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Chapter 06
1. Regardless of the external environment or their national culture, managers and employees
must understand and follow their organization's culture to be successful.
True False
2. Organizational culture is complex and cannot be defined as a set of norms regulating the
behavior of the employees of a firm.
True False
3. Diverse and global teams are one of the most consistent sources of competitive advantage
for any organization.
True False
4. Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of employees have an
insignificant impact on their organizational performance, and these values are easily changed
by the organization.
True False
5. Andre Laurent's research found that cultural differences actually are more pronounced
among foreign employees working within the same multinational organization than among
personnel working for firms in their native lands.
True False
6-1
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
6. For a global retail company, a focused sale campaign on Christmas gift items would be
effective in all of the company's markets.
True False
7. Organizational cultures of MNCs are shaped by a number of factors, including the cultural
preferences of the leaders and employees.
True False
8. To manage a global team, international managers must take into consideration three factors:
culture, communication, and trust.
True False
9. Guided missile organizational cultures generally are made up of cooperative project teams.
True False
10. A high collectivistic culture in found in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
True False
11. As firms began exporting to foreign clients, they became what Adler called "international
corporations."
True False
12. Among international firms, which focus on exporting and producing abroad, cultural diversity
has a relatively weak impact on their external relationships with potential buyers and foreign
employees.
True False
13. An example of a token group would be a group of male German bankers who are forecasting
the economic outlook for a foreign investment.
True False
6-2
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
14. Individuals in a high collectivistic culture perform better when their values are in harmony
with their managers.
True False
15. As the diversity of a group increases, the likelihood of all members perceiving things in the
same way increases sharply.
True False
16. An example of a token group is a group of three American, three German, three British and
three Japanese managers who are looking into oil exploration opportunities in Russia.
True False
17. One main benefit of diversity is the generation of more and better ideas.
True False
18. A disadvantage of diversity is that it often leads to groupthink, which is social conformity and
pressures on individual members of a group to conform and reach consensus.
True False
19. Having people with the right skills is essential to bring together a successful virtual team.
True False
20. In the entry stage of group development, the focus is typically on decision making and
implementation.
True False
6-3
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
21. To ensure good communication in global teams, managers should do all of the following
except:
A. Hold an initial meeting in which all members introduce themselves and describe their jobs
B. Hold regular meetings throughout the project to ensure everyone is "on the same page"
C. Avoid the use of email, and use only video conferencing of telephone communication to
avoid misunderstandings
D. Put the details of the project in writing
23. Implementing a set of values where employees are rewarded or punished according to their
conformity with these values is found in the ______ management approach.
A. Clan control
B. Outcome control
C. Self-control
D. Behavior control
6-4
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
25. When individuals join a multinational corporation they bring their national culture, which
greatly affects all of the following except:
A. Learned beliefs
B. Ethnicity
C. Attitudes and values
D. Behaviors
26. PepsiCo, personnel are expected to be cheerful, positive, enthusiastic, and have committed
optimism. This is an example of:
27. Which of the following is not a possible management approach, according to Surinder Kahai?
A. Outcome control
B. Behavior control
C. Mind control
D. Clan control
28. _____ is a pattern of basic assumptions that are developed by a group as it learns to cope
with problems of external adaptation and internal integration and that are taught to new
members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to these problems.
A. Organizational culture
B. Organizational learning
C. Organizational change
D. Organizational structure
6-5
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McGraw-Hill Education.
29. Rules that dictate the dos and don'ts of employee behavior relating to areas such as
productivity, customer relations, and intergroup cooperation, are characteristics associated
with an organization's:
A. Ethics
B. Ambience
C. Culture
D. Structure
A. Common language
B. Terminology
C. Customer relations
D. Rituals
6-6
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McGraw-Hill Education.
33. A widely held belief that has not been found to be accurate is that organizational culture:
34. When UpJohn Company merged with Pharamcia AB, problems emerged forcing the partners
to meet and talk about their cultural differences. This is an example which illustrates that:
A. Organizational culture clashes often occur when partners do not fully understand the
culture of the new partner
B. Cultural differences are less pronounced among foreign employees working for the same
multinational company
C. Organizational culture tends to moderate or erase the impact of national culture
D. Companies deliberately maintain distinct business cultures because they do not want one
culture influencing the other
35. Which of the following shows the identity dimension of corporate culture?
A. To put the demands of the job before the needs of the individual
B. To put the needs of the individual before the needs of the job
C. To identify with and uphold the expectations of the employing organizations
D. To strive for accuracy and attention to detail
36. Which of the following would be associated with the dimension of pragmatic conduct?
6-7
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McGraw-Hill Education.
37. The United Kingdom shows the following characteristics regarding the corporate dimension:
A. Administrative
B. Industrial
C. Pragmatic
D. Commercial
A. Economics
B. Philosophical
C. Cultural
D. Structural
A. Look for a meeting of people, social competence is very important, persuasion through
emotional appeal is employed
B. Trust is developed on the basis of frequent and warm interpersonal contact and
transaction
C. A contract is viewed as a long-lasting relationship, socialization always precedes
negotiations, which are characterized by an exchange of grand ideas and general
principles, social competence is very important
D. Look for a meeting of minds, intellectual competence is very important, and a contract is
viewed as a well-reasoned transaction
6-8
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McGraw-Hill Education.
40. There are three aspects of organizational functions that seem to be especially important in
determining an MNC's organizational culture. These are:
A. The general views that employees hold about the MNC's purpose, destiny, goals, and their
places in them; the age of the organization; and the degree of cultural diversity among the
members of the organization
B. The general relationship between the managers and rank-and-file employees in the
organization; the degree of cultural diversity among the members of the organization; and
the hierarchical system of authority that defines the roles of managers and subordinates
C. The degree of cultural diversity among the members of the organization; the age of the
organization; and the strength of the organization's leadership
D. The general relationship between the employees and their organization; the hierarchical
system of authority that defines the roles of managers and subordinates; and the general
views that employees hold about the MNC's purpose, destiny, goals, and their places in
them
41. The following are the steps outlined by Numeroff and Abrahams used during mergers and
acquisitions except:
42. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on the hierarchy and orientation to the
person.
A. Family
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Incubator
D. Guided missile
6-9
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McGraw-Hill Education.
43. _____ culture is a project-oriented culture.
A. Family
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
44. Trompenaars found that a(n) _____ organizational culture is common in countries such as
Turkey, Pakistan, Venezuela, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
A. Eiffel Tower
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
45. When it works well, the _____ culture can catalyze and multiply the energies of the personnel
and appeal to their deepest feelings and aspirations.
A. Incubator
B. Guided missile
C. Eiffel Tower
D. Family
A. China
B. United States
C. Venezuela
D. Turkey
6-10
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McGraw-Hill Education.
47. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on the hierarchy and orientation to the
task.
A. Incubator
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Eiffel Tower
48. Under a(n) _____ culture, jobs are well defined, employees know what they are supposed to
do, and everything is coordinated from the top.
A. Guided missile
B. Family
C. Eiffel Tower
D. Incubator
50. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on equality in the workplace and
orientation to the task.
A. Guided missile
B. Family
C. Incubator
D. Eiffel Tower
6-11
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McGraw-Hill Education.
51. A(n) _____ organizational culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on equality and
orientation to the person.
A. Incubator
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Family
D. Guided missile
52. _____ cultures often create environments where participants thrive in an intense, emotional
commitment to the nature of the work.
A. Eiffel Tower
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
54. Which of the following describes the "relationships between employees" in a family corporate
culture?
6-12
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McGraw-Hill Education.
55. Which of the following describes the "attitude toward authority" in an Eiffel Tower corporate
culture?
56. Which of the following describes the "ways of thinking and learning" in a guided missile
culture?
57. As firms begin exporting to foreign clients and become what Adler calls "international
corporations," they must:
A. International Corporations
B. Domestic Corporations
C. Global Corporations
D. Multinational Corporations
6-13
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McGraw-Hill Education.
59. As companies become what Alder calls "multinational firms," they often find that _____ tends
to dominate all other considerations and the direct impact of culture may lessen slightly.
A. Quality
B. Serviceability
C. Durability
D. Price
A. Strategy
B. Price
C. Market
D. Product or service
62. A _____ group is a group that is characterized by members who share similar backgrounds
and generally perceive, interpret, and evaluate events in similar ways.
A. Multicultural
B. Bicultural
C. Token
D. Homogeneous
6-14
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McGraw-Hill Education.
63. A _____ group is a group in which two or more members represent each of two distinct
cultures, such as four Mexicans and four Taiwanese who have formed a team to investigate
the possibility of investing in a venture.
A. Multicultural
B. Bicultural
C. Token
D. Homogeneous
64. A _____ group is a group in which there are individuals from three or more different ethnic
backgrounds, such as three U.S., three German, three Uruguayan and three Chinese
managers who are looking into mining operations in South America.
A. Homogeneous
B. Token
C. Multicultural
D. Bicultural
65. To unite a diverse set of employees in a pharmaceutical company under a common corporate
culture, AstraZeneca's Global Steering Group has focused on three universal cultural pillars.
Which of the following is not one of those pillars?
66. The benefits or advantages of culturally diverse groups include the following except:
A. Enhanced creativity
B. Improved decision-making
C. Increased effectiveness of organization performance
D. Glass-ceiling protection
6-15
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McGraw-Hill Education.
67. When _____ occurs, group participants believe that their ideas and actions are correct and
that those who disagree with them are either uninformed or deliberately trying to sabotage
their efforts.
68. Multicultural teams are most effective when they face tasks requiring:
A. Cost-cutting
B. Confidentiality
C. The application of routine technologies
D. Innovativeness
69. In the _____ stage of group development, the focus should be on building trust and
developing team cohesion.
A. Entry
B. Work
C. Action
D. Reflection
70. In the _____ stage of group development, attention may be directed more toward describing
and analyzing the problem or task that has been assigned.
A. Entry
B. Work
C. Action
D. Reflection
6-16
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Essay Questions
71. What is organizational culture and what are some of its major characteristics?
72. Discuss findings of Hofstede and Andre Laurent about the relationship between national and
organizational culture.
73. What are the four types of organizational culture identified by Fons Trompenaars? Provide a
brief description of each of these cultures.
6-17
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McGraw-Hill Education.
74. Discuss some of the potential problems associated with diversity.
75. Create a virtual team with two people from each of four countries, which you name. Include
both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. List as many positives for your team as you can
and explore the effects of each on the work of the team.
6-18
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Chapter 06 Organizational Cultures and Diversity Answer Key
1. Regardless of the external environment or their national culture, managers and employees
must understand and follow their organization's culture to be successful.
TRUE
Regardless of the external environment or their national culture, managers and employees
must understand and follow their organization's culture to be successful.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
2. Organizational culture is complex and cannot be defined as a set of norms regulating the
behavior of the employees of a firm.
FALSE
In its most basic form, organizational culture can be defined as the shared values and
beliefs that enable members to understand their roles in and the norms of the
organization.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-19
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
3. Diverse and global teams are one of the most consistent sources of competitive advantage
for any organization.
TRUE
According to many international consultants and managers, diverse and global teams are
one of the most consistent sources of competitive advantage for any organization.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
4. Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of employees have an
insignificant impact on their organizational performance, and these values are easily
changed by the organization.
FALSE
Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of employees have a
significant impact on their organizational performance, and that the cultural values
employees bring to the workplace with them are not easily changed by the organization.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
6-20
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
5. Andre Laurent's research found that cultural differences actually are more pronounced
among foreign employees working within the same multinational organization than among
personnel working for firms in their native lands.
TRUE
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
6. For a global retail company, a focused sale campaign on Christmas gift items would be
effective in all of the company's markets.
FALSE
One main benefit of diversity is the generation of more and better ideas. Because group
members come from a variety of cultures, they often are able to create a greater number
of unique (and thus creative) solutions and recommendations.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-21
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
7. Organizational cultures of MNCs are shaped by a number of factors, including the cultural
preferences of the leaders and employees.
TRUE
Organizational cultures of MNCs are shaped by a number of factors, including the cultural
preferences of the leaders and employees.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
8. To manage a global team, international managers must take into consideration three
factors: culture, communication, and trust.
TRUE
To manage a global team, international managers must take into consideration three
factors: culture, communication, and trust.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
TRUE
AACSB: Analytic
6-22
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
10. A high collectivistic culture in found in the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
FALSE
Kahai cites the research of Ravi Narayanaswamy, who found that managers are most
effective in using self-control and outcome control in virtual teams whose members come
from a "high individualism culture, i.e., a culture in which ties between individuals are
loose and people tend to achieve things individually and assume personal responsibility."
This culture is found in places such as the U.S., the U.K., and Australia.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
11. As firms began exporting to foreign clients, they became what Adler called "international
corporations."
TRUE
As firms begin exporting to foreign clients, however, and become what she calls
"international corporations" (Phase II in Table 6-4), they must adapt their approach and
products to those of the local market.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-23
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McGraw-Hill Education.
12. Among international firms, which focus on exporting and producing abroad, cultural
diversity has a relatively weak impact on their external relationships with potential buyers
and foreign employees.
FALSE
Among international firms, which focus on exporting and producing abroad, cultural
diversity has a strong impact on their external relationships with potential buyers and
foreign employees.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
13. An example of a token group would be a group of male German bankers who are
forecasting the economic outlook for a foreign investment.
FALSE
Token groups, in which all members but one have the same background. An example
would be a group of Japanese retailers and a British attorney who are looking into the
benefits and shortcomings of setting up operations in Bermuda.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-24
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
14. Individuals in a high collectivistic culture perform better when their values are in harmony
with their managers.
TRUE
In contrast, managers are most effective in using clan control and behavior control in
virtual teams whose members come from a "high collectivistic culture, i.e., a culture
characterized by strong interpersonal ties and by collective achievement and
responsibility."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
15. As the diversity of a group increases, the likelihood of all members perceiving things in the
same way increases sharply.
FALSE
As the diversity of a group increases, the likelihood of all members perceiving things in the
same way decreases sharply.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-25
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
16. An example of a token group is a group of three American, three German, three British and
three Japanese managers who are looking into oil exploration opportunities in Russia.
FALSE
Token groups, in which all members but one have the same background. An example
would be a group of Japanese retailers and a British attorney who are looking into the
benefits and shortcomings of setting up operations in Bermuda.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
17. One main benefit of diversity is the generation of more and better ideas.
TRUE
One main benefit of diversity is the generation of more and better ideas.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
18. A disadvantage of diversity is that it often leads to groupthink, which is social conformity
and pressures on individual members of a group to conform and reach consensus.
FALSE
A second major benefit is that culturally diverse groups can prevent groupthink, which is
caused by social conformity and pressures on individual members of a group to conform
and reach consensus.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
6-26
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
19. Having people with the right skills is essential to bring together a successful virtual team.
TRUE
Having people with the right skills is essential to bring together a successful virtual team.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
20. In the entry stage of group development, the focus is typically on decision making and
implementation.
FALSE
In the entry stage, the focus should be on building trust and developing team cohesion, as
we saw in The World of International Management at the opening of the chapter.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-27
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McGraw-Hill Education.
21. To ensure good communication in global teams, managers should do all of the following
except:
A. Hold an initial meeting in which all members introduce themselves and describe their
jobs
B. Hold regular meetings throughout the project to ensure everyone is "on the same page"
C. Avoid the use of email, and use only video conferencing of telephone communication to
avoid misunderstandings
D. Put the details of the project in writing
In her article, "Tips for Working in Global Teams," Melanie Doulton provides helpful
suggestions for good communication in a global team:
• When starting a project with a new team, hold an initial meeting in which all members
introduce themselves and describe the job each one is going to do.
• Hold regular meetings throughout the project to ensure everyone is "on the same page."
Follow up conference calls with written minutes to reinforce what was discussed and what
individual team members are responsible for.
• Put details of the project in writing, especially for a new team in which everyone speaks
in different accents and uses different idioms and colloquialisms.
• Communicate using the most effective technology. For example, decide when e-mail is
preferable to a phone call or instant messaging is preferable to a videoconference. In
addition, try to understand everyone's communication style. For example, for a high-
context culture such as India's, people tend to speak in the passive voice, whereas in
North America, people use the active voice.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
6-28
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McGraw-Hill Education.
22. To build trust among virtual team members, managers should:
From their research, Kirkman and colleagues discovered that "building trust requires rapid
responses to electronic communications from team members, reliable performance, and
consistent follow-through. Accordingly, team leaders should coach virtual team members
to avoid long lags in responding, unilateral priority shifts, and failure to follow up on
commitments."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
23. Implementing a set of values where employees are rewarded or punished according to
their conformity with these values is found in the ______ management approach.
A. Clan control
B. Outcome control
C. Self-control
D. Behavior control
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
6-29
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McGraw-Hill Education.
24. Which of the following is not an advantage of virtual teams?
First, Kirkman concluded that "working virtually can reduce team process losses
associated with stereotyping, personality conflicts, power politics, and cliques commonly
experienced by face-to-face teams. Virtual team members may be unaffected by
potentially divisive demographic differences when there is minimal face-to-face contact."
Managers may even give fairer assessments of team members' work because managers
are compelled to rely on objective data rather than being influenced by their perceptual
biases.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
25. When individuals join a multinational corporation they bring their national culture, which
greatly affects all of the following except:
A. Learned beliefs
B. Ethnicity
C. Attitudes and values
D. Behaviors
Regardless of whether this environment or cultural context affects the MNC, when
individuals join an MNC, not only do they bring their national culture, which greatly affects
their learned beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors, with them, but they also enter into
an organizational culture.
AACSB: Analytic
6-30
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
26. PepsiCo, personnel are expected to be cheerful, positive, enthusiastic, and have
committed optimism. This is an example of:
Employees of MNCs are expected to "fit in." For example, at PepsiCo, personnel are
expected to be cheerful, positive, enthusiastic, and have committed optimism; at Ford,
they are expected to show self-confidence, assertiveness, and machismo.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-31
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McGraw-Hill Education.
27. Which of the following is not a possible management approach, according to Surinder
Kahai?
A. Outcome control
B. Behavior control
C. Mind control
D. Clan control
Surinder Kahai explains how a manager's approach may differ based on whether the
employees are part of an individualist or collectivist national culture. He first identifies four
different possible management approaches:
• Outcome control—measure and regulate outcomes sought
• Behavior control—specify the procedures to be followed by employees
• Clan control—implement a set of values where employees are rewarded or punished
according to their conformity with these values
• Self-control—allow individuals to set their own goals and then monitor their performance
in achieving their goals
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
6-32
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McGraw-Hill Education.
28. _____ is a pattern of basic assumptions that are developed by a group as it learns to cope
with problems of external adaptation and internal integration and that are taught to new
members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to these problems.
A. Organizational culture
B. Organizational learning
C. Organizational change
D. Organizational structure
A more detailed definition is offered by organizational cultural theorist Edgar Schein, who
defines it as a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its
problems of external adaptation and internal integration, and that has worked well enough
to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to
perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-33
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McGraw-Hill Education.
29. Rules that dictate the dos and don'ts of employee behavior relating to areas such as
productivity, customer relations, and intergroup cooperation, are characteristics
associated with an organization's:
A. Ethics
B. Ambience
C. Culture
D. Structure
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-34
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McGraw-Hill Education.
30. Observed behavioral regularities are typified by the following except:
A. Common language
B. Terminology
C. Customer relations
D. Rituals
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
Organizational climate, or the overall atmosphere of the enterprise, as reflected by the way
that participants interact with each other, conduct themselves with customers, and feel
about the way they are treated by higher-level management.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-35
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McGraw-Hill Education.
32. Norms are reflected by things such as:
Norms, as reflected by things such as the amount of work to be done and the degree of
cooperation between management and employees.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
33. A widely held belief that has not been found to be accurate is that organizational culture:
There is a widely held belief that organizational culture tends to moderate or erase the
impact of national culture. The logic of such conventional wisdom is that if a U.S. MNC set
up operations in, say, France, it would not be long before the French employees began to
"think like Americans." In fact, evidence is accumulating that just the opposite may be
true. Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of employees have a
significant impact on their organizational performance, and that the cultural values
employees bring to the workplace with them are not easily changed by the organization.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
6-36
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
34. When UpJohn Company merged with Pharamcia AB, problems emerged forcing the
partners to meet and talk about their cultural differences. This is an example which
illustrates that:
A. Organizational culture clashes often occur when partners do not fully understand the
culture of the new partner
B. Cultural differences are less pronounced among foreign employees working for the
same multinational company
C. Organizational culture tends to moderate or erase the impact of national culture
D. Companies deliberately maintain distinct business cultures because they do not want
one culture influencing the other
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
35. Which of the following shows the identity dimension of corporate culture?
A. To put the demands of the job before the needs of the individual
B. To put the needs of the individual before the needs of the job
C. To identify with and uphold the expectations of the employing organizations
D. To strive for accuracy and attention to detail
According to Table 6-1, the identity dimension of corporate culture is to identify with and
uphold the expectations of the employing organizations.
AACSB: Analytic
6-37
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
36. Which of the following would be associated with the dimension of pragmatic conduct?
According to Table 6-1, pragmatic conduct means "To put the demands and expectations
of customers first. To do what they ask."
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
37. The United Kingdom shows the following characteristics regarding the corporate
dimension:
A. Administrative
B. Industrial
C. Pragmatic
D. Commercial
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
6-38
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McGraw-Hill Education.
38. 'Dirigiste' is used to describe the _____ dimension.
A. Economics
B. Philosophical
C. Cultural
D. Structural
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
6-39
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McGraw-Hill Education.
39. Which of the following sets of characteristics is typical of French negotiators?
A. Look for a meeting of people, social competence is very important, persuasion through
emotional appeal is employed
B. Trust is developed on the basis of frequent and warm interpersonal contact and
transaction
C. A contract is viewed as a long-lasting relationship, socialization always precedes
negotiations, which are characterized by an exchange of grand ideas and general
principles, social competence is very important
D. Look for a meeting of minds, intellectual competence is very important, and a contract
is viewed as a well-reasoned transaction
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
6-40
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McGraw-Hill Education.
40. There are three aspects of organizational functions that seem to be especially important in
determining an MNC's organizational culture. These are:
A. The general views that employees hold about the MNC's purpose, destiny, goals, and
their places in them; the age of the organization; and the degree of cultural diversity
among the members of the organization
B. The general relationship between the managers and rank-and-file employees in the
organization; the degree of cultural diversity among the members of the organization;
and the hierarchical system of authority that defines the roles of managers and
subordinates
C. The degree of cultural diversity among the members of the organization; the age of the
organization; and the strength of the organization's leadership
D. The general relationship between the employees and their organization; the
hierarchical system of authority that defines the roles of managers and subordinates;
and the general views that employees hold about the MNC's purpose, destiny, goals,
and their places in them
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-41
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McGraw-Hill Education.
41. The following are the steps outlined by Numeroff and Abrahams used during mergers and
acquisitions except:
Numeroff and Abrahams have suggested that there are four steps that are critical in this
process: (1) The two groups have to establish the purpose, goal, and focus of their merger.
(2) Then they have to develop mechanisms to identify the most important organizational
structures and management roles. (3) They have to determine who has authority over the
resources needed for getting things done. (4) They have to identify the expectations of all
involved parties and facilitate communication between both departments and individuals
in the structure.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
42. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on the hierarchy and orientation to the
person.
A. Family
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Incubator
D. Guided missile
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
6-42
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
A. Family
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
44. Trompenaars found that a(n) _____ organizational culture is common in countries such as
Turkey, Pakistan, Venezuela, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
A. Eiffel Tower
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
6-43
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
45. When it works well, the _____ culture can catalyze and multiply the energies of the
personnel and appeal to their deepest feelings and aspirations.
A. Incubator
B. Guided missile
C. Eiffel Tower
D. Family
When it works well, family culture can catalyze and multiply the energies of the personnel
and appeal to their deepest feelings and aspirations.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
A. China
B. United States
C. Venezuela
D. Turkey
This type of culture is foreign to most managers in the United States, who believe in
valuing people based on their abilities and achievements, not on their age or position in
the hierarchy.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
6-44
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
47. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on the hierarchy and orientation to the
task.
A. Incubator
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Eiffel Tower
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
48. Under a(n) _____ culture, jobs are well defined, employees know what they are supposed
to do, and everything is coordinated from the top.
A. Guided missile
B. Family
C. Eiffel Tower
D. Incubator
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-45
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McGraw-Hill Education.
49. Eiffel Tower cultures are most commonly found in:
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
50. _____ culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on equality in the workplace and
orientation to the task.
A. Guided missile
B. Family
C. Incubator
D. Eiffel Tower
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-46
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McGraw-Hill Education.
51. A(n) _____ organizational culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on equality and
orientation to the person.
A. Incubator
B. Eiffel Tower
C. Family
D. Guided missile
Incubator culture is the fourth major type of organizational culture that Trompenaars
identified, and it is characterized by strong emphasis on equality and personal orientation.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
52. _____ cultures often create environments where participants thrive in an intense,
emotional commitment to the nature of the work.
A. Eiffel Tower
B. Family
C. Guided missile
D. Incubator
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-47
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McGraw-Hill Education.
53. Change in the incubator culture is:
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
54. Which of the following describes the "relationships between employees" in a family
corporate culture?
According to Table 6-3 the relationships between employees in the family corporate
culture can be described as "diffuse relationships to organic whole to which one is
bonded".
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-48
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McGraw-Hill Education.
55. Which of the following describes the "attitude toward authority" in an Eiffel Tower
corporate culture?
According to Table 6-3 the attitude toward authority in an Eiffel Tower corporate culture
can be described as "status is ascribed to superior roles that are distant yet powerful".
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
56. Which of the following describes the "ways of thinking and learning" in a guided missile
culture?
According to Table 6-3 the ways of thinking and learning in a guided missile culture can be
described as "problem centered, professional, practical, cross-disciplinary".
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-49
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McGraw-Hill Education.
57. As firms begin exporting to foreign clients and become what Adler calls "international
corporations," they must:
As firms begin exporting to foreign clients and become what Adler calls "international
corporations" (Phase II in Table 6-4), they must adapt their approach and products to
those of the local market.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
A. International Corporations
B. Domestic Corporations
C. Global Corporations
D. Multinational Corporations
According to Table 6-4, the global corporations deal with the largest, worldwide markets.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-50
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McGraw-Hill Education.
59. As companies become what Alder calls "multinational firms," they often find that _____
tends to dominate all other considerations and the direct impact of culture may lessen
slightly.
A. Quality
B. Serviceability
C. Durability
D. Price
As companies become what Adler calls "multinational corporations" (Phase III), they often
find that price tends to dominate all other considerations, and the direct impact of culture
may lessen slightly.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
A. Strategy
B. Price
C. Market
D. Product or service
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-51
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McGraw-Hill Education.
61. Global firms need:
Global firms need both an internal and an external diversity focus (again see Figure 6-4).
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
62. A _____ group is a group that is characterized by members who share similar backgrounds
and generally perceive, interpret, and evaluate events in similar ways.
A. Multicultural
B. Bicultural
C. Token
D. Homogeneous
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-52
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McGraw-Hill Education.
63. A _____ group is a group in which two or more members represent each of two distinct
cultures, such as four Mexicans and four Taiwanese who have formed a team to
investigate the possibility of investing in a venture.
A. Multicultural
B. Bicultural
C. Token
D. Homogeneous
Bicultural groups, in which two or more members represent each of two distinct cultures.
An example would be a group of four Mexicans and four Canadians who have formed a
team to investigate the possibility of investing in Russia.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
64. A _____ group is a group in which there are individuals from three or more different ethnic
backgrounds, such as three U.S., three German, three Uruguayan and three Chinese
managers who are looking into mining operations in South America.
A. Homogeneous
B. Token
C. Multicultural
D. Bicultural
Multicultural groups, in which there are individuals from three or more different ethnic
backgrounds. An example is a group of three American, three German, three Uruguayan,
and three Chinese managers who are looking into mining operations in Chile.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
6-53
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 3 Hard
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
66. The benefits or advantages of culturally diverse groups include the following except:
A. Enhanced creativity
B. Improved decision-making
C. Increased effectiveness of organization performance
D. Glass-ceiling protection
While there are some potential problems to overcome when using culturally diverse groups
in today's MNCs, there are also very many benefits to be gained. In particular, there is
growing evidence that culturally diverse groups can enhance creativity, lead to better
decisions, and result in more effective and productive performance.
AACSB: Analytic
6-54
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
67. When _____ occurs, group participants believe that their ideas and actions are correct and
that those who disagree with them are either uninformed or deliberately trying to sabotage
their efforts.
When groupthink occurs, group participants come to believe that their ideas and actions
are correct and that those who disagree with them are either uninformed or deliberately
trying to sabotage their efforts.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
68. Multicultural teams are most effective when they face tasks requiring:
A. Cost-cutting
B. Confidentiality
C. The application of routine technologies
D. Innovativeness
Multicultural teams are most effective when they face tasks requiring innovativeness.
They are far less effective when they are assigned to routine tasks.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
6-55
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
69. In the _____ stage of group development, the focus should be on building trust and
developing team cohesion.
A. Entry
B. Work
C. Action
D. Reflection
In the entry stage, the focus should be on building trust and developing team cohesion, as
we saw in The World of International Management at the opening of the chapter.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
70. In the _____ stage of group development, attention may be directed more toward
describing and analyzing the problem or task that has been assigned.
A. Entry
B. Work
C. Action
D. Reflection
In the work stage of development, attention may be directed more toward describing and
analyzing the problem or task that has been assigned.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
6-56
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McGraw-Hill Education.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
Essay Questions
71. What is organizational culture and what are some of its major characteristics?
Organizational culture is a set of shared values and beliefs that enable members to
understand their role and the norms of the organization. Some important characteristics of
organizational cultures include observed behavioral regularities, norms, dominant values,
philosophy, rules and organizational climate.
Feedback: Organizational culture is a set of shared values and beliefs that enable
members to understand their role and the norms of the organization. Some important
characteristics of organizational cultures include observed behavioral regularities, norms,
dominant values, philosophy, rules and organizational climate.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 1 Easy
Topic: The Nature of Organizational Culture
6-57
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
72. Discuss findings of Hofstede and Andre Laurent about the relationship between national
and organizational culture.
There is a widely held belief that organizational culture tends to moderate or erase the
impact of national culture. The logic of such conventional wisdom is that if a U.S. MNC set
up operations in, say, France, it would not be long before the French employees began to
"think like Americans". In fact, evidence is accumulating that just the opposite may be
true. Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of employees have a
significant impact on their organizational performance and that the cultural values
employees bring to the workplace with them are not easily changed by the organization.
So, for example, while some French employees would have a higher power distance than
Swedes and some a lower power distance, chances are "that if a company hired locals in
Paris, they would, on the whole, be less likely to challenge hierarchical power than would
the same number of locals hired in Stockholm". Andre Laurent's research supports
Hofstede's conclusions. He found that cultural differences actually are more pronounced
among foreign employees working within the same multinational organization than among
personnel working for firms in their native lands.
Feedback: There is a widely held belief that organizational culture tends to moderate or
erase the impact of national culture. The logic of such conventional wisdom is that if a
U.S. MNC set up operations in, say, France, it would not be long before the French
employees began to "think like Americans". In fact, evidence is accumulating that just the
opposite may be true. Hofstede's research found that the national cultural values of
employees have a significant impact on their organizational performance and that the
cultural values employees bring to the workplace with them are not easily changed by the
organization. So, for example, while some French employees would have a higher power
distance than Swedes and some a lower power distance, chances are "that if a company
hired locals in Paris, they would, on the whole, be less likely to challenge hierarchical
power than would the same number of locals hired in Stockholm". Andre Laurent's
research supports Hofstede's conclusions. He found that cultural differences actually are
more pronounced among foreign employees working within the same multinational
organization than among personnel working for firms in their native lands.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Remember
Learning Objective: 06-02 IDENTIFY the four most common categories of organizational culture that have been found
through research; and discuss the characteristics of each.
6-58
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Interaction between National and Organizational Cultures
73. What are the four types of organizational culture identified by Fons Trompenaars? Provide
a brief description of each of these cultures.
The four types of organizational culture identified by Trompenaars are as follows: Family
culture, Eiffel Tower culture, Guided missile culture and Incubator culture. Family culture
is a culture characterized by a strong emphasis on hierarchy and orientation to the person;
Eiffel Tower culture is a culture characterized by strong emphasis on hierarchy and
orientation to the task; Guided missile culture is a culture characterized by a strong
emphasis on equality in the workplace and orientation to the task and Incubator culture is
a culture characterized by a strong emphasis on equality and orientation to the person.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-03 PROVIDE an overview of the nature and degree of multiculturalism and diversity in today's
MNCs.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Organizational Cultures in MNCs
6-59
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
74. Discuss some of the potential problems associated with diversity.
Overall, diversity may cause a lack of cohesion that results in the unit's inability to take
concerted action, be productive and create a work environment that is conducive to both
efficiency and effectiveness. These potential problems are rooted in people's attitudes.
Another potential problem that may be perceptual is that when culturally diverse groups
come together, they often bring preconceived stereotypes with them. This perception can
result in status-related problems. A related problem is inaccurate biases. Still another
potential problem with diverse groups is inaccurate communication, which could occur for
a number of reasons. One is misunderstandings caused by words used by a speaker that
are not clear to other members. Another contribution to miscommunication may be the
way in which situations are interpreted. Diversity also may lead to communication
problems because of different perceptions of time.
Feedback: Overall, diversity may cause a lack of cohesion that results in the unit's inability
to take concerted action, be productive and create a work environment that is conducive
to both efficiency and effectiveness. These potential problems are rooted in people's
attitudes. Another potential problem that may be perceptual is that when culturally diverse
groups come together, they often bring preconceived stereotypes with them. This
perception can result in status-related problems. A related problem is inaccurate biases.
Still another potential problem with diverse groups is inaccurate communication, which
could occur for a number of reasons. One is misunderstandings caused by words used by
a speaker that are not clear to other members. Another contribution to miscommunication
may be the way in which situations are interpreted. Diversity also may lead to
communication problems because of different perceptions of time.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Understand
Learning Objective: 06-04 DISCUSS common guidelines and principles that are used in building multicultural
effectiveness at the team and the organizational levels.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Multiculturalism and Diversity
6-60
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
75. Create a virtual team with two people from each of four countries, which you name.
Include both individualistic and collectivistic cultures. List as many positives for your team
as you can and explore the effects of each on the work of the team.
Answers will vary depending on the composition of the team and the list of positives
named. Individualistic cultures include the U.S., the U.K. and other European countries,
Australia, and Canada. Collectivistic cultures include China, Japan, the Philippines,
Vietnam, and South Korea. The advantages/positives of a virtual team include reduction in
stereotyping, personality conflicts, power politics, and cliques. Potentially divisive
demographic differences may not interfere. Managers' assessments are more likely to rely
on objective date rather than perceptual biases. Work on a project may move around the
clock from one time zone to another. Complex problems may be solved quickly, thus
providing a huge competitive advantage. A diverse team may work best on
multidimensional business problems.
Feedback: Answers will vary depending on the composition of the team and the list of
positives named. Individualistic cultures include the U.S., the U.K. and other European
countries, Australia, and Canada. Collectivistic cultures include China, Japan, the
Philippines, Vietnam, and South Korea. The advantages/positives of a virtual team include
reduction in stereotyping, personality conflicts, power politics, and cliques. Potentially
divisive demographic differences may not interfere. Managers' assessments are more
likely to rely on objective date rather than perceptual biases. Work on a project may move
around the clock from one time zone to another. Complex problems may be solved quickly,
thus providing a huge competitive advantage. A diverse team may work best on
multidimensional business problems.
AACSB: Analytic
Blooms: Apply
Learning Objective: 06-01 DEFINE exactly what is meant by organizational culture; and discuss the interaction of national
and MNC cultures.
Level of Difficulty: 2 Medium
Topic: Managing Culture and Diversity in Global Teams
6-61
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
Another random document with
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When I awoke it was daylight. The Doctor was still engaged with
the giant in his struggles to understand and be understood. However,
I could see at once that he was encouraged. I shouted up to him that
it was breakfast time. He heard, nodded back to me and then
apparently asked the giant to join us at our meal. I was surprised and
delighted to see with what ease he managed to convey this idea to
our big friend. For the Moon Man at once sat him down upon the
ground near our tarpaulin which served as a table-cloth and gazed
critically over the foodstuffs laid out. We offered him some of our
famous yellow yam. At this he shook his head vigorously. Then with
signs and grunts he proceeded to explain something to John Dolittle.
“He tells me, Stubbins,” said the Doctor presently, “that the yellow
yam is the principal cause of rapid growth. Everything in this world, it
seems, tends towards size; but this particular food is the worst. He
advises us to drop it—unless we want to grow as big as he is. He
has been trying to get back to our size, apparently, for ever so long.”
“Try him with some of the melon, Doctor,” said Chee-Chee.
This, when offered to the Moon Man, was accepted gladly; and
for a little we all munched in silence.
“How are you getting on with his language, Doctor?” I asked
presently.
“I watched Chee-Chee’s head nodding sleepily”
T
he Doctor’s warning to the parrot that perhaps we were just
as terrifying to the Moon Man (in spite of his size) as he and
his world were to us, proved to be quite true. After breakfast
was over and I got out the usual notebook for dictation it soon
appeared that this giant, the dread President of the Council, was the
mildest creature living. He let us crawl all over him and seemed quite
pleased that we took so much interest in him. This did not appear to
surprise the Doctor, who from the start had regarded him as a friend.
But to Chee-Chee and myself, who had thought that he might gobble
us up at any moment, it was, to say the least, a great relief.
I will not set down here in detail that first talk between the Moon
Man and the Doctor. It was very long and went into a great many
matters of languages and natural history that might not be of great
interest to the general reader. But here and there in my report of that
conversation I may dictate it word for word, where such a course
may seem necessary to give a clear picture of the ideas exchanged.
For it was certainly an interview of great importance.
The Doctor began by questioning the giant on the history that
Chee-Chee had told us as it had been handed down to him by his
grandmother. Here the Moon Man’s memory seemed very vague;
but when prompted with details from the Monkeys’ History, he
occasionally responded and more than once agreed with the
Doctor’s statements or corrected them with a good deal of certainty
and firmness.
I think I ought perhaps to say something here about the Moon
Man’s face. In the pale daylight of a lunar dawn it looked clever and
intelligent enough, but not nearly so old as one would have
expected. It is indeed hard to describe that face. It wasn’t brutish and
yet it had in it something quite foreign to the average human
countenance as seen on the Earth. I imagine that his being
separated from human kind for so long may have accounted for this.
Beyond question it was an animal-like countenance and yet it was
entirely free from anything like ferocity. If one could imagine a kindly
animal who had used all his faculties in the furtherance of helpful
and charitable ends one would have the nearest possible idea of the
face of the Moon Man, as I saw it clearly for the first time when he
took breakfast with us that morning.
In the strange tongues of insects and plants John Dolittle fired off
question after question at our giant guest. Yes, he admitted, he
probably was Otho Bludge, the pre-historic artist. This bracelet?—
Yes, he wore it because some one. . . . And then his memory failed
him. . . . What some one? . . . Well anyway he remembered that it
had first been worn by a woman before he had it. What matter, after
all? It was long ago, terribly long. Was there anything else that we
would like to know?
There was a question I myself wanted to ask. The night before, in
my wanderings with Chee-Chee over the giant’s huge body, I had
discovered a disc or plate hanging to his belt. In the dusk then I had
not been able to make out what it was. But this morning I got a better
view of it: the most exquisite picture of a girl kneeling with a bow and
arrow in her hands, carved upon a plate of reindeer horn. I asked the
Doctor did he not want to question the Moon Man about it. We all
guessed, of course, from Chee-Chee’s story, what it was. But I
thought it might prompt the giant’s memory to things out of the past
that would be of value to the Doctor. I even whispered to John
Dolittle that the giant might be persuaded to give it to us or barter it
for something. Even I knew enough about museum relics to realize
its tremendous value.
The Doctor indeed did speak of it to him. The giant raised it from
his belt, where it hung by a slender thong of bark and gazed at it a
while. A spark of recollection lit up his eyes for a moment. Then, with
a pathetic fumbling sort of gesture, he pressed it to his heart a
moment while that odd fuddled look came over his countenance
once more. The Doctor and I, I think, both felt we had been rather
tactless and did not touch upon the subject again.
I have often been since—though I certainly was not at the time—
amused at the way the Doctor took charge of the situation and raced
all over this enormous creature as though he were some new kind of
specimen to be labeled and docketed for a natural history museum.
Yet he did it in such a way as not to give the slightest offense.
“Yes. Very good,” said he. “We have now established you as
Otho Bludge, the Stone Age artist, who was blown off the Earth
when the Moon set herself up in the sky. But how about this Council?
I understand you are President of it and can control its workings. Is
that so?”
The great giant swung his enormous head round and regarded
for a moment the pigmy figure of the Doctor standing, just then, on
his forearm.
“The Council?” said he dreamily. “Oh, ah, yes, to be sure, the
Council. . . . Well, we had to establish that, you know. At one time it
was nothing but war—war, war all the time. We saw that if we did not
arrange a balance we would have an awful mess. Too many seeds.
Plants spread like everything. Birds laid too many eggs. Bees
swarmed too often. Terrible!—You’ve seen that down there on the
Earth, I imagine, have you not?”
“Yes, yes, to be sure,” said the Doctor. “Go on, please.”
“Well, there isn’t much more to that. We just made sure, by
means of the Council, that there should be no more warfare.”
“Humph!” the Doctor grunted. “But tell me: how is it you yourself
have lived so long? No one knows how many years ago it is that the
Moon broke away from the Earth. And your age, compared with the
life of Man in our world, must be something staggering.”
“Well, of course,” said the Moon Man, “just how I got here is
something that I have never been able to explain completely, even to
myself. But why bother? Here I am. What recollections I have of that
time are awfully hazy. Let me see: when I came to myself I could
hardly breathe. I remember that. The air—everything—was so
different. But I was determined to survive. That, I think, is what must
have saved me. I was determined to survive. This piece of land, I
recollect, when it stopped swirling was pretty barren. But it had the
remnants of trees and plants which it had brought with it from the
Earth. I lived on roots and all manner of stuff to begin with. Many a
time I thought that I would have to perish. But I didn’t—because I
was determined to survive. And in the end I did. After a while plants
began to grow; insects, which had come with the plants, flourished.
Birds the same way—they, like me, were determined to survive. A
new world was formed. Years after I realized that I was the one to
steer and guide its destiny since I had—at that time anyway—more
intelligence than the other forms of life. I saw what this fighting of
kind against kind must lead to. So I formed the Council. Since then—
oh, dear, how long ago!—vegetable and animal species have come
to—Well, you see it here. . . . That’s all. It’s quite simple.”
“ ‘I lived on roots’ ”
It was an astounding story and yet I believe it true. For how else
could the Doctor’s fame have reached the Moon? Of course any but
a water bird would have been drowned because apparently the mass
plunged down fifty feet below the surface, but the kingfisher at once
came up and flew off for the shore. It was a marvel that she was
alive. I imagine her trip through the dead belt had been made at such
tremendous speed that she managed to escape suffocation without
the artificial breathing devices which we had been compelled to use.
THE TWENTY-SECOND CHAPTER
How the Moon Folk Heard of Doctor Dolittle
T
he bird the Moon Man had spoken of (it seems she had since
been elected to the Council) was presently brought forward
and introduced to the Doctor. She gave us some valuable
information about her trip to the Moon and how she had since
adapted herself to new conditions.
She admitted it was she who had told the Moon Folk about John
Dolittle and his wonderful skill in treating sicknesses, of his great
reputation among the birds, beasts and fishes of the Earth.
It was through this introduction also that we learned that the
gathering about us was nothing less than a full assembly of the
Council itself—with the exception, of course, of the Vegetable
Kingdom, who could not come. That community was however
represented by different creatures from the Insect and Bird Worlds
who were there to see to it that its interests were properly looked
after.
This was evidently a big day for the Moon People. After our
interview with the kingfisher we could see that arguments were going
on between different groups and parties all over the place. At times it
looked like a political meeting of the rowdiest kind. These
discussions the Doctor finally put down quite firmly by demanding of
the Moon Man in a loud voice the reason for his being summoned
here.
“After all,” said he when some measure of quiet had been
restored, “you must realize that I am a very busy man. I appreciate it
as a great honor that I have been asked to come here. But I have
duties and obligations to perform on the Earth which I have left. I
presume that you asked me here for some special purpose. Won’t
you please let me know what it is?”
“The bird was introduced to the Doctor”
“The lottery to decide who should go,” the Moon Man explained.
“I told you: we drew lots. Jamaro Bumblelily was the moth who drew
the ticket which gave the task to him.”
“Oh, I see,” said the Doctor—“Jamaro. Yes, yes. You give your
insects names in this land. Very natural and proper of course, where
they are so large and take such an important part in the life and
government of the community. You can no doubt tell all these insects
one from another, even when they belong to the same species?”
“Certainly,” said the Moon Man. “We have, I suppose, several
hundreds of thousands of bees in the Moon. But I know each one by
his first name, as well as his swarm, or family name. Anyhow, to
continue: it was then Jamaro Bumblelily who drew the ticket that
gave him the job of going to the Earth after you. He was very
sportsmanlike and never grumbled a bit. But we were naturally
anxious. It is true that creatures had come, at rare intervals, from the
Earth to our world. But so far none had gone from us to the Earth.
We had only the vaguest idea of what your world would be like—
from the descriptions of the kingfisher. And even in getting those we
had been greatly handicapped by language. It had only been after
days and weeks of work that we had been able to understand one
another in the roughest way. So we had arranged with Jamaro
Bumblelily that as soon as he landed he was to try and find some
way to signal us to let us know he was all right. And we were to
signal back to him. It seems he made a bad landing and lay helpless
in your garden for some days. For a long while we waited in great
anxiety. We feared he must have perished in his heroic exploit. Then
we thought that maybe if we signaled to him he would be
encouraged and know that we were still expecting his return. So we
set off the smoke smudge.”
“Yes,” said the Doctor. “I saw it, even if Jamaro didn’t. But tell me:
how did you manage to raise such an enormous smudge? It must
have been as big as a mountain.”
“True,” said the Moon Man. “For twenty days before Jamaro’s
departure I and most of the larger birds and insects had gathered the
Jing-jing bark from the forest.”
“Gathered the what?” asked the Doctor.
“ ‘I set the pile off with a live ember’ ”
W
e were frequently reminded during this long conversation (it
lasted over a full day and a half) that the strange crowd
about us was the great Council itself. Questions every now
and then were hurled at the Moon Man from the dimness of
the rear. He was continually turning his head as messages and
enquiries were carried across to him from mouth to mouth.
Sometimes without consulting the Doctor further he would answer
them himself in queer sounds and signs. It was quite evident that the
Council was determined to keep in touch with any negotiations that
were going on.
As for John Dolittle, there was so much that he wanted to find out
it looked—in spite of his hurry to get back to the Earth—as though
his queries would never end—which, in a first meeting between two
worlds, is not after all to be wondered at.
“Can you remember,” he asked, “when you first felt the Moon
steadying herself, how you got accustomed to the new conditions?
We had on our arrival a perfectly terrible time, you know. Different
air, different gravity, different hearing and the rest. Tell me: how did
you manage?”
Frowning, the Moon Man passed his gigantic hand across his
brow.
“Really—it’s so long ago,” he muttered. “As I told you, I nearly
died, many times. Getting enough food to stay alive on kept me busy
the first few months. Then when I was sure that that problem was
solved I began to watch. Soon I saw that the birds and insects were
faced with the same difficulties as I was. I searched the Moon globe
from end to end. There were no others of my own kind here. I was
the only man. I needed company badly. ‘All right,’ I said, ‘I’ll study the
Insect and Bird Kingdoms.’ The birds adapted themselves much
quicker than I did to the new conditions. I soon found that they, being
in the same boat as myself, were only too glad to cooperate with me
in anything that would contribute to our common good. Of course I
was careful to kill nothing. For one thing I had no desire to; and for
another I realized that if, on such a little globe, I started to make
enemies I could not last long. From the beginning I had done my
best to live and let live. With no other human to talk with I can’t tell
you how terribly, desperately lonely I felt. Then I decided I’d try to
learn the language of the birds. Clearly they had a language. No one
could listen to their warblings and not see that. For years I worked at
it—often terribly discouraged at my poor progress. Finally—don’t ask
me when—I got to the point where I could whistle short
conversations with them. Then came the insects—the birds helped
me in that too. Then the plant languages. The bees started me. They
knew all the dialects. And . . . well . . .”
“Go on,” said the Doctor. The tone of his voice was calm and
quiet, but I could see that he was deeply, intensely interested.
“Oh, dear me,” sighed the Moon Man, almost petulantly, “my
memory, you know, for dates as far back as that, is awfully poor. To-
day it seems as though I had talked Heron and Geranium all my life.
But just when it was, actually, that I reached the point where I could
converse freely with the insects and plants, I couldn’t give you the
vaguest idea. I do know that it took me far, far longer to get in touch
with the vegetable forms of life than it did with either the insects or
the birds. I am afraid that our keeping count of time throughout has
been pretty sketchy—certainly in our earlier history anyway. But then
you must remember we were occupied with a great number of far
more serious tasks. Recently—the last thousand years or so—we
have been making an effort to keep a history and we can show you, I
think, a pretty good record of most of the more important events
within that time. The trouble is that nearly all of the dates you want
are earlier than that.”
“Well, never mind,” said the Doctor. “We are getting on very well
under the circumstances. I would like very much to see that record
you speak of and will ask you to show it to me, if you will be so good,
later.”
He then entered into a long examination of the Moon Man
(carefully avoiding all dates, periods and references to time) on a
whole host of subjects. The majority of them were concerned with
insect and plant evolution and he kept a strict eye on me to see that
all questions and replies were jotted down in the notebook. Gracious!
What an unending list it seemed to my tired mind! How had the
Moon Man first realized that the plants were anxious to talk and
cooperate with him? What had led him to believe that the bees were
in communication with the flowers they fed on? Which fruits and
vegetables had he found were good for human food and how had he
discovered their nutritious qualities without poisoning himself? etc.,
etc., etc. It went on for hours. I got most of it down, with very few
mistakes, I think. But I know I was more than half asleep during the
last hours of the interview.
The only trouble with most of it was this same old bug-bear of
time. After all these ages of living without human company the poor
giant’s mind had got to the point where it simply didn’t use time.
Even in this record of the last thousand years, which he had proudly
told us was properly dated, we found, when he showed it to us, an
error of a century more or less meant very little.
This history had been carved in pictures and signs on the face of
a wide flat rock. The workmanship of Otho the pre-historic artist
showed up here to great advantage. While the carvings were not by
any means to be compared with his masterpiece of the kneeling girl,
they nevertheless had a dash and beauty of design that would arrest
the attention of almost any one.
“ ‘But grasshoppers!’ ”
At length the Doctor turned once more to the giant and said:
“Well now, when would it be convenient for you and the insect
patients to be examined? I shall be most happy to do everything
possible for you all, but you must realize that I would like to get back
to the Earth as soon as I conveniently can.”
Before answering the Moon Man proceeded to consult his
Council behind him. And, to judge from the length of the discussions
that followed, he was meeting with quite a little criticism in whatever
plans he was proposing. But finally he managed to quiet them; and
addressing John Dolittle once more, he said:
“Thank you. If it will not inconvenience you, we will come to-
morrow and have you minister to us. You have been very kind to
come at all. I hope we will not seem too large an undertaking for you.
At least, since you have approved of our system and government
here, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you are assisting
us in a time of great need.”
“Why, of course, of course,” said the Doctor at once. “I shall be
only too glad. That is what I am for, after all. I am a doctor, you know,
a physician—even if I have become a naturalist in my later years. At
what hour will you be ready for me?”
“At dawn,” said the Moon Man. Even in these modern days ideas
of time on the Moon seemed strangely simple. “We will wait on you
at sunrise. Till then, pleasant dreams and good rest!”