Question 1

The best indicator of a company's effectiveness is how well it achieves its stated objectives.

Accepted Answer

Any leadership team could set corporate goals that are easy to achieve, yet would put the organization out of business.These goals could also be left in the dust by competitors' more aggressive objectives.Worse still, some goals might aim the organization in the wrong direction.Consequently, goal attainment is not part of organizational effectiveness.

Question 2

Investment portfolio studies suggest that specific OB characteristics are important "positive screens" for selecting companies with the best long-term share appreciation.

Accepted Answer

The bottom-line value of organizational behavior is also supported by investment portfolio studies.These investigations suggest that specific OB characteristics (employee attitudes, work/life balance, performance-based rewards, leadership, employee training and development, and so forth) are important "positive screens" for selecting companies with the best long-term share appreciation.

Question 3

Organizational behavior knowledge is strictly for managers, not for working level employees.

Accepted Answer

A common misunderstanding is that organizational behavior is for managers.Although OB knowledge is critical for effective management, this book pioneered the broader view that the idea in this book are valuable for everyone who works in and around organizations.

Question 4

Studying OB does not make a difference in one's career success.

Accepted Answer

OB does make a difference to one's career success.OB helps us to make sense of and predict the world in which we live.We use OB theories to question our personal beliefs and assumptions and to adopt more accurate models of workplace behavior.

Question 5

In order for something to be called an organization, it must have certain assets such as buildings and equipment.

Accepted Answer

Organizations are groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose.Many organizations exist without either physical walls or government documentation.

Question 6

Studying OB at multiple levels is not recommended as it could lead to perceptual errors.

Accepted Answer

OB researchers systematically study these topics at multiple levels of analysis-namely the individual, the team (including interpersonal), and the organization.

Question 7

A company's success is only mildly influenced by the quality of its CEO.

Accepted Answer

Various studies report that a company's performance is significantly influenced by the quality of its chief executive officer.

Question 8

Three challenges organizations are facing include globalization, increasing workforce diversity, and emerging employment relationships.

Accepted Answer

Three challenges organizations are facing include globalization, increasing workforce diversity, and emerging employment relationships.

Question 9

According to the open systems perspective, most organizations have one working part rather than many sub-components.

Accepted Answer

The open systems perspective states that organizations depend on the external environment for resources, affect that environment through their output, and consist of internal subsystems that transform inputs to outputs.

Question 10

Until the 1930s, most organizational research and practice tried to improve work efficiency by changing working conditions and job duties.Employee thoughts and feelings were ignored and usually considered irrelevant.

Accepted Answer

Until the 1930s, most organizational research and practice tried to improve work efficiency by changing working conditions and job duties.Employee thoughts and feelings were ignored and usually considered irrelevant.

Question 11

Open systems cannot exist without dependence on an external environment, whereas closed systems can exist without dependence on an external environment.

Accepted Answer

Open systems cannot exist without dependence on an external environment, whereas closed systems can exist without dependence on an external environment.The open systems perspective emphasizes the external dependence of organizations.

Question 12

The greatest value of OB knowledge is that it helps us to get things done in the workplace.

Accepted Answer

Probably the greatest value of OB knowledge is that it helps us to get things done in the workplace.By definition, organizations are people who work together to accomplish things, so we need a toolkit of knowledge and skills to work successfully with others.

Question 13

Organizational effectiveness is considered the "ultimate dependent variable" in organizational behavior.

Accepted Answer

Organizational effectiveness is considered the "ultimate dependent variable" in organizational behavior.

Question 14

Organizational behavior encompasses the study of how organizations interact with their external environments.

Accepted Answer

Organizational behavior encompasses the study of how organizations interact with their external environments, particularly in the context of employee behavior and decisions.

Question 15

The "human relations" school of management emphasized the study of employee attitudes and informal group dynamics in the workplace.

Accepted Answer

From the 1920s to the 1940s, Harvard professor Elton Mayo and his colleagues established the "human relations" school of management, which emphasized the study of employee attitudes and informal group dynamics in the workplace.

Question 16

All organizations have a collective sense of purpose, whether it's producing oil or creating the fastest Internet search engine.

Accepted Answer

A key feature of organizations is that its members have a collective sense of purpose.

Question 17

German sociologist Max Weber wrote about rational organizations and systematic ways to organize work processes and motivate employees through goal setting and rewards.

Accepted Answer

German sociologist Max Weber wrote about rational organizations, the work ethic, and charismatic leadership.Soon after, industrial engineer Frederick Winslow Taylor proposed systematic ways to organize work processes and motivate employees through goal setting and rewards.

Question 18

OB knowledge is beneficial not only to an individual, but also to an organization's financial health.

Accepted Answer

OB knowledge is just as important for the organization's financial health.

Question 19

Organizational behavior emerged as a distinct field around the 1940s.Before that, organizations had not been studied at all.

Accepted Answer

Organizational behavior emerged as a distinct field around the early 1940s, but organizations have been studied by experts in other fields for many centuries.

Question 20

The best yardstick of organizational effectiveness is a composite of four perspectives: open systems, organizational learning, high-performance work practices, and stakeholders.

Accepted Answer

The best yardstick of organizational effectiveness is a composite of four perspectives: open systems, organizational learning, high-performance work practices, and stakeholders.Organizations are effective when they have a good fit with their external environment, are learning organizations, have efficient and adaptive internal subsystems (i.e.high-performance work practices), and satisfy the needs of key stakeholders.

Quiz 1: Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behavior

The best indicator of a company's effectiveness is how well it achieves its stated objectives.

Investment portfolio studies suggest that specific OB characteristics are important "positive screens" for selecting companies with the best long-term share appreciation.

Organizational behavior knowledge is strictly for managers, not for working level employees.

Studying OB does not make a difference in one's career success.

In order for something to be called an organization, it must have certain assets such as buildings and equipment.

Studying OB at multiple levels is not recommended as it could lead to perceptual errors.

A company's success is only mildly influenced by the quality of its CEO.

Three challenges organizations are facing include globalization, increasing workforce diversity, and emerging employment relationships.

According to the open systems perspective, most organizations have one working part rather than many sub-components.

Until the 1930s, most organizational research and practice tried to improve work efficiency by changing working conditions and job duties.Employee thoughts and feelings were ignored and usually considered irrelevant.

Open systems cannot exist without dependence on an external environment, whereas closed systems can exist without dependence on an external environment.

The greatest value of OB knowledge is that it helps us to get things done in the workplace.

Organizational effectiveness is considered the "ultimate dependent variable" in organizational behavior.

Organizational behavior encompasses the study of how organizations interact with their external environments.

The "human relations" school of management emphasized the study of employee attitudes and informal group dynamics in the workplace.

All organizations have a collective sense of purpose, whether it's producing oil or creating the fastest Internet search engine.

German sociologist Max Weber wrote about rational organizations and systematic ways to organize work processes and motivate employees through goal setting and rewards.

OB knowledge is beneficial not only to an individual, but also to an organization's financial health.

Organizational behavior emerged as a distinct field around the 1940s.Before that, organizations had not been studied at all.

The best yardstick of organizational effectiveness is a composite of four perspectives: open systems, organizational learning, high-performance work practices, and stakeholders.