BU288 Final Exam Questions with
Complete Solutions23
What is machiavellianism? What are high mach people more likely to do? - ANSWERS -it is a set
of cynical beliefs about human nature, morality etc. and essentially posits how manipulative
people will achieve social influence.
High Machs are more likely to use lying or deceit to achieve desired goals and generally believe
that you can sacrifice absolute morals for the situation in question
Also more likely to assume people are excessively gullible and don't know what is best for
themselves
What are the 2 main ways you can use defensive/reactive politics? What are the tactics within
each category - ANSWERS -Take no action at all:
1. Stalling
2. Overconforming: stick to your job description to avoid action
3. Buck Passing: let someone else deal with it
If you can't avoid action, avoid blame for its consequences:
1. Buffing: Getting sign-offs to make something look legit
2. Scapegoating
What are the 7 main causes of conflict? - ANSWERS -1. Group Identification + Intergroup Bias
2. Interdependence -> Creates a power structure
3. Power (oneway, unjust hierarchies)
4. Status (think marketing hating sales)
,5. Culture: different cultures (e.g. administrators vs doctors)
6. Ambiguity: of goals, jurisdictions and performance criteria
7. Scarce resources
What are the 3 main kinds of conflict - ANSWERS -1. Relationship conflict (interpersonal tension
related to relationship not a task)
2. Task Conflict (disagreements about nature of task to be done)
3. Process Conflict (disagreement about how work should be organized and accomplished)
What two kinds of conflict are the most detrimental to team performance and membership
satisfaction - ANSWERS -Relationship and process conflict
Michelle works at a horse breeding farm. She's finding that her and her colleagues Imaad and
Arthur are having numerous disagreements about whether or not they should consider
implementing a new breeding system and what the overall farms' goals are. This plan has never
been done before at the company, and the decision to go with this is non-routine. What kind of
conflict are they experiencing, and is it a bad thing? - ANSWERS -They are experiencing task
conflict.
It's not a bad thing because for non-routine tasks that require a diversity of perspectives, some
level of task conflict is beneficial.
Arthur's cat acrobatics stadium is looking to merge with a smaller stadium to use as a training
facility. Arthur's negotiation team includes a number of employees, including James, Michelle
and Imaad. Since Imaad is a debate lord, he often enjoys playing devil's advocate and is quite
aggressive about it. Should conflict arise within the negotiation, what are the 6 steps it will go
through? - ANSWERS -1. Arthur's team will start to look at "winning" than trying to come up
with a good solution
2. Both teams will start to conceal information from each other or pass on distorted information
3. Both teams will become more cohesive, punishing deviants like Imaad and expecting strict
conformity
, 4. Arthur will not want to contact the other party except in formal conditions
5. The opposing party will be negatively stereotyped, the image of one's own position is
boosted.
6. Imaad might become the leader in the negotiation as he is more aggressive.
James is not happy with the work allocation at Michelle's horse breeding farm, and brings it up
to his boss (Michelle). He's currently also gunning for a promotion at the company and
Michelle's the one to do that. What kind of conflict is he experiencing vis-a-vis Michelle, and
what would be the best conflict managing strategy to manage it? - ANSWERS -Process conflict ->
because it is related to work allocation
the best strategy in this case is to be accommodating as James is looking to build good will with
Michelle
When should you use each of the 5 ways of managing conflict? - ANSWERS -1. Competing: you
have power, you're sure of facts, situation is such that you won't have to work with the other
party later
2. Avoiding: issue is trivial, you lack information, the opposition is powerful+hostile
3. Compromise: Scarce resources and if it's a last resort
4. Collaborating: best when not intense conflict, each party has useful information
5. Accommodating: when you're wrong, more important to build good will
What role does personality play between (Stressors and stress) and (stress and stress reactions)
- ANSWERS -personality plays the role of the moderating variable
Walk through the differences between Stressors, Stress, and Stress Reactions - ANSWERS -
Stressor: environmental conditions that could induce stress
Stress: psychological reactions to demands by the stressor that have the potential to make a
person feel tense or anxious
Stress Reactions: Consequences of those reactions
Complete Solutions23
What is machiavellianism? What are high mach people more likely to do? - ANSWERS -it is a set
of cynical beliefs about human nature, morality etc. and essentially posits how manipulative
people will achieve social influence.
High Machs are more likely to use lying or deceit to achieve desired goals and generally believe
that you can sacrifice absolute morals for the situation in question
Also more likely to assume people are excessively gullible and don't know what is best for
themselves
What are the 2 main ways you can use defensive/reactive politics? What are the tactics within
each category - ANSWERS -Take no action at all:
1. Stalling
2. Overconforming: stick to your job description to avoid action
3. Buck Passing: let someone else deal with it
If you can't avoid action, avoid blame for its consequences:
1. Buffing: Getting sign-offs to make something look legit
2. Scapegoating
What are the 7 main causes of conflict? - ANSWERS -1. Group Identification + Intergroup Bias
2. Interdependence -> Creates a power structure
3. Power (oneway, unjust hierarchies)
4. Status (think marketing hating sales)
,5. Culture: different cultures (e.g. administrators vs doctors)
6. Ambiguity: of goals, jurisdictions and performance criteria
7. Scarce resources
What are the 3 main kinds of conflict - ANSWERS -1. Relationship conflict (interpersonal tension
related to relationship not a task)
2. Task Conflict (disagreements about nature of task to be done)
3. Process Conflict (disagreement about how work should be organized and accomplished)
What two kinds of conflict are the most detrimental to team performance and membership
satisfaction - ANSWERS -Relationship and process conflict
Michelle works at a horse breeding farm. She's finding that her and her colleagues Imaad and
Arthur are having numerous disagreements about whether or not they should consider
implementing a new breeding system and what the overall farms' goals are. This plan has never
been done before at the company, and the decision to go with this is non-routine. What kind of
conflict are they experiencing, and is it a bad thing? - ANSWERS -They are experiencing task
conflict.
It's not a bad thing because for non-routine tasks that require a diversity of perspectives, some
level of task conflict is beneficial.
Arthur's cat acrobatics stadium is looking to merge with a smaller stadium to use as a training
facility. Arthur's negotiation team includes a number of employees, including James, Michelle
and Imaad. Since Imaad is a debate lord, he often enjoys playing devil's advocate and is quite
aggressive about it. Should conflict arise within the negotiation, what are the 6 steps it will go
through? - ANSWERS -1. Arthur's team will start to look at "winning" than trying to come up
with a good solution
2. Both teams will start to conceal information from each other or pass on distorted information
3. Both teams will become more cohesive, punishing deviants like Imaad and expecting strict
conformity
, 4. Arthur will not want to contact the other party except in formal conditions
5. The opposing party will be negatively stereotyped, the image of one's own position is
boosted.
6. Imaad might become the leader in the negotiation as he is more aggressive.
James is not happy with the work allocation at Michelle's horse breeding farm, and brings it up
to his boss (Michelle). He's currently also gunning for a promotion at the company and
Michelle's the one to do that. What kind of conflict is he experiencing vis-a-vis Michelle, and
what would be the best conflict managing strategy to manage it? - ANSWERS -Process conflict ->
because it is related to work allocation
the best strategy in this case is to be accommodating as James is looking to build good will with
Michelle
When should you use each of the 5 ways of managing conflict? - ANSWERS -1. Competing: you
have power, you're sure of facts, situation is such that you won't have to work with the other
party later
2. Avoiding: issue is trivial, you lack information, the opposition is powerful+hostile
3. Compromise: Scarce resources and if it's a last resort
4. Collaborating: best when not intense conflict, each party has useful information
5. Accommodating: when you're wrong, more important to build good will
What role does personality play between (Stressors and stress) and (stress and stress reactions)
- ANSWERS -personality plays the role of the moderating variable
Walk through the differences between Stressors, Stress, and Stress Reactions - ANSWERS -
Stressor: environmental conditions that could induce stress
Stress: psychological reactions to demands by the stressor that have the potential to make a
person feel tense or anxious
Stress Reactions: Consequences of those reactions
