Group Behavior, Planning, and Performance in Organizations, Quizzes of Introduction to Business Management

Download Group Behavior, Planning, and Performance in Organizations and more Quizzes Introduction to Business Management in PDF only on Docsity!

What are the two types of groups?

Formal Groups -- work groups defined by the organization's structures and are designated specific work assignments and tasks. Informal Groups -- Groups that are independently formed to meet the social needs of their members. TERM 2

What are the examples of formal

groups?

DEFINITION 2 Command Groups -- Groups that are determined by the organization chart and composed of individuals who report directly to a manager. Task Groups -- Groups composed of individuals who are brought together to complete a certain task. Often temporary. Cross-Functional Teams -- Groups that bring together the knowledge and skills of various individuals from different work areas or groups whose members have been trained to do each others' jobs. Self-Managed Teams -- Groups that are essentially independent and in addition to their own tasks, they take on their own tasks like hiring, planning and scheduling, performing, and evaluating performance. TERM 3

List and define the 5 stages of group

development.

DEFINITION 3 Forming -- the members come together Storming -- conflict arises within the group as members resist control from the group and disagree with leadership. Norming -- close relationships form within the group and cohesive behavior and norms for behavior develop within the group. Performing -- a fully functional group can now perform well with the task at hand. Adjourning -- the group disbands. TERM 4

What conditions affect group behavior?

DEFINITION 4 The individual abilities of the group's members The size of the group The level of conflict The internal pressure on members to conform to the group's norms. TERM 5

What is conformity and what are the potential

implications of groupthink?

DEFINITION 5 Conformity -- individuals conform in order to be accepted into groups. Groupthink -- The extensive pressure of others in a strongly cohesive or threatened group that causes individual members to change their opinions to conform to those of the group's.

What is the relationship between

cohesiveness and productivity?

Cohesiveness is the degree to which members in a group are attracted to a group and share the group's goals. Highly cohesive groups are much more productive than less cohesive groups. TERM 7

What are the benefits to small groups? Large

groups?

DEFINITION 7 Small Complete tasks faster than large groups Make more effective use of facts Large Solve problems better than small groups Are good for getting diverse input Are more effective in fact-finding TERM 8

What are the advantages and disadvantages

to group decision making?

DEFINITION 8 Advantages Generates more complete information and knowledge Generates more diverse alternatives Increases acceptance of a solution Increases legitimacy of a decision Disadvantages Time consuming Minority opinions are silenced Pressures to conform Ambiguous responsibility TERM 9

What are the three views to conflict?

DEFINITION 9 Traditional View -- Conflict must be avoided Human Relations View -- Conflict is a natural and inevitable outcome in any group. Interactionist View -- Conflict can be a positive force and is absolutely necessary for effective group performance. TERM 10

What are 5 ways to reduce conflict and what

are the assertiveness and cooperativeness

levels of each?

DEFINITION 10 Avoidance -- Low assertiveness, low cooperativeness Accommodation -- Low assertiveness, high cooperation Forcing -- High assertiveness, low cooperation Compromise -- Medium assertiveness, medium cooperation Collaboration -- High assertiveness, high cooperation

What is a team and what are the four types of

teams?

A team is a group of members who work intensely on a specific task using their positive synergy, individual and mutual accountability, and complementary skills. The four types of teams are: Problem-solving teams Self-managed work teams Cross-functional teams Virtual teams TERM 12

What are characteristics of an effective team?

DEFINITION 12 Have a clear understanding of their goal. Have competent members with relevant technical and personal skills. Exhibit high mutual trust in the character and integrity of their members. Have a good communication system. Have appropriate leadership. Possess effective negotiating skills. Have both internally and externally supportive environments. Are unified in their commitment to team goals. TERM 13

What is planning?

DEFINITION 13 Planning is a primary managerial activity that involves: Defining the organization's goals Establishing an overall strategy for achieving those goals Developing plans for organizational work activities. TERM 14

What is the relationship between planning

and performance?

DEFINITION 14 Formal planning is associated with: Higher profits and return on assets Positive financial results The quality of planning and implementation affects performance more than the extent of planning. The external environment can reduce the impact of planning on performance. TERM 15

What are the 4 reasons that managers

plan?

DEFINITION 15 Provides direction. Reduces uncertainty. Minimizes waste and redundancy. Sets the standards for controlling.

What are goals?

Desired outcomes for individuals, groups, or entire organizations. TERM 17

What is the difference between stated goals

and real goals?

DEFINITION 17 Stated Goals -- Official statements of what an organization says it wants and what they want their stakeholders to believe their goals are. Real Goals -- Goals that an organization actually pursues as defined by the actions of its members. TERM 18

What is the difference between strategic

plans and operational plans?

DEFINITION 18 Strategic Goals Establish the organization's overall goals Seek to position the organization in terms of its environment Cover extended periods of time Operational Goals Specify the details of how the overall goals are to be achieved Cover a short period of time TERM 19

What is the difference between long-term

plans and short-term plans?

DEFINITION 19 Long-term plans : Planning over a period of 3 or more years Short-term plans : Planning over a period of 1 year or less. TERM 20

Define traditional goal setting and

MBO.

DEFINITION 20 Traditional Goal Setting -- Broad goals are set at the top of the organization, goals are then broken into sub-goals for each organizational level. Goals lose clarity and focus as they reach further down the organization. Management By Objectives (MBO) -- Specific performance goals are jointly determined by employees and managers. Progress towards the goals are periodically reviewed. Rewards are allocated based on the progress.

What is environmental scanning and why is it

important?

Environmental Scanning is the screening of large amounts of information in order to interpret change in the environment. Two types are: Competitor Intelligence: the process of gathering information about competitors-- who they are and what they are doing. Global Scanning: Screening a broad source of global factors that might affect the organization. TERM 22

Define benchmarking and list the steps in the

process.

DEFINITION 22 Benchmarking is the search for the best practices among competitors and non-competitors that lead to superior performance. Identify what it is you are analyzing. Form a benchmarking team Gather internal and external data Analyze data to determine performance gaps Prepare and implement action plan TERM 23

What is forecasting and how can it be more

effective?

DEFINITION 23 Forecasting is the part of organizational planning that involves creating predictions of outcomes based on information gathered by environmental scanning. The two types are: Quantitative forecasting : Applying a set of mathematical formulas to hard data to get numerical outcomes. Qualitative forecasting : Using expert opinions and judgements to predict less than precise outcomes. TERM 24

What types of assets are in an organization?

DEFINITION 24 Financial : debt, equity, and retained earnings Physical: buildings, equipment, and raw material Human: experiences, skills, knowledge, and competencies Intangible: brand names, patents, reputation, trademarks, copyrights, and databases. TERM 25

What are budgets and the different types?

DEFINITION 25 Budgets are numerical plans for the allocation of resources. Variable budgets take into account materials and expenses that vary in cost. Fixed budgets assumes a fixed level of costs and sales.

What is scheduling and why is it

important?

Scheduling is the planning of allocating resources by detailing what activities need to be done, the order in which they are to be completed, who is to do each, and when they are to be completed. TERM 27

What are the purposes of the Gantt and Load

chart?

DEFINITION 27 Gantt charts show the expected and actual completion of various tasks.A Load chart is a modified Gantt chart that shows entire departments or listed resources on the vertical axis. This allows managers to control capacity utilization. TERM 28

What is PERT and its steps? Critical Path?

DEFINITION 28 Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is a flow chart diagram that depicts the activities needed to complete a certain project and the time costs associated with each step.A critical path is the path within the flowchart that allows the activities to be completed in the least amount of time. TERM 29

Define breakeven analysis and its process.

What are fixed and variable costs?

DEFINITION 29 Breakeven analysis is a process used to determine when all fixed costs have been recovered and profitability begins. Fixed costs are unchanging costs that can be easily determined. (Equipment investment, labor, etc) Variable costs are costs that change during the lifetime of the business. (Materials, utilities, etc) TERM 30

What is the purpose of linear

programming?

DEFINITION 30 It is a technique that seeks to solve resource allocation problems by using the proportional relationships between two variables.

What is project management and the project

planning process?

Project management is the task of getting a project completed on time, within budget, and according to specifications. The process for this is: Define objectives Identify activities and resources Establish sequences Estimate time for activities Determine project completion date Compare with objectives Determine additional resource requirements. TERM 32

What is the planning-control Link?

DEFINITION 32 Controls let managers know whether their goals or plans are on target and what future actions to take. TERM 33

What are the steps in the Process of Control?

DEFINITION 33 Measure actual performance Comparing actual performance against a standard. Taking action to correct deviations or inadequate standards. TERM 34

What are the courses of action for deviation of

performance?

DEFINITION 34 Do Nothing -- if the deviation is insignificant Correct the Actual Performance -- to cure the problem at once Revise Standards -- examine the standard to ensure it is realistic, fair, and achievable. TERM 35

Define feed-forward, concurrent, and

feedback control and their usages.

DEFINITION 35 All three are types of verbal controls of behavior. Feed-forward: taking precautions to incidents. Used for input. Concurrent : Addressing problems as they occur. Used for processes. Feedback: Evaluate problems after they occur. Used for output.

What are Organizational Performance,

Effectiveness, and Productivity?

Organizational Performance -- The accumulated end results of all the organization's work. Organizational Effectiveness -- How well are organizational goals met? Productivity -- The overall ratio of inputs given to the organization versus outputs given by the organization. TERM 37

What is a Balanced Scorecard and its

intended use?

DEFINITION 37 A measurement tool that uses goals set by managers in four area's to measure a company's performance: Financial Customer Internal Processes Assets TERM 38

What are the purpose of Informational

Controls?

DEFINITION 38 For managers to keep their own information under wraps as well as have essential and current information at their disposal.