Organizations: Theory and Practice Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What type of involvement is characterized by members joining an organization mainly to satisfy economic needs?

  • Moral involvement
  • Psychological involvement
  • Calculative involvement (correct)
  • Alienative involvement

    • What is likely to occur when an organization with a utilitarian expectation introduces coercive authority patterns?

  • Increased motivation
  • Enhanced commitment
  • Alienative response (correct)
  • Moral disengagement

    • Who among the following is NOT mentioned as a contributor to the human relations approach?

  • Taylor (correct)
  • Maslow
  • Herzberg
  • McGregor

    • What aspect does the human relations approach primarily focus on within organizational life?

    <p>Effects of management dispositions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which approach emphasizes the significance of informal systems of behavior and relationships within an organization?

    <p>The human relations approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What could be a psychological miscalculation for an organization expecting moral involvement?

    <p>Expecting high commitment without reciprocating</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following theories is included in the discussion of motivation and group behavior?

    <p>Argyris' theory</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is true about the systems approach in relation to other organizational theories?

    <p>It is chronologically more recent than others.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key reason for studying organizations?

    <p>To analyze the total effectiveness of the system</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to Parkinson, how does work typically behave within organizations?

    <p>It expands to fill the time available for completion</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What challenge do employees often face when identifying with their organizations?

    <p>They struggle to relate to a complex and unseen entity</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does postmodernism reject in the study of organizations?

    <p>The objective positivist approach</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common experience individuals share regarding organizational size and complexity?

    <p>They relate more easily to smaller groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which question remains challenging for managers concerning organizations?

    <p>How the organization itself can be controlled</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of organizations may lead employees to perceive them as a mystical force?

    <p>Their complex size and interrelations</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the study of organizations primarily involve analyzing?

    <p>The interrelationships of component groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key assertion of postmodernism regarding organizations?

    <p>Organizations exist solely in the perceptions of their members.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which philosopher is NOT associated with the postmodernist critique?

    <p>Marx</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of language is emphasized in postmodernist thought?

    <p>Words carry historical and diverse meanings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does postmodernism view the construction of reality?

    <p>Reality is constructed through individual experiences.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What critique does postmodernism provide to consultants and managers?

    <p>They often overlook their role in shaping reality.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does postmodernism reject in its theory?

    <p>The idea of a coherent theoretical alternative.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In postmodern thought, how is knowledge perceived?

    <p>Knowledge is fragmented and diverse.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does human resource management play in the context of postmodernism?

    <p>It creates established power relations that are often unacknowledged.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What should organizations consider when designing their structures?

    <p>A combination of internal and external variables</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What factor is deemed fundamentally important in an organization's design?

    <p>The predominant technology used</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How can transaction costs be defined in the context of organizations?

    <p>As costs related to actions taken within the organization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of atmosphere should organizations establish for effective functioning?

    <p>An atmosphere of trust and openness</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role do informal systems play in an organization?

    <p>They interact significantly with the formal systems</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one of the essential objectives of organization development (OD)?

    <p>To help organizations become more aware of their structures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What can conflict between groups in an organization be minimized by?

    <p>Encouraging maximum integration of groups</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the psychological contract in an organization refer to?

    <p>What the organization can offer and what it expects in return</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary factor suggested for consideration in organizational design?

    <p>Technology and environmental variables</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of organization is described as having a rigid structure suitable for stable conditions?

    <p>Mechanical organization</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a characteristic of an organic organization compared to a mechanistic organization?

    <p>Flexibility and adaptability to change</p> Signup and view all the answers

    According to the model proposed by Burns and Stalker, what do mechanistic and organic organizations represent?

    <p>A continuum of organizational structures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do interactions and communication typically function in an organic organization?

    <p>They are based on situation-specific specialist requirements</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What did the studies on manufacturing firms focus on regarding organizational change?

    <p>Implementation of modern electronic technology</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key feature of the organic type of organization regarding duties?

    <p>Duties are flexible and can change with circumstances</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the relationship between technological change and organizational structures according to Burns and Stalker?

    <p>Technological change encourages organic structures to adapt</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What change did the National Health Service undergo to illustrate the concept of the internal market?

    <p>It transformed into a market-driven system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How are contemporary organizations adapting to serve multiple markets?

    <p>By reducing levels in the hierarchy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What has been a notable trend regarding the management structure of organizations today?

    <p>Divisionalized structures with smaller business units.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What effect have takeovers and mergers had on employees in modern industries?

    <p>They have reduced the significance of ownership to the individual employee.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one key characteristic of the 'Boundaryless Organization' as proposed by Ashkenas et al.?

    <p>Interconnecting contracts and mutual interests.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is TRUE about the reward systems in modern organizational structures?

    <p>They are often broad-banded.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What impact has offshoring and outsourcing had on organizational structures?

    <p>They have fostered interconnecting contracts and relationships.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What trend is observed in the organizational structure regarding levels within the hierarchy?

    <p>Organizations are moving towards flatter structures.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Organizations: Theory and Practice

    • Individuals and groups operate within larger organizational frameworks
    • Organizations are complex, with internal group interactions and external relationships
    • Organizational studies are important for managers to understand total system effectiveness and control
    • Parkinson's Law: work expands to fill the time available for completion
    • Organizational complexity: relates to size and difficulty employees have describing or interacting with organizations
    • Postmodernism criticizes rational approaches to organizational study, rejecting objective, positivist research methods and scientific accumulation.
    • Organizations exist in the perceptions of members and those who interact with them, realities are socially constructed
    • Language use and power are linked and inherent in organizational interactions.
    • There are different interpretations of language within organizations
    • Human resource management (HRM) is a mechanism for power relations
    • Organizations are a phenomenon of modern industrial life and need to be studied to understand their effect on human life and design effective structures
    • A structural approach studies formal organizations, structure, design, and authority relationships.
    • The Human Relations approach emphasizes individuals and groups within organizations, their needs, and informal systems
    • A systems approach analyzes the interactions between organizational components and their environments.
    • A contingency approach examines specific organizational situations rather than universal principles
    • Organizations are composed of charismatic, traditional, and rational-legal authority types
    • Organizations can be coercive, utilitarian, or normative based on authority types
    • Individual involvement influences organization interactions: alienative (forced), calculative (economically motivated), and moral (motivated by organizational objectives)
    • The human relations approach focuses on management dispositions and effects on employees, including informal systems and behavioral influences.
    • The systems approach analyzes internal and external interactions, particularly importance of technology on organizational design.
    • Likert's theory of overlapping groups and linking pins highlights the importance of organizational relationships
    • Kahn's theory analyzes organizational structures as role sets, examining relationships between different groups and individuals.
    • Contingency studies focus on how organizations adapt to their environments and the suitable design for organizational purposes
    • Organizations benefit from studying their internal and external environments
    • The bureaucratic model relates to the formal and independent functioning of organizations based on role definitions regardless of personnel change
    • Importance of role interpretation. Employees interpret roles based on their own needs, attitudes, beliefs and expectations
    • Technological changes affect organizational structures and processes
    • Variables in the environment, specifically technology, should be factors in designing organizations
    • Organizations are frequently characterized by inconsistent internal and external influences
    • Organizations require flexibility in structure, integration, and relationships within different organizational and external variables to function well
    • Organizational Development (OD) is used to help organizations become more aware of their own structures, adaptive to change, and utilize social science techniques for self-analysis.

    Organization Types

    • Coercive: e.g. prisons, mental hospitals
    • Utilitarian: e.g. industry, based on economical rewards
    • Normative: e.g. voluntary service, groups (religious, professional)

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on the complexities of organizations and their internal and external relationships. This quiz covers key concepts like Parkinson's Law, postmodern critique of organizational studies, and the impact of language on power dynamics within organizations.

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