SIOP Organizational Behavior & Performance 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which leadership theory explicitly proposes that effective leadership style should vary based on follower readiness (ability and willingness)?
- Path-Goal Theory
- Situational Leadership Theory (Correct answer)
- Leader-Member Exchange Theory
- Transformational Leadership Theory
Correct answer: Situational Leadership Theory
Hersey and Blanchard's Situational Leadership Theory prescribes matching leadership style (directing, coaching, supporting, delegating) to follower developmental level.
Question 2: Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) are BEST characterized as:
- Required task performance behaviors specified in job descriptions
- Discretionary behaviors that promote organizational effectiveness beyond formal role requirements (Correct answer)
- Counterproductive work behaviors that harm organizational functioning
- In-role behaviors rewarded through the formal compensation system
Correct answer: Discretionary behaviors that promote organizational effectiveness beyond formal role requirements
OCBs are voluntary, extra-role behaviors not formally required or rewarded but that collectively contribute to organizational effectiveness.
Question 3: In a high-power-distance culture, employees are MOST likely to:
- Challenge supervisors' decisions openly
- Expect equal participation in organizational decisions
- Accept hierarchical authority without questioning (Correct answer)
- Prefer flat organizational structures
Correct answer: Accept hierarchical authority without questioning
In high power-distance cultures, deference to authority and acceptance of hierarchical power differences are normative employee behaviors.
Question 4: An employee experiencing role ambiguity would MOST likely report which of the following?
- Conflicting demands from two supervisors simultaneously
- Uncertainty about what is expected of them in their job (Correct answer)
- Overload from too many tasks assigned at once
- Emotional exhaustion from client interaction requirements
Correct answer: Uncertainty about what is expected of them in their job
Role ambiguity occurs when an individual lacks clear information about job expectations, responsibilities, or performance criteria.
Question 5: According to the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, which pathway leads to burnout?
- High job resources activating a motivational process
- High job demands depleting personal energy and health (Correct answer)
- High engagement buffering the effects of demands
- Low demands reducing performance through boredom
Correct answer: High job demands depleting personal energy and health
The JD-R model posits a health-impairment pathway where excessive job demands deplete physical and cognitive resources, resulting in burnout.
Question 6: The 'Big Five' personality factor most consistently linked to job performance across occupations and jobs is:
- Openness to experience
- Agreeableness
- Conscientiousness (Correct answer)
- Extraversion
Correct answer: Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness (characterized by dependability, goal-directedness, and self-discipline) is the strongest and most consistent Big Five predictor of overall job performance.
Question 7: A manager gives all her direct reports ratings of 3 on a 5-point scale, regardless of actual performance differences. This rating error is called:
- Halo effect
- Leniency error
- Central tendency error (Correct answer)
- Recency bias
Correct answer: Central tendency error
Central tendency error occurs when raters avoid extreme ratings and cluster all evaluations around the midpoint of the scale.
