MGMT591 Midterm plus Final Exam

MGMT 591 Leadership and Organizational Behavior - DeVry

MGMT 591 Midterm Exam

1. Question: Consider this story that appeared in the August 11, 1998 Wall Street Journal: Work Hard, Play Hard: Employers use fun to boost morale.......All 25 partners at Certilman, Balin, Adler & Hyman, an East Meadow, N.Y., law firm, ……………….“One thing we are finding over and over is that work just isn’t any fun anymore. ”Some observers would argue the fun work place is just another fad? What do you think? Does having fun at work lead to higher productivity? Use course concepts to formulate your response.
2. TCO (C). An October 15, 2004 article by Scott Wyman in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel included the following information on salaries awarded in the county:………………a.   Based on what you’ve learned in this course, use J. Stacy Adam’s Equity Theory to fully explain why this disparity of rewards caused workplace friction and low morale. Include in your answer the specific reason why the lower-paid county workers are motivated to do what they did - cause friction and experience low morale. b. How can county management reduce the perception of inequity?
3. Question:  Organizational Behavior is just common sense and has little relevance for managers today. Discuss this statement giving examples to support your answer.
4. TCO (E). In the May 18, 1998 issue of BusinessWeek, the story line read “Nice Guys Finish With MBAs.” The following is an excerpt from that piece:...........“ . . . nearly half of this year’s top B-school graduates turned down their highest-paying job offer, preferring to work for companies that offered room for personal growth or had a more appealing corporate culture.” (p. 8). Given your understanding of organizational culture and using OCI terminology, offer an explanation why, according to the article, MBA grads are focusing less on salary and more on the organization’s culture. 1. In your response define organizational culture and discuss which OCI styles most likely appeal to these graduates. 2.   How can a culture be a liability to an organization?

MGMT 591 Final Exam

1. (TCO A, B) Define organizational behavior and list the four emotional intelligence competencies that contribute to understanding ourselves and others within the organizational behavior environment. (Points : 10)
2. (TCO D) Referring to the team decision-making process, define consensus and unanimity and explain the difference between the two.(Points : 10)
3. (TCO E, F) Although conflict is usually considered a negative experience to be avoided, it actually has the potential to produce positive organizational outcomes.  Please identify three ways in which conflict can be a positive influence. (Points : 10)
4. (TCO G) There are six sources of position power in organizational settings. Identify and define three of these sources. (Points : 10)
5. (TCO H, I, J) The senior executive team at AllGoodThings.com, after a strategy review session with the Board of Directors, has decided that it's time to invest some time and capital in improving the corporate culture. The company has rebounded from a near calamity two years ago, and while it was a great scramble, the company survived and is in the strongest position ever………………………….Referencing the information presented above, please analyze the current culture at AllGoodThings.com. -Identify and describe the cultural aspects that management cites as important and contrast them to the cultural attributes that employees report as being expected. Also, compare and contrast management's ideal results with the typical ideal results…………..(Points : 40)
6. (TCO C) As a manager you are in a situation where a key employee seems to have lost his excitement about the job. The employee's familiar positive tone and high energy approach to the job and the workplace seem to be on the wane. You really don't know what is going on with this person. But, you can try to start to understand this employee by examining various motivation theories. Use elements from each of Maslow's theory,………….(Points : 40)
7. (TCO G) The Michigan and Ohio State studies represent seminal research on leadership theory. Both studies identified two basic forms of leader behaviors. What were the similarities in the findings from these two studies and what was the significance of the research? (Points : 30)
8. (TCO A, B) In order to meet organizational goals and objectives management must comprehend organizational behavior in relationship to the functions of management. List and describe the management process functions and describe how the five personality traits contribute to the management process. (Points : 30)
9. (TCO E, F) Neff Incorporated is a small business with 100 employees and 4 managers. Susan and Bob work are co-workers at Neff Incorporated. Ever since they were both assigned to work on Project X, they have been arguing about how to meet the goals of that project.
10. (TCO D) Define the concept of social loafing. Why does social loafing occur? Give an example of social loafing and a suggestion for how to prevent it. (Points : 20)