An organizational dimension describing the acceptance of unequal power distribution is called what?

• A. Hierarchy of Needs
• B. Ascribed Group Membership
• C. Protestant Work Ethic Theory
• D. Power Distance

Answer: (D)

Power distance describes how comfortable people are with unequal power and authority in an organization. It captures the extent to which hierarchical ordering and centralized decision-making are accepted versus challenged. In high power distance settings, authority is respected and decisions come from those at the top with little input from subordinates. In low power distance environments, leadership tends to be more participative, with flatter structures and encouragement of feedback across levels. The other terms refer to different ideas—Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is about human motivation stages, Ascribed Group Membership concerns social categorizations, and Protestant Work Ethic Theory relates to beliefs about the value of hard work—so they don’t specifically address how power is distributed in organizations.