MIDTERM EXAM

BUS319 – ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Name: ____________________
KHAS ID No: ______________
Exam Date: 05 June 2024
Exam Time: 10:00 – 12:00

This exam is intended to assess your understanding of the material covered in the second half of
this class.

Cheating of any form will NOT be tolerated and will result in an immediate FF grade.

You will NOT be permitted to:

- Use your notes or books etc.,

- Leave the exam room for the first 45 minutes,
- Return to the exam room once you leave (i.e., no toilet breaks).

Please leave your mobile phones with the proctor for the duration of the exam.

All multiple-choice questions in this exam have five choices and each is worth one point. Be brief
and clear in the short answer questions. You do not have to use complete sentences if it is not
necessary.
1) Provide four characteristics that differentiate tacit knowledge and explicit knowledge. (2 points)

2) Which of the following is NOT true regarding specialization? (1 point)

a. Increases productivity
b. Reduces variety in task types performed by employees
c. Increases employee flexibility
d. Reduces employee flexibility
e. Lowers motivation

3) Organizational culture may act as a liability as well as an asset for companies. Provide one reason
for each and discuss. (3 points)

4) What is satisficing? How does it relate to the rational decision-making model? (2 points)

5) The decision to continue to follow a failing course of action is known as _________________. (1

point)
a. Faulty attribution
b. Confirmation bias
c. Escalation of commitment
d. Bounded rationality
e. Self-serving bias

6) Jenna is a very warm person. When someone needs help in the office, she is usually the first person
to lend a hand. She rarely insists on getting her way and is never rude. According to the Big 5
taxonomy, which personality characteristic is dominant in Jenna’s personality? (1 point)
a. Openness
b. Extraversion
 c. Agreeableness
d. Conscientiousness
e. Emotional stability

7) Define process loss. Name one of the underlying causes and explain. (4 points)

8) Name two reasons why we cannot always make decisions using the rational choice model of
decision making. (4 points)

9) Which of the following is known as the contrast effect? (1 point)

a. Tendency to see the environment only as it affects them, consistent with their expectations.
b. Evaluating others/events/facts based on recent encounters.
c. Tendency to make different decisions based on how a question or situation is phrased.
d. Drawing a general positive or negative impression based on a single characteristic.
e. Tendency to rely too heavily on initial information when making decisions and failing to
adjust for subsequent information.

10) Three types of interdependencies characterize teams.

a. Identify all three. (3 points)

b. Pick one and discuss in detail. (2 points)

c. Which one is always detrimental to team functioning? (1 point)

11) Dimensions of organizational structure usually combine to create two types of firms.
a. What are these? (2 points)
 b. Describe one of them in detail. Make sure to talk about how this type is characterized in
terms of the 6 elements of structure. (3 points)

12) What is the relationship between types of influence tactics and shifts in attitude? (1 points)

13) ________________________ refers to where decisions are formally made in organizations. (1 point)
a. Centralization
b. Departmentalization
c. Formalization
d. Work specialization
e. Chain of command

14) Identify three organizational characteristics that may increase organizational politics. (3 points)

15) What is the difference between surface-level and deep-level diversity? (1 point)

16) Three of the four types of organizational cultures identified by the Competing Values Framework are
described below. Identify which description belongs to which type. (3 points)

a. Culture is based on human affiliation; employees value attachment, collaboration, trust, and
support. _________________________________________
b. Culture is based on change; employees value growth, variety, attention to detail,
stimulation, and autonomy. _______________________________________
c. Culture is based on achievement; employees value communication, competence, and
competition. _______________________________________
17) Fill in the blanks.
a. _________________________________ power is based on control of resources or benefits.
It is a type of ____________________________________ power. (2 points)
b. _______________________________ reflects relatively permanent changes in an
employee’s knowledge or skill that result from experience. (1 point)
c. Factors in the environment that interfere with the message such as distance and
obstructions are _______________________________________________. (1 point)
d. The tendency to see the environment only as it affects them, consistent with their
expectations is known as ________________________________________. (1 point)
e. ____________________________________ are culture groups whose values do not match
those of the organization. (2 points)