Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Show
Chapter 14 Organizational Culture True / False Questions 1. Organizational culture consists of the values and assumptions shared within an organization which also dictates the correct way of thinking about and acting on problems and opportunities facing the organization. True False 2. Organizational culture defines what is important and unimportant in the company and, consequently, directs everyone in the organization toward the "right way" of doing things. True False 3. Values represent an important invisible part of an organization's culture. True False 4. Shared mental models are part of an organization's culture. True False 5. Values represent the deepest part of an organization's culture. True False 6. Espoused values are values proclamations. True False 7. Organizational culture consists of shared enacted values, but not espoused values. True False 14-1 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 8. The most accurate way to determine an organization's culture is by interviewing senior executives about their perceptions of that culture. True False 9. The organizational cultures of most companies can be identified as mercenaries, fortresses or communes. True False 10. Researchers have estimated that most corporate cultures emphasize one of three universal values. True False 11. Most organizational culture models oversimplify the diversity of cultural values in organizations. True False 12. An organizations' culture is usually quite fuzzy and difficult to define using simple models and surveys. True False 13. Popular organizational culture models falsely presume that organizations can be identified within discrete categories. True False 14. Subcultures are groups of employees whose values are opposed to the organization's dominant values. True False 14-2 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 15. Organizational countercultures further strengthen the organization's dominant culture. True False 16. Organizational countercultures can potentially create conflict and dissension among employees. True False 17. Organizational countercultures can potentially help the organization maintain its ethical conduct. True False 18. An organizational counterculture is a type of subculture. True False 19. Artifacts of organizational culture may include the building's design, the way people are greeted and the food served in the company's cafeteria. True False 20. Artifacts refer mainly to the paintings and other tangible objects that appear throughout the organization. True False 21. Organizational culture is not directly observable, but it may be loosely interpreted through visible artifacts. True False 14-3 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 22. Researchers have found that an organization's culture may be identified very easily and quickly by looking at one or two observable artifacts. True False 23. Organizational stories support organizational culture by providing social prescriptions of the ways things should or should not be done around the organization. True False 24. In order to be effective, organizational stories must describe real people and recount true past events. True False 25. Organizational stories are most effective at communicating corporate culture when they describe real people and seem to represent true past events. True False 26. Rituals represent the organization's deliberate and usually dramatic displays of its dominant culture. True False 27. Ceremonies are more formal artifacts than rituals. True False 28. A ritual would include how visitors are greeted as they enter the company's offices. True False 29. Language reflects an organization's dominant values but not the values of its subcultures. True False 14-4 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 30. The organization's physical structure and use of space often communicate its dominant cultural values. True False 31. Office space and paintings hung on walls can be artifacts that symbolize the organization's culture. True False 32. Organizational culture is a deeply embedded form of social control that influences the thoughts and actions of organizational members. True False 33. A strong corporate culture bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organization. True False 34. The stronger the corporate culture, the more difficult it is for employees to bond together. True False 35. One problem with a strong organizational culture is that it increases conflict among employees within the company and makes it more difficult for them to understand each other. True False 36. A strong organizational culture exists when most employees understand and accept the dominant values. True False 14-5 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 37. A strong corporate culture exists when employees are forced to abide by a particular set of organizational values whether or not they believe in those values. True False 38. Companies with strong corporate cultures invariably have much higher performance than companies with weak cultures. True False 39. A strong organizational culture improves the firm's effectiveness only if the cultural values are aligned with its external environment. True False 40. In corporate cults, the culture is so strong that it focuses employees on one mental model so much that they may fail to see issues from different perspectives. True False 41. Organizations with very strong cultures may become dysfunctional because they suppress dissenting subcultural values. True False 42. Most organizational behavior writers suggest that organizations are more effective when they become corporate cults. True False 43. Corporate cults are preferred, because they help suppress subcultures within organizations. True False 14-6 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 44. Organizations with adaptive cultures are unable to maintain a stable value system and, consequently, tend to perform poorly in the long run. True False 45. Adaptive cultures focus employees on the changing needs of customers and other stakeholders and support initiative and leadership to keep pace with these changes. True False 46. An adaptive organizational culture is one where employees pay attention to organizational goals, not the processes to achieve those goals. True False 47. An organization's culture can either support or undermine ethical conduct among employees. True False 48. One of the first steps in a bicultural audit is to identify the other organization's corporate culture through artifacts. True False 49. Two companies should not merge if a bicultural audit determines that they have substantially different cultures. True False 50. Compared to other strategies for merging two organizations, assimilation is most likely to result in a culture clash. True False 14-7 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 51. The assimilation strategy of merging corporate cultures should be applied when the acquired firm has a weak culture and is willing to embrace the acquiring company's culture. True False 52. The integration strategy for combining corporate cultures usually creates conflict as employees from the acquired firm resist the cultural intrusions. True False 53. The separation strategy is most appropriate when the merging companies are unrelated industries. True False 54. Organizational culture can sometimes be reshaped by applying transformational leadership and organizational change practices. True False 55. Most studies have found that reward systems have little or no effect on strengthening corporate culture. True False 56. The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory explains why companies are able to attract and select people who fit the culture, but later on have difficulty forcing them out. True False 57. The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory may explain why people who don't fit the culture are often weeded out. True False 14-8 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 58. According to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, alignment with the company's culture is often a factor when deciding which applicant to hire. True False 59. Companies strengthen corporate culture by selecting applicants whose values are compatible with the company's dominant values. True False 60. Employees are more likely to quit if values incongruence is sufficiently low. True False 61. New employees learn corporate culture through the process of organizational socialization. True False 62. Organizational socialization is the process of meeting other employees and spending more time with them throughout the work day. True False 63. Organizational socialization is a process of both learning and adjustment. True False 64. Organizational socialization begins on the first day of employment and continues throughout one's career within the company. True False 65. Organizational socialization does not occur until a person becomes a member of the organization. True False 14-9 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 66. Nearly all of the socialization adjustment process occurs during and after the first day of work. True False 67. Reality shock occurs when you perceive a discrepancy between your pre-employment expectations and on-the-job reality. True False 68. Reality shock occurs on or before the first day of work then quickly subsides. True False 69. During the role management stage of organizational socialization, employees are newcomers who test their pre-employment expectations with the perceived realities. True False 70. Realistic job previews improve organizational socialization by ensuring that applicants develop more accurate pre-employment expectations. True False 71. Co-workers are important organizational socialization agents. True False 14-10 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Multiple Choice Questions 72. Organizational culture is best described as the basic pattern of shared: A. assumptions, beliefs and belongings that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions. B. behaviors that employees enact to demonstrate their support for corporate goals. C. decisions routinely occurring throughout the organization that support corporate strategies. D. assumptions, beliefs and values that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions. E. rituals and ceremonies that employees enact to consummate their relationship with the organization. 73. Organizational culture includes: A. three universal values. B. artifacts, values, and beliefs. C. values, assumptions, and audits. D. behaviors, beliefs, and budgets. E. None of these statements is accurate. 74. The assumptions, beliefs and values that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions are called: A. organizational culture. B. organizational structure. C. organizational socialization. D. organizational politics. E. transformational leadership. 75. The deepest element of organizational culture is: A. values. B. artifacts. C. language. D. beliefs. E. assumptions. 14-11 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 76. Which of the following are the observable indicators of organizational culture? A. Assumptions B. Artifacts C. Values D. Beliefs E. Mental models 77. The hidden elements of an organization's culture include: A. Physical structures B. Language used in the organization C. Employee beliefs and values D. All of the above E. Only 'B' and 'C' 78. How do mental models relate to the concept of organizational culture? A. Mental models represent the assumptions within an organization's culture. B. Mental models represent the artifacts of organizational culture. C. Mental models are mainly used to decipher an organization's culture. D. Mental models represent the values within an organization's culture. E. Mental models do not have anything to do with organizational culture. 79. Which of these statements about shared assumptions is FALSE? A. Shared assumptions are unconscious taken-for granted perceptions or beliefs. B. Shared assumptions are so deeply embedded they probably cannot be discovered by surveying employees. C. Shared assumptions include shared enacted values. D. Shared assumptions are revealed through corporate value statements. E. All of the above are correct. 14-12 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 80. The best way to determine an organization's shared assumptions is to: A. interview executives. B. look for evidence of its corporate value statements. C. determine what the organization's enacted values are. D. read public relations statements produced by the organization. E. ask customers to evaluate the company's effectiveness. 81. The themes shared most widely by employees represent: A. the organization's dominant culture. B. the organization's deculturation process. C. the organization's counterculture. D. artifacts held mainly by senior executives in the organization. E. organizational rituals. 82. Organizations that tolerate or encourage subcultures with dissenting values: A. usually go quickly out of business. B. usually build stronger cultures to counteract those dissenting values. C. may eventually use those dissenting values to build a new set of dominant values in the future. D. do not have any corporate culture. E. Both 'A' and 'D'. 83. Which of these statements about organizational subcultures is FALSE? A. Some subcultures support the organization's dominant culture. B. Subcultures spawn emerging values that the company may eventually adopt. C. Organizations should subdue subcultures that oppose the firm's dominant values. D. Subcultures potentially maintain the organization's standards of performance and ethical behavior. E. Some subcultures directly oppose the organization's core values. 14-13 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 84. Which of the following is a spawning ground for emerging corporate culture values? A. Subcultures B. Bicultural audits C. Artifacts D. The actions of the company's founder E. None of the above 85. One advantage of countercultures is that they: A. Rarely exist in real organizations. B. Maintain surveillance over and critique of the company's dominant culture. C. Prevent organizations from developing a corporate culture. D. Ensure that corporate mergers occur without any culture clashes. E. Countercultures never make organizations more effective. 86. The observable symbols and signs of an organization's values, beliefs and assumptions are called: A. organizational culture. B. mental models. C. artifacts. D. values. E. socialization. 87. What is the significance of artifacts in organizational culture? A. Artifacts are the same as organizational culture. B. Artifacts are the leftover parts of the organization that cannot fit into its culture. C. Artifacts represent the directly observable symbols and signs of an organization's culture. D. Artifacts are the observable indicators that the organization does not have a culture. E. Artifacts mainly reflect the subcultures that conflict with an organization's dominant culture. 14-14 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 88. The best way to measure an organization's culture is to: A. Interview executives. B. Look for evidence of its espoused values. C. Conduct a careful analysis of many organizational artifacts. D. Read public relations statements produced by the organization. E. Do none of the above. 89. To develop the most accurate estimate of an organization's culture, we should: A. survey employees. B. observe workplace behavior. C. investigate physical elements in the workplace. D. survey employees and observe behavior, but NOT investigate physical workplace elements. E. Answers A, B and C only. 90. Which of these statements about organizational stories is FALSE? A. Organizational stories are most effective at communicating organizational culture when employees believe the stories are true. B. Stories communicate organizational culture if they describe positive events, whereas they undermine organizational culture if they describe negative events. C. Organizational stories provide human realism to individual performance standards. D. Stories are most effective at communicating organization culture when they describe real events with real people. E. Organizational stories are prescriptive—they advise people what to do or not to do. 91. Organizational stories are most effective at communicating organizational culture: A. never; organizational stories always misrepresent the organization's true culture. B. Only when they are told by senior executives to the public. C. When they describe real people and are assumed to be true. D. When they are descriptive rather than prescriptive. E. When they are both 'C' and 'D'. 14-15 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 92. Which of the following would be considered an artifact of an organization's culture? A. The shape, size and location of corporate headquarters. B. How visitors are greeted when they first enter a company building. C. The stories told by employees to newcomers about the founder's experiences when he or she started the company. D. The unique metaphors and special vocabularies that employees use to share meaning. E. All of the above. 93. Rituals are: A. programmed routines of daily organizational life that dramatize the organization's culture. B. deliberate attempts to communicate the corporate culture to new employees. C. events that suggest the organization's culture is about to change. D. physical structures that convey the dominant values of an organization's culture. E. games that people play to defy the dominant culture and, instead, support countercultural beliefs and values. 94. Which of the following are programmed routines of daily organizational life that dramatize the organization's culture? A. Ceremonies. B. Language. C. Assumptions. D. Beliefs. E. Rituals. 95. At meetings of a major consumer products firm, employees habitually stand up when the most senior executive at the meeting enters the room. This practice represents: A. Evidence that the meeting has employees who hold countercultural values. B. Evidence that the company has an adaptive culture. C. A ritual that probably symbolizes the organization's dominant culture. D. A form of deculturation that eventually undermines the organization's dominant culture. E. Evidence that the company's espoused values differs from its enacted values. 14-16 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 96. Whenever an advertising firm lands a new contract, the successful team rings a loud bell and breaks out a bottle of champagne. In organizational culture, this practice would be considered: A. unethical. B. a ceremony. C. a mental model. D. a symptom of a culture that is out of touch with its external environment. E. irrelevant to the meaning or study of organizational culture. 97. Which of the following is an artifact rather than an element of organizational culture? A. Values B. Language C. Assumptions D. Beliefs E. Both language and assumptions are artifacts. 98. The building in which employees work: A. Often reflects the organization's culture. B. Has no known effect on an organization's culture. C. Is a possible artifact of organizational culture. D. Can potentially influence the organization's culture. E. Answers A, C and D only. 99. Organizational culture does which of the following? A. It is a powerful form of social control that influences employee decisions and behavior. B. It is the social glue that bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organization. C. It helps employees understand what goes on and why things happen in the company. D. All of the above. E. None of the above. 14-17 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 100. A strong corporate culture potentially increases organizational performance by: A. controlling employee decisions and behavior. B. ensuring that employees do not identify with the organization. C. ensuring that no one holds countercultural values. D. ensuring that employees can quickly adopt new values when necessary. E. doing all of these things. 101. Organizational culture serves what purpose in organizations? A. It is a form of social control. B. It bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organizational experience. C. It helps employees to understand organizational events. D. All of these. E. None of these. 102. Companies with strong organizational cultures are more effective than companies with weak cultures: A. All of the time. B. If the cultural values emphasize customer service rather cost efficiency. C. If the cultural values are compatible with the organizational environment. D. If there is high turnover among production employees. E. Never; companies with weak cultures are almost always more effective than those with strong cultures. 103. Which of these statements about the strength of organizational culture and organizational performance is TRUE? A. Organizations with stronger cultures tend to perform better than those with weak cultures when the culture content fits the external environment. B. There is no relationship between an organization's cultural strength and its performance. C. Organizations with stronger cultures tend to perform better only when they acquire other organizations with distinct cultures. D. Organizations with stronger cultures almost always perform poorly compared to those with weak cultures. E. Organizations with stronger cultures perform poorly if they have subcultures. 14-18 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 104. What tends to happen when an organization's culture is misaligned with its external environment? A. The corporate culture gets stronger. B. The organization's subcultures weaken. C. The organization has more difficulty anticipating and responding to stakeholder needs. D. The organization is unable to develop subcultures. E. All of these occur. 105. As an organization's culture gets stronger, it: A. Becomes more misaligned with its external environment. B. Becomes more effective in the marketplace. C. Makes employees less committed to the organization. D. Causes various subcultures in the organization to also become stronger. E. Makes it more difficult for decision makers to identify problems or opportunities outside the mental model of that culture. 106. Organizations with an adaptive corporate culture: A. are unlikely to survive in the long run. B. are focused outwardly on customers and other stakeholders outside the organization rather than inwardly. C. tend to be less ethical than organizations with non-adaptive cultures. D. have no artifacts to keep their culture in place. E. are focused inward to employee needs. 107. Which of the following is a characteristic of an adaptive corporate culture? A. Employees hold a common mental model that the organization's success depends on their personal wellbeing. B. Employees seek out opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive. C. Employees tend to be more reactive. D. Employees tend to take the view that any activity beyond their job description is not their job. E. All of the above are characteristic of adaptive cultures. 14-19 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 108. Employees at SuperTech Services seek out opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive. They also have a strong sense of responsibility for the organization's performance. SuperTech likely has: A. a weak organizational culture. B. a strong counterculture. C. relatively few artifacts representing the organization's culture. D. a culture that is misaligned with its external environment. E. an adaptive culture. 109. If an organization has an adaptive culture, it likely has: A. employees with a strong sense of ownership over the company's success. B. a culture that emphasizes dozens of values at the same time. C. an external focus on the needs of customers and other stakeholders. D. all of these are characteristics of adaptive cultures. E. employees with a strong sense of ownership AND an external focus on stakeholder needs. 110. Most employees at United FiberTech support the idea that the company's success depends on their willingness to continually change and improve customer service. United FiberTech probably has: A. an adaptive culture. B. many countercultures. C. more subcultures than employees. D. an unethical culture. E. no corporate culture. 111. What is the relationship between organizational culture and business ethics? A. Companies with a strong organizational culture are more likely to have employees with higher ethical standards of behavior. B. When companies have a weak organizational culture, employees are more likely to rely on their ethical values to make decisions. C. An organization's culture may strengthen ethical values. D. Organizational culture can be a source of ethical problems. E. An organization's culture may strengthen ethical values AND can be a source of ethical problems. 14-20 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 112. The main purpose of a bicultural audit is to: A. Determine whether your company's organizational culture is sufficiently strong. B. Estimate the number of dominant and subcultural values that exist in an organization. C. Find out whether people from different countries have the same corporate cultures. D. Identify and diagnose differences in the corporate cultures of merging organizations. E. Teach new employees the organization's dominant cultural values. 113. One of the first steps in a merger to minimize cultural clashes is to: A. Significantly reduce the strength of the culture in both organizations. B. Conduct a bicultural audit. C. Significantly increase the strength of the culture in both organizations. D. Replace the chief executives in both organizations before merger negotiations begin. E. Do both 'A' and 'B'. 114. In a merger, the process of diagnosing cultural relations between the companies and determining the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur is called: A. organizational socialization. B. deculturation. C. knowledge management. D. bicultural audit. E. None of the above. 115. _______ occurs when employees at the acquired company willingly embrace the cultural values of the acquiring organization. A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above 14-21 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 116. In which strategy does the acquiring company impose its culture and business practices on the acquired organization? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above 117. A deculturation strategy of merging two corporate cultures should be applied: A. never, because deculturation destroys both cultures. B. When both firms operate successfully in different industries. C. When employees in the acquired firm want to hold on to their firm's culture even though it does not fit the external environment. D. When both firms have weak cultures. E. Whenever one firm has more power over another firm in a merger. 118. Which strategy for merging two distinct cultures is most effective when the two companies have relatively weak cultures with overlapping values? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above. 119. Which strategy for merging two distinct cultures is most effective when the two companies are in unrelated industries and have cultures that seem to work well for them? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above 14-22 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 120. When merging two organizations, a separation strategy is most commonly applied when: A. Both companies have relatively weak cultures that are generally ineffective. B. One company has an effective culture and employees at the other company would embrace that culture if applied to them. C. The two organizations operate in distinct industries. D. The acquired firm's culture doesn't work, whereas the culture of the acquiring firm does work. E. A bicultural audit reveals that both companies have very similar cultures. 121. How do founders and corporate leaders affect corporate culture? A. Transformational leaders develop or change the organization's culture. B. Founders and corporate leaders develop the systems and structures that support their personal values. C. Founders and corporate leaders are often visionaries whose energetic style provides a powerful role model for others to follow. D. Founders and corporate leaders strengthen or change corporate culture by communicating and enacting their vision of the future. E. All of the above. 122. A stable workforce helps to maintain a strong corporate culture because: A. Corporate culture is embedded in the minds of employees and therefore weakens with high turnover. B. Employees cannot adopt the firm's cultural values until they have at least five years of seniority. C. Only long-time employees who worked directly with the company founder can convey the firm's dominant values. D. Junior employees are affected by rewards and job security, not by the company's cultural values. E. None of the above. 123. According to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, job applicants: A. are attracted to coworkers with similar values and assumptions. B. avoid employment in companies whose values seem incompatible with their own values. C. do not typically pay much heed to organizational values when applying for work. D. avoid other applicants if they are competing for the same jobs. E. are attracted to companies who are likely to provide them with the greatest rewards. 14-23 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 124. Which of the following statements is consistent with the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory? A. Job applicants who later become organizational members tend to be attracted to co-workers who share their values and assumptions. B. Organizations have a natural tendency to attract, select and retain people with values that are consistent with the organization's own culture. C. Attraction, selection and attrition are part of the natural life-cycle of organizational members. D. Employees get attached to organizations that meet their reward expectations. E. Attraction followed by selection inevitably lead to attrition in the future. 125. Employees are organizationally socialized: A. beginning with the role management stage of organizational socialization. B. long before the first day of work. C. beginning with the company's orientation program on the first day of work. D. only when they enter management positions. E. beginning with the encounter stages of organizational socialization. 126. Organizational socialization is best described as a process of: A. cooperation and stability. B. power and restructuring. C. negotiation and concession-making. D. learning and adjustment. E. None of the above. 127. In the context of organizational socialization, the adjustment process is better for: A. those who rebel against and reject the company's dominant values. B. employees who experience significant levels of reality shock. C. newcomers with diverse work experience. D. people who are able to avoid the encounter stage of socialization. E. individuals who retain their personal identity. 14-24 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 128. The pre-employment stage of organizational socialization would be more effective if: A. employers avoided forming a psychological contract. B. employers and job applicants gave and received accurate information about each other. C. employers and applicants experienced reality shock when meeting each other for the first time. D. job applicants distorted their resume in order to be offered employment. E. all of these conditions existed. 129. Which of the following happens during the pre-employment stage of organizational socialization? A. Conflicts are resolved between work and nonwork activities. B. Employees form expectations (a psychological contract) about working at that organization. C. Reality shock is experienced. D. All of these occur. E. None of these occur. 130. The process of organizational socialization begins: A. as soon as the person is hired by the organization. B. within the employee's first week on the job. C. long before the first day of work for the organization. D. when the employee finally reconciles pre-employment expectations with organizational reality. E. when the employee receives his or her first performance appraisal. 131. The three stages of organizational socialization, in order, are: A. prehire, pre-employment, post-hire. B. newcomer, insider, outsider. C. student, employee, retiree. D. pre-employment, encounter, role management. E. anticipation, encounter, disillusionment. 14-25 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 132. During what stage of socialization do people FIRST learn about the organization and job? A. Role management B. Encounter C. Pre-employment D. Reality shock E. Disillusionment 133. When should organizations use reality shock? A. When they want employees to develop better expectations of future work experiences. B. When they want to ensure that employees develop a stronger loyalty to the organization. C. When they want to help newcomers develop a stronger bond with coworkers and the organization. D. Under all of these conditions. E. Never; companies should minimize reality shock. 134. Reality shock is: A. based on expectancy theory. B. an element in the model of individual behavior. C. common in lateral career development. D. a unique feature of an adaptive culture. E. a perceived discrepancy between employee expectations and reality. 135. Reality shock among new employees typically occurs when: A. newcomers experience information overload as they enter the workplace. B. employers are unable or unwilling to live up to their promises. C. newcomers develop exaggerated expectations about the job. D. All of the above. E. None of the above. 14-26 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 136. Resolving conflicts between work and nonwork mainly occurs during what stage of socialization? A. Role management B. Encounter C. Pre-employment D. Reality shock E. Disillusionment 137. Which of the following statements about realistic job previews (RJP's) is most accurate? A. many companies overpromise and often exaggerate positive features of the job and neglect to mention the undesirable elements. B. RJPs minimize reality shock by helping applicants develop more accurate pre-employment expectations. C. RJP's are one potentially way to improve the socialization process. D. All of these statements are accurate. E. Answers B and C only. 138. Most employees would say that ______ helped them adjust to their new job most. A. family support. B. market levels of compensation. C. socialization agents. D. a strong corporate culture. E. All of the above. 139. All of the following could be considered socialization agents EXCEPT: A. family members. B. co-workers. C. friends who work for the company. D. employment agency representatives. E. Both A and D. 14-27 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Essay Questions 140. A major consulting firm is offering a special service whereby it is able to determine the organization's dominant culture and some of its subcultures. The firm says that it does this by statistically analyzing the words and phrases in the company's annual reports, news releases and public speeches made by the company's senior executives. The consultancy claims that this is an effective way of identifying the organization's culture because it does not collect any information from inside the organization and, consequently, doesn't take time from any employees. Discuss the merits and limitations of this consultancy's ability to determine an organization's culture. 141. Superb Consultants have submitted a proposal to analyze the cultural values of your organization. The proposal states that Superb has developed a revolutionary new survey to tap the company's true culture that takes just ten minutes to complete and the consultants say results can be based on a small sample of employees. Discuss the merits and limitations of this proposal. 142. Discuss the accuracy of the following statement: "Organizations are more effective when they operate without subcultures and countercultures." 14-28 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 143. A large transportation manufacturer is considering a proposal to acquire a company in a related industry. During due diligence, senior executives intend to conduct a bicultural audit. They already have good information that their own company is aggressive, risk-taking and entrepreneurial. Assuming that these executives will personally analyze the other firm's culture, briefly describe the bicultural audit process and what these senior executives should examine. 144. Your friend is thinking about applying for a technical or managerial job opportunity at a large computer network firm. However, past experience has made your friend aware that it is important to ensure that the company's dominant values are aligned with his or her own. Identify three (3) different types of artifacts that your friend should consider when deciphering the culture of the computer network firm. Your friend is a job applicant, so your answer should relate to the experience of being recruited into an organization. 145. Senior executives in your organization want to strengthen teamwork as part of the company's culture. They have asked you to identify ways to communicate and reinforce this cultural value using artifacts as the primary means of communication. Describe three different types of artifacts that might be altered so they communicate this corporate value. 14-29 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 146. Comment on and explain the accuracy of the following statement: "Organizations with strong corporate cultures are more effective than organizations with weak corporate cultures." 147. The president of Advanced Systems Corp. wants the company to have a strong organizational culture around a specific set of values. As a vice-president, you are concerned that the president may be trying to strengthen the culture too much thereby creating a corporate cult. Describe three potential problems with having an organizational culture that is too strong. 148. The president of CJD Consulting would like to change his organization's culture to reflect new realities in the external environment. He has heard positive things about adaptive cultures and would like to know more about them. What would you say to the president to explain adaptable cultures? Be sure to describe the four characteristics of this type of culture in your answer. 14-30 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 149. Identify four (4) conditions or events that potentially weaken an organization's dominant culture. 150. Using attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, describe how a company would maintain and perpetuate their culture. 151. Many organizations think that they integrate organizational cultures when merging or acquiring other companies. Explain what does integrating organizational cultures means? Under what conditions is this strategy most likely to succeed? 14-31 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Chapter 14 Organizational Culture Answer Key True / False Questions 1. (p. 416) Organizational culture consists of the values and assumptions shared within an organization which also dictates the correct way of thinking about and acting on problems and opportunities facing the organization. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 2. (p. 416) Organizational culture defines what is important and unimportant in the company and, consequently, directs everyone in the organization toward the "right way" of doing things. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 3. (p. 416) Values represent an important invisible part of an organization's culture. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 4. (p. 416) Shared mental models are part of an organization's culture. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-32 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 5. (p. 416) Values represent the deepest part of an organization's culture. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 6. (p. 416-417) Espoused values are values proclamations. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 7. (p. 417) Organizational culture consists of shared enacted values, but not espoused values. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 8. (p. 417) The most accurate way to determine an organization's culture is by interviewing senior executives about their perceptions of that culture. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 9. (p. 417) The organizational cultures of most companies can be identified as mercenaries, fortresses or communes. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-33 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 10. (p. 418) Researchers have estimated that most corporate cultures emphasize one of three universal values. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 11. (p. 418-419) Most organizational culture models oversimplify the diversity of cultural values in organizations. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 12. (p. 419) An organizations' culture is usually quite fuzzy and difficult to define using simple models and surveys. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 13. (p. 419) Popular organizational culture models falsely presume that organizations can be identified within discrete categories. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-34 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 14. (p. 419) Subcultures are groups of employees whose values are opposed to the organization's dominant values. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 15. (p. 419) Organizational countercultures further strengthen the organization's dominant culture. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 16. (p. 420) Organizational countercultures can potentially create conflict and dissension among employees. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 17. (p. 420) Organizational countercultures can potentially help the organization maintain its ethical conduct. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-35 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 18. (p. 420) An organizational counterculture is a type of subculture. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 19. (p. 420) Artifacts of organizational culture may include the building's design, the way people are greeted and the food served in the company's cafeteria. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 20. (p. 420) Artifacts refer mainly to the paintings and other tangible objects that appear throughout the organization. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 21. (p. 420) Organizational culture is not directly observable, but it may be loosely interpreted through visible artifacts. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-36 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 22. (p. 420) Researchers have found that an organization's culture may be identified very easily and quickly by looking at one or two observable artifacts. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 23. (p. 421) Organizational stories support organizational culture by providing social prescriptions of the ways things should or should not be done around the organization. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 24. (p. 421) In order to be effective, organizational stories must describe real people and recount true past events. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 25. (p. 421) Organizational stories are most effective at communicating corporate culture when they describe real people and seem to represent true past events. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-37 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 26. (p. 421-422) Rituals represent the organization's deliberate and usually dramatic displays of its dominant culture. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 27. (p. 421-422) Ceremonies are more formal artifacts than rituals. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 28. (p. 422) A ritual would include how visitors are greeted as they enter the company's offices. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 29. (p. 422) Language reflects an organization's dominant values but not the values of its subcultures. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 30. (p. 422) The organization's physical structure and use of space often communicate its dominant cultural values. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-38 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 31. (p. 422) Office space and paintings hung on walls can be artifacts that symbolize the organization's culture. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 32. (p. 424) Organizational culture is a deeply embedded form of social control that influences the thoughts and actions of organizational members. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 33. (p. 424) A strong corporate culture bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organization. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 34. (p. 424) The stronger the corporate culture, the more difficult it is for employees to bond together. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-39 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 35. (p. 424) One problem with a strong organizational culture is that it increases conflict among employees within the company and makes it more difficult for them to understand each other. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 36. (p. 424) A strong organizational culture exists when most employees understand and accept the dominant values. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 37. (p. 424) A strong corporate culture exists when employees are forced to abide by a particular set of organizational values whether or not they believe in those values. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 38. (p. 424) Companies with strong corporate cultures invariably have much higher performance than companies with weak cultures. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-40 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 39. (p. 425) A strong organizational culture improves the firm's effectiveness only if the cultural values are aligned with its external environment. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 40. (p. 425) In corporate cults, the culture is so strong that it focuses employees on one mental model so much that they may fail to see issues from different perspectives. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 41. (p. 425) Organizations with very strong cultures may become dysfunctional because they suppress dissenting subcultural values. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 42. (p. 425) Most organizational behavior writers suggest that organizations are more effective when they become corporate cults. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-41 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 43. (p. 425) Corporate cults are preferred, because they help suppress subcultures within organizations. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 44. (p. 425) Organizations with adaptive cultures are unable to maintain a stable value system and, consequently, tend to perform poorly in the long run. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 45. (p. 425) Adaptive cultures focus employees on the changing needs of customers and other stakeholders and support initiative and leadership to keep pace with these changes. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 46. (p. 425) An adaptive organizational culture is one where employees pay attention to organizational goals, not the processes to achieve those goals. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-42 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 47. (p. 426) An organization's culture can either support or undermine ethical conduct among employees. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 48. (p. 427) One of the first steps in a bicultural audit is to identify the other organization's corporate culture through artifacts. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 49. (p. 427) Two companies should not merge if a bicultural audit determines that they have substantially different cultures. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 50. (p. 427) Compared to other strategies for merging two organizations, assimilation is most likely to result in a culture clash. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-43 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 51. (p. 427) The assimilation strategy of merging corporate cultures should be applied when the acquired firm has a weak culture and is willing to embrace the acquiring company's culture. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 52. (p. 428) The integration strategy for combining corporate cultures usually creates conflict as employees from the acquired firm resist the cultural intrusions. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 53. (p. 428) The separation strategy is most appropriate when the merging companies are unrelated industries. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 54. (p. 430) Organizational culture can sometimes be reshaped by applying transformational leadership and organizational change practices. TRUE AACSB: 2 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-44 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 55. (p. 430) Most studies have found that reward systems have little or no effect on strengthening corporate culture. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 56. (p. 431) The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory explains why companies are able to attract and select people who fit the culture, but later on have difficulty forcing them out. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 57. (p. 431-432) The attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory may explain why people who don't fit the culture are often weeded out. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 58. (p. 432) According to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, alignment with the company's culture is often a factor when deciding which applicant to hire. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-45 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 59. (p. 432) Companies strengthen corporate culture by selecting applicants whose values are compatible with the company's dominant values. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 60. (p. 432) Employees are more likely to quit if values incongruence is sufficiently low. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 61. (p. 432) New employees learn corporate culture through the process of organizational socialization. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 62. (p. 432) Organizational socialization is the process of meeting other employees and spending more time with them throughout the work day. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 63. (p. 432) Organizational socialization is a process of both learning and adjustment. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-46 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 64. (p. 433) Organizational socialization begins on the first day of employment and continues throughout one's career within the company. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 65. (p. 433) Organizational socialization does not occur until a person becomes a member of the organization. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 66. (p. 433) Nearly all of the socialization adjustment process occurs during and after the first day of work. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 67. (p. 434) Reality shock occurs when you perceive a discrepancy between your preemployment expectations and on-the-job reality. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-47 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 68. (p. 434) Reality shock occurs on or before the first day of work then quickly subsides. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 69. (p. 434) During the role management stage of organizational socialization, employees are newcomers who test their pre-employment expectations with the perceived realities. FALSE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 70. (p. 435) Realistic job previews improve organizational socialization by ensuring that applicants develop more accurate pre-employment expectations. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 71. (p. 436) Co-workers are important organizational socialization agents. TRUE AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-48 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Multiple Choice Questions 72. (p. 416) Organizational culture is best described as the basic pattern of shared: A. assumptions, beliefs and belongings that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions. B. behaviors that employees enact to demonstrate their support for corporate goals. C. decisions routinely occurring throughout the organization that support corporate strategies. D. assumptions, beliefs and values that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions. E. rituals and ceremonies that employees enact to consummate their relationship with the organization. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 73. (p. 416) Organizational culture includes: A. three universal values. B. artifacts, values, and beliefs. C. values, assumptions, and audits. D. behaviors, beliefs, and budgets. E. None of these statements is accurate. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 74. (p. 416) The assumptions, beliefs and values that subconsciously guide employee thoughts and actions are called: A. organizational culture. B. organizational structure. C. organizational socialization. D. organizational politics. E. transformational leadership. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-49 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 75. (p. 417) The deepest element of organizational culture is: A. values. B. artifacts. C. language. D. beliefs. E. assumptions. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 76. (p. 417) Which of the following are the observable indicators of organizational culture? A. Assumptions B. Artifacts C. Values D. Beliefs E. Mental models AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 77. (p. 417) The hidden elements of an organization's culture include: A. Physical structures B. Language used in the organization C. Employee beliefs and values D. All of the above E. Only 'B' and 'C' AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-50 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 78. (p. 417) How do mental models relate to the concept of organizational culture? A. Mental models represent the assumptions within an organization's culture. B. Mental models represent the artifacts of organizational culture. C. Mental models are mainly used to decipher an organization's culture. D. Mental models represent the values within an organization's culture. E. Mental models do not have anything to do with organizational culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 79. (p. 416-417) Which of these statements about shared assumptions is FALSE? A. Shared assumptions are unconscious taken-for granted perceptions or beliefs. B. Shared assumptions are so deeply embedded they probably cannot be discovered by surveying employees. C. Shared assumptions include shared enacted values. D. Shared assumptions are revealed through corporate value statements. E. All of the above are correct. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 80. (p. 417) The best way to determine an organization's shared assumptions is to: A. interview executives. B. look for evidence of its corporate value statements. C. determine what the organization's enacted values are. D. read public relations statements produced by the organization. E. ask customers to evaluate the company's effectiveness. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-51 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 81. (p. 418) The themes shared most widely by employees represent: A. the organization's dominant culture. B. the organization's deculturation process. C. the organization's counterculture. D. artifacts held mainly by senior executives in the organization. E. organizational rituals. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 82. (p. 419) Organizations that tolerate or encourage subcultures with dissenting values: A. usually go quickly out of business. B. usually build stronger cultures to counteract those dissenting values. C. may eventually use those dissenting values to build a new set of dominant values in the future. D. do not have any corporate culture. E. Both 'A' and 'D'. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 83. (p. 419) Which of these statements about organizational subcultures is FALSE? A. Some subcultures support the organization's dominant culture. B. Subcultures spawn emerging values that the company may eventually adopt. C. Organizations should subdue subcultures that oppose the firm's dominant values. D. Subcultures potentially maintain the organization's standards of performance and ethical behavior. E. Some subcultures directly oppose the organization's core values. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-52 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 84. (p. 420) Which of the following is a spawning ground for emerging corporate culture values? A. Subcultures B. Bicultural audits C. Artifacts D. The actions of the company's founder E. None of the above AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 85. (p. 420) One advantage of countercultures is that they: A. Rarely exist in real organizations. B. Maintain surveillance over and critique of the company's dominant culture. C. Prevent organizations from developing a corporate culture. D. Ensure that corporate mergers occur without any culture clashes. E. Countercultures never make organizations more effective. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 86. (p. 420) The observable symbols and signs of an organization's values, beliefs and assumptions are called: A. organizational culture. B. mental models. C. artifacts. D. values. E. socialization. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-53 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 87. (p. 420) What is the significance of artifacts in organizational culture? A. Artifacts are the same as organizational culture. B. Artifacts are the leftover parts of the organization that cannot fit into its culture. C. Artifacts represent the directly observable symbols and signs of an organization's culture. D. Artifacts are the observable indicators that the organization does not have a culture. E. Artifacts mainly reflect the subcultures that conflict with an organization's dominant culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 88. (p. 420) The best way to measure an organization's culture is to: A. Interview executives. B. Look for evidence of its espoused values. C. Conduct a careful analysis of many organizational artifacts. D. Read public relations statements produced by the organization. E. Do none of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 89. (p. 420) To develop the most accurate estimate of an organization's culture, we should: A. survey employees. B. observe workplace behavior. C. investigate physical elements in the workplace. D. survey employees and observe behavior, but NOT investigate physical workplace elements. E. Answers A, B and C only. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-54 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 90. (p. 421) Which of these statements about organizational stories is FALSE? A. Organizational stories are most effective at communicating organizational culture when employees believe the stories are true. B. Stories communicate organizational culture if they describe positive events, whereas they undermine organizational culture if they describe negative events. C. Organizational stories provide human realism to individual performance standards. D. Stories are most effective at communicating organization culture when they describe real events with real people. E. Organizational stories are prescriptive—they advise people what to do or not to do. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 91. (p. 421) Organizational stories are most effective at communicating organizational culture: A. never; organizational stories always misrepresent the organization's true culture. B. Only when they are told by senior executives to the public. C. When they describe real people and are assumed to be true. D. When they are descriptive rather than prescriptive. E. When they are both 'C' and 'D'. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 92. (p. 420) Which of the following would be considered an artifact of an organization's culture? A. The shape, size and location of corporate headquarters. B. How visitors are greeted when they first enter a company building. C. The stories told by employees to newcomers about the founder's experiences when he or she started the company. D. The unique metaphors and special vocabularies that employees use to share meaning. E. All of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-55 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 93. (p. 421) Rituals are: A. programmed routines of daily organizational life that dramatize the organization's culture. B. deliberate attempts to communicate the corporate culture to new employees. C. events that suggest the organization's culture is about to change. D. physical structures that convey the dominant values of an organization's culture. E. games that people play to defy the dominant culture and, instead, support countercultural beliefs and values. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 94. (p. 421) Which of the following are programmed routines of daily organizational life that dramatize the organization's culture? A. Ceremonies. B. Language. C. Assumptions. D. Beliefs. E. Rituals. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 95. (p. 421) At meetings of a major consumer products firm, employees habitually stand up when the most senior executive at the meeting enters the room. This practice represents: A. Evidence that the meeting has employees who hold countercultural values. B. Evidence that the company has an adaptive culture. C. A ritual that probably symbolizes the organization's dominant culture. D. A form of deculturation that eventually undermines the organization's dominant culture. E. Evidence that the company's espoused values differs from its enacted values. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult 14-56 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 96. (p. 422) Whenever an advertising firm lands a new contract, the successful team rings a loud bell and breaks out a bottle of champagne. In organizational culture, this practice would be considered: A. unethical. B. a ceremony. C. a mental model. D. a symptom of a culture that is out of touch with its external environment. E. irrelevant to the meaning or study of organizational culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 97. (p. 422) Which of the following is an artifact rather than an element of organizational culture? A. Values B. Language C. Assumptions D. Beliefs E. Both language and assumptions are artifacts. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 98. (p. 422) The building in which employees work: A. Often reflects the organization's culture. B. Has no known effect on an organization's culture. C. Is a possible artifact of organizational culture. D. Can potentially influence the organization's culture. E. Answers A, C and D only. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-57 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 99. (p. 424) Organizational culture does which of the following? A. It is a powerful form of social control that influences employee decisions and behavior. B. It is the social glue that bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organization. C. It helps employees understand what goes on and why things happen in the company. D. All of the above. E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 100. (p. 424) A strong corporate culture potentially increases organizational performance by: A. controlling employee decisions and behavior. B. ensuring that employees do not identify with the organization. C. ensuring that no one holds countercultural values. D. ensuring that employees can quickly adopt new values when necessary. E. doing all of these things. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 101. (p. 424) Organizational culture serves what purpose in organizations? A. It is a form of social control. B. It bonds employees together and makes them feel part of the organizational experience. C. It helps employees to understand organizational events. D. All of these. E. None of these. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-58 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 102. (p. 425) Companies with strong organizational cultures are more effective than companies with weak cultures: A. All of the time. B. If the cultural values emphasize customer service rather cost efficiency. C. If the cultural values are compatible with the organizational environment. D. If there is high turnover among production employees. E. Never; companies with weak cultures are almost always more effective than those with strong cultures. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 103. (p. 425) Which of these statements about the strength of organizational culture and organizational performance is TRUE? A. Organizations with stronger cultures tend to perform better than those with weak cultures when the culture content fits the external environment. B. There is no relationship between an organization's cultural strength and its performance. C. Organizations with stronger cultures tend to perform better only when they acquire other organizations with distinct cultures. D. Organizations with stronger cultures almost always perform poorly compared to those with weak cultures. E. Organizations with stronger cultures perform poorly if they have subcultures. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 104. (p. 425) What tends to happen when an organization's culture is misaligned with its external environment? A. The corporate culture gets stronger. B. The organization's subcultures weaken. C. The organization has more difficulty anticipating and responding to stakeholder needs. D. The organization is unable to develop subcultures. E. All of these occur. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-59 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 105. (p. 426) As an organization's culture gets stronger, it: A. Becomes more misaligned with its external environment. B. Becomes more effective in the marketplace. C. Makes employees less committed to the organization. D. Causes various subcultures in the organization to also become stronger. E. Makes it more difficult for decision makers to identify problems or opportunities outside the mental model of that culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult 106. (p. 425) Organizations with an adaptive corporate culture: A. are unlikely to survive in the long run. B. are focused outwardly on customers and other stakeholders outside the organization rather than inwardly. C. tend to be less ethical than organizations with non-adaptive cultures. D. have no artifacts to keep their culture in place. E. are focused inward to employee needs. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 107. (p. 425) Which of the following is a characteristic of an adaptive corporate culture? A. Employees hold a common mental model that the organization's success depends on their personal wellbeing. B. Employees seek out opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive. C. Employees tend to be more reactive. D. Employees tend to take the view that any activity beyond their job description is not their job. E. All of the above are characteristic of adaptive cultures. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-60 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 108. (p. 396) Employees at SuperTech Services seek out opportunities rather than wait for them to arrive. They also have a strong sense of responsibility for the organization's performance. SuperTech likely has: A. a weak organizational culture. B. a strong counterculture. C. relatively few artifacts representing the organization's culture. D. a culture that is misaligned with its external environment. E. an adaptive culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 109. (p. 426) If an organization has an adaptive culture, it likely has: A. employees with a strong sense of ownership over the company's success. B. a culture that emphasizes dozens of values at the same time. C. an external focus on the needs of customers and other stakeholders. D. all of these are characteristics of adaptive cultures. E. employees with a strong sense of ownership AND an external focus on stakeholder needs. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 110. (p. 425) Most employees at United FiberTech support the idea that the company's success depends on their willingness to continually change and improve customer service. United FiberTech probably has: A. an adaptive culture. B. many countercultures. C. more subcultures than employees. D. an unethical culture. E. no corporate culture. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-61 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 111. (p. 426) What is the relationship between organizational culture and business ethics? A. Companies with a strong organizational culture are more likely to have employees with higher ethical standards of behavior. B. When companies have a weak organizational culture, employees are more likely to rely on their ethical values to make decisions. C. An organization's culture may strengthen ethical values. D. Organizational culture can be a source of ethical problems. E. An organization's culture may strengthen ethical values AND can be a source of ethical problems. AACSB: 3, 2 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult 112. (p. 427) The main purpose of a bicultural audit is to: A. Determine whether your company's organizational culture is sufficiently strong. B. Estimate the number of dominant and subcultural values that exist in an organization. C. Find out whether people from different countries have the same corporate cultures. D. Identify and diagnose differences in the corporate cultures of merging organizations. E. Teach new employees the organization's dominant cultural values. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 113. (p. 427) One of the first steps in a merger to minimize cultural clashes is to: A. Significantly reduce the strength of the culture in both organizations. B. Conduct a bicultural audit. C. Significantly increase the strength of the culture in both organizations. D. Replace the chief executives in both organizations before merger negotiations begin. E. Do both 'A' and 'B'. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-62 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 114. (p. 427) In a merger, the process of diagnosing cultural relations between the companies and determining the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur is called: A. organizational socialization. B. deculturation. C. knowledge management. D. bicultural audit. E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 115. (p. 427) _______ occurs when employees at the acquired company willingly embrace the cultural values of the acquiring organization. A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 116. (p. 428) In which strategy does the acquiring company impose its culture and business practices on the acquired organization? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-63 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 117. (p. 428) A deculturation strategy of merging two corporate cultures should be applied: A. never, because deculturation destroys both cultures. B. When both firms operate successfully in different industries. C. When employees in the acquired firm want to hold on to their firm's culture even though it does not fit the external environment. D. When both firms have weak cultures. E. Whenever one firm has more power over another firm in a merger. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 118. (p. 428) Which strategy for merging two distinct cultures is most effective when the two companies have relatively weak cultures with overlapping values? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 119. (p. 428) Which strategy for merging two distinct cultures is most effective when the two companies are in unrelated industries and have cultures that seem to work well for them? A. Deculturation B. Assimilation C. Separation D. Integration E. None of the above AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-64 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 120. (p. 428) When merging two organizations, a separation strategy is most commonly applied when: A. Both companies have relatively weak cultures that are generally ineffective. B. One company has an effective culture and employees at the other company would embrace that culture if applied to them. C. The two organizations operate in distinct industries. D. The acquired firm's culture doesn't work, whereas the culture of the acquiring firm does work. E. A bicultural audit reveals that both companies have very similar cultures. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 121. (p. 429) How do founders and corporate leaders affect corporate culture? A. Transformational leaders develop or change the organization's culture. B. Founders and corporate leaders develop the systems and structures that support their personal values. C. Founders and corporate leaders are often visionaries whose energetic style provides a powerful role model for others to follow. D. Founders and corporate leaders strengthen or change corporate culture by communicating and enacting their vision of the future. E. All of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-65 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 122. (p. 429) A stable workforce helps to maintain a strong corporate culture because: A. Corporate culture is embedded in the minds of employees and therefore weakens with high turnover. B. Employees cannot adopt the firm's cultural values until they have at least five years of seniority. C. Only long-time employees who worked directly with the company founder can convey the firm's dominant values. D. Junior employees are affected by rewards and job security, not by the company's cultural values. E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 123. (p. 431) According to the attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, job applicants: A. are attracted to coworkers with similar values and assumptions. B. avoid employment in companies whose values seem incompatible with their own values. C. do not typically pay much heed to organizational values when applying for work. D. avoid other applicants if they are competing for the same jobs. E. are attracted to companies who are likely to provide them with the greatest rewards. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 124. (p. 432) Which of the following statements is consistent with the attraction-selectionattrition (ASA) theory? A. Job applicants who later become organizational members tend to be attracted to co-workers who share their values and assumptions. B. Organizations have a natural tendency to attract, select and retain people with values that are consistent with the organization's own culture. C. Attraction, selection and attrition are part of the natural life-cycle of organizational members. D. Employees get attached to organizations that meet their reward expectations. E. Attraction followed by selection inevitably lead to attrition in the future. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-66 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 125. (p. 433) Employees are organizationally socialized: A. beginning with the role management stage of organizational socialization. B. long before the first day of work. C. beginning with the company's orientation program on the first day of work. D. only when they enter management positions. E. beginning with the encounter stages of organizational socialization. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 126. (p. 433) Organizational socialization is best described as a process of: A. cooperation and stability. B. power and restructuring. C. negotiation and concession-making. D. learning and adjustment. E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 127. (p. 433) In the context of organizational socialization, the adjustment process is better for: A. those who rebel against and reject the company's dominant values. B. employees who experience significant levels of reality shock. C. newcomers with diverse work experience. D. people who are able to avoid the encounter stage of socialization. E. individuals who retain their personal identity. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-67 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 128. (p. 433) The pre-employment stage of organizational socialization would be more effective if: A. employers avoided forming a psychological contract. B. employers and job applicants gave and received accurate information about each other. C. employers and applicants experienced reality shock when meeting each other for the first time. D. job applicants distorted their resume in order to be offered employment. E. all of these conditions existed. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 129. (p. 433) Which of the following happens during the pre-employment stage of organizational socialization? A. Conflicts are resolved between work and nonwork activities. B. Employees form expectations (a psychological contract) about working at that organization. C. Reality shock is experienced. D. All of these occur. E. None of these occur. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 130. (p. 433) The process of organizational socialization begins: A. as soon as the person is hired by the organization. B. within the employee's first week on the job. C. long before the first day of work for the organization. D. when the employee finally reconciles pre-employment expectations with organizational reality. E. when the employee receives his or her first performance appraisal. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-68 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 131. (p. 434) The three stages of organizational socialization, in order, are: A. prehire, pre-employment, post-hire. B. newcomer, insider, outsider. C. student, employee, retiree. D. pre-employment, encounter, role management. E. anticipation, encounter, disillusionment. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 132. (p. 434) During what stage of socialization do people FIRST learn about the organization and job? A. Role management B. Encounter C. Pre-employment D. Reality shock E. Disillusionment AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 133. (p. 434) When should organizations use reality shock? A. When they want employees to develop better expectations of future work experiences. B. When they want to ensure that employees develop a stronger loyalty to the organization. C. When they want to help newcomers develop a stronger bond with coworkers and the organization. D. Under all of these conditions. E. Never; companies should minimize reality shock. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-69 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 134. (p. 434) Reality shock is: A. based on expectancy theory. B. an element in the model of individual behavior. C. common in lateral career development. D. a unique feature of an adaptive culture. E. a perceived discrepancy between employee expectations and reality. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 135. (p. 434) Reality shock among new employees typically occurs when: A. newcomers experience information overload as they enter the workplace. B. employers are unable or unwilling to live up to their promises. C. newcomers develop exaggerated expectations about the job. D. All of the above. E. None of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 136. (p. 435) Resolving conflicts between work and nonwork mainly occurs during what stage of socialization? A. Role management B. Encounter C. Pre-employment D. Reality shock E. Disillusionment AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-70 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 137. (p. 435-436) Which of the following statements about realistic job previews (RJP's) is most accurate? A. many companies overpromise and often exaggerate positive features of the job and neglect to mention the undesirable elements. B. RJPs minimize reality shock by helping applicants develop more accurate pre-employment expectations. C. RJP's are one potentially way to improve the socialization process. D. All of these statements are accurate. E. Answers B and C only. AACSB: 3 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 138. (p. 435-436) Most employees would say that ______ helped them adjust to their new job most. A. family support. B. market levels of compensation. C. socialization agents. D. a strong corporate culture. E. All of the above. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 139. (p. 435-436) All of the following could be considered socialization agents EXCEPT: A. family members. B. co-workers. C. friends who work for the company. D. employment agency representatives. E. Both A and D. AACSB: 3 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Medium 14-71 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture Essay Questions 140. (p. 416) A major consulting firm is offering a special service whereby it is able to determine the organization's dominant culture and some of its subcultures. The firm says that it does this by statistically analyzing the words and phrases in the company's annual reports, news releases and public speeches made by the company's senior executives. The consultancy claims that this is an effective way of identifying the organization's culture because it does not collect any information from inside the organization and, consequently, doesn't take time from any employees. Discuss the merits and limitations of this consultancy's ability to determine an organization's culture. Understanding an organization's culture requires painstaking assessment of many artifacts because they are subtle and often ambiguous. Consequently, we should be skeptical about claims that a consultancy can assess an organization's culture quickly through an analysis of public statements. Moreover, public statements are more likely to express an organization's espoused values — the values people say they believe in — rather than its enacted values — the values that actually guide individual decisions and behavior in the workplace. To effectively analyze an organization's culture, consultants need to investigate subtle artifacts, ranging from daily rituals to the physical workspace. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 141. (p. 417) Superb Consultants have submitted a proposal to analyze the cultural values of your organization. The proposal states that Superb has developed a revolutionary new survey to tap the company's true culture that takes just ten minutes to complete and the consultants say results can be based on a small sample of employees. Discuss the merits and limitations of this proposal. Understanding an organization's culture requires painstaking assessment of many artifacts because they are subtle and often ambiguous. Consequently, we should be skeptical about claims that a consultant can assess an organization's culture quickly through a survey. Moreover, a survey is more likely to determine an organization's espoused values -- the values people say they believe in -- rather than its enacted values -- the values that actually guide individual decisions and behavior in the workplace. To effectively analyze an organization's culture, consultants need to investigate subtle artifacts, ranging from daily rituals to the physical work space. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-72 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 142. (p. 419-420) Discuss the accuracy of the following statement: "Organizations are more effective when they operate without subcultures and countercultures." This statement is generally FALSE. Subcultures, particularly countercultures, potentially create conflict and dissension among employees, but they also serve two important functions. First, they maintain the organization's standards of performance and ethical behavior. Employees who hold countercultural values are an important source of surveillance and critique over the dominant order. They encourage constructive controversy and more creative thinking about how the organization should interact with its environment. Subcultures prevent employees from blindly following one set of values and thereby help the organization to abide by society's ethical values. Second, corporate subcultures are the spawning grounds for emerging values that keep the firm aligned with the needs of customers, suppliers, society and other stakeholders. Companies eventually need to replace their dominant values with ones that are more appropriate for the changing environment. If subcultures are suppressed, the organization may take longer to discover and adopt values aligned with the emerging environment. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-73 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 143. (p. 420-427) A large transportation manufacturer is considering a proposal to acquire a company in a related industry. During due diligence, senior executives intend to conduct a bicultural audit. They already have good information that their own company is aggressive, risk-taking and entrepreneurial. Assuming that these executives will personally analyze the other firm's culture, briefly describe the bicultural audit process and what these senior executives should examine. 14-74 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture A bicultural audit diagnoses cultural relations between the companies and determines the extent to which cultural clashes will likely occur. The process begins with interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and observation of cultural artifacts to identify cultural differences between the merging companies. Next, the audit data are analyzed to determine which differences between the two firms will result in conflict and which cultural values provide common ground on which to build a cultural foundation in the merged organization. The final stage of the bicultural audit involves identifying strategies and preparing action plans to bridge the two organizations' cultures. As mentioned, a bicultural audit includes carefully examining artifacts of each organization. In this question, students have been advised that the acquiring company's culture is known, so they should focus on what executives should look for in the acquiring company. The textbook describes four broad categories of corporate culture artifacts. Students can describe these in the context of the bicultural audit. Organizational stories. Corporate culture can be deciphered from stories about past corporate incidents (good or bad ones). To apply this strategy, senior executives need to learn through interviews about critical events in the other firm's past, particularly heroic or bizarre events that capture attention and reflect effective (or ineffective — with negative consequences) events in the organization. Rituals and ceremonies. Executives should pay attention to the programmed routines of daily organizational life (rituals) because they dramatize the organization's culture. For example, they should note how people (not just themselves) are greeted as visitors, how employees interact, how meetings begin, how decisions are made, and so on. The executives may not have the opportunity to observe ceremonies — planned activities conducted specifically for the benefit of an audience — but they can ask employees about them. For example, they might ask about events that celebrate a new product launch, employee awards and the like. Organizational language. Language transmits and sustains shared values through metaphors and other special vocabularies that represent the employees' perspectives of reality. Senior executives should listen closely in their interviews with employees as well as when employees at the other firm talk with each other. For example, they might listen for language that reflects risk-taking and entrepreneurship rather than careful, bureaucratic decision making. Physical structures and space. The size, shape, location and age of buildings may symbolize the organization's culture. For example, a tall building with closed offices and senior executive offices on the top floor often reflects a hierarchical, bureaucratic organization. Along with the physical structure, executives should look at artifacts inside the building, such as paintings, office space, cafeteria food, and so on. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-75 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 144. (p. 420) Your friend is thinking about applying for a technical or managerial job opportunity at a large computer network firm. However, past experience has made your friend aware that it is important to ensure that the company's dominant values are aligned with his or her own. Identify three (3) different types of artifacts that your friend should consider when deciphering the culture of the computer network firm. Your friend is a job applicant, so your answer should relate to the experience of being recruited into an organization. The textbook describes four distinct types of artifacts for deciphering organizational culture. Students should briefly describe any three to answer this question. However, their answer should specifically identify ways to apply these strategies. Organizational stories. Corporate culture can be deciphered from stories about past corporate incidents (good or bad ones). To apply this strategy, job applicants need to learn about critical events in the company's past, particularly heroic or bizarre events that capture attention and reflect effective (or ineffective — with negative consequences) events in the organization. For example, your friend might ask for past copies of the company newsletter. Some stories are found there. The friend might also ask during the interviews about the founder and other stories. Rituals and ceremonies. Your friend should pay attention to the programmed routines of daily organizational life (rituals) because they dramatize the organization's culture. For example, he or she should note how people are greeted as visitors, how employees interact, how meetings begin, how decisions are made, and so on. The friend may not have the opportunity to observe ceremonies — planned activities conducted specifically for the benefit of an audience — but he or she can ask employees about them. For example, your friend might ask about events that celebrate a new product launch, employee awards and the like. Organizational language. Language transmits and sustains shared values through metaphors and other special vocabularies that represent the employees' perspectives of reality. Your friend should listen closely in interviews as well as when employees at the firm talk with each other. For example, he or she might hear employees address a manager in a formal way, suggesting a status-oriented culture. Physical structures and space. The size, shape, location and age of buildings may symbolize the organization's culture. For example, a tall building with closed offices and senior executive offices on the top floor often reflects a hierarchical, bureaucratic organization. Along with the physical structure, your friend should look at artifacts inside the building, such as paintings, office space, cafeteria food, and so on. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-76 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 145. (p. 420) Senior executives in your organization want to strengthen teamwork as part of the company's culture. They have asked you to identify ways to communicate and reinforce this cultural value using artifacts as the primary means of communication. Describe three different types of artifacts that might be altered so they communicate this corporate value. Some students might answer this by describing the ways to strengthen corporate culture (e.g. actions of founders, reward systems, selecting employees, etc.). Although that information is not completely incorrect (e.g. rewards are artifacts), the question specifically asks students to identify three different types of artifacts to change. Thus, the best answer discusses any three of the four broad categories of artifacts described earlier in the chapter. Organizational stories. Corporate culture can be communicated by stories about past corporate incidents (good or bad ones). To apply this strategy, job applicants need to learn about critical events in the company's past, particularly heroic or bizarre events that capture attention and reflect effective (or ineffective — with negative consequences) events in the organization. For example, the company newsletter might feature an incident in which an employee solved a client's problem only after pulling together several people in the organization. This would illustrate through a story the value of teamwork. Rituals and ceremonies. Rituals are the programmed routines of daily organizational life that dramatize the organization's culture. This can communicate a teamwork culture through everyday activities, such as having group information sessions or having employees work together on many activities. Ceremonies are planned activities conducted specifically for the benefit of an audience. Teamwork might be communicated by having team spirit awards or by having special events that celebrate the value of teams in the company. Organizational language. Language transmits and sustains shared values through metaphors and other special vocabularies that represent the employees' perspectives of reality. Senior executives can communicate teamwork values by encouraging language that supports this value. They might consistently use phrases that assume teamwork as a norm throughout the firm. Physical structures and space. The size, shape, location and age of buildings may symbolize the organization's culture. For example, a low-rise, open-space building communicates and supports teamwork more than a tall office tower with closed offices. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-77 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 146. (p. 423-424) Comment on and explain the accuracy of the following statement: "Organizations with strong corporate cultures are more effective than organizations with weak corporate cultures." The accuracy of this statement depends on the situation. Students should briefly define what we mean by "strong" corporate culture. Specifically, they should state that the strength of an organization's culture refers to how many people accept the firm's dominant values; how strongly, deeply and intensely they believe in these values; and how long these values have dominated in the organization. Next, students should explain that strong cultures are potentially effective because they provide a form of social control, create common bonds among employees and make it easier for employees to make sense of organizational events. However, strong cultures are only effective if the following conditions exist. First, the firm's dominant values must be compatible with the external environment. When an organization's culture does not fit its environment, employees have difficulty responding to and anticipating the needs of the company's stakeholders. Second, the benefits of a strong corporate culture can diminish if it becomes so strong that employees are unable to break out of the dominant mental model. In other words, the stronger the culture, the more it blinds people to other perspectives. Third, the benefits of a strong corporate culture can diminish if it becomes so strong that dissenting values are suppressed. These dissenting values provide the foundation for more appropriate values in the long term and they help the organization to maintain ethical standards. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-78 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 147. (p. 424) The president of Advanced Systems Corp. wants the company to have a strong organizational culture around a specific set of values. As a vice-president, you are concerned that the president may be trying to strengthen the culture too much thereby creating a corporate cult. Describe three potential problems with having an organizational culture that is too strong. Organizations with strong cultures are potentially more effective than those with weak cultures. However, strong cultures can create problems under four conditions. Students may identify any three of these for this question. First, a strong culture is ineffective if the values, beliefs and assumptions are incompatible with the external environment. For example, an organization with a strong technological efficiency culture will be more effective if this helps the organization to adapt better to the external environment and satisfy the needs of dominant stakeholders. In contrast, cultural values that are incompatible with the external environment will steer the organization away from the direction it should be headed and encourage employees to engage in behaviors that are dysfunctional in the long term. Second, a company's culture might be so strong that employees blindly focus on the mental model shaped by that culture. Mental models produce a set of assumptions on which we base our decisions and actions. When an organization's culture intensely emphasizes customer service, for example, employees tend to see problems as customer service problems even though some are really problems about efficiency or technology. Thus, strong cultures might cause decision makers to overlook or incorrectly define subtle misalignments between the organization's activities and the changing environment. Third, the stronger the culture, the more it suppresses dissenting values. In the long term, this prevents organizations from nurturing new cultural values that might emerge into dominant values as the environment changes. For this reason, corporate leaders need to recognize that healthy organizations have subcultures with dissenting values that may produce dominant values in the future. Lastly, some companies have a strong culture, but they do not have an adaptive culture. An adaptive culture focuses employees on the changing needs of customers and other stakeholders and supports initiative and leadership to keep pace with these changes. Without an adaptive culture, employees are resistant to change and, consequently, will not adapt to a changing environment. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Easy 14-79 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 148. (p. 425) The president of CJD Consulting would like to change his organization's culture to reflect new realities in the external environment. He has heard positive things about adaptive cultures and would like to know more about them. What would you say to the president to explain adaptable cultures? Be sure to describe the four characteristics of this type of culture in your answer. Students might begin by defining what adaptive cultures are, in general terms, then describe the four specific characteristics mentioned in the text. Adaptive cultures have employees that focus on the changing needs of customers and other stakeholders, as well as support initiatives to keep pace with those changes. First. Adaptive cultures have an external focus. The employees hold a common mental model that the organization's success depends on continuous change that supports all stakeholders. Second. Employees pay as much attention to organizations processes as they do organizational goals. This means they are committed to continuously finding ways to improve internal processes. Third. Employees in organizations with adaptive cultures have a strong sense of ownership. They feel personally responsible for the organization's performance, and willingly accept that responsibility Fourth. Adaptive cultures are proactive and quick to respond to changes in their environment. Employees will seek out opportunities. They also act quickly to learn through discovery. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Medium 14-80 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 149. (p. 430-432) Identify four (4) conditions or events that potentially weaken an organization's dominant culture. Students should answer this by applying the opposite of the four strategies for strengthening organizational culture described in the textbook. A possible answer is presented below. a. Organizational culture is weakened whenever top management acts inconsistently. This occurs when senior managers lack transformational leadership skills — they do not espouse a single vision and do not walk the talk — or there is high turnover of senior management. Under these conditions, employees receive mixed signals about the values and beliefs that they should hold. b. Introduce culturally inconsistent rewards. If the existing culture emphasizes efficiency, then shift the reward system so that employees who strive for efficiency (rather than, say, customer service) are not rewarded as well. c. Failing to align artifacts with the organization's culture can weaken the culture. Organizations have to manage artifacts carefully, because it is artifacts which keep the culture in place. Artifacts also send signals and clues to stakeholders about what the shared values and assumptions are in a given organization. Altering artifacts without considering the effects on the overall culture can potential harm or change the overall culture. d. An organization's culture is weakened when it does not carefully select and socialize new employees. Hiring people whose own beliefs and values are different from the corporate culture will likely lead to countercultural groups that overshadow the dominant values. Alternatively, these new employees may experience role conflict and leave the company more quickly. This would also hamper the company's ability to strengthen its culture. The lack of socialization of newcomers would lengthen the time required for them to understand and accept the dominant values. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Knowledge Difficulty: Easy 14-81 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 150. (p. 432) Using attraction-selection-attrition (ASA) theory, describe how a company would maintain and perpetuate their culture. This answer requires students to describe how each of the three parts of the theory contributes to maintaining an organization's culture. Attraction. All organizations communicate their cultures (values) via artifacts which are visible to others in the community. These provide information to prospective job applicants about the organization's values. The resulting information leads applicants to a form of selfselection when they avoid companies that seem to have values which are incompatible with their own. Conversely, this same process encourages those who share the same values with the company to apply for jobs. The attraction component of the theory ensures the established culture is maintained. Selection. Even during the employment selection stage, companies factor-in the person's "fit" with the established culture. This focus on values congruence has the effect of weeding out those who hold differing values found in the established organizational culture. Rather than providing a mix of values, this practice tends to homogenize and perpetuate an organization's established culture. Attrition. If individuals are hired who do not share the values of the dominant culture, and value incongruence becomes is high enough, those employees will be motivated to seek out alternate employment elsewhere in order to minimize internal role conflict. This attrition process contributes to perpetuating a workforce that comprises mostly of individuals who share the same values as those found in the company's culture. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult 14-82 Chapter 14 - Organizational Culture 151. (p. 428) Many organizations think that they integrate organizational cultures when merging or acquiring other companies. Explain what does integrating organizational cultures means? Under what conditions is this strategy most likely to succeed? The integration strategy involves combining the two cultures into a new composite culture that preserves the best features of the previous cultures. It is slow and potentially risky, because there are many forces preserving the existing cultures. Integration is most effective when the two companies have relatively weak cultures or when their cultures include several overlapping values. Integration also works best when people realize that their existing culture is ineffective and they are therefore motivated to adopt a new set of dominant values. AACSB: 1, 3, 6 BT: Comprehension Difficulty: Difficult 14-83 Which of the following tends to happen when an organization's culture is misaligned?What tends to happen when an organization's culture is misaligned with its external environment? The organization has more difficulty anticipating and responding to stakeholder needs.
What are the three stages of organizational socialization in their correct order?Fredric Jablin articulated three basic stages of organizational socialization: anticipatory socialization, organizational entry/assimilation, and organization disengagement/exit.
What are the four methods for maintaining corporate culture quizlet?The four main strategies for merging different corporate cultures are integration, deculturation, assimilation, and separation.
What is the term given to the planned activities conducted specifically for the benefit of the employees?Human resource planning (HRP) is the continuous process of systematic planning ahead to achieve optimum use of an organization's most valuable asset—quality employees. Human resources planning ensures the best fit between employees and jobs while avoiding manpower shortages or surpluses.
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