ICB exam summary COMPILATION OF MOCK EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

ICB exam summary
COMPILATION OF
MOCK EXAM
QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS

,ICB exam summary

 Question 2 of the mock exam
Now assign Trompenaars’ four metaphors for corporate culture - Incubator, Guided Missile, Family or
Eiffel Tower culture - to the following ten statements. Be aware that sometimes more than one
metaphor can be assigned to the statements listed.

1. “Whatever it takes” attitude to complete a task in these organizations
Guided Missile, Incubator
2. Culture acts as a sounding board for ideas.
Incubator
3. Roles of employees are described and outputs are quantified.
Eiffel Tower
4. Relationships tend to be diffused in these organizations.
Family, incubator
5. There is a low priority to efficiency.
Family, Incubator
6. There is a rationale of means in such organizations.
Eiffel Tower, Guided Missile
7. Status is ascribed in these organizations.
Eiffel Tower, Family
8. Change is usually fast, unexpected and spontaneous in these organizations.
Incubator, Guided Missile
9. Duty is an important concept for employees in this culture.
Eiffel Tower
10. The purpose of these organizations is to free individuals from routine.
Incubator

 Characteristics of each metaphor (incubation, fly missile, Eiffel tower & family)
Trompenaars four cultures model




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, Model of cultural differences, with two axes:
 Egalitarian (decentralized)
Equality, people should get the same, be treated the same and respected the same.
 Hierarchical (centralized)
Bureaucracy, the nature of a hierarchy, arranged in order of rank.
 Person (informal)
 Task (formal)

Leading to the following types and orientations:
 Incubator (fulfilment)
 Family (power)
 Guided Missile (project)
 Eiffel Tower (role)

 Relationship between employees
o Family
Diffuse relationship to organic whole to which one is bonded
o Eiffel Tower
Specific role in mechanical system(building service using machines) of
required interactions
o Guided Missile
Specific task in cybernetic system(interacting elements influence one
another, feedback) targeted upon shared objectives
o Incubator
Diffuse spontaneous relationships growing out of shared creative processes
 Attitude to authority
o Family
Status is ascribed to parent figures who are close and all powerful
o Eiffel Tower
Statis is ascribed to superior roles who are distant yet powerful
o Guided Missile
Status is achieved by project group members who contribute to the targeted
goal
o Incubator
Status is achieved by individuals exemplifying creativity & growth
 Ways of thinking and learning
o Family
Intuitive, holistic, lateral and error correcting
o Eiffel Tower
Logical, analytical, vertical and rationally efficient
o Guided Missile
Problem centred, professional, practical, cross disciplinary
o Incubator
Process orientated, creative, ad-hoc, inspirational