Example questions Chapter 12 Essentials of Organizational Behavior (Robbins/Judge)

Essentials of Organizational Behavior, 12e (Robbins/Judge)
Chapter 12 Leadership

1) Leadership is best defined as ________.
A) the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals
B) the process of drawing up formal plans and monitoring their implementation
C) the process of carrying out the vision and strategy provided by management
D) the process of coordinating and staffing the organization and handling day-to-day problems
E) the proper use of the influence gained exclusively as a result of one's organizational position
Answer: A
Explanation: A) Leadership can be defined as the ability to influence a group toward the
achievement of a vision or set of goals. Leaders can emerge from within a group as well as by
formal appointment.
Diff: 1
Objective: Leadership
Quest. Category: Concept/Definitional
LO: 1

2) Which of the following statements regarding leadership is true?
A) All leaders are managers.
B) Formal rights ensure good leadership.
C) All managers are leaders.
D) All leaders are hierarchically superior to followers.
E) Nonsanctioned leadership is as important as formal influence.
Answer: E
Explanation: E) The source of a leader's influence may be formal, such as that provided by
managerial rank in an organization. But not all leaders are managers, nor, for that matter, are all
managers leaders. Just because an organization provides its managers with certain formal rights
is no assurance they will lead effectively. Nonsanctioned leadership—the ability to influence that
arises outside the formal structure of the organization—is often as important or more important
than formal influence.
Diff: 1
Objective: Leadership
Quest. Category: Concept/Definitional
LO: 1




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, 3) Which theory of leadership differentiates leaders from nonleaders by focusing on personal
qualities and characteristics?
A) Fiedler's model
B) attributes theory
C) LMX theory
D) contingency theory
E) trait theory
Answer: E
Explanation: E) Trait theories of leadership focus on personal qualities and characteristics. The
search for personality, social, physical, or intellectual attributes that differentiate leaders from
nonleaders goes back to the earliest stages of leadership research.
Diff: 1
Objective: Trait Theories
Quest. Category: Concept/Definitional
LO: 2

4) Early research efforts at isolating leadership traits resulted in a number of dead ends. A
breakthrough, of sorts, came when researchers began ________.
A) organizing traits around the Big Five personality framework
B) using the Keirsey Temperament Sorter
C) using Cattell's 16 personality factors
D) focusing on Eysenck's three factor model
E) considering the Revised NEO Personality Inventory
Answer: A
Explanation: A) Early research efforts to isolate leadership traits resulted in a number of dead
ends. A breakthrough came when researchers began organizing traits around the Big Five
personality (ambition and energy are part of extraversion, for instance), giving strong support to
traits as predictors of leadership.
Diff: 2
Objective: Leadership
Quest. Category: Concept/Definitional
LO: 2




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