Planning and managing organisations/PMAN103/Managing the unknown/Quiz

The questions which follow provide a basic knowledge test of selected concepts covered in this learning pathway: Managing the unknown.

The questions published at the end of each learning pathway are re-used for the knowledge test for learners interested in earning a digital badge or certificate of participation for the Planning and managing organisations (PMAN103) micro-course. Please consult the Certify participation page for more information.

True - false questions

Indicate whether the following statements are true or false:

• Openness, meritocracy, flexibility, and collaboration should be adopted for new management practices in organizations.
  • True
    • Correct.
  • False
    • No. These are some of the deep values of the new organizational model.
• Companies should introduce new management methodologies as rapidly as possible to stay ahead of the competition.
  • True
    • No. Companies should introduce new methodologies slowly and illustrate corporate-wide benefits in order to gain acceptance.
  • False
    • Correct
• One main reason some organizations continue to use traditional methods of management is because they choose to follow the examples of other companies within their industry.
  • True
    • Correct.
  • False
    • No. It is sometimes very difficult for one company to make a change while all of the other organizations in that field stay the same.
• New management practices must consider the importance of the role of human beings as contributors in the management process.
  • True
    • Correct.
  • False
    • No. In order to build future successful companies, organizations must be better suited for human beings. Each worker and what the person has to offer should be respected and embraced.

Multiple choice questions

• According to the PMAN103 readings, management must be reinvented because organizations are facing many challenges that they have not faced before. Which THREE of the following are major challenges faced by organizations today? (Choose all that apply - there are three correct answers)
  • Rapid and exponential changes in the marketplace
    • Yes. Things did not change exponentially 100 years ago and the rapid rate of change is a new phenomenon.
  • Hyper competition.
    • Yes. Organizations are required to innovate every day as companies must seek new ways to protect their competitive position.
  • Labour shortages
    • Incorrect. Labour shortages can hamper a business in the short-term, but are not considered to be a major challenge because training and recruitment can address these obstacles.
  • Loss of Knowledge advantages
    • Yes. Knowledge advantages are no longer something that an organization can rely on since employees take their ideas and information to new jobs with competitors.
• According to the PMAN103 readings on the future of work, a movement towards decentralized organizational structures is occurring. Which one of the following describes such a structure? (Choose one)
  • Rigid hierarchies
    • ’’’Incorrect’’’. This is not a correct description.
  • External markets
    • Yes. This type of organizational structure outsources different functions within the organization to an external market.
  • Connected nodes
    • Incorrect. This is not a correct description.
  • Internal silos
    • Incorrect. This is not a correct description.
• Which THREE of the following statements regarding the impacts of improved communication are true? (Select all that apply - there are three correct answers)
  • It makes it easier for business owners to establish a customer base across geographic boundaries at a reasonably low cost.
    • Yes. The ease of communication that exists in today’s business world has enabled organizations to work across country boundaries at a reasonably low cost.
  • It provides individuals with flexibility of when, how, and where they perform their work.
    • Yes. For example, there has been a rise in the number of employees who work from home
  • Business decisions have become more decentralized
    • Yes. Employees have increasingly been held accountable for individual decisions.
  • It is only since the introduction of the internet that society has benefited from communication improvements.
    • Incorrect. Throughout history, society has benefited from communication improvements such as the printing press, the telegraph and the telephone.
• Which ONE of the following reflects the findings of Dr. Malone’s extensive research on the transformation of work? (Select one answer)
  • The new organizational model focuses on generating more employee freedom.
    • Yes. The new organizational model focuses on generating more employee freedom and decentralizing organizational structures.
  • The new organizational model focuses on strengthening and improving existing hierarchical employee-manager structures.
    • Incorrect. The new organizational model focuses on generating more employee freedom and decentralizing organizational structures.
  • The new organizational model focuses on maintaining strict employee work schedules in the context of decentralizing organizational structures.
    • Incorrect. Organizations are increasingly allowing more freedom and flexibility in employees’ work schedules and work locations.
  • The new organizational model focuses on command and control structures for greater efficiency.
    • Incorrect. Organizations are moving away from traditional command-and control organizational models, such as the classical bureaucratic model, toward more empowering and open organizational models, such as the team-based model.