Question 1

The intrapreneur is an employee who takes responsibility for pushing an innovative idea, product, or process through an organization.

Accepted Answer

An intrapreneur is an employee who takes ownership of an innovative idea, product or process within their organization and drives it forward. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 2

The span of control is the number of subordinates who report directly to one manager.

Accepted Answer

The span of control refers to the number of subordinates directly reporting to one manager.

Question 3

Among an ad hoc committee, a standing committee, and a task force, only a standing committee is relatively permanent.

Accepted Answer

An ad hoc committee is formed for a specific purpose and is disbanded once its goal is achieved. A task force is also temporary and is typically created to address a specific issue or problem. A standing committee, on the other hand, is ongoing and has a more permanent role within an organization or group.

Question 4

Bob McKinsey, a plant supervisor at a Saturn production facility, is responsible for making sure that his plant produces a specific number of automobiles per day, thus ensuring that the company reaches its production quota.Bob's position is an example of a staff management position.

Accepted Answer

Bob's position is a line management position, as he is responsible for the production of the automobiles, which is part of the company's main operations or "line" of business. Staff management positions, on the other hand, are responsible for supporting the line management and ensuring the smooth functioning of various departments, such as HR, finance, IT, etc.

Question 5

A task force is a committee responsible for investigating a major problem or pending decision.

Accepted Answer

A task force is a group of people appointed to investigate a particular problem or issue and make recommendations.

Question 6

The span of management plays a direct role in determining the organization's height.

Accepted Answer

The span of management refers to the number of subordinates that a manager can efficiently and effectively manage. A wider span of management typically results in fewer management levels, which leads to a flatter organizational structure and a shorter organizational height.

Question 7

Another term used to refer to a formal organization's network of communication is grapevine.

Accepted Answer

The term "grapevine" refers to the informal communication network within an organization, not the formal organization's network of communication.

Question 8

An informal organization can be shown on a formal organization chart.

Accepted Answer

An informal organization refers to the relationships and interactions that exist among employees outside of the formal structure of an organization. It cannot be shown on a formal organization chart that typically displays the official reporting relationships and hierarchy within a company.

Question 9

In a flat organization, administrative costs are higher because more managers are needed.

Accepted Answer

In a flat organization, there are fewer layers of management, typically only one or two. This means that administrative costs are generally lower compared to a hierarchical organization where multiple managers are needed at different levels.

Question 10

When the matrix structure is used, employees report to more than one supervisor.

Accepted Answer

In a matrix structure, employees report to both a functional manager and a project or product manager, so they have multiple supervisors.

Question 11

A line management position is created to provide support, advice, and expertise to someone who is in the chain of command.

Accepted Answer

A line management position is part of the chain of command and is responsible for directly overseeing and managing employees, not just providing support or advice.

Question 12

When a manager has few subordinates, a narrow span of management exists.

Accepted Answer

A narrow span of management means that a manager has fewer subordinates to manage.

Question 13

The human resources department of Baxter International distributes an employee manual that includes a thorough description of the responsibilities of each position within the firm.This helps to decrease line-staff conflicts.

Accepted Answer

Providing clear job descriptions can help reduce confusion and misunderstandings between different levels of employees, and ultimately decrease conflicts.

Question 14

The inner rites, rituals, heroes, and values of a firm make up its corporate culture.

Accepted Answer

Corporate culture encompasses the shared beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and practices of an organization, including its rites, rituals, heroes, and values.

Question 15

Cross-functional teams are not very effective structures to use when developing a new product or service.

Accepted Answer

Cross-functional teams are designed specifically for situations such as developing a new product or service. By bringing together individuals with different areas of expertise and perspectives, cross-functional teams can create more innovative solutions and overcome potential obstacles more effectively. Therefore, they can be very effective structures to use for new product or service development.

Question 16

Companies like Southwest Airlines and Saturn attribute a great deal of their success to their strong corporate cultures, which is inaccurate.In reality, research has determined that, over time, corporate culture has only a marginal influence on firm performance.

Accepted Answer

Research and case studies, including those of Southwest Airlines and Saturn, have shown that strong corporate cultures can significantly contribute to a company's success by enhancing employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and operational efficiency, which in turn can lead to improved firm performance.

Question 17

Target has several layers of management in between the entry-level management position and CEO.This implies that the span of management for each manager is relatively narrow and the organizational height of Target is tall.

Accepted Answer

This statement suggests that Target has a steep organizational hierarchy with multiple levels of management, resulting in a narrow span of control for managers.

Question 18

A bureaucratic structure is a management system based on a formal framework of authority that is carefully outlined and precisely followed.

Accepted Answer

A bureaucratic structure is characterized by clear roles and responsibilities, a hierarchical chain of command, formal rules and procedures, and standardized processes. This type of structure is commonly found in government organizations and large corporations, where a high degree of order and control is necessary.

Quiz 7: Creating a Flexible Organization