Strategic Management Lecture 11 (Chapter 12) Quiz

QUESTION 1
1. You are considering employment opportunities after graduation. What would you be UNLIKELY to
seek out in identifying a prospective employer's company's culture?
the company's defined spirit and character that pervades the work climate
the company's resource strengths, core competencies, and competitive capabilities
the company's revered traditions and oft-repeated stories about "heroic acts" and "how we
do things around here"
the company's approach to people management and the official policies, procedures, and
operating practices that paint the white lines for the behavior of company personnel
the company's shared values, business principles, and ethical standards that management
preaches and practices
QUESTION 2
1. Symbolic culture changing actions include all of the following EXCEPT
leading by example.
reinforcing and celebrating culture-change successes.
praising individuals and groups that exemplify the new desired behavior.
ensuring top executives' actions match their rhetoric.
revising policies and procedures in ways that will help drive cultural change.
QUESTION 3
1. The purpose of managing by walking around or MBWA is to
learn more about company operations and see how activities are really being done.
be visible and accessible to employees.
give employees a chance to make suggestions for improvement.
gather information about what strategy to follow and to learn what competitors are
doing.
gather information about what is happening from people at different organizational
levels and learn firsthand how well the strategy execution process is proceeding.
QUESTION 4
1. Leadership actions or managerial practices NOT normally taken to foster a results-oriented,
high-performance culture include
treating employees as individuals with no regard for their rank or contributions.
building morale and fostering pride.
setting stretch objectives and clearly communicating expectations for reaching targets.
using motivational techniques and compensation incentives to inspire employees.
using the tools of benchmarking, best practices, business process reengineering, TQM,
and Six Sigma to focus attention on continuous improvement.
QUESTION 5
1. What defines an insular, inwardly focused culture?
The firm never underestimates rivals because of their proven track record in defending
challenges.
The firm believes they have all the answers because of their past great market success
and is thus overconfident.
The firm's unflinching belief in the company's superiority breeds a champion's attitude
and thus they thrive on doing better by adapting to fresh thinking from outside the
company.
The firm values their customers' opinions and fully understands their needs and
expectations.
The firm has a commitment to hiring young people who can offer fresh thinking and
new perspectives.
QUESTION 6
1. A step management can take that is INAPPROPRIATE to change a problem culture is
identifying which aspects of the present culture are supportive of good strategy
execution and which ones are not.
specifying what new actions, behaviors, and work practices should be prominent in the
"new" culture.
appointing a team of key managers and employees to design a plan for cultural change
and then lead the internal effort to change the culture.
talking openly about the problems of the present culture and how new behaviors will
improve performance.
employing visible, forceful actions—both substantive and symbolic—to ingrain a new
set of behaviors, practices and cultural norms.
QUESTION 7
1. A company's culture does NOT specifically mention
the work practices and behaviors that define "how we do things around here."
the company's standard of what is ethically acceptable and what is not, along with the
"chemistry" and "personality" that permeates its work environment.
the core values and business principles that management preaches and practices.
the company's strategic vision, strategic intent, and culture strategy.
the legends and stories that people repeat to illustrate and reinforce the company's
core values, traditions, and business practices.
QUESTION 8
1. A weak company culture
celebrates change and consensual decision-making.
produces champions of innovation and creativity.
creates harmonious subcultures along its value chain.
promotes greed-driven and unethical behaviors.
rewards consensus thinking.
QUESTION 9
1. Changing a problem culture
means eliminating unhealthy or dysfunctional traits as fast as possible.
is always a short-term exercise.
requires a determined effort by a limited number of employees.
is usually easier than it is to instill a strategy-supportive culture from scratch in a brand-
new organization.
takes less time than changing a healthy culture.
QUESTION 10
1. A healthy company culture may be identified as
insular and inwardly-focused.
change-resistant.
unethical and greed-driven.
politicized.
hyper-adaptive.