Leadership, 6e Test Bank

1. It is accurate to say that Situational Leadership II (SLII) is primarily

A) Descriptive
B) Prescriptive
C) Well supported by research
D) Trait related
E) Follower focused
2. You are president of a large corporation. At a typical monthly meeting, each of your
vice presidents gives standard area reports. In the past, these reports have been
good, and the VPs seem satisfied about their work. Based on SLII, which
leadership style should you exhibit at the next meeting?
A) Style 1
B) Style 2
C) Style 3
D) Style 4
3. You are leader of a group project for a class. The other group members seem
insecure about whether they can complete the project, but it is apparent that they
are competent enough to do a good job. In prior meetings you have been coaching
them on the project. Based on SLII, which leadership style should you exhibit at the
next meeting?
A) Style 1
B) Style 2
C) Style 3
D) Style 4
4. You are the leader of a small jazz band composed of four of your peers who have
never been in a jazz group before. As the leader of the band, you have been very
straightforward about how the band will function. You have clearly described each
of the members' roles, and they are starting to catch on to how the group works.
What style do you exhibit next?
A) Style 1
B) Style 2
C) Style 3
D) Style 4

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Leadership, 6e Test Bank

5. You are the owner of a small catering company and have recently hired a skilled
baker to complement your staff. When business is slow, however, you need the
baker to help prepare other kinds of foods. Some of the processes (like deboning
fish and preparing soup stock) are complicated and require detailed training. What
style should you use under these circumstances?
A) Style 1
B) Style 2
C) Style 3
D) Style 4
6. You have recently been made a department head of the new regional office. In
getting to know your departmental staff, you have noticed that one of your
inexperienced employees is not following through on assigned tasks. She is
enthused about her new job and wants to get ahead in the organization. Which
alternative represents the most effective leadership style?
A) Discuss the lack of follow-through with her and explore possible ways to solve
this problem.
B) Specify what she must do to complete the tasks but incorporate any
suggestions she may have.
C) Define the steps necessary to complete the assigned tasks and monitor her
performance frequently.
D) Let her know about the lack of follow-through and give her more time to
improve her performance.
7. Which of the following statements best describes situational leadership?
A) Specific leaders are needed in specific situations.
B) Leaders must adapt to the situation, but not to the followers.
C) Different situations demand different kinds of leadership.
D) Leadership is directive.
E) A leader's style does not change, the situation does.
8. The situational approach labels leaders' styles specifically as
A) Directive and supportive
B) Initiating structure and consideration
C) Concern for production and concern for people
D) High task and low task
E) Task and relationship

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9. A leader who emphasizes communication with followers in both achieving goals, as

well as meeting the social needs, would best be described as :
A) Directing style
B) Delegating approach
C) Supporting approach
D) Coaching approach
E) Situational approach
10. Allowing a group of employees to run the daily operations of the organization
while the supervisor remains out of the picture unless he is needed to solve
problems, listen to concerns, give praise, and provide feedback is best explained
with :
A) Directing style
B) Delegating approach
C) Supporting approach
D) Coaching approach
E) Situational approach
11. Once a group has established a plan of action toward achieving its goals, the
supervisor allows the group to carry out the plan with little to no involvement. This
is an example of
A) Directing style
B) Delegating approach
C) Supporting approach
D) Coaching approach
E) Situational approach
12. You were recently hired into an organization that you have always wanted to work
at, and in addition, your education and experience complement your new position
perfectly. According to the situational model, your level of development is
A) S4
B) D2
C) S1
D) D4
E) S2

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13. You recently were promoted to a new position and are very excited, but you have
little to no experience with numerous aspects of the new position. According to the
situational model, your level of development is:
A) S2
B) D1
C) S1
D) D3
E) S3
14. You have been employed at your organization for some time and are starting to gain
the necessary skills associated with your position but have trouble staying as
motivated as you used to be. According to the situational model, your level of
development is:
A) S2
B) D2
C) S1
D) D4
E) S3
15. As a recent graduate from the top Paper Science Program in the country, you
quickly receive a position with a large paper company and are given a high-salary
position. You are very nervous and feel that you need more experience or assistance
to meet organizational standards. According to the situational model, your level of
development is:
A) S2
B) D1
C) D2
D) D3
E) S3
16. Which of the following would a leader not ask when determining the nature of the
situation?
A) What task are the followers being asked to perform?
B) How can I best alter the styles of the followers?
C) How complex is the task?
D) Are the followers sufficiently skilled to accomplish the task?
E) Do they desire to complete the task once they start it?

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17. If followers are low in competence and high in commitment, a leader should adopt
which style?
A) Low-directive and high-supportive style
B) High-directive and high-supportive style
C) Low-directive and low-supportive style
D) High-directive and low-supportive style
E) Low commitment and high supportive style
18. Which of the following would not be considered a strength of the situational
approach?
A) Emphasizes leadership flexibility
B) Is a very practical approach
C) Is considered a credible model for training leaders within organizations
D) Takes the influence of gender into account during leader-follower situations
E) Highlights the needs of the followers and the leader's role in assisting them
19. Who focused on leaders matching their style to the competence and commitment of
employees?
A) Stogdill
B) Hersey and Blanchard
C) Blake and McCanse
D) Katz
E) Fisher
20. Because of the lack of research studies associated with situational leadership, there
are questions concerning its theoretical basis. Which of the following is not one of
these questions?
A) Is it certain that this approach does indeed improve performance?
B) Can we be sure it is a valid approach?
C) Does this approach compare favorably with other leadership approaches?
D) Why has there been a lack of published research findings?
E) Why are there limited doctoral dissertations done on the situational approach?
21. Which best describes the reason situational leadership is so practical for managers
to use?
A) Assist in relating demographics to leadership.
B) Your second answer option goes here.
C) It is only applicable to lower-level managers.
D) Its straightforward nature.
E) Its specific nature.

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22. Questionnaires on situational leadership often ask for respondents to look at

specific applications of leadership styles within situations, which may result in:
A) Results that are not in favor of situational leadership
B) Wide range of responses that are hard to validate
C) Biased results in favor of situational leadership
D) Negative perceptions toward the organizations
E) Situational questionnaires do not ask these types of questions
23. Followers can move back and forth along the development continuum, and
therefore leaders should be
A) Prepared to switch leadership behavior over a long period of time
B) Firm in the leadership behavior
C) Placing structures in place to limit the moving
D) Flexible in their leadership behavior
E) Determining the cause of the change and addressing the issue
24. Low in competence and high in commitment.
A) D1
B) D2
C) S2
D) S4
E) S1
25. Some competence but low commitment.
A) D3
B) D2
C) S2
D) D4
E) S1
T F

26. According to situational leadership, D3 subordinates may be highly skilled but also
lack commitment.

T F

27. D4 subordinates are not certain that they can do the job by themselves.

T F

28. Situational leadership requires the clear recognition of subordinate needs.

T F

29. The SLII model emphasizes flexibility in leadership style.

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T F

30. In SLII, Style 2 is low directive and low supportive.

T F

31. In SLII, Style 3 is high supportive and low directive.

T F

32. In SLII, delegating is ineffective with subordinates who are very competent and
committed.

T F

33. SLII is used by many corporations to train leaders.

T F

34. One of the strengths of the situational approach is its clear conceptualization of
subordinates' developmental levels.

T F

35. The situational approach contends that leadership involves both directive and
supportive behaviors.

T F

36. The situational approach requires leaders to demonstrate a strong degree of control.

T F

37. Under the situational approach, leadership style refers to motivational principles.

T F

38. In the situational approach, leadership style defines directive behaviors as those that
help group members in goal achievement via two-way communication.

T F

39. Subordinates may move from one developmental level to another within 24 hours.

T F

40. In the situational approach, supportive leader behaviors are mostly job-related.
41. According to the SLII model, why is there a regression in commitment at
development levels 2 and 3? Do you agree with this reasoning?
42. What are the characteristics of the four levels of follower development in the SLII
model? How would you characterize the development level of the students in this
class? Give evidence to support your view.

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43. A basic assumption of the SLII is that employees' skills and motivation vary over
time. Do you agree? Can you think of any exceptions? Does the SLII fit all work
situations equally well?
44. Not all leadership communication takes place in person. How would the following
media support or complicate each of the four leadership styles?
1. Telephone:
2. E-mail:
3. Twitter:
4. Written memos:

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Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.

B
D
C
B
A
C
C
A
D
C
B
D
B
B
D
B
D
D
B
E
D
C
D
A
B
True
False
True
True
False
True
False
True
False
True
False
False
False
True
True

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Leadership, 6e Test Bank

41. Development levels are meant to be task-specific, not means of labeling employees.
In the case of D2, employees may have started to learn a job but aren't quite as
motivated as they were at the beginning. At the D3 level, employees are quite
competent but have lost commitment to or enthusiasm for the project. What's not
clear in the model is why subordinates who gain competence would lose
enthusiasm or motivation. The argument is not supported (yet) with research.
42. Should touch on the specifics of the following when characterizing class: D1=low
competence and high in commitment. D2=some competence and low commitment.
D3= moderate to high competence and no commitment. D4=high competence and
high commitment
43. One exception might be employees who do the same task day after day and whose
skills remain constant, like long-term factory workers. Motivation may or may not
vary in this scenario. The SLII might be hard to implement when a leader has many
subordinates. It may also be less useful than other leadership approaches in a
small office where employees have worked together for years and have routinized
jobs. Since the tasks and employees are the same, there's not much need to adapt
one's leadership style, as long as it's already effective.
44. Should use specifics from the following styles to explain the interactions through
each form of media: directing style high directive and low supportive style,
coaching approach high directive and high supportive style, supporting approach
low directive and high supportive style, delegating approach low directive and
low supportive style.

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