Organizational Behavior Chapter 8 Questions

Stacey was at work when Ann, her sister, called to confirm their dinner plan the following weekend at their Aunt Hilda's farmhouse. Stacey said she would call Joe, her husband, and get back to her. However, when Stacey called her back, Ann could not hear most of what she said because Jennifer, Ann's daughter, was crying loudly in the background. Who is the first sender in this scenario? Joe Stacey Jennifer Ann Hilda

Ann. The sender initiates a message by encoding a thought. Here, Ann initiates the communication by calling her sister to ask a question and this makes her the first sender.

Which of the following statements is true with regard to communication? Communication cannot be used to motivate and control employees in an organization. Communication involves the transfer and understanding of meaning. Communication involves the mere imparting of meaning to another person or group. Perfect communication is not dependent on a channel and its richness. Perfect communication results in dissimilar mental models.

Communication involves the transfer and understanding of meaning. Communication must include both the transfer and the understanding of meaning. Perfect communication, if it existed, would occur when a thought or idea was transmitted so the receiver perceived exactly the same mental picture as the sender. Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional expression, and information.

________ involves a detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic. Controlled processing Serial processing Parallel processing Selective processing Automatic processing

Controlled processing. Controlled processing is a detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic. Controlled processing requires effort and energy.

Automatic processing requires a detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic. T or F.

False. Controlled processing requires a detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic. Automatic processing is a relatively superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics.

When writing e-mails, text language is generally considered acceptable. T or F.

False. The benefits of e-mail messages are obvious: they can be written, edited, sent, and stored quickly and cheaply. When writing e-mails, give a greeting/salutation, keep sentences, paragraphs, and thoughts short, however, don't be curt. Don't use text language. Check your spelling, and when people write back, reply within 24 hours.

Crossed arms convey a feeling of approachability. T or F.

False. We act out our state of being with nonverbal language. We can smile to project trustworthiness, uncross our arms to appear approachable, and stand to signal authority.

Which of the following is a unique advantage of lateral communication? Lateral communication helps in the transmission of ideas and information. Lateral communication occurring with management's knowledge and support can be beneficial even if it does not follow the formal vertical structure. Lateral communication facilitates emotional expression, enhances motivation, and helps the organization control its employees effectively. Lateral communication facilitates coordination at the intradepartmental level. Lateral communication works quickly as it does not follow the stages of the communication process.

Lateral communication occurring with management's knowledge and support can be beneficial even if it does not follow the formal vertical structure. Because strictly adhering to the formal vertical structure for all communications can be inefficient, lateral communication occurring with management's knowledge and support can be beneficial.

Which of the following statements is true with regard to nonverbal communication? Nonverbal communication has a high degree of potential distortion. E-mails and memos are examples of nonverbal communication. The importance of nonverbal cues is low as they have no fixed meanings. Level of interest and the perceived status between a sender and a receiver can be studied through body language. Messages received through oral and nonverbal communication cannot be contradictory to each other.

Level of interest and the perceived status between a sender and a receiver can be studied through body language. The two most important messages body language conveys are (1) the extent to which we like another and are interested in his or her views and (2) the perceived status between a sender and receiver.

Which of the following is an example of downward communication? Harry is reporting the work he has done for the day to his supervisor. Ben, an assembly line worker, is communicating some safety concerns he has to his manager. Silas has just sent a request for leave to his supervisor and is hoping that it will be accepted. John and Jack, the production and the marketing managers, have met to discuss the budget constraints they are facing. Ray is holding his monthly meeting with his team in which he informs them of their monthly targets.

Ray is holding his monthly meeting with his team in which he informs them of their monthly targets.

Which of the following is an example of upward communication? Jennifer has just received an outstanding performance rating as a part of the yearly appraisals. Sherry is holding a project initiation meeting with her team to familiarize them with the guidelines and requirements. The assembly line workers have conducted a signature campaign asking for the revision of the old pay scales. The management has recently given a copy of the new safety policies that the employees must abide by in their daily work. The heads of the different departments of Carver Inc. have met to discuss their plans for the coming year.

The assembly line workers have conducted a signature campaign asking for the revision of the old pay scales.

Treesa Mayering recently began her first job at a PR firm called Pro as a copywriter. Her job involves creating scripts for press releases, advertisements, and other media events. She has been working under the guidance of Will Preston, the senior copywriter. Treesa, who has no prior experience in this job, had worked on scripts for advertisements and online brochures alone when she was asked to work on a press release for the first time. Will reviewed Treesa's script and sent her an e-mail full of detailed corrections, which she promptly implemented. However, when Will looked at the script later, he felt that it did not represent a significant improvement of her first draft. Which of the following, if true, would best explain this outcome? The feedback provided by Will was not elaborate and comprehensive enough. Treesa took a lot of time to implement Will's corrections and revise her script. Treesa was hired because she demonstrated considerable analytical and creative thinking skills in her pre-employment tests. Will routinely e-mailed feedback on scripts for advertisements, online brochures, and press releases to his team members. Will believed that Treesa's understanding of his e-mailed feedback would be accurate.

The feedback provided by Will was not elaborate and comprehensive enough. The fact that the feedback provided by Will was not elaborate and comprehensive enough does explain this outcome as his choice of communication channel was not rich enough to convey the message he intended to communicate. The fact that Treesa took a lot of time to implement Will's corrections and revise her script does not explain this outcome. The fact that Treesa was hired because she demonstrated considerable analytical and creative thinking skills in her pre-employment tests does not explain this outcome. The fact that Will routinely e-mailed feedback on scripts does not explain this outcome. The fact that Will believed that Treesa's understanding of his e-mailed feedback would be accurate is an assumption that does not completely explain this outcome.

When the middle-level manager of the production department at Wilson Works was laid off, many employees who worked under him became apprehensive about their job security. They were aware of the current trend toward laying off employees in the economy. The termination of their manager combined with the fact that their division had performed only moderately well in the last two quarters led the employees to believe that they were at a high risk of losing their jobs as well. Which of the following, if true, would weaken the argument that the production manager should hold face-to-face meetings to assure the employees in the production division? The employees have serious concerns over job security. Rumors had spread about impending layoffs at Wilson Works. The middle-level manager supervised over five hundred employees. Wilson Works has a strong formal communication network in place. The company has no fixed policy with regard to rightsizing employees.

The middle-level manager supervised over five hundred employees. The fact that the employees have serious concerns over job security strengthens the argument that the production manager should hold face-to-face meetings to assure the employees in the production division. The fact that rumors had spread about impending layoffs at Wilson Works also strengthens the argument that the production manager should hold face-to-face meetings to assure the employees in the production division. The fact that the middle-level manager supervised over five hundred employees weakens the argument that the production manager should hold face-to-face meetings to assure the employees in the production division as it is not feasible. The fact that Wilson Works has a strong formal communication network in place does not strengthen or weaken the argument presented here. The fact that the company has no fixed policy with regard to rightsizing employees does not strengthen or weaken the argument presented here.

Which of the following statements is true regarding oral communication? It is tangible and verifiable. It can be stored for an indefinite period. The sender can quickly obtain feedback from the receiver. As compared to written communication, it is more likely to be well thought out, logical, and clear. In the case of oral communication, the possibility of distortion of the message decreases.

The sender can quickly obtain feedback from the receiver. The advantages of oral communication are speed and feedback. We can convey a verbal message and receive a response in minimal time. If the receiver is unsure of the message, rapid feedback allows the sender to quickly detect and correct it. The major disadvantage of oral communication surfaces whenever a message has to pass through a number of people: the more people, the greater the potential distortion.

A routine message can be delivered by a low richness channel as efficiently as a high richness channel. T or F.

True.

Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is called downward communication. T or F.

True.

Managers can identify influencers (highly networked people trusted by their coworkers) by noting which individuals are small talkers (those who regularly communicate about insignificant, unrelated issues). T or F.

True.

The need for cognition is a personality trait of individuals who are most likely to be persuaded by evidence and facts. T or F.

True. The need for cognition is a personality trait of individuals who are most likely to be persuaded by evidence and facts. Those who are lower in need for cognition are more likely to use automatic processing strategies, relying on intuition and emotion to guide their evaluation of persuasive messages.

Communicating through e-mail provides ________. host of nonverbal cues to understand the message better the best means to convey negative information a cheaper alternative to the conventional communication through letters a secure communication link that nobody else can access an option to hold real-time meetings with people in different locations

a cheaper alternative to the conventional communication through letters. E-mail is not the best way to communicate negative messages. It's time-consuming nature, limited possibility to express emotions, and privacy concerns are other drawbacks.

Filtering is a barrier to effective communication that takes place when ________. the interpretation of the message is affected by the receiver's emotion the information we have to work with exceeds our processing capacity a sender purposely manipulates information so the receiver will see it more favorably the receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their motivations, experience, and other personal characteristics receivers also project their interests and expectations into communications as they decode them

a sender purposely manipulates information so the receiver will see it more favorably. Filtering refers to how a sender purposely manipulates information so the receiver will see it more favorably.

A relatively superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics is defined as ________. serial processing depth processing parallel processing controlled processing automatic processing

automatic processing. Automatic processing is a relatively superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics. Automatic processing takes little time and low effort.

With reference to the communication process, the ________ is the medium through which the message travels. feedback noise encoder channel correct decoder

channel

Before buying her new phone, Gina listed the various requirements her new phone must meet. As a wedding planner, much of her work revolves around using e-mail to forward pictures of locations, designs, and food arrangements that she could categorize by themes and prices. She requires a phone with high storage capacity, speedy Internet, and easy-to-use methods to organize and save content. After listing these requirements, she fixed a budget and began surveying phones online. She also obtained information from friends. In a week's time, Gina had shortlisted three models that suited her needs and was ready to make the final choice. Gina used ________ to arrive at this decision. superficial processing heuristic processing controlled processing selective processing automatic processing

controlled processing. Controlled processing is a detailed consideration of evidence and information relying on facts, figures, and logic. Controlled processing requires effort and energy but helps an individual make better decisions. This is the type of processing Gina used to select the phone she had to buy.

Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is called ________. intrapersonal communication downward communication upward communication lateral communication horizontal communication

downward communication. Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is downward communication. Group leaders and managers use it to assign goals, provide job instructions, explain policies and procedures, point out problems that need attention, and offer feedback about performance.

Norah Baines is one of the most devoted teachers at Oakwood Academy. She has been working with the institution for seven years and is expecting a promotion soon. However, Norah's candidacy for this promotion is passed over in favor of another less experienced male employee due to, in Norah's view, her plans to start a family soon. Consequently, Norah expresses her concerns and even complains to other teachers and expresses her frustration and disappointment. Norah's communication falls into the ________ aspect of communication. management feedback facilitation emotional sharing informal

emotional sharing. The work group is a primary source of social interaction for many employees. Communication within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members show satisfaction and frustration. Communication, therefore, provides for the emotional sharing of feelings and fulfillment of social needs.

Which of the following communication channels provides the highest information richness? e-mail face-to-face conversations online group discussions voice mail memos and letters

face-to-face conversations. Rich communication channels can (1) handle multiple cues simultaneously, (2) facilitate rapid feedback, and (3) be very personal. Face-to-face conversation scores highest in channel richness because it transmits the most information per communication episode.

Jordan is a sales officer who has been underperforming over the last three months. At the last monthly operations cycle meeting, he was given a warning. As the time for the next meeting draws close, Jordan fears his boss reprimanding him. Two days before the meeting, Jordan informs his manager that he has confirmed six deals in the last few days, one of which involves multiple orders for their machines. He, however, skips the detail that these are the only six orders he has been able to obtain in the whole month. Which one of the barriers to effective communication is depicted here? silence language information overload grapevine filtering

filtering. Filtering refers to how a sender purposely manipulates information so the receiver will see it more favorably.

Synergy Inc. has recently assigned some of its best employees to form a cross-functional team and complete a project from a new client. Many of the employees on this team are apprehensive about the structure and dynamics of how they will function as a group and accomplish this goal. To energize the employees, their immediate manager is holding a meeting with them next week where he will provide them some additional training in strategies and methods that may work well for the team. The manager's initiative to hold this meeting fulfills the ________ function of communication. filtering information emotional expression control informal

information. Communication serves four major functions within a group or organization: control, motivation, emotional sharing, and information. The final function of communication is to facilitate decision making. Communication provides the information individuals and groups need to make decisions by transmitting the data needed to identify and evaluate choices.

Written communication such as letter writing is characterized by ________. a high degree of potential distortion the speed of transmission and feedback the availability of nonverbal cues its lasting nature minimal time required for transmission and feedback

its lasting nature. Letter writing can be used to great effect in business, adding a personal touch to a communication or, alternatively, creating a lasting document to signal an official commitment. Both the sender and receiver have a record of the communication, and the message can be stored for an indefinite period.

Communication that takes place among members of work groups at the same level is known as ________ communication. diagonal grapevine upward lateral downward

lateral. When communication takes place among members of the same work group, members of work groups at the same level, managers at the same level, or any other horizontally equivalent workers, it is described as lateral communication.

Reuben Williams, the marketing manager for F and B Industries, is frustrated. He feels that the production division repeatedly lets his division down. Although the latest marketing strategy announced that a new product would be available in the market by July, the production division was unable to complete the production of the first batch till August. The production manager claims that manpower is short and the targets placed on the production division are unreasonably high. To resolve this deadlock, they will be meeting soon. This meeting is an example of ________ communication. lateral grapevine diagonal upward downward

lateral. When communication takes place among members of the same work group, members of work groups at the same level, managers at the same level, or any other horizontally equivalent workers, it is described as lateral communication. The marketing manager and the production manager belong to the same hierarchical level but represent different divisions; their communication is an example of lateral communication.

Which of the following is desirable with regard to persuasive communication? increasing the degree of noise in the communication process manipulating information so the receiver will see it more favorably engaging in selective perception processing a lot of information even if it exceeds our capacity matching the type of message with the type of audience

matching the type of message with the type of audience. It is important to match the persuasive message to the type of processing your audience is likely to use. When the audience is not especially interested in a persuasive message topic, when they are poorly informed, when they are low in need for cognition, and when information is transmitted through relatively lean channels, they'll be more likely to use automatic processing. In these cases, use messages that are more emotion-laden and associate positive images with your preferred outcome. On the other hand, when the audience is interested in a topic, when they are high in need for cognition, or when the information is transmitted through rich channels, then it is a better idea to focus on rational arguments and evidence to make your case.

The emotional sharing function of communication involves ________. managers motivating employees by setting specific goals management communicating company policies to employees managers training employees in decision-making strategies members of the organization following their job descriptions members of the organization showing their satisfaction and frustrations

members of the organization showing their satisfaction and frustrations. The work group is a primary source of social interaction for many employees. Communication within the group is a fundamental mechanism by which members show their satisfaction and frustrations. Communication, therefore, provides for the emotional sharing of feelings and fulfillment of social needs.

The ________ is the actual physical product of the sender's encoding. channel filter message noise medium

message

Which of the following forms of communication is characterized by the use of only body movements, intonations, facial expressions, and physical distance to communicate? written communication downward communication nonverbal communication lateral communication upward communication

nonverbal communication. Nonverbal communication deals with body movements, the intonations or emphasis we give to words, facial expressions, and the physical distance between the sender and receiver. Downward, upward, and lateral communication may or may not be nonverbal.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of downward communication? communication apprehension inferiority complex inability to convey feedback one-way nature fear of authority chain

one-way nature. One of the problems in downward communication is its one-way nature; generally, managers inform employees but rarely solicit their advice or opinions.

Which of the following modes of communication does not fall under the concept of nonverbal communication? physical distance personal e-mails intonations facial expressions body movement

personal e-mails. Nonverbal communication deals with body movements, the intonations or emphasis we give to words, facial expressions, and the physical distance between the sender and receiver.

Before communication can take place, a ________ is required. filter channel receiver purpose decoder

purpose. Before communication can take place, it needs a purpose, a message to be conveyed between a sender and a receiver. The key parts of the communication process are (1) the sender, (2) encoding, (3) the message, (4) the channel, (5) decoding, (6) the receiver, (7) noise, and (8) feedback.

With reference to the communication process, the ________ is the one to whom the message is directed, who must first translate the symbols into understandable form. creator receiver encoder sender transmitter

receiver. The receiver is the person(s) to whom the message is directed, who must first translate the symbols into understandable form.

Which of the following communication channels provides the lowest information richness? online group discussions face-to-face conversations telephone conversations voice mail reports and bulletins

reports and bulletins. Rich communication channels can (1) handle multiple cues simultaneously, (2) facilitate rapid feedback, and (3) be very personal. Impersonal written media such as formal reports and bulletins rate lowest in richness.

When receivers of communication process the information based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics, they are engaging in ________. communication apprehension deliberative processing selective perception controlled processing filtering

selective perception. The receivers in the communication process selectively see and hear based on their needs, motivations, experience, background, and other personal characteristics. This is called selective perception. Receivers also project their interests and expectations into communications as they decode them.

Rhonda May was transferred to London three months back to oversee the opening of a new branch of the retail chain she worked for. Rhonda, who had never been to London, adjusted well with her British colleagues but received quizzical looks from many of her British colleagues every morning in the initial weeks in London. After asking one of her subordinates to explain what caused her colleagues to look at her in that strange way, she discovered the reason. When her British colleagues greeted her by saying, "How are you today?" every morning, she typically replied by saying "I'm good," while Britishers typically say, "I'm well" in response to this greeting. This is because "I'm good" can have multiple meanings like "I'm not a bad person" or "I'm suitable," while "I'm well" only gives a sense of mental and physical well-being. Rhonda then realized how subtly cultural barriers can operate. From the information provided in the scenario, this is an example of barriers caused by ________. tone differences semantics and connotations intolerance toward other cultures situational and physical cues power distance

semantics and connotations. Barriers between cultures can be caused by many factors. Here, semantics and connotation differences seem to be causing the miscommunication. Barriers caused by semantics reflect that words mean different things to different people, particularly people from different national cultures. Barriers caused by word connotations are a result of the fact that words imply different things in different languages.

In a communication process, the ________ initiates a message by encoding a thought. receiver decoder transmitter sender receptor

sender

When attempting to communicate a written message persuasively, it is desirable that ________. the receiver has an information overload the sender has a high need for cognition the sender has used phrases and jargon to clarify the meaning of the message the receiver and the sender can view each other's nonverbal cues the receiver is in a positive mood

the receiver is in a positive mood. One may interpret the same message differently when he or she is angry or distraught than when he or she is happy. People in negative moods are more likely to scrutinize messages in greater detail, whereas those in positive moods tend to accept communications at face value.

Whether people use automatic or controlled processing for reacting to a persuasive message is often a function of ________. time their level of interest in it heuristics effort availability of research

their level of interest in it. One of the best predictors of whether people will use an automatic or controlled process for reacting to a persuasive message is their level of interest in it. Interest levels reflect the impact the decision is going to have on your life.

People are likely to use automatic processing when ________. their subject knowledge of the issue is high their interest level in the issue is high their usage of heuristics related to the issue is high their need for cognition is high their reliance on logics and facts to make a decision is high

their usage of heuristics related to the issue is high. Automatic processing is a relatively superficial consideration of evidence and information making use of heuristics. Automatic processing takes little time and low effort. Automatic processing is used when interest level, prior knowledge, and need for cognition are low.

Communication that flows to a higher level in the group or organization is called ________. intrapersonal communication downward communication upward communication lateral communication horizontal communication

upward communication. Upward communication flows to a higher level in the group or organization. It's used to provide feedback to higher-ups, inform them of progress toward goals, and relay current problems.

Which of the following techniques is recommended to eliminate language that acts as a barrier to communication? use of phrases and corporate lingo use of acronyms and abbreviations use of technical language or jargon use of uniform language use of silence

use of uniform language. When we're communicating in the same language, words mean different things to different people. Using jargon, phrases, slang, words from corporate lingo are undesirable. As far as possible, we must try to make use of uniform language to minimize communication difficulties.

Genepa Corporation manufactures home appliances and other electronic products. Genepa is planning to introduce a new refrigerator model. The marketing manager at Genepa has developed a marketing plan for this new product and wants to communicate this plan to all the employees in the marketing department. Which of the following is most likely to be the best form of communication for communicating this plan? nonverbal communication oral communication written communication grapevine communication lateral communication

written communication. Written communication includes letters, e-mail, instant messaging, organizational periodicals, and any other method that conveys written words or symbols. Written business communication today is usually conducted via letters, PowerPoint, e-mail, instant messaging, text messaging, social media, apps, and blogs. When it's printed, both the sender and receiver have a record of the communication, and the message can be stored for an indefinite period. The marketing plan is likely to contain a number of tasks spread out over several months. By putting it in writing, those who have to initiate the plan can readily refer to it over its lifespan.