Quiz 14: Managing Conflict, Power, and Politics

To grow, change, and survive, an organization must manage both cooperation and competition among stakeholders.

Organizational conflict is the clash that occurs when the goal-directed behavior of one group blocks or thwarts the goals of another.

Organizational conflict is always dysfunctional, because it is an unanticipated or unintended consequence of formal structure and procedures.

Up to a particular level, organizational conflict improves organizational effectiveness.

Pondy's model of organizational conflict consists of four sequential stages.

The first stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict is perceived conflict.

At the latent stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict, no outright conflict exists.

According to Pondy, all organizational conflict arises because vertical and horizontal differentiation lead to the establishment of different organizational subunits with different goals and often different perceptions of how best to realize those goals.

In terms of Thompson's model of technology, the move from reciprocal to sequential to pooled task interdependence between people or subunits increases the degree to which the actions of one subunit directly affect the actions of others.

When task interdependence is high, conflict is likely to occur.

A staff function is directly involved in the production of the organization's products.

At the manifest conflict stage in Pondy's model, each subunit begins to define why the conflict is emerging and to analyze the events that have led up to it.

At the felt conflict stage in Pondy's model, subunits in conflict quickly develop an emotional response toward one another.

"Felt conflict" is the fourth stage in Pondy's model of organizational conflict.

In Pondy's model of organizational conflict, the "manifest conflict" stage comes immediately after the "perceived conflict" stage.

In Pondy's model of organizational conflict, the "felt conflict" stage comes immediately before the "perceived conflict" stage.

"Manifest conflict" is the last stage in Pondy's model of organizational conflict.

Decreasing the level of integration is one major way in which organizations can manage the problem of differences in subunit goals.

Flattening the hierarchy, so that authority relationships are clearly defined, and decentralizing authority can remove a major source of organizational conflict.

Attitudinal structuring is a process of restructuring an organization so as to remove the cause of conflict among subunits.

Organizational power is the ability of one person or group to overcome resistance by others to resolve conflict and achieve a desired objective or result.

When authority is centralized, it is difficult for coalitions to form.

Decentralizing authority to a subordinate does not necessarily reduce a manager's authority.

Empowerment is the deliberate decentralization of authority to encourage subordinates to assume responsibility for organizational activities.

A dominant coalition can often use its power subtly to control the premises behind decision-making. This power is called referent power.

The power possessed by a subunit within a company because of its specialized knowledge is an example of unobtrusive power.

To manage the change process to get conflicts resolved in their favor, individuals, subunits, and coalitions often engage in political activity and behavior to enhance the power and influence they have.

One prime political tactic that an individual or subunit can use to increase power is to become indispensable to the organization.

Indispensability can be achieved by decreasing centrality.

Forming a coalition of managers around an issue that is important to them all is a political tactic managers can use to obtain the power needed to resolve a conflict in their favor.

Co-optation is a particularly important tool in coalition management.

The use of power to influence decision-making is most effective when power is based on specialized knowledge.

Organizational politics is an integral part of decision-making in an organization.

To manage organizational politics and gain its benefits, an organization must establish a balance of power in which alternative views and solutions can be offered and considered by all parties and dissenting views can be heard.

According to Pondy, all organizational conflict arises because ________. A) different organizational subunits have different goals B) the managements aim is to grow the business by investing the profit but shareholders aim is to obtain higher dividends C) of centralized decision-making D) of tall hierarchy of authority

Which of the following is the first stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) felt conflict B) perceived conflict C) latent conflict D) manifest conflict

Pondy's model of organizational conflict consists of ________ sequential stages. A) two B) three C) four D) five

At which of the following stages of Pondy's organizational conflict model there exists no outright conflict? A) manifest conflict B) perceived conflict C) latent conflict D) felt conflict

Which of the following statements is true regarding the "latent conflict" stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) During this stage there exists a potential for conflict. B) The stage of "manifest conflict" comes immediately after this stage. C) Fighting and open aggression are common during this stage. D) This stage comes immediately after the stage of "felt conflict."

Which of the following is an example of a line function in an organization that produces toys for children? A) R&D B) manufacturing C) accounting D) purchasing

According to Thompson's model of technology, which of the following types of task interdependence among subunits is most likely to lead to a conflict? A) sequential task interdependence B) associative task interdependence C) pooled task interdependence D) reciprocal task interdependence

In an organization, people in line functions view themselves as the critical organizational resource and people in staff functions as secondary players. Acting on this belief, the line function constantly uses its supposedly lofty status as the producer of goods and services to justify putting its interests ahead of the other functions' interests. Based on this information, the organization is at which stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) manifest conflict B) conflict aftermath C) felt conflict D) latent conflict

In which of the following situations is the potential for conflict is highest in an organization? A) The organization has low vertical and horizontal differentiation. B) Subunits in the organization are highly interdependent. C) Resources are assigned to subunits by top-management so there is no competition among subunits for resources. D) Subunits in the organization have similar goals.

In Pondy's model of organizational conflict, which of the following stages comes immediately after "latent conflict"? A) felt conflict B) perceived conflict C) manifest conflict D) conflict aftermath

In which stage of Pondy's model do subunits begin to try and define why conflict is occurring and analyzing the events that led up to the conflict? A) latent conflict B) perceived conflict C) manifest conflict D) conflict aftermath

A production department in a company has been experiencing several production problems for the past few months. When production managers investigate, they discover that materials management always buys inputs from the lowest-cost sources of supply and makes no attempt to develop the kind of long-term relationships with suppliers that can raise the quality and reliability of inputs. At which stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict is the company in? A) latent conflict B) perceived conflict C) conflict aftermath D) manifest conflict

Which of the following statements is true regarding the "perceived conflict" stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) It is the first stage in Pondy's model of organizational conflict. B) This stage comes immediately after the "manifest conflict" stage. C) At this stage conflict is resolved in a way that leaves subunits feeling cooperative. D) The "felt conflict" stage comes immediately after this stage.

In which stage of Pondy's model do subunits respond emotionally to each other, and develop polarized attitudes such as "us versus them" that puts the blame for the conflict squarely on the other subunit? A) latent conflict B) perceived conflict C) felt conflict D) conflict aftermath

Which of the following is the third stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) latent conflict B) perceived conflict C) felt conflict D) manifest conflict

A production manager agrees in a meeting to modify an order for the sales department, but then ignores the request later because of the ongoing conflict between the two departments. This passive aggressive type of behavior occurs in which stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) expressed conflict B) perceived conflict C) manifest conflict D) conflict aftermath

Which of the following stages in Pondy's model of organizational conflict comes immediately after the "felt conflict" stage? A) latent conflict B) perceived conflict C) conflict aftermath D) manifest conflict

In the ________ stage of Pondy's model, one subunit gets back at another subunit by attempting to thwart its goals. A) felt conflict B) perceived conflict C) manifest conflict D) conflict aftermath

Which of the following statements is true regarding the "manifest conflict" stage of Pondy's model? A) This stage comes immediately after the "latent conflict" stage. B) At this stage conflict is only perceived and there exists no outright conflict. C) The "felt conflict" stage comes immediately after this stage. D) Passive aggression occurs at this stage.

Which of the following is most likely to occur once the conflict reaches the manifest stage? A) equal distribution for resources among the conflicting subunits B) decentralization of decision-making C) increase in vertical and horizontal differentiation D) communication breakdown

A manufacturing department refuses to cooperate with a sales department because they had a big fight last month. Based on this information, the conflict between the two departments is at what stage of the Pondy's model of organizational conflict? A) conflict aftermath B) manifest conflict C) felt conflict D) perceived conflict

The method an organization chooses to manage conflict depends on the ________. A) tallness of the organizational hierarchy B) source of the problem C) property rights given to the employees D) extent of horizontal differentiation within the organization

Which of the following actions taken by an organization is most likely to avoid organizational conflict? A) increasing the level of integration B) making the hierarchy of authority taller by introducing additional levels of authority C) using centralized decision-making D) increasing the level of horizontal differentiation

Attitudinal structuring is a process ________. A) of firing people who are trying to thwart organizational goals B) designed to encourage the perception that conflicting parties are on the same side C) of changing the structure of the organization so as to remove the source of conflict D) that involves a third-party negotiator to moderate a dispute between subunits or stakeholders

Which of the following is one of the ways of managing conflict through attitude change? A) conducting employee wellness programs B) rotating employees among subunits C) using the 360 degrees appraisal procedure for performance evaluation D) centralizing decision-making authority

Which of the following is most likely to determine the kind of decisions that will be selected to resolve an organizational conflict? A) standard practices followed in the industry in which the organization operates B) possession of organizational power C) the marketing strategy followed by the organization D) the performance evaluation procedures used by the organization

Which of the following types of power is most likely to be possessed by a CEO of an organization? A) nonsubstitutability B) referent power C) authority D) expert power

Which of the following is most likely to occur in an organization with centralized authority? A) Employees take up more responsibilities. B) Subordinates compete to ingratiate themselves with top managers for receiving favor. C) Several coalitions are formed within the organization. D) Employees are empowered to make decisions.

Which of the following statements about authority is true? A) When authority is centralized, there is generally more scope for people to engage in behaviors aimed at gaining power. B) Once the authority is decentralized to a subordinate by a manager, then the manager does not bear the consequences of the subordinate's failure. C) When authority is centralized in an organization, employees take more responsibilities and are more likely to initiate new actions. D) Decentralizing authority to a subordinate does not necessarily reduce a manager's authority.

Which of the following terms refers to the deliberate decentralization of authority to encourage subordinates to assume responsibility for organizational activities? A) social loafing B) empowerment C) co-optation D) attitudinal structuring

"Gatekeepers" have power stemming from ________. A) authority B) expertise C) nonsubstitutability D) control over information

Rick is the only person in the finance department who knows how to fix the computer when it breaks down. The source of Rick's power is ________. A) control over resources B) control over the premises of decision-making C) authority D) nonsubstitutability

Which of the following terms refers to the power possessed by the people and subunits that control the flow of resources through an organization's production system? A) centrality B) co-optation C) nonsubstitutability D) referent power

The power possessed by a set of managers who form a "partnership" and use their combined power secretively to influence the decision-making process in ways that favor their interests is called ________ power. A) referent B) unobtrusive C) expert D) nonsubstitutable

Which of the following is an example of unobtrusive power? A) the power possessed by a CEO of a company B) the power possessed by a subunit within a company because of its specialized knowledge C) the power possessed by a dominant coalition to influence the decision-making process in its favor D) the power possessed by a person because of his or her ability to control the distribution of resources

Organizational politics consists of activities taken within organizations to ________. A) decentralize the decision-making authority B) improve the ability of the organization to innovate C) acquire, develop, and use power D) implement total quality management

A manager obtains an assignment that brings him into contact with many managers and many functions so that he can obtain information that can be used to make him and his function nonsubstitutable. Which of the following political tactics is being used by this manager? A) using unobtrusive power B) creating a coalition C) controlling the agenda D) increasing centrality

Jane works for a manufacturing plant that has been under pressure to reduce pollution. Jane increased her knowledge of environmental laws in order to help the company follow waste disposal laws. Which of the following political tactics is being used by Jane? A) co-optation B) increasing control over resources C) increasing nonsubstitutability D) controlling the agenda

A subunit within an organization can increase its power by ________. A) building and managing coalitions B) decreasing its nonsubstitutability C) empowering its members D) decreasing its centrality

A coalition is ________. A) often built around trade-offs B) a task relationship C) a way to delegate authority D) formed to decrease centrality

Manager A supports Manager B on an issue of interest to B in return for B supporting A an issue of interest to A. These managers are ________. A) decreasing nonsubstitutability B) creating a situation that is most likely to result in conflict C) creating a coalition D) attempting to obtain referent power

Co-optation is a way to ________. A) empower employees B) manage coalitions C) decrease nonsubstitutability D) decentralize authority

The use of power to influence decision-making is most effective when power is ________. A) based on nonsubstitutability B) unobtrusive C) based on expertise D) referent

Controlling the agenda is way of ________. A) decentralizing decision-making B) forming a coalition C) influencing decision-making D) empowering employees

To manage organizational politics and gain its benefits, an organization must ________. A) centralize decision-making authority at the top-management level B) use a tall hierarchy of authority C) establish a balance of power in which alternative views and solutions can be offered D) use the 360 degrees appraisal system for performance evaluation

An organization's ability to obtain the benefits of politics depends on the assumption that ________. A) resources are being allocated to subunits on the basis of their performance B) strong property rights are given to all the employees C) power flows to those who can be of most help to the organization D) all the employees are satisfied with their jobs

Define "organizational conflict."

Describe the significance of organizational conflict.

What are the various potential sources of conflict between subunits?

Explain the "perceived conflict" stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict.

Explain the "manifest conflict" stage of Pondy's model of organizational conflict.

Describe the conflict resolution strategies that can be implemented at the organizational structure level.

Define organizational power.

List the various sources of power.

What are the various political tactics that individuals and subunits use to obtain the power they need to achieve their goals and objectives?

Discuss the costs and benefits of organizational politics.