OB Ch 10

Sanjay promotes the benefits of little or no conflict within an organization. This, he states, leads to greater productivity. Is this analysis correct? A. No. Organizational conflict is inevitable and can have constructive consequences. B. Yes. This analysis is correct. C. No. Less conflict leads to bordeom and lower productivity. D. Yes. Conflict should be avoided wherever possible as it always has negative consequences. E. No. Productivity and conflict are not related at all.

In ________, one party perceives that its interests are being opposed or negatively affected by another party. A. negotiation B. devil's advocacy C. conflict D. integration E. mediation

Which of the following is not a result of escalation of conflict? A. Parties move from heavy to light tactics. B. The number of issues in dispute grows. C. Issues in dispute move from specific to general. D. The number of parties to the conflict expands. E. The initial goals change.

Which of the following situations is most likely to result in conflict? A. clear job boundaries B. independent tasks C. competition for limited resources D. realistic expectations E. clear policies, standards, and rules

Which of the following statements about conflict is true? A. Conflict should be completely eliminated across the organization. B. Conflict should be encouraged in some departments and discouraged in others. C. Organizations experiencing excessive conflict tend to also be apathetic, uncreative, and indecisive. D. Use of technology and virtual teams can minimize conflict. E. Organizations can suffer from too little conflict.

Harry, Marsha, Eve, and Don are discussing ways to increase sales. Harry and Eve want to stick with the current sales promotion plan created four months ago. They say it needs more time to show results. Marsha and Don disagree; they feel sales have continued to decline and will not turn around. As the discussion progresses, various alternatives are proposed. Harry then suggests a modification to the current sales promotion plan that meets with everyone's approval. This is an example of the benefits of ______ conflict. A. alternative resolution B. dysfunctional C. escalating D. functional E. integrative

Conflict is considered to be dysfunctional when A. it involves alternative dispute resolution. B. it hinders organizational performance. C. it involves the compromising or integrating conflict handling styles. D. it involves a devil's advocate. E. it involves groupthink.

The relationship between conflict intensity and performance outcomes can be described as A. the higher the conflict intensity, the lower the performance. B. the higher the conflict intensity, the higher the performance. C. higher conflict intensity is related to moderate performance. D. both high and low conflict intensity are related to lower performance. E. conflict intensity is unrelated to performance.

Which of the following situations is most likely to produce conflict? A. Joe finishes his part of the project and then passes it to Marge for her part of the assignment. Each recognizes their role. B. The sales force at DNY Company follows clear and reasonable policies and rules. C. Claire and Michele are on a tight deadline. Their manager comes in and says that they have an extra week to complete the assignment. D. John, Paul, and Peter have each been given additional resources for their three projects. E. Maria cannot finish her report until Juan provides the financial spreadsheet. Juan is late and Maria is afraid she won't meet her deadline.

Carol and Dee have never gotten along. Carol feels that Dee acts superior, while Dee believes that Carol just tries to please everyone. This is ________ conflict, which is defined as interpersonal opposition based on individual dislike or disagreement. A. personality B. distributive C. programmed D. integrative E. devil's advocate

Which of the following tips should be used by managers to reduce personality conflict? A. Be sure to take sides in others' conflicts. B. Intervene where possible in others' conflicts; do not let them work things out themselves. C. Do not attempt informal dispute resolution. D. Avoid direct communication with someone you are in conflict with. E. Investigate and document conflict among your own subordinates.

Two supervisors, Justin and Sean, are given instructions to trim their group size by two people. Justin's personality tends to favor people. He is generally more sensitive to people, and is a thoughtful supervisor. Sean is just the opposite. He is more concerned with group production, and considers people's feelings secondary to the work. Hence their approaches in trimming their teams are different. They can't see each other's point of view and leave the discussion thinking ill of each other. Which of the following types of conflict are Justin and Sean experiencing? A. personality conflict B. functional conflict C. intergroup conflict D. cross-cultural conflict E. programmed conflict

___________ are members' interactions aimed at working through task and interpersonal disagreements. A. Conflict processes B. Conflict states C. Conflict handling styles D. Dialectic methods E. Contact hypotheses

Ryan, Jerry, and Mark belong to Sigma Phi Upsilon fraternity. They pride themselves on being a group of solid students with leadership abilities. As a result, they often seem to hijack Fraternity Council Leadership meetings. Clearly, they feel they know how all the fraternities on campus should operate. This very high level of cohesiveness in a group A. enhances critical thinking. B. causes groupthink. C. results in the best decisions. D. increases cooperation of the group. E. heightens individual perceptions.

Which of the following is true about in-group thinking? A. Lower levels of cohesiveness lead to groupthink. B. Members of in-groups view themselves as being all alike. C. In-group members exaggerate the differences between their group and other groups. D. In-group members view themselves and members of other groups positively. E. In-group members view themselves and members of other groups as morally correct.

A study conducted in two prisons showed that the more contact white inmates experienced with African American inmates, the more positive their attitudes toward the African American inmates became. This is an example of the ________ hypothesis. A. conflict reduction B. coalition C. groupthink D. contact E. climate

______ is employees' shared perceptions of policies, practices, and procedures of an organization. A. Culture B. Socialization C. Climate D. Civility E. Groupthink

Teddy is a project manager at a consulting firm. He travels a lot and works very long hours. When he's home, he is always checking e-mail. He has a three-year-old son and a brand-new daughter, and his wife is upset that he doesn't help more. He is experiencing A. work-family conflict. B. dysfunctional conflict. C. functional conflict. D. conflict handling issues. E. incivility.

Ellen and George work for the same company. Ellen, a Gen Xer, really appreciates the flextime opportunities, while George, a baby boomer, takes advantage of the free computer training offered at the company. These policies are examples of A. dysfunctional conflict. B. family-support philosophy. C. work-life balance. D. work-family conflict. E. intergroup conflict.

Tina is a restaurant manager at a high-end restaurant. She works very long hours, and sometimes double shifts. When she's home, she is constantly texting and answering texts from the restaurant. Her husband complains that he rarely gets to see her and that he is unable to keep up all the household tasks himself. Tina is experiencing A. work-family conflict. B. dysfunctional conflict. C. functional conflict. D. conflict handling issues. E. incivility.

Harriet works at Good Steaks, a local bar and restaurant. Her manager is always barking orders at her, saying she needs to move faster, be nicer to the customers, do her share, etc. Harriet starts to come in to work late, and tries to schedule shifts when the manager isn't in. She doesn't even smile at the customers much. Harriet is reacting to A. dysfunctional conflict. B. incivility. C. devil's advocacy. D. imbalance. E. stress.

Which of the following statements about incivility at work is false? A. Incivility can arise from both individual and organizational sources. B. Incivility can damage an organization's reputation. C. Stress is a potential outcome of incivility. D. Personality is highly unlikely to be a source of incivility. E. Abusive supervision is a form of incivility

Identifying and modeling appropriate ways for people to interact with colleagues is a(n) ________ strategy. A. work-life B. antibullying C. intergroup D. flex space E. groupthink

A local political group is divided on how to present their candidate. The debate is getting heated. Finally, the head of the group focuses the team on defending their idea based on facts, rather than personal preference. This is an example of ______ conflict. A. functional B. dysfunctional C. programmed D. escalating E. integrative

The dean of Roan College is looking for a new head of admissions. She wants to be sure that Roan College has an admissions program with the highest standards. As the committee interviews various candidates, the dean tries to point out potential flaws in each person. She is playing the role of A. dysfunctional conflict manager. B. dialectic advocate. C. integrative specialist. D. devil's advocate. E. promoter.

In the United States, the judicial system is an example of _________. It is based on hearing directly opposing points of view to establish guilt or innocence. A. dysfunctional conflict B. the dialectic method C. integration D. devil's advocacy E. alternative dispute resolution

Jim is head of the marketing department and must decide how to allocate a fixed amount of funds. There are two top projects that Jim believes hold the most promise. Recently, the majority of funds have been allocated to Project A, but Jim wonders if it is time to provide Project B with a larger share of the money. Jim decides to assign a particular individual, Clara, to thoroughly criticize the proposal for Project B, looking for every possible flaw. Which technique is Jim using to help him make a better decision? A. diagnostic process B. devil's advocacy C. mediation D. dialectic method E. negotiation

Laura is head of ABC Systems. She needs to allocate a fixed amount of funds to various projects. There are two top projects that Laura believes hold the most promise. She decides to arrange a structured debate for the two top proposals. Importantly, the assumptions of each proposal are identified, and a conflicting counterproposal is generated based on a different set of assumptions. Advocates of each position present and debate the merits of their proposal before Laura makes her decision. Which technique is Laura using to help her make a better decision? A. dialectic method B. negotiation C. devil's advocacy D. avoidance E. mediation

The styles of conflict handling are differentiated along two dimensions: A. internal and external. B. functional and dysfunctional. C. social and cognitive. D. perceptual and real. E. concern for others and concern for self.

Nate is a manager at a small appliance store. He is working with an unhappy customer who is yelling at him. Nate's policy on handling customer complaints is to give the customer what they want even at a cost to the company. This represents the _________ handling style. A. compromising B. integrating C. obliging D. avoiding E. dominating

The ________ conflict handling style is a give-and-take approach. A. integrating B. obliging C. avoiding D. dominating E. compromising

Orna is a restaurant manager. She is helping a server who has a difficult guest. Everything is wrong—the water, the menu, the food, the service. Orna knows that this customer is always unhappy and delights in picking on the server. Orna bluntly tells the server that she needs to learn better conflict handling skills. But then, Orna goes over to the customer, who begins to argue with her. So she tells the customer to leave and not bother coming back. This best represents the _________ conflict handling style. A. dominating B. avoiding C. obliging D. compromising E. integrating

When issues are complex, better solutions are needed, commitment is needed, and time is available, the ________ conflict handling style is appropriate. A. dominating B. obliging C. integrating D. compromising E. avoiding

If a speedy decision is needed, the _______ conflict handling style is appropriate. A. integrating B. obliging C. avoiding D. dominating E. compromising

Which of the following statements about conflict handling styles is false? A. Organizations can develop a particular conflict handling style as a part of culture. B. Research has shown that particular conflict handling styles are better for new product development. C. Conflict handling style is related to emotional intelligence. D. Integrating is always the best style to use. E. No one style is best for every situation.

The benefit of ________ is that it uses faster, more user-friendly methods of dispute resolution, instead of traditional, adversarial approaches, such as unilateral decision making or litigation. A. dysfunctional conflict resolution (DCR) B. alternative dispute resolution (ADR) C. conflict resolution service (CRS) D. flextime fix (FTF) E. intergroup conflict resolution (ICR)

________ is an alternative dispute resolution technique in which disagreeing parties agree ahead of time to accept the decision of a neutral party in a formal courtlike setting, often complete with evidence and witnesses. A. Ombudsmanship B. Facilitation C. Peer review D. Mediation E. Arbitration

Theresa is a(n) ______ for Capital Clinic services. She has worked for the company for 20 years and is widely respected and trusted. In this position, she hears grievances on a confidential basis and attempts to arrange a solution. A. ombudsmanship B. facilitation C. peer review D. mediation E. arbitration

_______ is an alternative dispute resolution technique in which a neutral third party informally acts as a communication conduit between the disputing parties. A. Ombudsmanship B. Facilitation C. Conciliation D. Mediation E. Arbitration