Power Politics Files

Chapter 12 Power, Politics, and Empowerment
1. (p. 339) Influence is the capability to get someone to do something.
FALSE
Power is the capability to get someone to do something.
Difficulty: Hard
Ivancevich Chapter 12 #1

2. (p. 340) Power is not a personal attribute; it is an aspect of the relationship that exists between two or more
people.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium

3. (p. 340) No individual or group can have power in isolation.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

4. (p. 340) Power symmetry in an organization remains constant over time.
FALSE
Power symmetry in an organization changes over time as a person or group gains or loses power.
Difficulty: Medium

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5. (p. 341) Power facilitates an organization's adaptation to its environment.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium

6. (p. 341) Legitimate power is also called authority or position power.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

7. (p. 341) Possessing legitimate power ensures that all of your orders will be followed by your subordinates.
FALSE
Possessing legitimate power does not ensure that subordinates will follow all of your orders; the orders must fall
within the subordinate's zone of indifference.
Difficulty: Medium

8. (p. 341) A person's zone of indifference can widen or narrow, depending on the situation.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium

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9. (p. 342) Even if a reward has no value to an individual, it is likely to influence behavior.
FALSE
Individuals are not likely to be influenced by rewards that they don't care to earn.
Difficulty: Easy

10. (p. 342) One must be in a position of authority to possess coercive power.
FALSE
One need not be in a position of power to possess coercive power, as when fear of rejection by coworkers for
noncompliance causes an individual to perform a requested task.
Difficulty: Medium

11. (p. 342) Experts have power even when their formal position in the organizational hierarchy is low.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

12. (p. 342) Expert power is as unlimited as the talent of the individual possessing it.
FALSE
Expert power is not unlimited, and one's expertise may not bestow as much power as believed.
Difficulty: Medium

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13. (p. 343) Structure impacts informal power through its effect on information and communication flows within
the system.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

14. (p. 343) The use of coercive power seldom results in resistance.
FALSE
The use of coercive power is very likely to result in resistance.
Difficulty: Easy

15. (p. 343) The use of expert or referent power results in compliance, but not commitment.
FALSE
The use of expert or referent power most frequently results in commitment.
Difficulty: Medium

16. (p. 343) Organizations with very few levels of management between the customer and top leadership are likely
to have a less balanced distribution of power than traditional organizations with multiple layers of
management.
FALSE
Organizations with very few levels of management are likely to have a more balanced distribution of power
than organizations with multiple layers of management.
Difficulty: Medium

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17. (p. 344) Toplevel managers typically allocate resources on the basis of performance and compliance.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium

18. (p. 344) Individuals who influence decisionmaking processes and their outcomes must have formal authority.
FALSE
Individuals who influence decisionmaking processes and their outcomes may or may not have formal
authority, as illustrated by the power that Mrs. Roosevelt exerted over Congress.
Difficulty: Medium

19. (p. 345) Having access to relevant and important information is power.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

20. (p. 345) A true picture of a person's power is provided by their position within the organization.
FALSE
A true picture of a person's power is provided not only by their position within the organization, but by their
access to relevant information.
Difficulty: Medium

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21. (p. 347) Empowered employees must be given enough information to see the "big picture."
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

22. (p. 347) Performance feedback is not necessary for newly empowered employees.
FALSE
Performance feedback is particularly important for newly empowered employees; it enhances learning and can
provide assurance that the job is being mastered.
Difficulty: Medium

23. (p. 350) The higher the substitutability of a subunit, the greater is its power within the organization.
FALSE
The lower the substitutability of a subunit, the greater is its power within the organization.
Difficulty: Easy

24. (p. 352) Politically motivated behaviors can block the formal power that exists in an organization.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

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25. (p. 355) Compliance occurs when you agree internally with a decision, action, or request, are enthusiastic
about it, and are likely to exert unusual effort to carry it out.
FALSE
Compliance occurs when you carry out the request but are apathetic about it and make only a minimal effort to
do it.
Difficulty: Medium

26. (p. 355) Any influence tactic can result in resistance if it is used unskillfully or if the request being made is
clearly objectionable.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

27. (p. 356) Virtually everyone makes a deliberate effort in some situations to create a desirable impression.
TRUE
Difficulty: Easy

28. (p. 357) Creating a blatantly false impression can increase your credibility.
FALSE
Creating a blatantly false impression can damage your credibility and reputation.
Difficulty: Medium

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29. (p. 357) When the use of power is outside the bounds of formal authority, policies, procedures, job
descriptions, and organizational goals, it is political in nature.
TRUE
Difficulty: Medium

30. (p. 360) Making the ethically correct behavior choice is always possible, although it is not always done.
FALSE
Making the ethically correct behavior choice is neither easy nor always possible.
Difficulty: Medium

31. (p. 358) To understand an organization's political landscape, you must know who has legitimate power and
how they use it.
FALSE
To understand an organization's political landscape, you must know what interests exist and to whom they
belong.
Difficulty: Easy

32. (p. 358) It is easier to influence the behavior of those who disagree with us than those with whom we agree.
FALSE
It is easier to influence the behavior of those who agree with us than those who do not.
Difficulty: Medium

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33. (p. 359) An organizational member must be in a formal leadership position to possess or use power.
FALSE
An organizational member does not have to be in a formal leadership position to possess or use power.
Difficulty: Medium

34. (p. 340) You cannot influence anyone (induce certain behavior in another person) without:
A. ethics
B. influence
C. power
D. rewards
Difficulty: Medium

35. (p. 341) John French and Bertram Raven suggested that all of the following are interpersonal sources of power
except:
A. Legitimate
B. Expert
C. Coercive
D. Relevant
Difficulty: Easy

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36. (p. 341) The five sources of interpersonal power can be divided into two major categories: organizational and
_______________.
A. personal
B. structural
C. operational
D. financial
Difficulty: Medium

37. (p. 341) _______________ power refers to a person's ability to influence others because of their position
within the organization.
A. Referent
B. Reward
C. Expert
D. Legitimate
E. Coercive
Difficulty: Easy

38. (p. 341) Organizational authority has all of the following characteristics except:
A. It is used horizontally.
B. It is invested in a person's position.
C. It is accepted by subordinates.
D. It is used vertically.
Difficulty: Medium

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39. (p. 342) A person's _______________ is the basis of his or her referent power.
A. intelligence
B. charisma
C. expertise
D. knowledge
Difficulty: Medium

40. (p. 342) The opposite of reward power is _______________ power.
A. referent
B. reward
C. expert
D. legitimate
E. coercive
Difficulty: Medium

41. (p. 342) Performing a requested task because of fear of rejection by coworkers for noncompliance is an
example of _______________ power.
A. referent
B. reward
C. expert
D. legitimate
E. coercive
Difficulty: Medium

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42. (p. 342) A person's _______________ power can be changed by rewriting their job description.
A. referent
B. reward
C. expert
D. legitimate
E. coercive
Difficulty: Medium

43. (p. 343) _______________ sources of power result from the nature of the organizational social system, rather
than from the attributes of an individual.
A. Reward
B. Structural
C. Referent
D. Coercive
Difficulty: Medium

44. (p. 343) Research indicates that when subordinates believe a manager's coercive power is increasing, they also
perceive a drop in _______________ power.
A. reward
B. legitimate
C. referent
D. Any or All of the choices are correct.
Difficulty: Medium

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45. (p. 343344) Resources in organizations are typically allocated _______________, along the lines of authority.
A. horizontally
B. diagonally
C. upward
D. downward
Difficulty: Easy

46. (p. 345) A manager is powerful because he or she does or has all of the following except:
A. Allocates required resources
B. Makes crucial decisions
C. Access to important information
D. Extensive training
Difficulty: Medium

47. (p. 345) Microsoft, Google, and Amazon became prominent, profitable companies because they used the
_______________ of their employees to gain a competitive advantage in their industries.
A. knowledge
B. experience
C. creativity
D. All of the choices are correct.
Difficulty: Easy

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48. (p. 346) All of the following are reasons why employee empowerment is not universally embraced except:
A. Managers fear the loss of power, control, and authority.
B. Employees are not able to make responsible decisions.
C. Empowered employees displace too many managers.
D. Empowering employees was attempted before and it failed.
Difficulty: Medium

49. (p. 346) _______________ means encouraging and/or assisting individuals and groups to make decisions that
affect their work environment.
A. Mentoring
B. Empowerment
C. Substitutability
D. Control
Difficulty: Medium

50. (p. 348) The power differential between subunits is influenced by:
A. The degree or ability to cope with uncertainty
B. The centrality of the subunit
C. The substitutability of the subunit
Difficulty: Medium

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51. (p. 348349) All of the following are types of coping activities except:
A. Prevention
B. Information
C. Absorption
D. Deflection
Difficulty: Medium

52. (p. 349) Forecasting is an example of coping by _______________.
A. prevention
B. information
C. absorption
D. deflection
Difficulty: Easy

53. (p. 349) A subunit possesses power if its activities have more _______________ impact than those of other
subunits.
A. immediate
B. financial
C. emotional
D. visible
Difficulty: Medium

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54. (p. 349) Which of the following is an example of substitutability?
A. Preventing market share decline by product development
B. Absorbing problems from other units
C. Being in an urgent or immediacy position
D. Possessing needed skills or expertise
Difficulty: Medium

55. (p. 350) If an organization can obtain alternative sources of _______________ to perform the job done by a
subunit, the subunit's power will be diminished.
A. skill
B. information
C. resources
Difficulty: Easy

56. (p. 352) All of the following generally represent politically motivated behavior except:
A. Behavior that is outside the legitimate, recognized power system
B. Behavior designed to benefit an individual or subunit, often at the expense of the organization
C. Behavior that is designed to carry out direct orders
D. Behavior that is intentional and designed to acquire and maintain power
Difficulty: Medium

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57. (p. 352) A study of 700 employees suggested that political skill can accurately be broken down into all of the
following factors except:
A. Social astuteness
B. Interpersonal influence
C. Networking ability
D. Survival instincts
Difficulty: Medium

58. (p. 353) Which of following was deemed the most important personal characteristic of effective organizational
politicians?
A. Being logical
B. Having selfconfidence
C. Being articulate
D. Being highly intelligent
Difficulty: Hard

59. (p. 353) All of the following are characteristics of effective organizational politicians except:
A. Selfconfident
B. Aggressive
C. Logical
D. Mature
Difficulty: Medium

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60. (p. 354) All of the following were presented in the text as reasons or purposes for which political games are
played except:
A. To increase productivity
B. To resist authority
C. To counter the resistance to authority
D. To build power bases
Difficulty: Medium

61. (p. 354) _______________ is used to convince you that a particular course of action is logically the best course
because it is in your best interest.
A. An inspirational appeal
B. A personal appeal
C. Consultation
D. Rational persuasion
Difficulty: Medium

62. (p. 354) Politics and political behavior are found:
A. only in large organizations
B. only in small organizations
C. in both small and medium sized organizations
D. in all organizations, regardless of size
Difficulty: Easy

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63. (p. 354355) _______________ are used to gain your support by seeking the help of others to persuade you, or
by using the support of others as an argument for you to also give your support.
A. Consultation
B. Inspirational appeals
C. Ingratiating tactics
D. Coalition tactics
Difficulty: Medium

64. (p. 354355) _______________ are used to create a sense of obligation, because someone is doing something
nice for you.
A. Consultation
Difficulty: Medium

65. (p. 354355) _______________ are used to gain your support for a course of action, by letting you participate in
the planning for the action.
A. Consultation
Difficulty: Medium

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66. (p. 355) The influence tactic of consultation is most likely to result in _______________.
A. resistance
B. compliance
C. commitment
D. peer pressure
Difficulty: Hard

67. (p. 355) The influence tactic of coalition is very likely to result in _______________.
A. resistance
B. compliance
C. commitment
Difficulty: Medium

68. (p. 356) Researchers report that those who use _______________ behaviors and logic to convince others have
a greater chance of succeeding at their careers than do those who do not use these tactics.
A. consultative
B. inspirational
C. ingratiating
D. pressuring
Difficulty: Hard

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69. (p. 356) In impression management, _______________ is used to create the impression that you are
participative and that you want, value, and respect input from the person you are trying to influence.
A. consultation
B. inspiration
C. pressure
D. ingratiation
Difficulty: Medium

70. (p. 356) An employee who uses _______________ to convince her teammates to pursue a certain approach to
a project is likely to hurt her image as a team player.
A. impression management
B. selfpromotion
C. intimidation
D. selfhandicapping
Difficulty: Medium

71. (p. 356) In impression management, _______________ is designed to project an impression of you as a nice,
thoughtful, or friendly person.
A. consultation
B. inspiration
C. pressure
D. ingratiation
Difficulty: Medium

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72. (p. 357358) Researchers recommend that a manager's behavior satisfy all of the following criterion to be ethical
except:
A. Utilitarian outcomes
B. Organizational justice
C. Individual rights
D. Distributive justice
Difficulty: Medium

73. (p. 359) There is nothing wrong with the acquisition and use of power if it is done in a professional and
_______________ manner.
A. logical
B. ethical
C. systematic
D. consistent
Difficulty: Medium

74. (p. 340) Power is an aspect of a relationship between two or more persons. What implication does this fact
have for organizational members who wish to increase their power? Decrease the power of others?
Power must exist in relation to some other person or group. If A has power over B, it is in part because B allows
it. If and when B dissolves the relationship with A, then A no longer has power over B. Thus, obtaining,
maintaining, and using power are all essential to influencing the behavior of people in organizational settings.
Difficulty: Hard

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75. (p. 346) What is meant by the term empowerment? Why is empowerment a concept that is resisted by some
and rejected by others?
Empowerment means encouraging and/or helping individuals and groups to make decisions that affect their
work environment. It is resisted by some, and rejected by others, because:
(1) Managers fear the loss of power, control, and authority.
(2) Employees are not able to make responsible decisions.
(3) Empowering employees was attempted before and it failed.
(4) Sharing proprietary information means leaking ideas, plans, and knowledge to competitors.
(5) Not everyone wants to be empowered.
Difficulty: Medium

76. (p. 343) If you wanted to gain compliance from subordinates, what type of power would you use? Explain
what compliance means.
To gain compliance, one would use legitimate or reward power. Compliance means that subordinates will obey
requests, but they are unlikely to exert more than the minimal effort necessary. Expert or referent power is also
an option, because it builds commitment. People who are committed to a cause are more likely to be compliant.
Difficulty: Hard

77. (p. 345) What is the difference between data, information, and knowledge?
Data are facts, statistics, and specifics. Information is the context in which data are placed. Knowledge is the
conclusion or analysis derived from the data and information.
Difficulty: Hard

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78. (p. 347) Identify three strategies or techniques a manager can employ to empower his or her employees.
Any three of the following: (1) participative management, (2) establishment of goalsetting programs, (3)
implementation of meritbased pay systems, (4) job enrichment through job redesign.
Difficulty: Hard

79. (p. 348) In the case of selfmanaged teams, empowerment can be fostered by delegating additional formal
decisionmaking control to the team. What benefit does this produce for the team?
The delegation of additional decisionmaking control broadens the team's responsibilities, so they acquire
additional skills, knowledge, and experiences. This increased expertise makes them more valuable to the
organization, thereby increasing their influence.
Difficulty: Hard

80. (p. 348) Assume that the printing process is a strategic contingency for a publishing company, and that only
one group of employees knows how to operate the printing press. How could the environment be changed to
more evenly balance power within the printing department?
The more individuals in the organization who can use the printing press, the less vulnerable the organization
and the lower the power of the printing group. If the company trains a number of groups or individuals to run
the printing press, it lessens the power of the original group. Another strategy might be to increase the number
of presses. This would require hiring more operators, thus reducing the power of each individual within the
department.
Difficulty: Medium

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81. (p. 350) Assume that your supervisor stopped by to say, "We're really losing money using that Beal stamping
machine, so I want you to do me a favor. I want you to come in this weekend and break the machine, so we can
get a new one. But be sure to make it look like and accident. I don't trust anyone but you to do it, and it will
really help us out." Would you comply with his request? Why or why not?
Student answers will vary.
Difficulty: Medium

82. (p. 350352) How the illusion of power can be just as effective as actual power was clearly illustrated in the
"obedience to authority" experiments of Milgram. Can you think of other examples where people have
responded to the illusion of power? Does this happen in organizations?
Students may cite several examples, such as complying with the norms of a group that the individual perceives
to be more powerful than it really is. Subjecting oneself to the degradation of a hazing initiation would be one
obvious example. Such behavior does occur in organizations, sometimes formally (as in rites of initiation),
sometimes informally (as in cases where authoritative managers overstep their boundaries and insist that
employees perform tasks that are not part of their jobs).
Difficulty: Medium

83. (p. 354) Political games are played at all organizational levels by both managers and nonmanagers. Identify
three purposes for which these games are played.
Any three of the following: (1) to resist authority, (2) to counter resistance to authority, (3) to build power
bases, (4) to defeat rivals, and (5) to bring about organizational change.
Difficulty: Medium

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84. (p. 354356) A number of frequently used influence tactics were discussed in the text. How many have you
witnessed being played in organizations of which you are a member? What other tactics have you seen used?
Student answers will vary. Use this question to stimulate class discussion. Note the differences in response from
work experienced and nonwork experienced students. Also, see if the international student responses differ
from the American students.
Difficulty: Medium

85. (p. 357357) Researchers recommend that a managers' behavior satisfy certain criteria to be considered ethical.
What are those criteria?
The criteria used to determine the ethics of a manager's behavior involves considering:
(1) The net good (utilitarian outcome) of the behavior.
(2) The extent to which the behavior honors the individual rights of all parties involved.
(3) The fairness and equity (distributive justice) of the behavior.
Difficulty: Hard

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86. (p. 341342) Which power would you prefer to develop for yourself: expert power or legitimate power? What
are the advantages and disadvantages of each of these sources of power?
Student answers will vary, depending on how they view each type of power and whether or not they feel they
have (or can develop) a talent that is of expert level.
Expert power is a personal characteristic of individuals who deal in technical, medical, administrative, or
personal matters. It is a power than can be held for as long as the person remains an expert in the field and the
field does not become obsolete. In other words, the power is not job or company dependent; the holder takes it
with him or her where ever they go. Plus, orders coming from someone with expert power are likely to result in
commitment rather than just compliance. However, expert power can always be overruled by legitimate power.
Legitimate power is awarded by the organization and is more dependant on the position held than on the
knowledge of the person in the position. This type of power is lost as soon as the job is lost. Subordinates often
believe that they must carry out orders given by someone with legitimate power, but they may not be as
committed to it as they would be if the ordergiver was an expert in the field.
Difficulty: Hard

87. (p. N/A) When was the last time you engaged in impression management? Was it effective? Why or why not?
Student answers will vary.
Difficulty: Easy

88. (p. 339) What is the difference between power and influence?
Power is having the capability or authority to get someone to do something; influence is getting them to do it.
Difficulty: Medium

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89. (p. 348) What is a strategic contingency?
Any event or activity that is extremely important for accomplishing organizational goals.
Difficulty: Medium

90. (p. 357) What is selfhandicapping?
Taking action in advance of an event that will provide either an excuse for failure or credit for success.
Difficulty: Medium

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Chapter 12 Power, Politics, and Empowerment

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