The Nature And Importance Of Leadership Part 2

23. Intrinsically satisfying work can be a leadership substitute because such work a. is so self-motivating that the worker requires very little leadership. b. usually involves computer technology. c. is usually performed when the leader is away. d. lies outside the jurisdiction of leaders. ANSWER: a RATIONALE: Employees who are engaged in work they find strongly self-motivating, or intrinsically satisfying, require a minimum of leadership. Part of the reason is that the task itself grabs the worker’s attention and energy. See “The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance.” 24. The leadership irrelevance theory suggests that factors outside the leader's control a. work at cross purposes against the leader. b. have a larger impact on business outcomes than does the leader. c. are more relevant to group members than is the leader. d. point leaders in an unethical direction. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: Pfeffer, in his leadership irrelevance theory, argues that factors outside the leader’s control have a larger impact on business outcomes than do leadership actions. See “The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance.” 25. According to the leadership studies of Jim Collins, the most important factor in organizational performance is the a. personality of the organization. b. personality of the leader. c. product mix offered to the public. d. efficiency of operations. ANSWER: a RATIONALE: According to the findings of Jim Collins’ research, corporate leaders are slaves of much larger organizational forces. It is not the leader’s personality that makes a difference; more important is the organization’s personality. See “The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance.” 26. A recommended approach for understanding the impact of leadership on performance is to ask a. "Under what conditions do leaders make a difference?" b. "How well liked is the leader?" c. "What is the history of the firm?" d. "What company policies regulate leadership?" ANSWER: a RATIONALE: A useful perspective on whether leadership makes a difference is to ask the right question as framed by J. Richard Hackman and Ruth Wageman. Instead of asking if leaders make a difference, we should be asking under what conditions leaders make a difference. See “The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance.” 27. A company president attends a groundbreaking ceremony for a new children's hospital located near company headquarters. The president's role is best classified as that of a. figurehead. b. coach. c. team leader. d. spokesperson . ANSWER: a RATIONALE: Four specific behaviors fit the figurehead role of a leader: entertaining clients or customers as an official representative of the organization, making oneself available to outsiders as a representative of the organization, serving as an official representative of the organization at gatherings outside the organization, and escorting official visitors. See “Leadership Roles.” 28. An aspect of the coach and motivator role of the leader is to a. deal with outside groups. b. display loyalty to superiors. c. informally recognize team member achievements. d. bargain with superiors for funds, facilities, and equipment. ANSWER: c RATIONALE: An effective leader takes the time to coach and motivate team members, and sometimes to inspire large groups of people inside the organization. This role includes five specific behaviors. One of them includes informally recognizing team members’ achievements. See “Leadership Roles.” 29. Middle manager Sara is engaged in the team builder role when she a. negotiates for a larger budget for her team. b. represents her group at a company meeting. c. holds a meeting to talk about team accomplishments. d. helps the group solve a technical problem. ANSWER: c RATIONALE: A key aspect of a leader’s role is to build an effective team. Activities contributing to team builder role include ensuring that team members are recognized for their accomplishments, initiating activities that contribute to group morale, and holding periodic staff meetings to encourage team members to talk about their accomplishments, problems, and concerns. See “Leadership Roles.” 30. Marketing vice president Derek is engaged in the strategic planner role when he a. takes a key customer to lunch. b. coaches an account executive on how to close a major sale. c. makes plan for enlarging the office. d. looks for ideas in the outside world that could help the company. ANSWER: d RATIONALE: Top-level managers engage in strategic planning, usually assisted by input from others throughout the organization. Carrying out the strategic-planner role enables the manager to practice strategic leadership. The strategist role is concerned with shaping the future of the organization, or a unit within the larger organization. See “Leadership Roles.” 31. An advantage of being a leader noted in the leadership text is a. being able to avoid the long hours typically worked by team members. b. loads of overtime pay. c. the opportunity to sidestep organizational politics. d. a chance to help others grow and develop. ANSWER: d RATIONALE: A leader works directly with people, often teaching them job skills, serving as a mentor, and listening to personal problems. Part of a leader’s job is to help other people become managers and leaders. A leader often feels as much of a people helper as does a human resource manager or a counselor. See “The Satisfactions and Frustrations of Being a Leader.” 32. A potential disadvantage of being a leader is a. losing contact with paperwork and email. b. isolation from problems involving people. c. having fewer people to confide in about work-related issues. d. being out of the loop in terms of company policies. ANSWER: c RATIONALE: The higher you rise as a leader, the lonelier you will be in a certain sense. Leadership limits the number of people in whom you can confide. See “The Satisfactions and Frustrations of Being a Leader.” 33. A major challenge facing leaders in the pursuit of conflicting goals is: a. controlling costs versus spending money. b. granting people the authority to act independently yet getting them aligned. c. built-in conflicts between labor and management. d. motivating versus satisfying employees. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: A major challenge facing leaders is to navigate among conflicting goals. The central theme of these dilemmas is attempting to grant others the authority to act independently, yet still getting them aligned or pulling together for a common purpose. See “The Satisfactions and Frustrations of Being a Leader.” 34. The interpretation of the formula L = f ( l,gm,s) presented in the basic framework for understanding leadership is that leadership is partially a function of: a. gross marketing share. b. group members. c. gross national product. d. satisfactions of the leader's boss. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: The basic assumption underlying the leadership framework can be expressed in terms of a simple formula with a profound meaning: L = f ( l,gm,s). The formula means that the leadership process is a function of the leader, group members (or followers), and other situational var iables. See “A Framework for Understanding Leadership.” 35. Leadership effectiveness, as defined in the framework for understanding leadership, refers to the leader: a. being impressive enough to get promoted. b. attaining desirable outcomes such as productivity and satisfaction. c. creating an attractive vision. d. turning over decision-making responsibility to group members. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: Leadership effectiveness refers to attaining desirable outcomes such as productivity, quality, and satisfaction in a given situation. See “A Framework for Understanding Leadership.” 36. Leadership takes into account factors related to the leader, the persons being led, and a. personality traits of leaders. b. various forces in the environment. c. personal characteristics of group members. d. forces beyond the control of the leader. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: Leadership does not exist in the abstract but takes into account factors related to the leader, the person or persons being led, and a variety of forces in the environment. See “A Framework for Understanding Leadership.” 37. A component of the general learning model applied to skill development in leadership is a. memorizing lists of great business leaders. b. making cross-comparisons of leadership theories. c. reading vision statements in annual reports. d. conceptual information supported by examples of leaders in action. ANSWER: d RATIONALE: Developing leadership skills is more complex and ambiguous than developing a structured skill. A general learning model of skill development in leadership will include conceptual information demonstrated by examples and brief descriptions of leaders in action. See “Skill Development in Leadership.” 38. The terms isolates, activists, and diehards, relate to the idea that followers differ in terms of level of a. intelligence and emotional maturity. b. engagement with the leader and the group. c. relevant job experience. d. job relevant skills. ANSWER: b RATIONALE: Barbara Kellerman offers a typology that helps explain how followers differ from one another. She focuses on the defining factor of the level of engagement with the leader or group to arrive at five types of follower such as isolates, bystanders, participants, activists, and diehards. See “Followership: Being an Effective Group Member.” 39. Which one of the following is the least essential characteristic of an effective follower? a. Reliance on being managed or led by another person b. Commitment to something beyond oneself c. Building competence d. Independent and critical thinking ANSWER: a RATIONALE: As observed by Robert E. Kelley, effective followers share four essential qualities: self-management, commitment, competence, and courage. Hence, reliance on being managed by another person is the least essential characteristic of an effective follower. See “Followership: Being an Effective Group Member.” 40. An effective way for a leader to collaborate with group members is to a. make sure the group members get their yearly salary increases. b. make all the major decisions himself or herself. c. solicit input from the right group members. d. make the hierarchy as steep as possible. ANSWER: c RATIONALE: A key role for followers is to collaborate with leaders in achieving organizational goals. When high-level leaders do not make all of the decisions but solicit input from knowledgeable group members, leaders and followers work together more closely. See “Followership: Being an Effective Group Member.” 41. The modern organization is characterized by a. a reversal of roles between leaders and followers. b. an overthrow of authority by leaders. c. competition between leaders and followers. d. collaboration between leaders and followers. ANSWER: d RATIONALE: An argument for leadership irrelevance is that in the modern organization effective leadership means widespread collaboration in obtaining ideas, rather than the heroic leader doing all the innovating. See “The Impact of Leadership on Organizational Performance.” 42. As observed by Robert E. Kelley, _____ is an essential quality of effective followers. a. transparency b. skill utilization c. commitment d. charisma ANSWER: c RATIONALE: As observed by Robert E. Kelley, effective followers share four essential qualities: self-management, commitment, competence and focus, and courage. See “Followership: Being an Effective Group Member.”