Exam 16: Organizational Culture

The ultimate source of an organization's culture is ________.

Culture creation occurs in all of the following ways except when ________.

Which characteristic is not reflective of subcultures?

You are new to an organization and do not really know what to expect about the socialization process. You are a recent M.B.A. and have an undergraduate degree in computer science. Your new firm is a software development company with an emphasis in the health care industry. Your hiring process includes campus interviews, a day-long trip to interview at the company, an offer phone call and letter, and some promotional material sent via the mail. When you arrive for your first day of work, you spend half a day in an orientation session with Human Resources, where you complete paperwork and receive a company handbook. Then you spend the rest of the day with your supervisor, who gives you a tour, introduces you to your co-workers, and explains your first project. After that, you begin working and getting to know the others in the company. You find that in most respects, your experience fits your expectations, but in some ways you are surprised by realities that you hadn't expected. None of these surprises is too difficult to accept, so you eventually begin to feel at home and happy with your new job. -When you start to work through the problems that you discover about the organization, you move into the ________ stage of socialization.

Institutionalization can be an asset and a liability. In which of the following situations is it a liability?

All of the following are examples of material symbols except ________.

Jose is a manager for a manufacturing company in which managers are expected to fully document all decisions, and it is important to provide detailed data to support any recommendations. Which characteristic of organizational culture best describes this aspect of Jose's job?

The Young Woman's Club of Williams has been operating for seventy-five years as an organization that supports women who stay at home. For years it has been one of the most prestigious organizations in town with a strong membership. This group has always held classes in cooking, sewing, and child rearing. It has always been made up of upper middle-class women from the small town of Williams. As the area has grown, many people have moved into Williams and now commute to Capital City, just 15 miles away. Most of the newcomers are dual-income couples, with both spouses holding full-time jobs. -The culture of the Young Woman's Club will be a liability if ________.

Barbara is the lead editor for a small, city newspaper. One of her advertising sales representatives is pulling in a lot of restaurant clients. Barbara realizes that the representative is quite knowledgeable about food and speaks quite elegantly when describing different dishes. She has begun discussing with the representative the possibility of collaborating with a writer to include a weekly restaurant review, which includes the representative on the by-line. After the first couple of reviews, the representative is able to increase ad sizes and sales. He is very happy with his new job diversification. Which aspect of creating a positive organizational culture is Barbara utilizing?

A strong company that encourages pushing the limits can be a powerful force in shaping unethical behavior.

Nunya is a computer software company that employs highly intelligent, but somewhat unusual people. Every Friday, free lollipops, toys, or other treats are given out to encourage employees to remember how creative they were when they were children. At the beginning of each quarterly executive meeting, employees are reminded that the founders were three young people who "got lucky" and sold a video game that they invented. Employees are allowed to dress in blue jeans and can set their own working hours. -The regular distribution of lollipops, toys, or treats every Friday is an example of a ________ that helps reinforce Nunya's culture.

The time when a new employee sees what the organization is really like and realizes that expectations and reality may diverge is called the ________ stage.

Masterson College is a small liberal arts women's college in North Carolina. The founders of the college were Baptist and were committed to the idea that a liberal arts education was the best preparation for life-long learning. The college has continued to support this orientation towards liberal arts education and has actually moved to strengthen that commitment recently. Within the last two decades, the business department has become one of the larger departments on campus. The faculty of the business department are also committed to finding employment for their graduates and believe that two things are critical for this to happen: 1) their students must have a solid understanding of the fundamentals of their discipline; and 2) internships are an important method of establishing the connections and opportunities for employment. -The commitment to finding employment for graduates is part of the ________.

________ orientation is the characteristic of organizational culture that addresses the degree to which management decisions take into consideration the effect of outcomes on people within the organization.

What does a positive organizational culture do?

Janice works for a pet store in which everyone is absolutely committed to the happiness of the animals. Often employees, bosses and hourly workers alike, come into the store "off the clock" and spend time socializing and training the animals. Everyone loves the store, the animals, and their jobs. According to the information provided, Janice encounters a ________ in her job.

What is workforce spirituality and how is it similar to a positive organizational culture?

Jean works for HJC publishing which is a publisher of scientific journals. The company is dominated by low risk taking and high attention to detail. Jean's department is also committed to high team orientation and provides many team-building activities in which Jean and other department members work together and socialize. Which of the following statements best describes Jean's department?

In contrasting organizational culture with job satisfaction, organizational culture is a(n) ________ term, while job satisfaction is a(n) ________ term.

How does organizational culture develop?