Ch 5 Gaining power and influence Flashcards

Question 1

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Power can be viewed as sign of personal efficacy, the ability to mobilize resources to accomplish productive work

Question 2

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Using power for personal reasons means that a manager will definitely achieve his or her career aspirations.

Question 3

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Empowerment uses sufficient amounts of personal power to achieve high levels of effectiveness

Question 4

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The text advocates a shift in the definition of power from “having authority over others” to “being able to get things done ”

Question 5

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Interpersonal attraction, as a source of personal power, involves charisma, agreeable behaviors, and personal power

Question 6

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Recently your boss remarked to you, “ I don’t know where you are coming from.” Other people have expressed frustration with you over your lack of team play. You should conclude that you may be losing your expert power.

Question 7

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Going to lunch with other department can increase your centrality power.

Question 8

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To gain more power in your organization, you should focus on building strong relationships with other people, but you shouldn’t waste your time observing who other people maintain close networks with.

Question 9

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Building networks that are rich in structural holes comes easy for most people because we have a natural tendency to seek connections that give us unique information.

Question 10

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If you want to decrease the power in someone’s position, you should design their job so that it is routine and has fewer tasks assigned to it.

Question 11

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Getting rid of routine activities, expanding task variety, and initiating new ideas may allow one to gain position power in an organization because flexibility has been increased.

Question 12

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The ability to transform power into influence hinges on securing the consent of others in ways that engender support and commitment instead of resistance and resentment.

Question 13

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Influence strategies used by managers to obtain compliance fall into three categories: retaliation, reciprocity, and reason.

Question 14

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Your supervisor remarks, “If you do not complete the project by 5:00 P.M. on Friday, you will not be able to go on vacation next week.” This is an example of the retribution influence strategy.

Question 15

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If you ask your employees to work overtime in exchange for an extended weekend, you are utilizing the retribution influence strategy.

Question 16

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A potential disadvantage associated with the use of the reason influence strategy is that considerable time is required to build trust.

Question 17

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Gerry has developed a new purchasing policy that not only focuses on expediting purchase orders but will also save the company money. To pitch this new policy to his boss, Gerry should use the influence strategy of reciprocity.

Question 18

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The most appropriate strategy to neutralize a retribution strategy used by your boss would be to focus your boss’s attention on your independence.

Question 19

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In order to neutralize reciprocity strategies, one should first examine the content of any favor-giving activity.

Question 20

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Because reason strategies involve trusting the good intent of other people, it is not appropriate to neutralize these attempts by appealing to a higher authority in the organization.

Question 21

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A negative view of “personal power” is held by cultures that place a high value on which of the following:
A) Ascription
B) Individualism
C) Achievement
D) Isolationism

Question 22

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What should subordinates perceive about their boss in order to feel a higher status in the organization and to feel higher morale?
A) He is on their side.
B) He has considerable downward influence.
C) He has considerable “clout.”
D) He is equal to them.

Question 23

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Which is a characteristic of a powerful manager?
A) Is rule-minded
B) Accomplishes more personally
C) Does more with less resources available
D) Limits information that others get

Question 24

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You have been told that in order to advance your career you must be overly ambitious and be indifferent to problems others face. Is this good or bad advice?
A) This is good advice.
B) This is bad advice.
C) There is not enough information to decide.

Question 25

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)25
the end of the meeting, the presenter asks, “What are your reactions to my presentation?” The members of the work team look at the director and wait for his response. Which factors most likely determine a person’s power in this organization?
A) Personal attributes
B) Being intimidating
C) Position characteristics

Question 26

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What are the two basic factors that influence a person’s power in an organization?
A) Personal goals and position characteristics
B) Position characteristics and personal aspirations
C) Personal attributes and position manipulation
D) Personal attributes and position characteristics

Question 27

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Which of the following characteristics are important sources of personal power?
A) Flexibility
B) Criticality
C) Relevance
D) Knowledge

Question 28

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Which of the following characteristics is not an important source of personal power?
A) Flexibility
B) Effort
C) Personal attraction
D) Expertise
E) Legitimacy

Question 29

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If you are the only one in the office who understands how to do a PowerPoint presentation, which base of power do you most likely have?
A) Expertise power
B) Personal attraction power
C) Effort power
D) Legitimacy power
E) Relevance power

Question 30

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If a person desires to move up in the general management hierarchy, what should he/she do?
A) Become a specialist
B) Develop a niche
C) Become a specialist while developing a niche
D) Build a broad knowledge base

Question 31

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If your behavior (the kind of behavior one would normally associate with friendship) improves your influence with your employees, you are most likely practicing which type of power?
A) Power that reflects cognitive abilities
B) Power that suggests personal commitment
C) Power that conveys credibility
D) Power that involves affective appeal

Question 32

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Which best describes a manager with personal attraction as a power base?
A) Possesses personality characteristics that are remarkable to co-workers
B) Is friends with specific co-workers
C) Is knowledgeable so that people try to be his or her friend
D) Acts congruently with the organizational value system

Question 33

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Morgan has become indispensable to her boss. Her boss believes that Morgan is a diligent worker who can be trusted with sensitive projects. What is Morgan’s power most likely due to?
A) Legitimacy
B) Effort
C) Expertise
D) Personal attraction

Question 34

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You were recently promoted because of your hard work. In fact, you had a hard time in the “blue-collar” job you had because many co-workers thought you were a “rate-buster.” Will your belief in extra effort pay off for you in your new management job?
A) Yes. Management sees extra effort as something that should be rewarded.
B) Yes. Management always agree with one another.
C) Yes. This is flexibility.
D) No. Management doesn’t like “rate-busters” either.

Question 35

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fast-food company does not promote anyone to manager unless he or she started at the beginning, flipping burgers. This is an example of a company promoting which type of power?
A) Relevance power
B) Visibility power
C) Legitimacy power
D) Effort power
E) Attraction power

Question 36

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36) In proposing a new course of action, upper management remarks to you, “That’s the way Jane, our founder, would have done it!” After that statement, the decision is made to accept and implement your idea. Which power source did you use?
A) Experience
B) Desirable characteristics
C) Higher than expected commitment of time
D) Behavior consistent with the values of the organization
E) Flexibility

Question 37

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What is the notion of legitimacy within an organization related to?
A) Corporate cultural values
B) Policies, procedures, and rules
C) The position within the hierarchy
D) The credibility of the education level of a person

Question 38

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Which of the following is not a determinant associated with position power?
A) Expertise
B) Relevance
C) Visibility
D) Flexibility
E) Centrality

Question 39

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What do position characteristics that foster power include?
A) Effort
B) Credibility
C) Legitimacy
D) Centrality
E) Charisma

Question 40

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If you would like to expand your power base horizontally, what could you do?
A) Have lunch with co-workers in your department every day
B) Have lunch with workers from other departments
C) Focus on increasing your power through the formal organizational powers
D) Do an excellent job on all your assignments

Question 41

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Which of the following abilities is associated with increased power based on centrality?
A) Taking initiative to solve a problem
B) Learning to read the social environment in your organization so you know who is connected to whom
C) Embodying the values of your organization
D) Developing a specialized skill that no one else in your organization has

Question 42

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According to structural hole theory, what is the best configuration of your network to ensure maximum power for yourself?
A) You are at the center of a very decentralized network
B) Your connections are also connected to each other to ensure the free flow of information
C) You build connections with people who share the same information base as yourself
D) Your connections are not connected to each other, so that you bridge gaps between people

Question 43

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Beverly regularly communicates with both Doris and Albert to share important information, but Doris and Albert don’t know each other. One day, Doris and Albert strike up a friendship and Start sharing information. According to structural hole theory, which of the following is NOT true?
A) Beverly’s network provides her less centrality than it previously did
B) Beverly is now getting better information than she did before
C) Beverly has less influence than she used to
D) Beverly has lost a structural hole in her network

Question 44

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Which of the following advice is consistent with centrality as a power base?
A) It’s a good idea to be an “organizational misfit” with an atypical career path
B) Putting in more hours than anyone else will lead to greater power
C) Develop a network full of people who share your personal values and experiences
D) Be the first person to volunteer to give a presentation so that others recognize your face

Question 45

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You just convinced your boss that you need to increase cooperation across departments for the Web project that you were assigned to lead to be successful. How have you increased your power?
A) Visibility of your position
B) Relevance of your position
C) Legitimacy of your position
D) Personal attraction of your position
E) Centrality of your position

Question 46

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How is power accrued via horizontal and vertical network relationships?
A) By manipulating people in the network
B) By one’s location and function in the network
C) By the flexibility of one’s personality in the network
D) By exercising judgment in decision making

Question 47

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If you want to increase your power by having information routed through your position and by increasing the technical sophistication of your work, what have you increased?
A) Centrality of your position
B) Latitude and flexibility of your job
C) The visibility of your job
D) The decision-making opportunities of your job

Question 48

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If you are looking to improve your flexibility, what should you do?
A) Look for a position that has existed for a long time. All the problems associated with the position have been worked through.
B) Look to be a participant at the formation of a group.
C) Look to be a participant in a group later in its life cycle; in that way you can avoid all the conflict.
D) Look to work in a company that values reliable performance.

Question 49

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During the interview process, the interviewer told you that the position you have applied for has been in this organization for over 50 years. You having been looking for a job that affords you discretion. Which statement describes your reaction to the news from the interviewer?
A) Good news, all the problems have been worked out.
B) Not so good news
C) Interesting, but not related to the amount of discretion you might have

Question 50

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What will a performance appraisal system that rewards initiative and innovation do?
A) Decrease one’s flexibility and therefore his/her power base
B) May be too erratic to allow one to develop a strong power base
C) Increase one’s discretion and thus the potential for more power
D) Promote more people to higher positions

Question 51

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What does it suggest about an organization if people are rewarded for being reliable and predictable?
A) This suggests the organization will penalize people who use discretion.
B) This suggests the organization will reward those who use discretion.
C) This suggests a person who has high personal attraction will be successful in a job in this organization.
D) This suggests a person with a high need for power would be happy in a job in this organization.

Question 52

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The task force has been meeting for several weeks on distributing bonuses for employees but has become hopelessly stalled. You Wes added to the committee to influence the group’s decision. What will this do to your influence.
A) This will help your influence, and you should have some significant influence over the group’s deliberations.
B) This will make it difficult to have influence.
you.
D) It will only increase your influence if others are removed from the committee when you are added

Question 53

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What is the best way to gain visibility?
A) Write an excellent report to be read by the executive committee
B) Give a good presentation of the report to an executive committee
C) Become central in a communication network so that one may tap into a rich flow of information and satisfy the information needs of others
D) Take an important task-oriented position

Question 54

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What is included in ways to gain visibility?
A) Face-to-face communication
B) Sending a note to a co-worker threatening her because of her recent accomplishment
C) Participating in monotonous and routine tasks for popular causes
D) Improving your technical expertise

Question 55

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You have a desire to move up in the company. You have been offered two positions. One position is more people oriented and the other position is more task oriented. Which position should you take?
A) You should take the people-oriented position.
B) You should take the task-oriented position.
C) It doesn’t matter. Either position will work equally well assuming you do a good job.

Question 56

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In a company that sells golf clubs, a job in which department has more relevance power? A) Accounting
B) Research and development
C) Sales
D) Human resource management

Question 57

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If you took on functions essential for the performance of other activities, how have you expanded your power?
A) Centrality
B) Flexibility
C) Visibility
D) Relevance

Question 58

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You are graduating this summer and are seeking an influential position. Your major is finance. Which job should you choose to maximize your relevant power?
A) Working for an electronics firm making $32,000
B) Working for a stockbroker firm making $25,000
C) Working for a small software firm making $20,000
D) Working for a large oil company making $35,000

Question 59

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What does relevance as a power base refer to?
A) How many other people recognize an individual
B) Being associated with activities that are directly related to the organization’s central objectives
C) The amount of discretion one might have
D) The relevant position the individual has within the organization’s communication network

Question 60

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If you want to increase the relevance of your job to the organization, what should you do?
A) Make at least part of your job unique
B) Reduce the percentage of routine activities in your job
C) Expand the number of contacts you have with senior people
D) Become a trainer or mentor for new employees

Question 61

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Your boss is discussing power and influence and states, “Power is a necessary precondition for influence.” Should you agree or disagree?
A) You should agree.
B) You should disagree.
C) There is not enough information to decide.

Question 62

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If you use an influence strategy that makes others want to do what you say, which influence strategy are you using?
A) Retribution approach
B) Reciprocity approach
C) Reason approach
D) Relevance approach

Question 63

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If you use the influence strategy that helps others to see why they should do what you say, which influence strategy are you using?
A) Retribution approach
B) Reciprocity approach
C) Reason approach
D) Positional approach

Question 64

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You have received a letter from North American Family Publishers sweepstakes with pictures of Dick McMahon and Ed Clark that states, “You are our newest $10 million winner!* However, you must act in 24 hours by buying numerous magazine subscriptions to secure your prize.” You read further to find the fine print that says, “*Only if you have the winning number.” What influence strategy is being utilized?
A) Retribution
B) Reciprocity
C) Reason
D) Expert

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Ch 5 Gaining power and influence Flashcards

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