Free Master of Engineering Management Leadership And Organizational Behavior Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following response options is a concrete illustration of the ingratiation power tactic?
- You agree to babysit for a friend who needs to leave town for a funeral on your weekend off because of the years of friendship you've shared together.
- A neighbor asks to borrow your drill, and you agree because they have loaned you their table saw on a few occasions.
- An insurance agent convinces you to upgrade your insurance coverage by explaining why it can save you money over several years.
- You're walking down the street and a stranger tells you that you look like an intelligent person, then asks if you would sign their petition. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: You're walking down the street and a stranger tells you that you look like an intelligent person, then asks if you would sign their petition.
Ingratiation is a power tactic that involves using flattery, praise, or friendly behavior to make someone like you, thereby increasing your influence over them. In option D, the stranger uses a compliment ('you look like an intelligent person') to build rapport and create a positive impression before making a request. This attempt to gain favor and influence through charm is a classic example of ingratiation.
Question 2: A leader is striving to ____ employee ____ when they provide a clear vision for the business, inspire workers, mentor them through the job process, and foster a positive work environment.
- Influence; behavior (Correct answer)
- Create; goals
- Update; attitudes
- Change; skills
Correct answer: Influence; behavior
Leadership fundamentally involves influencing others to achieve organizational goals. By providing a clear vision, inspiring, mentoring, and fostering a positive environment, a leader aims to shape and direct employee behavior in ways that align with the company's objectives. While leaders might also create goals, update attitudes, or change skills, the overarching purpose of these actions is to influence the desired behaviors and performance of their team.
Question 3: In her position as manager of the post-production crew at a film company, Marcie is skilled at getting things done. Her team members respect her depth of industry knowledge and comply with her requests. But lately, someone asked for time off due to a family member's illness, and Marcie grew irate, telling the worker she couldn't believe they would ask at such a busy time. What specific area could Marcie work on?
- Coercive power
- Legitimacy
- Emotional intelligence (Correct answer)
- Expert power
Correct answer: Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence involves understanding and managing one's own emotions, as well as recognizing and influencing the emotions of others. Marcie demonstrates strong expert power and task orientation but lacks empathy and self-management in her reaction to the employee's personal situation. Her inability to handle her frustration appropriately and respond with understanding indicates a need to develop her emotional intelligence, particularly in areas like empathy and emotional regulation.
Question 4: Without a formal title, a person can become a leader in business if they have the aptitude to ____ and ____ followers.
- Command; influence
- Motivate; inspire (Correct answer)
- Direct; support
- Inspire; direct
Correct answer: Motivate; inspire
Informal leadership often emerges from an individual's ability to influence others through their personal qualities and actions, rather than formal authority. The capacity to motivate and inspire others is crucial for this. By motivating, they encourage action, and by inspiring, they instill enthusiasm and commitment, drawing people to follow their lead even without a designated leadership title.
Question 5: Imagine that chocolate is suddenly more difficult to find. This resource, which is in high demand among customers, cannot be replaced by any other materials that are currently known. What is expected to occur as a result of this situation?
- Those in possession of chocolate will have less power because chocolate is scarce and people will learn to live without it.
- Chocolate becomes non-substitutable as a direct result of being scarce.
- Chocolate will immediately decline in importance as a result of its scarcity.
- Those in possession of chocolate will likely become more powerful. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Those in possession of chocolate will likely become more powerful.
This scenario illustrates the concept of resource dependence and power dynamics. When a resource is scarce, in high demand, and non-substitutable, those who control access to it gain significant power. The scarcity increases its value, and the lack of alternatives means others are dependent on those who possess it, thereby enhancing their influence and bargaining position.
Question 6: Which of the following represents informal power the best?
- A mid-level manager decides to hire an additional employee to meet the demands of increased sales.
- A company owner makes the decision to implement a new flexible work schedule policy and communicates this through a company-wide webinar.
- An executive-level manager is given the responsibility of opening a new company location in another country and receives a pay increase to do so.
- A front-line employee encourages fellow employees to take a lunch break, rather than skipping it, in order to maintain their productivity throughout the afternoon. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: A front-line employee encourages fellow employees to take a lunch break, rather than skipping it, in order to maintain their productivity throughout the afternoon.
Informal power stems from personal attributes, expertise, or relationships, rather than a formal position or title. In option D, a front-line employee, without official authority, influences their peers' behavior through persuasion and concern for their well-being and productivity. Options A, B, and C all describe actions taken by individuals in formal management roles, exercising their legitimate power.
Question 7: Which of the following represents informal power the best?
- A company owner notices how the economy is impacting their bottom line and calls a meeting to discuss the situation with top-level managers.
- An employee requests vacation time during a busy period of the year for the department.
- A manager notices a fellow manager doing an excellent job and tells their mutual supervisor about this good work. (Correct answer)
- An employee is found to have violated a company policy on multiple occasions despite warnings in the past for this behavior.
Correct answer: A manager notices a fellow manager doing an excellent job and tells their mutual supervisor about this good work.
Informal power is often exercised through personal influence and relationships, rather than formal authority. In option C, a manager uses their personal credibility and relationship with a mutual supervisor to positively influence the perception and potential recognition of a peer. This act of advocacy, not tied to their formal duties, demonstrates informal power through networking and social capital.
Question 8: A corporation is planning to split its customer service division into two separate departments: customer account support and technical support. Customer service department manager is opposed to the change, but no one has paid attention to his worries. Which of the following responses to this situation would MOST likely be considered respectable politics?
- The manager develops a report that details the problems that will result from the department division and some potential solutions to the problems if the split happens. (Correct answer)
- The manager tries to sabotage the change by telling employees to put less effort into the job once the change happens to help the company see it was a bad idea.
- The manager asks employees to form a group to go to upper management and complain about the split.
- The manager anticipates the challenges that will be caused by the split and writes a memo that is distributed to the whole department to try to persuade everyone to oppose the split.
Correct answer: The manager develops a report that details the problems that will result from the department division and some potential solutions to the problems if the split happens.
Respectable organizational politics involves using influence tactics in a constructive and ethical manner to achieve desired outcomes, often by providing well-reasoned arguments and solutions. Option A demonstrates this by presenting a detailed, fact-based report that not only highlights potential issues but also offers solutions. This approach is professional and aims to inform decision-makers, contrasting with the manipulative or disruptive tactics described in the other options.
Question 9: Which of these claims applies to the interaction between managers and subordinates?
- Subordinates will follow managers because of their job description and title.
- All of these answers are correct. (Correct answer)
- Managers are accountable for themselves as well as the behavior and performance of their employees.
- Managers' main objectives are ensuring efficiency and getting results through systems, processes, procedures, controls and structure.
Correct answer: All of these answers are correct.
This question covers fundamental aspects of the manager-subordinate relationship. Managers hold formal authority, meaning subordinates are expected to follow due to their job roles and titles. Managers are also inherently accountable for their team's performance and behavior, not just their own, and a core function is to achieve organizational goals efficiently through systems and processes. All options accurately describe key facets of this interaction, making 'All of these answers are correct' the right choice.
Question 10: How can a leader lose influence?
- If the leader takes his/her position too seriously and devotes too much time to it
- If the leader is too personally invested in his/her cause
- If the leader takes the time to invest in his/her followers
- If the leader fails to motivate and inspire his/her followers (Correct answer)
Correct answer: If the leader fails to motivate and inspire his/her followers
A leader's influence is primarily derived from their ability to guide, motivate, and inspire their followers towards a common vision or goal. If a leader cannot effectively engage and energize their team, their capacity to influence decisions and actions diminishes significantly. Failing to motivate directly undermines the essence of leadership influence, making it the most direct way a leader can lose impact.
Question 11: How do roles of informal and formal leadership differ?
- Authoritative influence is more important in informal leadership roles
- Motivating employees is more important in formal leadership roles
- Charismatic appeal is far more important in formal leadership roles
- Personality traits are more important in informal leadership roles (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Personality traits are more important in informal leadership roles
Formal leadership roles are defined by official titles and delegated authority within an organizational structure. In contrast, informal leadership emerges from an individual's personal qualities, expertise, and ability to influence others through charisma, respect, or strong interpersonal skills, rather than official power. Therefore, personality traits like trustworthiness, empathy, and persuasiveness are crucial for establishing and maintaining influence in informal leadership capacities.
Question 12: During a particularly demanding open enrollment, the membership agents of a health insurance business have been working hard. Because of _____, the management decides to host a catered lunch for the staff.
- it would build morale by helping them forget all of their personal and work stresses
- it's a gesture of appreciation for their hard work, which helps build morale (Correct answer)
- it's an opportunity to remind employees of one of the benefits of working there
- food always brings employees closer together and gives them energy to work even harder
Correct answer: it's a gesture of appreciation for their hard work, which helps build morale
Providing a catered lunch after a demanding period is a common and effective way for management to show appreciation for employees' extra effort. This gesture acknowledges their hard work and sacrifices, making employees feel valued and recognized. Such recognition directly contributes to boosting morale, fostering a positive work environment, and reinforcing a sense of loyalty and commitment among the staff.
Question 13: The following statements regarding power are all accurate EXCEPT for:
- A leader and someone in authority can have power
- Power can be formal or informal
- A king and a secretary are examples of people with power
- Power can never be abused (Correct answer)
- Power can be used to influence others
Correct answer: Power can never be abused
Power, by its very nature, is the capacity to influence or control others' behavior, and it can be wielded by individuals in various roles, both formal and informal. While power can be used constructively, it also carries the inherent risk of misuse or abuse. History and organizational studies are replete with examples of power being abused, making the statement that it 'can never be abused' definitively false.
Question 14: Dimitri wants to meet with the vice president of the business he desires to work with to deliver his sales proposal. Dimitri is aware that getting an appointment will be challenging because the vice president's executive assistant is picky about who she meets with. The administrative assistant is showing .
- informal power (Correct answer)
- discrimination
- influence
- informal leadership
- formal power
Correct answer: informal power
The executive assistant, despite not holding a formal leadership title over the vice president, exercises significant influence by controlling access to a key decision-maker. This ability to gatekeep and determine who meets with the vice president is an example of informal power. It stems from their position in the communication flow and their discretion, rather than a formally delegated authority to make strategic business decisions.
Question 15: Which of the following examples DOES NOT constitute inspiring appeal?
- I know that you've always wanted to work in management. If you keep up the good work and work overtime for the next month, you might get that transfer.
- I know that I'm your boss and your friend and you're working a lot, but I need you to keep up the good work and work overtime for a few more days. (Correct answer)
- I know that you're much more interested in working in marketing than you are in accounting. If you keep up with the good work there won't be a problem with arranging a transfer.
- I know that this project is very hard, but if you continue working hard a new position with a lot more money is within your grasp.
Correct answer: I know that I'm your boss and your friend and you're working a lot, but I need you to keep up the good work and work overtime for a few more days.
Inspiring appeal typically involves connecting with an individual's aspirations, values, or long-term goals, offering a vision of future reward or growth. Options A, C, and D all offer a clear incentive tied to personal career advancement or financial gain. Option B, however, relies on a direct request based on existing authority ('I'm your boss') and a personal relationship ('your friend'), without offering a compelling future-oriented vision or significant personal benefit, thus lacking the 'inspiring' element.
Question 16: This is a collection of widely held ideals and ideas.
- Paradigm (Correct answer)
- Systems theory
- Culture
Correct answer: Paradigm
A paradigm refers to a fundamental framework, a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for a community that shares them. It represents a widely accepted model or pattern of thought, often influencing how problems are understood and solved within a particular discipline or society. This definition precisely matches the concept of a paradigm.
Free Master of Engineering Management Leadership And Organizational Behavior Questions and Answers
Which of the following response options is a concrete illustration of the ingratiation power tactic?