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Management - Organizational Behavior Ch. 7, Assignments of Organization Behaviour

Which region of the brain is responsible for stimulating the fear response? You are the new Human Resource manager at Lands Corporation. You have just completed examining a great deal of company data. Turnover is much higher in Lands Corporation than at its competitors or the industry average. The data that you analyzed includes a series of transcripts of exit interviews conducted over the past eight months. Repeatedly you note that past employees describe being “burned out” and then leaving

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Management - Organizational Behavior Ch. 7
Organizational Behavior, Version 1.1
Bauer & Erdogan
FWK Test Item File
Chapter 7
TRUE/FALSE
1.There are a variety of ways to lessen stress in the workplace.
(True)
2.Stress, or the body’s response to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional
response, is always bad for the individual.
(False)
3.Eighty percent of all American workers report they feel workplace stress at least some of the
time.
(True)
4.The amygdala section of the brain is responsible for stimulating fear responses.
(True)
5.The human brain responds to outside threats to individual safety with a “fight or flight” message.
(True)
6.The General Adaptation Syndrome looks at how events on the job cause different kinds of people
to feel different kinds of emotions.
(False)
7.In the resistance phase of stress, an outside stressor jolts an individual insisting that something
must be done.
(False)
8.John’s company downsized, and John is now performing his own job plus most of his former
coworker Sidney’s job. John is now experiencing role ambiguity.
(False)
9.Role conflict is a result of contradictory demands at work.
(True)
10.Role conflict is the strongest predictor of poor performance on the job.
(False)
11.Information overload negatively impacts employee efficiency and creativity.
(True)
12.AHealthmagazine survey indicates that the most stressful job in 2008 was that of police officer.
(False)
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Management - Organizational Behavior Ch. 7

Organizational Behavior, Version 1.

Bauer & Erdogan

FWK Test Item File

Chapter 7

TRUE/FALSE

  1. There are a variety of ways to lessen stress in the workplace. (True)
  2. Stress, or the body’s response to a change that requires a physical, mental or emotional response, is always bad for the individual. (False)
  3. Eighty percent of all American workers report they feel workplace stress at least some of the time. (True)
  4. The amygdala section of the brain is responsible for stimulating fear responses. (True)
  5. The human brain responds to outside threats to individual safety with a “fight or flight” message. (True)
  6. The General Adaptation Syndrome looks at how events on the job cause different kinds of people to feel different kinds of emotions. (False)
  7. In the resistance phase of stress, an outside stressor jolts an individual insisting that something must be done. (False)
  8. John’s company downsized, and John is now performing his own job plus most of his former coworker Sidney’s job. John is now experiencing role ambiguity. (False)
  9. Role conflict is a result of contradictory demands at work. (True)
  10. Role conflict is the strongest predictor of poor performance on the job. (False)
  11. Information overload negatively impacts employee efficiency and creativity. (True)
  12. A Health magazine survey indicates that the most stressful job in 2008 was that of police officer. (False)
  1. Overall, work-family conflict is more problematic for men than women. (False)
  2. On the Holmes-Rahe scale, the most stressful life event is the death of a spouse. (True)
  3. Eustress is “good” stress. (True)
  4. Downsizing or the expectation of downsizing is related to greater absence in the workforce. (True)
  5. The outcomes of stress are only psychological in their orientation. (False)
  6. Blemishes and other skin problems can be outward manifestations of stress. (True)
  7. The link between stress and heart disease has been proven by the American Heart Association to be strong. (False)
  8. Persistent stress has the potential to place vulnerable individuals at an increased risk for depression. (True)
  9. Research shows that excessive stress is related to higher turnover and lower job performance. (True)
  10. Marissa is generally a few minutes late for class. She feels that “class will be there, why rush?” Marissa always thinks through how to address problems that arise for her rather than responding first and thinking later. Marissa has a Type A personality. (False)
  11. Men rely upon stronger social networks to address stressful situations, so men are more likely to be depressed than women. (False)
  12. The old adage “Have a good cry” is great advice to deal with stress that has built up in an individual. (False)
  13. The “Corporate Athlete” approach to dealing with stress is a reactive approach. (False)
  14. Flow is the state of consciousness where individuals are totally absorbed in an activity. (True)
  15. Fish contains dopamine, which can increase a person’s brain functions and thus produce feelings of alertness. (True)
  1. What is Camden Property Trust’s motto: a. Have fun! b. Work hard! c. Money is the most important thing! d. You can never work too hard! (a) Medium/Comprehension Section I: What is Stress?
  2. Stress is a. a fact of nature. b. decreasing in the American workplace. c. a mental barrier, but not a physical one. d. always negative. (a) Easy/Comprehension
  3. Which of the following is not a type of response to stress? a. physical b. mental c. emotional d. societal (d) Easy/Knowledge
  4. General Adaptive Syndrome is a. how events on the job cause different kinds of people to feel different emotions. b. the hypothesis that stress plays a general role in disease. c. the body’s response to good news. d. the mismatch among emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behavior. (a) Easy/Knowledge
  5. Which region of the brain is responsible for stimulating the fear response? a. hippocampus b. basal ganglia c. temporal lobe d. amygdala (d) Easy/Knowledge
  6. Hans Selye’s work on stress suggests all the following physical diseases could result from stress EXCEPT: a. high blood pressure. b. infertility. c. depression. d. ulcers. (b) Easy/Comprehension
  7. In what stress phase does the body release cortisol and begin to adjust to the demands of the stress? a. alarm phase b. exhaustion phase c. adaptation phase d. resistance phase

(d) Medium/Knowledge

  1. Fight or flight responses include all of the following physical aspects but a. wide-eye focus. b. digestion interruption. c. decreased heart rate. d. shallow breathing. (c) Medium/Knowledge It is finals week at State University and Agnes has five finals in three days. What phase of the stress process is she experiencing in each of the scenarios below?
  2. Agnes just went through the kitchen cupboards and found a chocolate bar loaded with caramel. She is experiencing the a. exhaustion phase. b. alarm phase. c. resistance phase. d. adaptation phase. (a) Medium/Application
  3. Agnes glances at the clock and notes it is three hours until her first final of the week. She still has two chapters to study. She feels a slight pain in the pit of her stomach. Agnes is experiencing symptoms of what stress phase? a. exhaustion phase b. alarm phase c. resistance phase d. stressor phase (b) Medium/Application
  4. Which of the following statements about the stress process is correct? a. The amygdala area of the brain is key to managing stress as it helps distinguish the different reactions to deadlines and emergencies. b. Reactions to stress are mental but not physical in their orientation. c. Jans Kelly’s General Adaptation Syndrome is a well-substantiated approach to dealing with stress in the workplace. d. Eustress is stress that is healing. (d) Medium/Comprehension
  5. Stressors are a. demands to perform interactions and internal calculations that exceed the supply or capacity of time available for processing. b. states of consciousness in which a person is totally absorbed in an activity. c. events on the job which cause different people to feel different emotions. d. events or contexts that cause a stress reaction by elevating levels of adrenaline and forcing a physical or mental response. (d) Easy/Knowledge
  6. Which of the following statements about stressors is INCORRECT? a. An American Psychological Association survey suggests that money, work, and housing are at the top of stressful issues. b. No matter how they are categorized, stressors are always bad for individuals. c. Stressors cause stress by elevating adrenaline levels and forcing a response. d. Stress is a cumulative process.

Joe’s assignments that extend beyond Joe’s four-hour day as well as covering the regular tasks of his own eight-hour shift. Diego is likely experiencing a. role ambiguity. b. role overload. c. role conflict. d. information overload. (b) Medium/Application

  1. Omar is sitting at his computer writing his organizational behavior term paper using Internet research while he e-mails his friends and watches the NFL Thursday night football game. His phone just rang and now he is also talking to his girlfriend. Omar is likely experiencing a. role conflict. b. information overload. c. role ambiguity. d. role overload. (b) Medium/Application
  2. Research on workplace stressors indicates a. role conflict is the strongest predictor of poor performance. b. when role ambiguity is low, new employees have a difficult time fitting into their new organizations. c. role conflict hurts job performance, but role overload has little impact on job performance. d. the fragmented fashion in which we work due to information overload impacts mental acuity and creativity. (d) Difficult/Evaluation
  3. All of the following are key stressors for Health magazine’s “Ten Most Stressful Jobs” EXCEPT a. knowledge demands. b. time demands. c. emotional demands. d. physical demands. (a) Medium/Comprehension
  4. Which is the most stressful job in America as noted in a 2008 Health magazine? a. miner b. inner city high school teacher c. police officer d. judge (b) Medium/Knowledge
  5. Which of the following statements regarding work-family conflict is INCORRECT? a. Work demands and family demands may be incompatible. b. Escalating stressors are found where stress in one area of life spills over into other parts of life. c. Work-family conflict is greater for men than for women. d. Dual career families have created situations where there is no parent who has sole responsibility for childcare or household duties. (c) Medium/Analysis
  6. Which of the following statements regarding work-family conflict is correct? a. Work-family conflict increases job and life satisfaction. b. Organizations that have programs to assist employees in achieving work-family balance accept that these programs will reduce productivity while increasing retention. c. Recent surveys show that Americans rarely work overtime. d. Work-family conflict occurs when the demands of work and family negatively impact each other.

(d) Difficult/Comprehension

  1. Which of the following statements regarding life changes is INCORRECT? a. Stress results from negative life changes but not from positive ones. b. The Holmes-Rahe scale ascribes stress values to life events based upon incidences of illness and death in the 12 months after such events. c. Stressors are cumulative so the greater number of stressors you experience, the more prone you are to negative consequences of those stressors. d. Life events can have varying impacts on our health and well-being. (a) Medium/Evaluation
  2. Research on downsizing indicates all of the following to be true about downsizing EXCEPT a. since 1980, the service industry has accounted for the largest average percentage of firms which downsized five or more percent of their workforces. b. downsizing and job insecurity are related to greater alcohol use. c. downsizing leads to other stressful events such as financial insecurity. d. creativity in the work environment declines significantly during downsizing. (a) Medium/Evaluation
  3. Which of the following statements regarding life stressors is correct? a. Work-family conflict is slightly greater for men than women. b. Expectations of future downsizing leads to greater absenteeism in the workplace. c. Stress results only from negative life events; positive life events increase feelings of satisfaction. d. Organizations cannot aid employees in dealing with work-family conflicts as any interference from the firm would be seen as an invasion of privacy. (b) Difficult/Synthesis
  4. Which of the following is not a physiological outcome of stress? a. heart disease b. immune system suppression c. skin problems d. headaches (a) Easy/Knowledge
  5. Which of the following is not an established psychological outcome of stress? a. emotional problems b. anxiety c. phobias d. depression (c) Easy/Knowledge
  6. Research on stress in the workplace indicates all of the following EXCEPT a. stress is related to higher turnover. b. stress is related to decreased job performance. c. stress is related to lower job commitment. d. stress is related to higher organizational citizenship behaviors. (d) Medium/Analysis
  7. Marcus is a student at State University. He seems to run to each of his classes and is very upset with the professor if class does not begin exactly on time. He studies until the late hours of the night and will argue with his professor for every possible point on a multiple choice exam. Marcus would be classified as having a. Type A personality. b. Type B personality.
  1. Gordon is not focused on his work but has a great deal of energy. He is most likely to a. be disengaged at work. b. be distracted at work. c. be a procrastinator. d. be totally absorbed in work. (b) Difficult/Synthesis
  2. A manager with low focus and low energy would a. procrastinate at work. b. be distracted at work. c. be disengaged at work. d. be totally absorbed in work. (a) Difficult/Evaluation
  3. Work that flows a. offers opportunities for a large number of breaks. b. offers the employee little opportunity to comment on the task at hand. c. offers high pay. d. offers opportunities to use skills possessed by the employee. (d) Medium/Comprehension
  4. Work that flows includes all of the following characteristics EXCEPT a. competence. b. challenge. c. conformity. d. choice. (c) Medium/Comprehension
  5. Diet acts as an individual lifestyle choice to impact stress levels. Which of the following statements about diet is INCORRECT? a. Eating light meals in the middle of the day may slow down the body because there is insufficient food energy available to stimulate the brain to react to stress. b. Greasy foods make a person feel tired because digestion of the fats in such foods diverts blood from the brain. c. The dopamine in fish produces a feeling of alertness. d. Eating fish for lunch tends to improves reaction times. (a) Medium/Evaluation
  6. Research indicates that exercise is an effective strategy for managing stress. Which of the following statements best describes some of the findings from studies on exercise and stress? a. Physically active breaks, like walking, actually increase mental fatigue. b. Exercise, like light calisthenics, actually absorbs energy. c. Light exercise tends to erode hand-eye coordination as well as fine motor control. d. Regular exercise increases the body’s ability to draw oxygen out of the air, thus combating stress. (d) Medium/Evaluation
  7. Sleep research on stress indicates all of the following EXCEPT a. workers who miss work because of exhaustion become rejuvenated and face less stress upon their return to work. b. about one third of adults have trouble sleeping. c. work-life conflict makes good sleep difficult to achieve.

d. insomnia is a stress-related epidemic. (a) Medium/Comprehension

  1. Which of the following statements about individual approaches to managing stress is INCORRECT? a. Time management practices like prioritizing and keeping a schedule help reduce stress. b. Social support can buffer the effects of stress. c. When workdays are broken into smaller parts, stress can be shifted to a state of flow. d. Physical activity increases mental fatigue, which increases stress levels. (d) Difficult/Synthesis
  2. Stress in the form of job challenge leads to: a. Higher turnover b. Higher performance. c. Higher absenteeism. d. Higher commitment. (b) Medium/Comprehension
  3. All of the following are steps that firms are taking to assist employees in dealing with stress in the workplace EXCEPT a. creating jobs with autonomy and control. b. replacing employees who are stressed with more resilient employees. c. ensuring fairness in the workplace. d. clarifying expectations of employees. (b) Medium/Comprehension
  4. Which of the following is a technique used by firms to reduce the stress experienced by their employees? a. Create job descriptions for employees that are less specific and focused. b. Shift control over critical decisions to higher levels in the organization. c. Base pay decisions on tenure as opposed to performance. d. Train managers to be more interpersonally sensitive. (d) Difficult/Synthesis
  5. Research on telecommuting indicates which of the following? a. Telecommuting decreases stress but increases work family conflict. b. Telecommuting increases job satisfaction but decreases job performance. c. Telecommuting increases job performance and decreases turnover. d. Telecommuting decreases stress but also decreases job performance. (c) Difficult/Evaluation
  6. All of the following statements regarding telecommuting are correct EXCEPT a. telecommuting is a universally effective process; regardless of job or employee, it is effective. b. increasing numbers of workers, including many government employees are engaged in telecommuting. c. research on telecommuting indicates that stress is lower and job satisfaction and job performance higher when the program is instituted. d. telecommuting success is dependent on matching the right employee to the right job in the right environment. (a) Difficult/Evaluation
  7. Which of the following statements regarding organizational steps to managing employee stress is correct? a. Sabbaticals are stress-reduction programs found only in the university setting.

b. surprise c. anger d. fear (a) Easy/Knowledge

  1. Jennifer strongly dislikes her next-door neighbors, yet every time she sees them she stops to pleasantly chat with them for a few moments. Jennifer is engaging in a. genuine acting. b. surface acting. c. deep acting. d. cognitive acting. (b) Medium/Application
  2. When an individual is displaying emotions he does not feel, he is engaging in a. deep acting. b. surface acting. c. genuine acting. d. cognitive dissonance. (a) Easy/Knowledge
  3. Genuine acting is a. pretending to experience emotions not really felt. b. exhibiting physical signs that reflect emotions not felt. c. displaying emotions in alignment with your emotions. d. a mismatch of emotions. (c) Easy/Knowledge
  4. You are a salesperson in a major department store. Though you might not actually believe it, you follow the policy of “the customer is always right” in your daily work at the store. However, since you do not agree with that view, you often experience a. surface acting. b. genuine acting. c. deep acting d. cognitive dissonance. (d) Medium/Application
  5. Which of the following is not a way to alleviate cognitive dissonance? a. Change your behavior. b. Change the facts of the situation. c. Change your belief. d. Smile more. (d) Easy/Comprehension
  6. Which of the following is NOT a building block of emotional intelligence? a. self-awareness b. business management c. relationship management d. self-management (b) Easy/Knowledge
  7. When you understand how OTHERS feel you are exhibiting which of the building blocks of emotional intelligence? a. self-awareness b. self-management

c. social awareness d. relationship management (c) Easy/Comprehension

  1. Marcus knows that he is flexible, enjoys challenging goals, and is very concerned about the security of his job. Marcus understands which of the following building blocks of the emotional intelligence concept? a. self-management b. relationship management c. social awareness d. self- awareness (d) Medium/Application
  2. Research on emotional intelligence suggests that the emotion most helpful to creating a successful team is a. joy. b. empathy. c. flexibility. d. self-control. (b) Easy/Comprehension
  3. Research suggests high levels of emotional intelligence lead to which of the following? a. higher life satisfaction. b. cognitive dissonance c. higher stress levels. d. greater propensity to perceive situations as threats. (a) Medium/Comprehension Section IV: The Role of Emotions and Stress for Ethics and Culture
  4. Joshua Greene’s study of how our minds and bodies react to difficult situations found all of the following EXCEPT a. Study subjects were able to agree on what was the best of possible evils in a scenario. b. Human decisions are mostly rational, not impacted by emotion. c. Magnetic imaging suggests emotional scenarios require greater use of our brains than unemotional scenarios. d. Identification of our emotions can assist us in more appropriately responding to emotional situations. (b) Difficult/Synthesis
  5. Research on stress and leisure time around the world suggests which of the following? a. Compared to Europeans, Americans work longer hours. b. Japanese work 500 hours less than their counterparts in the USA. c. Americans are better in time management compared to their European counterparts. d. Americans are less likely to be employed than Europeans. (a) Easy/Knowledge Closing Section: Getting Emotional: The Case of American Express
  6. What impact did emotional awareness training have on employees at American Express? a. The training increased sales. b. The training decreased coping skills.

(role conflict)

  1. Having insufficient time and resources to complete a job is called ______ _________. (role overload)
  2. You are at the computer working on the Internet gathering information for your term paper, your cell phone is ringing, you are receiving emails and the television is on. You are likely experiencing __________ _____________. (information overload)
  3. Flexible scheduling is one approach to addressing _________-______ conflict. (work-family)
  4. _________ is “good” stress experienced for such events as an outstanding personal achievement or getting married. (Eustress)
  5. Nancy is always impatient. She seems to run around the office completing this task and that. She is always the first one to work and the last to leave. Nancy has a ________ ___ personality. (Type A)
  6. The state of consciousness when an individual is totally absorbed by an activity is ____________. (flow)
  7. Two individual lifestyle choices that one can make to try to decrease feelings of stress include: ____________ and ______________. (diet, exercise, sleep, time management, social support network)
  8. _____________ is working remotely from home or some other locale during a portion of the workweek. (Telecommuting)
  9. A practice that has been widely used by universities that provides paid time off from the normal routine of work is called a ______________. (sabbatical)
  10. Individuals who are experiencing substance abuse problems may seek help provided by their firms but offered through an outside source in an _____________ _____________ program. (Employee assistance)
  11. Positive emotions include __________, _______ and ___________. (joy, love, surprise)
  12. _____, ______, and ______ are examples of negative emotions. (anger, fear, and sadness)
  13. The _______ _______ Theory explores how events on the job cause different kinds of people to feel different emotions. (Affective Events)
  1. When a hair cutter smiles even though the young child whose hair she is cutting is crying and squirming, the hair cutting is exhibiting __________. (surface acting)
  2. ________ __________ is the regulation of feelings and expressions for organizational purposes. (Emotional labor)
  3. When a person pretends to experience emotions he does not feel, he is engaging in _________. (deep acting)
  4. The mismatch between emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behavior is ______ ____________. (cognitive dissonance)
  5. The subject of __________ ____________, examined by Daniel Goleman, looks at how people can understand each other more completely by becoming more aware of their own and others’ emotions. (emotional intelligence) SHORT ANSWERS
  6. Define stress and briefly discuss its prevalence in the workplace. Stress is the body’s reaction to a change that requires a physical, mental, or emotional adjustment or response. Today, stress is inevitable and everywhere. While we can’t change stress, we can change the manner in which we respond to it. Polls indicate that 80% of American workers report experiencing stress in the workplace at least some of the time. Stress in the workplace is manifested through such physical effects as neck pain, aching muscles and insomnia.
  7. Describe each phase of Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. Phase one is the alarm phase where an outside stressor jolts the individual insisting that something be done. This is the well- known “fight or flight” response. Resistance is the phase where the body begins to release cortisol and draws on fats and sugars for energy to adjust to the demands of stress. While the body can draw on its reserves to hold off stress for a while, it cannot continue in this state forever. Phase three is the exhaustion phase where the body’s stores of fats and sugars are depleted and the prolonged release of cortisol has weakened the body considerably. To cope, many individuals reach for something sweet to restore the sugars.
  8. Name two workplace stressors and give an example of each. Workplace stressors include: role demands (role ambiguity, role overload, role conflict), and information overload.

A Type A personality is a person who displays high levels of speed/impatience, job involvement and hard-driving competitiveness. Type B personalities are calmer than Type A personalities who are more prone to thinking through situations than their Type A counterparts who tend to respond emotionally.

  1. What are two individual approaches to managing stress? The individual approaches to managing stress include: The corporate athlete concept, flow, diet, exercise, sleep, social support networks and time management. The corporate athlete is training so that the employee is healthy in mind and body and embraces challenges versus avoiding them. Flow is the concept of totally immersing yourself in the job. Social support networks include coworkers, friends and family.
  2. Describe the concept of a “corporate athlete.” The corporate athlete is an approach to managing stress developed by Jack Groppel at the University of Illinois. The concept relies on applying principles of athletic performance to workplace performance. The corporate athlete is thus an individual who trains his mind and body to perform at peak levels (and under less stress) due to better eating habits, more focused training and positive action. The resulting strong mind and body embraces challenges, not avoids them.
  3. Name two organizational approaches to managing stress. Organizational approaches to managing stress include: making expectations (job duties, for example) clear, employee autonomy, fair work environment, telecommuting, sabbaticals and employee assistance program.
  4. Describe positive emotions. Positive emotions include joy, love and surprise. These emotions result from events.
  5. Name two negative emotions. Negative emotions include: anger, fear and sadness.
  6. Describe Affective Events Theory. Affective Events Theory looks at how events on the job cause different kinds of people to feel different kinds of emotions.
  7. Differentiate between surface, deep and genuine acting. Surface acting is exhibiting physical signs like smiles to reflect emotions you do not really feel. Deep acting is an individual pretending to experience emotions he does not feel.

Genuine acting is when individuals are asked to display emotions aligned with their own.

  1. What is cognitive dissonance? Cognitive dissonance is a mismatch between emotions, attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Many firms operating in multiple countries find their employees face cognitive dissonance because of the different business practices within those countries. For example, in China, to secure permission to talk about land purchases, a major U.S. company’s executives has to make payments directly to village leaders. Such scenarios created quite a bit of dissonance for those individuals.
  2. Name the four building blocks of Emotional Intelligence, and define each. The four building blocks are: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Self-awareness is being able to accurately perceive, evaluate and display your emotions. Self-management is being able to direct your emotions in a positive way when needed. Social awareness is when you are able to understand how others feel. Relationship management is when you are able to help others manage their own emotions and establish supportive relationships with others. ESSAY
  3. You are the new Human Resource manager at Lands Corporation. You have just completed examining a great deal of company data. Turnover is much higher in Lands Corporation than at its competitors or the industry average. The data that you analyzed includes a series of transcripts of exit interviews conducted over the past eight months. Repeatedly you note that past employees describe being “burned out” and then leaving the firm. What are some areas you can examine to develop organizational approaches to address and manage stress? There are obviously a host of approaches you can take to help employees handle stress in Lands Corporation. One starting point might be to look at the jobs past “burned out” employees were performing. Are the jobs clearly defined? If the employee does not always know what he is supposed to be doing, he is more likely to feel stressed. A second step is to examine those same job descriptions for the amount of autonomy given to each employee. Stress results when employees feel a lack of control. Is the work environment fair, or is your work environment toxic? If the company does not value its employees and continually creates unfair scenarios for its employees, stress will result. Can you find any jobs for which employees are able to telecommute? Working from home at your own pace obviously reduces stress.