Chapter 12

1. Which information is too much in flux to identify on an organizational chart?

1. A) Grapevine lines of communication

2. B) Line and staff authority
3. C) Span of control
4. D) Scalar chains

Ans: A

Feedback:

The grapevine lines of communication cannot be placed on an organizational

chart because they are constantly in flux. The remaining information is stable
and so identified on the chart.

2. Max Weber, as part of the scientific management era, contributed immensely

to the development of organizational theory. Which statement is not
representative of his beliefs?

1. A) Bureaucracy could provide a rational basis for administrative

decisions
2. B) Worker satisfaction was integral to productivity
3. C) Organization charts could depict the hierarchy of authority
4. D) Impersonality of interpersonal relationships should exist in
organizations

Ans: B

Feedback:

Max Webers theories did not address worker satisfaction. The other options do
represent the Weber organizational theory.

3. Which statement concerning organizational culture is true?

1. A) It presents how employees iperceivei an organization

2. B) It defines how power is used by organizations to direct the work of
others
3. C) It describes the predictable stages of group and organizational
development
4. D) It is a system of symbols, beliefs, values, history, and
communication patterns

Ans: D

Feedback:
Organizational culture is the symbols and beliefs, values, history, and
communication patterns of the organization. It differs from organizational
climate, which is how the employees perceive the organization. The other
options are not relevant to the term organizational culture.

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4. Which statement is true regarding depiction of staff positions on an

organizational chart?

1. A) They are depicted as unbroken lines

2. B) They are represented by double dotted lines
3. C) They are shown as a solid, vertical line
4. D) They are identified with a dotted line.

Ans: D

Feedback:

Dotted or broken lines on the organization chart represent staff positions.

Formal relationships, lines of communication, and authority are depicted on a
chart by unbroken (solid) lines. Double dotted lines are not generally used on
an organizational chart.

5. What

1. A) The number of individuals directly reporting to a manager

2. B) Having a limited number of top-level managers
3. C) Each employee having only one boss
4. D) A flexible structure that encourages participative decision making

Ans: C

Feedback:

Unity of command means one immediate boss per employee. None of the other
options correctly describes the term unity of command.

6. Which position is characteristic of a middle-level manager?

1. A) Primary care nurse

2. B) Team leader
3. C) Charge nurse
4. D) Nursing supervisor

Ans: D

Feedback:
Nursing supervisors are middle-level managers. All the others are first-level
managers.

7. How does decentralized organizational structure promote decision making?

1. A) Allows problems to be solved at the level at which they occur

2. B) Encourages decisions to be made by top-level hierarchy
3. C) Limits communication to managers at various levels
4. D) Assigns responsibility at the highest practical level

Ans: A

Feedback:

Decentralized organizational structure allows decision making to be made at the

level at which problems occur. None of the other options describes how
decentralized organizational structure promotes decision making.

does the term unity of command mean?

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8. Which statement about organizational centrality is true?

1. A) It refers to the decision-making structure in an organization

2. B) It occurs when there is consonance of subunit cultures in the
organization
3. C) It is a position on the organizational chart where types of
communication occur
4. D) It occurs primarily in line relationships

Ans: C

Feedback:

Centrality is a position on an organizational chart where it is possible to have

many different types of communication (upward, downward, lateral, and
diagonal). The other statements do not describe organizational centrality
accurately.

9. Which is a symptom of poor organizational structure?

1. A) Communication follows the chain of command

2. B) The smallest possible number of managers exists to keep units
functioning
3. C) The chain of command is fairly short
4. D) There is a heavy reliance on committees to solve unit problems

Ans: D
Feedback:

A heavy reliance on committees to solve problems is an indication of a poorly

structured organization and often results in delays in critical decision making.
The other options describe examples of good organizational structure.

10. Which term is used to identify having official power to act?

1. A) Responsibility
2. B) Authority
3. C) Accountability
4. D) Leadership

Ans: B

Feedback:

Authority means having the official power to act. None of the other terms is
used to identify having official power to act.

11. What

1. A) It defines the managers decision-making authority

2. B) It identifies the managers abilities and responsibilities
3. C) It refers to a line-and-staff organizational structure model
4. D) It is the number of subordinates and manager is responsible for

Ans: B

Feedback:

The number of people directly reporting to any one manager represents that
managers span of control and determines the number of interactions expected
of him or her. None of the remaining options correctly describes this term.

does the term ioptimum span of controli mean?

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12. Which characteristics are associated with a constructive culture? 1.

Affiliative norms

2. Self-actualization

3. Encouragement of humanism

4. Perfectionist norms

1. A) 1, 2, 3
2. B) 1, 2, 4
3. C) 1, 3, 4
4. D) 2, 3, 4
Ans: A

Feedback:

Affiliation, self-actualization, and encouragement are all characteristics of a

constructive culture, whereas perfectionist norms are a characteristic of
destructive organizational cultures.

13. What

1. A) New leadership
2. B) A change agent with management skills
3. C) Identification with a unit that is not entrenched
4. D) Administration support

Ans: A

Feedback:

It is extremely difficult to change a unit culture without new leadership. The

remaining options are directly involved in the change out of entrenchment.

14. Which would suggest that flattening of the organization is occurring?

1. A) There is a collective spirit

2. B) There is reduction in the administration levels
3. C) There are shared work goals across units
4. D) There are formal and informal systems are in place to address
conflicts

Ans: B

Feedback:

Reducing the numbers of administration levels is called flattening the

organization. The remaining options are not related to organizational flattening.

is needed to change a unit culture that has become firmly entrenched?

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15. What occurs during implementation of a shared governance model?

A) Lines of authority are altered
B) Joint practice committees are formed
C) Participatory management is initiated
D) The roles of first-level managers are stabilized
Ans: B
Feedback:
In shared governance, the organizations governance is shared among
board members, nurses, physicians, and management. Joint practice
committees are developed to assume the power and accountability for
 decision making, and professional communication is egalitarian rather
than hierarchical. Shared governance is not associated with the other
options.
16. What is the primary responsibility of the committee chairperson
during a committee meeting?
1. A) Keeping members on task
2. B) Asking questions
3. C) Resolving conflicts
4. D) Providing information on each agenda item

Ans: A

Feedback:

Although all the items may be something the chairperson does, the primary
responsibility is to keep members on task so committee work gets completed.

17. What is the leadership role when a unit is attempting to overcome the
decentralization of patient care?

1. A) Determining what changes will be made to the plan of care

2. B) Facilitating the groups work
3. C) Identifying the patient care problems
4. D) Selecting solutions to problems

Ans: B

Feedback:

In a patient-centered focused activity, the team leader should facilitate the work
of the group and should not be the sole decision maker.

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18. What should the leader remember when forming committees?

A) Committees work best when there is an adequate supply of
workers, with 10
members being the minimum
B) Willingness to work hard is the most important criterion for
appointment
C) Written agendas provide excessive structure and stifle committee
creativity
D) There should be sufficient expertise among committee members to
accomplish the
assigned task Ans: D
Feedback:
The most important criterion for committee selection is overall
adequate expertise to accomplish the agenda. The remaining options
are not as relevant as the correct option.
 19. During a strategic planning committee meeting to develop futuristic
technology goals, several unit managers spend a considerable amount
of time discussing current staffing problems. What is the primary
action of the chairperson of this committee?
1. A) Take the remainder of the meeting time to discuss
staffing with all members
2. B) Adjourn the meeting and reschedule at a time when
there are no staffing problems
3. C) Request that committee members return to discussing
items on the agenda
4. D) Excuse those discussing staffing from the remainder of
the meeting

Ans: C

Feedback:

Committee time is wasted when agendas are not adhered to. The remaining
options do not address the issue of wasted time effectively.

20. Which characteristics are associated with Magnet hospital status? 1.

Centralized environment

2. Open, participatory management 3. Improved patient outcomes

4. Higher staff nurse satisfaction

1. A) 1, 2, 3
2. B) 1, 2, 4
3. C) 1, 3, 4
4. D) 2, 3, 4

Ans: D

Feedback:

Magnet designation is conferred by the ANCC to health-care organizations

exemplifying well-qualified nurse executives in a decentralized environment,
with organizational structures that emphasize open, participatory management.
Magnet- designated organizations demonstrate improved patient outcomes and
higher staff nurse satisfaction than organizations that do not have Magnet
status.

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21. Which component is considered a part of an organizational structure? Select

all that apply.

1. A) Group formation
2. B) Lines of communication
 3. C) Decision-making process
4. D) Channels of legitimate authority

Ans: A, B, C, D

Feedback:

Organizational structure refers to the way in which a group is formed, its lines
of communication, and its means for channeling authority and making
decisions.

22. What

1. A) Organizational gossip
2. B) An informal channel of communications
3. C) An institutions informal authority chain
4. D) The connecting format used on an organizational chart

Ans: B

Feedback:

The informal structure also has its own communication channels, often referred
to as the grapevine. None of the remaining options accurately describes an
organizational grapevine.

23. Research supports that organizational restructure affects nursing in what

manner?

1. A) It decreases nursing autonomy

2. B) It decreases nursings formal authority
3. C) It increases the effectiveness of patient care
4. D) It increases patient autonomy

Ans: C

Feedback:

Current research suggests that changing an organizations structure in a manner

that increases autonomy and work empowerment for nurses will lead to
effective patient care. The remaining options failed to describe the research
supported effect of organizational restructure on nursing.

is an institutional grapevine?

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24. When considering the interprofessional approach to healthcare, to whom

does the nurse owe accountability?
 1. A) The physician
2. B) Their patients
3. C) Their unit manager
4. D) Their director of nursing

Ans: A, B, C, D

Feedback:

Nurses frequently feel as though they have many individuals to account to

because health care often involves an interprofessional approach. Additional
individuals the nurse may need to be accountable to may include the immediate
supervisor, the patient, the patients family, central administration, and the
physician. The nurse has no accountability to other nurses in this situation.

25. Which statement is true concerning a bureaucratic organization?

1. A) It is commonly referred to as a line organization

2. B) It is typically found in large health-care organizations
3. C) They resemble Webers original design of organization
4. D) Its authority is represented by its staff organizational chart

Ans: A, B, C, D

Feedback:

Bureaucratic organizational designs are commonly called line structures or line

organizations. Those with staff authority may be referred to as staff
organizations. Both of these types of organizational structures are found
frequently in large health-care facilities and usually resemble Webers original
design for effective organizations. Because of most peoples familiarity with
these structures, there is little stress associated with orienting people to these
organizations.

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