his place.Your boss informs you at 4 p.m.that one of your projects is due tomorrow.Consequently,you will have to stay back late and will not be able to go to your friend's place.At 4.30 p.m. ,you see your boss leaving the office.What you do not know is that your boss is going to the airport to pick up a senior director with whom he needs to have dinner later on.Draw a ladder of inference based on this scenario.

Question 73

Give two examples of the representative bias which arise from people's misconceptions about chance.

Question 74

Describe the judgment error of confirmation bias.Why is it important to avoid this bias when solving problems?

Question 75

Give two examples of the judgment error of anchoring and adjustment.