Organizational Behavior - Chapter 9

74. Done correctly, MBWA most likely occurs on a(n) _____ basis. A. annual B. semiannual C. quarterly D. monthly E. daily or weekly

E. daily or weekly Feedback: MBWA (management by walking or wandering around) is essentially the practice in which senior executives get out of their offices and casually chat with employees on a daily or regular basis.

20. Which of the following represents the first three steps in the communication model in the correct order? A. decode message, encode message, and provide feedback B. form message, transmit message, and decode message C. encode message, transmit message, and receive message D. form message, transmit message, and receive message E.form message, encode message, and transmit message

E. form message, encode message, and transmit message Feedback: The correct order of steps in the communication model is forming, encoding, transmitting, receiving, decoding, and feedback in order. See Exhibit 9.1.

82. What do employees think about the grapevine? A. Employees turn to the grapevine when they have many other options. B. Employees actively transmit information to just a few. C. It is less active where employees have similar backgrounds and are able to communicate easily. D. Almost all employees use the grapevine, but very few of them prefer this source of information. E. It reduces rather than escalates employee anxiety.

D. Almost all employees use the grapevine, but very few of them prefer this source of information. Feedback: What do employees think about the grapevine? Surveys of employees in two firms—one in Florida, the other in California—found that almost all employees use the grapevine, but very few of them prefer this source of information. The California survey also reported that only one-third of employees believe grapevine information is credible. In other words, employees turn to the grapevine when they have few other options.

101. What is a grapevine? Explain the characteristics of a grapevine.

A grapevine is an unstructured and informal network founded on social relationships rather than organizational charts or job descriptions. The grapevine works through informal social networks, so it is more active where employees have similar backgrounds and can communicate easily. Although some of the transmitted information might be true, communication can become distorted by deleting fine details and exaggerating key points of stories. The Internet has expanded the scope of grapevines.

48. Which of the following is an advantage associated with using written communication channels in persuading people? A. It can make better use of the social perceptions of individuals. B. It can be used as a medium for richer communication. C. It is better in presenting technical details. D. It can be used to obtain high-quality immediate feedback. E. It sends emotional and logical messages to receivers.

C. It is better in presenting technical details. Feedback: Although spoken communication tends to be more persuasive, written communication can also persuade others to some extent. Written messages have the advantage of presenting more technical detail than can occur through conversation.

17. _____ refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. A. Communication B. Jargon C. Flaming D. Grapevine E. MBWA

A. Communication Feedback: Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people.

22. What effect does "noise" have in the communication model? A. It distorts and obscures the sender's intended message. B. It prevents the sender from forming a message. C. It helps the sender to select a more appropriate medium to transmit the message. D. It helps the receiver to decode the message more carefully. E. The concept of noise is not significant in the communication model.

A. It distorts and obscures the sender's intended message. Feedback: Noise refers to the psychological, social, and structural barriers that distort and obscure the sender's intended message.

25. When conveying information to others, we are often trying to alter their beliefs, feelings, and ultimately their A. behavior. B. decisions. C. support. D. drives. E. emotions.

A. behavior. Feedback: When conveying information to others, we are often trying to alter their beliefs, feelings, and ultimately their behavior.

19. According to the communication process model A. information flows through channels between the sender and receiver. B. the sender and receiver are at different levels and communicate only when the levels match. C. communication is a free-flowing conduit. D. information transmission is minimal in a formal communicative process. E. the sender is the dominant and more important partner.

A. information flows through channels between the sender and receiver. Feedback: According to the communication process model, communication flows through channels between the sender and receiver.

55. When a sender and receiver belonging to the same group want to transmit technical information more efficiently, they should use A. jargon that they both understand. B. information filtering. C. mediators in communication. D. nonverbal communication. E. formal written communication.

A. jargon that they both understand. Feedback: Jargon is specialized words and phrases for specific occupations or groups. It is usually designed to improve communication efficiency among such groups.

80. Jennifer, a new manager, walks through the unit every morning and has set up appointments to shadow all of the employees. She is employing which communication approach? A. management by walking around B. buffering communication C. filtering communication D. Internet-based organizational communication E. face-to-face dialogue

A. management by walking around Feedback: A less formal approach to direct communication is management by walking around (MBWA). Coined by people at Hewlett-Packard four decades ago, this is essentially the practice in which senior executives get out of their offices and casually chat with employees on a daily or regular basis.

45. Which of the following communication channels has the lowest media richness? A. newsletter B. email C. telephone call D. video conference E. instant messaging

A. newsletter Feedback: Newsletters are less media-rich compared to all the other options given here, since they convey only verbal information, are not customized for different receivers, and usually do not involve any feedback from the receiver to the sender of the message. All the other forms of communication mentioned here are more media-rich than newsletters. See Exhibit 9.4.

57. Buffering, summarizing, and omitting are ways to A. reduce information overload. B. avoid organizational risk. C. avoid the risk of flaming. D. improve communication between men and women. E. increase media richness.

A. reduce information overload. Feedback: Information overload can be reduced by buffering, omitting, and summarizing. Buffering involves having incoming communication filtered, usually by an assistant. Omitting occurs when we decide to overlook messages, such as using software rules to redirect email from distribution lists to folders we never look at. An example of summarizing would be reading executive summaries rather than the full report.

Scenario D At the end of a long meeting with many new people, four people are overheard having a heated conversation. Isabel and Linda are debating the project outcomes. Pietro keeps interrupting them trying to share his opinions, and Yuki is standing with her arms folded waiting for her chance to speak. 89. To help calm Isabel and Linda, you begin by A. sensing the situation. B. evaluating the situation. C. filtering the situation. D. buffering the situation. E. responding to the situation.

A. sensing the situation. Feedback: Sensing is the process of receiving signals from the sender and paying attention to them. Active listeners improve sensing in three ways. First, they postpone evaluation by not forming an opinion until the speaker has finished. Second, they avoid interrupting the speaker's conversation. Third, they remain motivated to listen to the speaker.

67. The three main components of active listening, in order, are A. sensing, evaluating, and responding. B. encoding, decoding, and transmitting. C. inferring, deferring, and referring. D. summarizing, encoding, and responding. E. buffering, summarizing, and omitting.

A. sensing, evaluating, and responding. Feedback: Active listening is a process of actively sensing the sender's signals, evaluating them accurately, and responding appropriately. The three components of listening are sensing, evaluating, and responding.

49. The extent to which communication channels require or allow both sender and receiver to be actively involved in the conversation at the same time is called A. synchronicity. B. social presence. C. social acceptance. D. media richness. E. bandwidth.

A. synchronicity. Feedback: Communication channels vary in their synchronicity, that is, the extent to which they require or allow both sender and receiver to be actively involved in the conversation at the same time.

42. Which of the following is a factor in social acceptance? A. the symbolic meaning of the chosen channel B. the media richness of the selected channel C. the bandwidth of the channel D. the diplomatic acceptance of the message E. the content and accuracy of the message

A. the symbolic meaning of the chosen channel Feedback: Social acceptance refers to how well a communication medium is approved and supported by the organization, teams, and individuals. The factors in social acceptance are the following: (1) organizational and team norms regarding the use of specific communication channels, (2) individual preferences for specific communication channels, and (3) symbolic meaning of a channel.

33. Emotional contagion occurs when A. we share the emotions of other people. B. we are required to show or hide our emotions, based on rules prescribed by the job. C. two or more people experience different emotions even though they are observing the same object. D. the communication medium has different meaning for the receiver and the sender. E. two or more people experience the same emotions even though they are observing different objects.

A. we share the emotions of other people. Feedback: Emotional contagion is the automatic process of "catching" or sharing another person's emotions by mimicking that person's facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior.

93. Briefly explain the communication process model and its components.

According to the communication process model, communication flows through channels between the sender and receiver. The sender forms a message and encodes it into words, gestures, voice intonations, and other symbols or signs. Next, the encoded message is transmitted to the intended receiver through one or more communication channels (media). The receiver senses the incoming message and decodes it into something meaningful. Ideally, the decoded meaning is what the sender had intended. In most situations, the sender looks for evidence that the other person received and understood the transmitted message. This feedback may be a formal acknowledgment or indirect evidence from the receiver's subsequent actions. Feedback repeats the communication process. Intended feedback is encoded, transmitted, received, and decoded from the receiver to the sender of the original message. Students can draw the communication process model diagram provided in the text.

90. Based on Pietro's reaction, he might be from A. England. B. Brazil. C. Japan. D. Canada. E. India.

B. Brazil. Feedback: Conversational overlaps also send different messages in different cultures. Japanese people usually stop talking when they are interrupted, whereas talking over the other person's speech is more common in Brazil, France, and some other countries. The difference in communication behavior is, again, due to interpretations. Talking while someone is speaking to you is considered quite rude in Japan, whereas Brazilians and French are more likely to interpret this as the person's interest and involvement in the conversation.

35. What effect does emotional contagion have on the communication process? A. It distorts the communication process and causes dissatisfaction to all the parties involved. B. It provides feedback to the sender that the receiver understands and empathizes with the message. C. It reduces the level of actual communication among colleagues. D. It makes it more difficult for the receiver to receive the emotional meaning of the sender's experience. E. It forms a strong communication barrier between the sender and the receiver.

B. It provides feedback to the sender that the receiver understands and empathizes with the message. Feedback: Emotional contagion provides continuous feedback, communicating that we understand and empathize with the sender.

65. Haruyuki stops talking when he is interrupted and considers those who did that to be rude. Which culture does he most likely associate with? A. French B. Japanese C. Canadian D. Middle Eastern E. Indian

B. Japanese Feedback: Japanese people usually stop talking when they are interrupted, whereas talking over the other person's speech is more common in Brazil, France, and some other countries. The difference in communication behavior is, again, due to interpretations. Talking while someone is speaking to you is considered quite rude in Japan, whereas Brazilians and French are more likely to interpret this as the person's interest and involvement in the conversation.

51. _____ refers to how much the communication channel creates psychological closeness to others, awareness of their humanness, and appreciation of the interpersonal relationship. A. Synchronicity B. Social presence C. Social acceptance D. Media richness E. Communication hierarchy

B. Social presence Feedback: Social presence refers to how much the communication channel creates psychological closeness to others, awareness of their humanness, and appreciation of the interpersonal relationship.

78. Which of the following should corporate leaders do with the organizational grapevine? A. Try to use the grapevine as a channel of communication from executives to employees as much as possible because of its high speed and low cost. B. Use the grapevine as a signal of employee anxiety and view it as a valid competitor to the company's formal communication system. C. Use the grapevine when the communication requires high media richness, but otherwise use meetings when communicating with employees. D. Make every effort to destroy the grapevine, including firing employees who actively support it. E. Ignore grapevines because providing more attention to it would increase the speed of grapevine communication.

B. Use the grapevine as a signal of employee anxiety and view it as a valid competitor to the company's formal communication system. Feedback: Management should listen to the grapevine as a signal of employee anxiety and then correct the cause of this anxiety.

21. In the communication process model, decoding the message occurs immediately A. before the sender forms the message. B. after the receiver receives the message. C. after the sender forms feedback of the original message. D. after the receiver transmits the message. E. before the receiver receives the message.

B. after the receiver receives the message. Feedback: The steps in the communication model are forming, encoding, transmitting, receiving, decoding, and feedback in order. Decoding the message occurs immediately after the receiver receives the message. See Exhibit 9.1.

37. Email and other forms of written digital communication potentially reduce stereotyping and prejudice because the A. age, religion, and ethnicity of the participants are unknown or less noticeable. B. age, race, and other features of the participants are unknown or less noticeable. C. gender, experience, and education of the participants are unknown or less noticeable. D. age, background, and past experiences of the participants are unknown or less noticeable. E. vocabulary, skills, and age of the participants are unknown or less noticeable.

B. age, race, and other features of the participants are unknown or less noticeable. Feedback: Email and other forms of written digital communication potentially reduce stereotyping and prejudice because age, race, and other features of the participants are unknown or less noticeable.

61. Report talk is characterized by A. giving advice indirectly. B. apologizing less frequently. C. flexible conversation style. D. sensitivity to nonverbal cues. E. relationship building.

B. apologizing less frequently. Feedback: Report talk is characterized by apologizing less often than rapport talk. See Exhibit 9.7.

46. Employees can expand the data-carrying capacity of a lean media channel if they A. avoid emotional contagion. B. are highly proficient with that communication channel. C. are unfamiliar with the receiver of the information. D. avoid using jargon and short-hand symbols in the communication. E. are new to using that communication medium.

B. are highly proficient with that communication channel. Feedback: Effectiveness is determined partially by the sender's competence with the communication channel. Those with higher proficiency can push more information through the channel, thereby expanding the channel's information flow.

36. Listeners often engage in an automatic process of "catching" or sharing another person's emotions by mimicking that person's facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior. Which of the following drives causes this effect? A. drive to defend B. drive to bond C. drive to achieve D. drive to learn E. drive to protect

B. drive to bond Feedback: Emotional contagion is the automatic process of "catching" or sharing another person's emotions by mimicking that person's facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior. Emotional contagion fulfills the drive to bond.

34. John slams his finger while closing a cabinet drawer. Mary winces and shakes her hand. This is an example of A. passive listening. B. emotional contagion. C. emotional intelligence. D. tacit knowledge. E. flaming.

B. emotional contagion. Feedback: Emotional contagion is the automatic process of "catching" or sharing another person's emotions by mimicking that person's facial expressions and other nonverbal behavior.

87. When Shanti attempts to empathize with the speaker, she is A. sensing. B. evaluating. C. understanding. D. responding. E. identification.

B. evaluating. Feedback: The evaluative component of listening includes understanding the message meaning, evaluating the message, and remembering the message. To improve their evaluation of the conversation, active listeners empathize with the speaker—they try to understand and be sensitive to the speaker's feelings, thoughts, and situation. Evaluation also improves by organizing the speaker's ideas during the communication episode.

18. Which of the following represents the first step in the communication model? A. encode message B. form message C. decode message D. transmit message E. form feedback

B. form message Feedback: According to the communication model, communication flows through channels between the sender and receiver. As the first step, the sender forms a message and encodes it into words, gestures, voice intonations, and other symbols or signs.

63. Employees have a certain _____, which is the amount of information that they are able to process in a fixed unit of time. A. information overload B. information-processing capacity C. information load D. buffering E. filtering

B. information-processing capacity Feedback: Employees have a certain information-processing capacity—the amount of information that they are able to process in a fixed unit of time.

28. Shared _____ enable more accurate transmission of the message content and reduce the need for communication about the message context. A. codebooks B. mental models C. dictionaries D. messages E. conversations

B. mental models Feedback: Shared mental models potentially enable more accurate transmission of the message content and reduce the need for communication about the message context.

68. Active listeners improve their sensing activities by A. forming an opinion early in the process. B. postponing evaluation of the message. C. clarifying the message during presentation. D. estimating the learning often. E. maintaining a casual posture when listening.

B. postponing evaluation of the message. Feedback: Active listeners improve sensing in three ways. First, they postpone evaluation by not forming an opinion until the speaker has finished. Second, they avoid interrupting the speaker's conversation. Third, they remain motivated to listen to the speaker.

58. In Alphatech Systems, email software screens incoming messages by organizing them into mailboxes and identifying junk mail. As a result, employees in this company can quickly identify the most important email messages and overlook the junk mail. This email feature improves communication by A. increasing media richness. B. reducing information load. C. minimizing emotional contagion. D. reducing the use of jargon. E. increasing social acceptance of mails.

B. reducing information load. Feedback: Omitting occurs when we decide to overlook messages, such as using software rules to redirect email from distribution lists to folders we never look at. This process of omitting reduces information load.

70. Which of the following active listening processes includes showing interest and clarifying the message of the speaker? A. evaluating B. responding C. persuading D. recording E. sensing

B. responding Feedback: Responding, the third component of listening, is feedback to the sender, which motivates and directs the speaker's communication. Active listeners accomplish this by clarifying the message, rephrasing the speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks.

91. Yuki is from Japan, so she views Pietro's reaction as A. appropriate. B. rude. C. empathetic. D. polite. E. desirable.

B. rude Feedback: Conversational overlaps also send different messages in different cultures. Japanese people usually stop talking when they are interrupted, whereas talking over the other person's speech is more common in Brazil, France, and some other countries. The difference in communication behavior is, again, due to interpretations. Talking while someone is speaking to you is considered quite rude in Japan, whereas Brazilians and French are more likely to interpret this as the person's interest and involvement in the conversation.

71. Layton and Lester have had a disagreement. Douglas is coming into the conversation at the end. His first strategy would be to A. evaluate. B. sense. C. respond. D. buffer. E. filter.

B. sense. Feedback: Sensing is the process of receiving signals from the sender and paying attention to them. Active listeners improve sensing in three ways. First, they postpone evaluation by not forming an opinion until the speaker has finished. Second, they avoid interrupting the speaker's conversation. Third, they remain motivated to listen to the speaker.

73. _____ are collaborative web spaces in which anyone in a group can write, edit, or remove material from the website. A. Blogs B. Podcasts C. Wikis D. Intranets E. Local area networks

C. Wikis Feedback: Wikis are collaborative web spaces in which anyone in a group can write, edit, or remove material from the website.

60. How do men and women generally differ in their communication styles in organizational settings? A. Men are more likely than women to communicate to strengthen relationships. B. Women have a more dominant conversation style. C. Women are usually more sensitive than men to the listener's nonverbal cues. D. Men tend to engage less in report talk than women. E. Men apologize more often in their conversations and interactions than women.

C. Women are usually more sensitive than men to the listener's nonverbal cues. Feedback: Research fairly consistently indicates that women are more sensitive than men to nonverbal cues in face-to-face meetings.

86. In the communication workshop, Shanti learned _______ listening. A. participative B. dynamic C. active D. evaluative E. communicatory

C. active Feedback: Active listening is a process of actively sensing the sender's signals, evaluating them accurately, and responding appropriately.

31. In organizational communication, flaming generally refers to A. telling an employee in front of other people that he or she is fired. B. ranting and raving in front of a large audience. C. an emotionally charged e-mail or other electronic message, usually one that communicates strong negative emotions. D. using any signal with the hands that conveys an obscene meaning to the receiver. E. interrupting the speaker before he or she has finished talking.

C. an emotionally charged e-mail or other electronic message, usually one that communicates strong negative emotions. Feedback: Email messages are often less diplomatic than written letters. The term flaming has entered our language to describe email and other electronic messages that convey strong negative emotions to the receiver.

41. The other difference between verbal and nonverbal communication is that the former is typically conscious, whereas most nonverbal communication is A. noise. B. universal. C. automatic. D. standardized. E. hardwired.

C. automatic. Feedback: The other difference between verbal and nonverbal communication is that the former is typically conscious, whereas most nonverbal communication is automatic and nonconscious.

27. The sender and receiver encode and decode more effectively when they have similar A. messages. B. vocabularies. C. codebooks D. conversations. E. experiences.

C. codebooks Feedback: The sender and receiver encode and decode more effectively when they have similar "codebooks," which are dictionaries of symbols, language, gestures, idioms, and other tools used to convey information.

62. In the communication process, filtering is less likely to occur when A. the sender carefully selects words that the receiver is most likely to understand correctly. B. the receiver removes noise from the communication process so that the sender's message is more accurately understood. C. corporate leaders create a culture of candor. D. people communicate mainly positive information about themselves by screening out negative information. E. the receiver avoids receiving messages from a sender.

C. corporate leaders create a culture of candor. Feedback: Filtering is less likely to occur when corporate leaders create a "culture of candor." This culture develops when leaders themselves communicate truthfully, seek out diverse sources for information, and protect and reward those who speak openly and truthfully.

24. Talking with others can be a soothing balm during difficult times. This demonstrates which drive? A. drive to succeed B. drive to defend C. drive to bond D. drive to acquire E. drive to achieve

C. drive to bond Feedback: The second way communication minimizes stress is emotionally; talking with others can be a soothing balm during difficult times. Indeed, people are less susceptible to colds, cardiovascular disease, and other physical and mental illnesses when they have regular social interaction. In essence, people have an inherent drive to bond, to validate their self-worth, and to maintain their social identity. Communication is the means through which these drives and needs are fulfilled.

81. Disadvantages of the grapevine include A. reduction in anxiety. B. the drive to bond. C. exaggerating key points. D. it is the main conduit of organizational stories. E. it is a sign of inclusion.

C. exaggerating key points. Feedback: The grapevine distorts information by deleting fine details and exaggerating key points of the story.

84. According to the media richness model, which of the following communication channels is most appropriate in this situation? A. written documents B. email C. face-to-face meetings D. bulletin boards E. weblogs

C. face-to-face meetings Feedback: According to media richness theory, rich media are better than lean media when the communication situation is non-routine and ambiguous as in the situation described here. Face-to-face communication is at the top of media richness because it allows us to communicate both verbally and nonverbally at the same time, to receive feedback almost immediately from the receiver, to quickly adjust our message and style, and to use complex language such as metaphors and idioms.

43. Several employees in a newly formed group must work together to develop a new product. No one in this group has worked with anyone else in this group before, and the development of this product has not been attempted previously. According to the media richness model, which of the following communication channels is most appropriate in this situation? A. written documents B. email C. face-to-face meetings D. bulletin boards E. financial statements

C. face-to-face meetings Feedback: According to media richness theory, rich media are better than lean media when the communication situation is nonroutine and ambiguous, as in the situation described here. Face-to-face communication is at the top of media richness because it allows us to communicate both verbally and nonverbally at the same time, to receive feedback almost immediately from the receiver, to quickly adjust our message and style, and to use complex language such as metaphors and idioms.

56. Senior executives at a large tire company learned that a line of tires had a tendency to fall apart in very warm weather. This resulted in several vehicle accidents in the Middle East andSouth America. However, the executives did not hear about these problems until several weeks after the lower-level managers learned about the same. Although the senior executives encourage staff to openly communicate all information, the lower-level staff held back the information for fear that they might lose their jobs. Which communication concept best describes this communication situation? A. media richness B. persuasive communication C. filtering D. flaming E. information overload

C. filtering Feedback: Filtering may involve deleting or delaying negative information or using less harsh words so a message sounds more favorable. In this scenario, the lower-level staff filtered the negative information about the line of tires from the senior executives so that the senior executives heard about the manufacturing defects after much delay.

50. Asynchronous communication is better when A. the issue is difficult. B. the issue has high time urgency. C. getting both parties together at the same time is costly. D. the receiver would not benefit from time to reflect on the message before responding. E. the information is required quickly.

C. getting both parties together at the same time is costly. Feedback: Asynchronous communication is better when the issue is simple, the issue has low time urgency, getting both parties together at the same time is costly, and/or the receiver would benefit from time to reflect on the message before responding.

75. The ______ is the unstructured and informal organizational network that is founded in social relationships rather than organization charts or job descriptions. A. codebook B. jargon C. grapevine D. rumor mill E. jungle

C. grapevine Feedback: The grapevine is an unstructured and informal organizational network that is founded in social relationships rather than organization charts or job descriptions.

53. During a personal meeting with the company's vice president, you concentrate more on your how you look in what you are wearing than on what he is saying to you. In fact, you ask him to repeat a question/statement more than once. In this scenario, _____ has disrupted the efficient flow of information. A. communication proficiency B. low social presence C. high social presence D. multitasking E. emotional contagion

C. high social presence Feedback: Face-to-face communication has very high media richness, yet its high social presence can disrupt the efficient flow of information through that medium. In other words, the benefits of channels with high media richness may be offset by more social presence distractions, whereas lean media have much less social presence to distract or distort the transmitted information.

79. Some organizations are improving communication among staff by tearing down walls. This improves interaction but increases all of the following except A. noise. B. distraction. C. privacy. D. nonverbal communication. E. buffering.

C. privacy. Feedback: Others claim that open workspaces have minimal noise problems because employees tend to speak more softly and white noise technology blocks out most voices. Still, the challenge is to increase social interaction without raising noise and distraction levels.

66. Men engage in more _____, in which the primary function of the conversation is impersonal and efficient information exchange. A. codebook B. rapport talk C. report talk D. empathy talk E. gender talk

C. report talk Feedback: Men engage in more report talk, in which the primary function of the conversation is impersonal and efficient information exchange.

59. Which of the following has the same meaning around the world? A. silence B. shaking one's head C. smiling D. raising one's eyebrows E. eye contact

C. smiling Feedback: Many nonconscious or involuntary nonverbal cues (such as smiling) have the same meaning around the world.

40. Unlike traditional websites that merely "push" information from the creator to the audience, _____ are more conversational and reciprocally interactive between sender and receiver, resulting in a sense of community. A. nonverbal behaviors B. emails C. social media D. newsletters E. electronic corporate magazines

C. social media Feedback: Unlike traditional websites that merely "push" information from the creator to the audience, social media are more conversational and reciprocally interactive between sender and receiver, resulting in a sense of community.

47. Which of the following communication channels is most effective when the sender wants to persuade the receiver? A. a formal memorandum sent to the receiver B. an informal speech to a large audience C. a personalized letter to the receiver D. a personal face-to-face meeting with the receiver E. an informal memorandum issued to the receiver

D. a personal face-to-face meeting with the receiver Feedback: Persuasion refers to changing another person's beliefs and attitudes. Recent studies support the long-held view that spoken communication, particularly face-to-face interaction, is more persuasive than email, websites, and other forms of written communication.

92. Now that you have assessed the situation, you can use your skill in _____ to help end the disagreement. A. buffering B. filtering C. social presence D. active listening E. social acceptance

D. active listening Feedback: To get your message across to the other person, you first need to empathize with the receiver, such as being sensitive to words that may be ambiguous or trigger the wrong emotional response. Second, be sure that you repeat the message, such as by rephrasing the key points a couple of times. Third, your message competes with other messages and noise, so find a time when the receiver is less likely to be distracted by these other matters. Finally, if you are communicating bad news or criticism, focus on the problem, not the person. This third component of listening involves providing feedback to the sender, which motivates and directs the speaker's communication. Active listeners accomplish this by maintaining sufficient eye contact and sending back channel signals (e.g., "I see"), both of which show interest. They also respond by clarifying the message, rephrasing the speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks ("So you're saying that . . . ?").

23. The encoding-decoding process is generally more effective when both parties A. have a diverse set of skills and capabilities. B. differ in their level of expertise and knowledge. C. come from different cultures. D. are skilled in using the selected communication channel. E. have formed perceptions and varying beliefs about interpersonal communication.

D. are skilled in using the selected communication channel. Feedback: The encoding-decoding process is generally more effective when both parties are skilled and enjoy using the selected communication channel.

77. The organizational grapevine is useful because it A. is an effective way for management to inform employees about future organizational changes. B. provides detailed information that more formal communication channels tend to ignore. C. reduces information overload. D. bonds employees together and fulfills their need for interaction. E. allows organizations to hide important information from employees.

D. bonds employees together and fulfills their need for interaction. Feedback: The grapevine is associated with the drive to bond. Being a recipient of gossip is a sign of inclusion, according to evolutionary psychologists.

39. Information overload can occur through A. electronic company magazines. B. annual performance reviews with supervisors. C. Intranet websites. D. email. E. the corporate grapevine.

D. email. Feedback: Digital messages contribute to information overload. The phenomenal growth of email is one culprit. Approximately 72 trillion emails—more than half of which are in business settings—are now transmitted annually around the world, up from just 1.1 trillion in 1998. Almost two-thirds of all emails are spam! The email glut occurs because messages are created and copied to many people without much effort.

30. Which of the following communication media tends to be the best for transmitting emotions? A. newsletters B. e-mail messages C. telephone conversations D. face-to-face meetings E. written messages

D. face-to-face meetings Feedback: People rely on facial expressions and other nonverbal cues to interpret the emotional meaning of words. These nonverbal cues can be best observed in face-to-face meetings.

16. Effective communication occurs when A. information is sent through informal rather than formal channels. B. information is collected from various sources but sent to a limited audience. C. the sender convinces the receiver to accept the information sent. D. information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. E. the sender transmits information that is received by someone other than the intended receiver.

D. information is transmitted and understood between two or more people. Feedback: Communication refers to the process by which information is transmitted and understood between two or more people.

72. Which of the following is a strategy specifically identified to improve face-to-face communication among employees? A. filtering B. buffering C. encouraging an active grapevine D. open workspace arrangements E. use of jargon

D. open workspace arrangements Feedback: Many companies are improving communication by redesigning the workspace and employee territorial practices in that space. These open space arrangements increase the amount of face-to-face communication.

69. Active listeners can improve their responding by A. keeping their feedback to themselves. B. not making eye contact. C. keeping silent. D. rephrasing speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks. E. asking irrelevant questions.

D. rephrasing speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks. Feedback: Active listeners motivate and direct the speaker's communication by maintaining sufficient eye contact and sending back channel signals, and clarifying the message by rephrasing the speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks.

88. The techniques Shanti learned in regard to showing interest will help her improve in the _______________ of listening. A. sensing B. evaluating C. understanding D. responding E. identification

D. responding Feedback: Responding, the third component of listening, is feedback to the sender, which motivates and directs the speaker's communication. Active listeners accomplish this by maintaining sufficient eye contact and sending back channel signals (e.g., "I see"), both of which show interest. They also respond by clarifying the message, rephrasing the speaker's ideas at appropriate breaks ("So you're saying that . . . ?").

Scenario A At Sunshine Toys, several employees must work together to develop a new product. No one in this group has worked with any of the others before, and the development of this product has not been attempted previously. 83. The most effective medium in this situation would be one that is A. routine. B. non-ambiguous. C. lean. D. rich. E. oversimplified.

D. rich. Feedback: According to media richness theory, rich media are better than lean media when the communication situation is non-routine and ambiguous as in the situation described here.

38. Senders try to clarify the emotional tone of their messages by using all of the following except A. expressive language. B. highlighting phrases. C. inserting emojis. D. sending short messages. E. using capital letters or quotation marks.

D. sending short messages. Feedback: Senders try to clarify the emotional tone of their messages by using expressive language ("Wonderful to hear from you!"), highlighting phrases in boldface or quotation marks, and inserting graphic faces (called emojis or "smileys") representing the desired emotion.

44. Which of the following communication channels has the highest media richness? A. newsletter B. email C. telephone call D. video conference E. instant messaging

D. video conference Feedback: Video conferencing involves visuals, immediate feedback, and voice. It is a richer media than the other media given here.

29. Which of the following is an advantage of using email communication? A. It reduces the problem of information overload. B. It reduces the frequency of flaming. C. It is easier to interpret emotional meaning in email messages as they are less formal. D. It increases the politeness and respect of communication. E.It significantly alters the flow of information within groups.

E.It significantly alters the flow of information within groups. Feedback: Email tends to be the preferred medium for coordinating work (such as confirming deadlines with a coworker's schedule) and for sending well-defined information for decision making. It often increases the volume of communication and significantly alters the flow of information within groups and throughout the organization.

26. After the receiver decodes the message, what happens next? A. The sender receives confirmation that the message has been understood. B. The receiver confirms with the sender that the message sent was intended to be a message. C. The receiver decodes the received message. D. The receiver encodes the message. E.The receiver forms a direct feedback in response to the received message.

E.The receiver forms a direct feedback in response to the received message. Feedback: The steps in the communication model are forming, encoding, transmitting, receiving, decoding, and feedback in order. After receiving the message, the receiver decodes the received encoded message.

76. Which of the following is true about the organizational grapevine? A. The grapevine presents a true picture of reality by providing fine details to substantiate the content. B. The grapevine typically works by sending information downward rather than upward through the organizational hierarchy. C. The grapevine is usually founded on organizational charts or job descriptions rather than social relationships. D. The grapevine is a structured and formal network for transmitting organizational information. E.The typical pattern of a grapevine is a cluster chain, whereby a few people actively transmit rumors to many others.

E.The typical pattern of a grapevine is a cluster chain, whereby a few people actively transmit rumors to many others. Feedback: Research conducted several decades ago reported that the grapevine transmits information rapidly in all directions throughout the organization. The typical pattern is a cluster chain, whereby a few people actively transmit rumors to many others.

Scenario B You have completed an important presentation to several Japanese executives regarding a proposed partnership between your American company and their Japanese firm. TheJapanese executives were very silent during the presentation. 85. With regard to cross-cultural communication, this silence most likely means that the Japanese executives A. didn't understand what you were saying. B. disagree with your proposal and can't think of a polite way of telling you about their rejection. C. weren't listening to your presentation. D. have agreed to the proposal made by you. E.are showing respect for your presentation.

E.are showing respect for your presentation. Feedback: In Japan, silence symbolizes respect and indicates that the listener is thoughtfully contemplating what has just been said.Scenario C Shanti recently went to a communication workshop to help improve her workplace performance. She learned that in effective communication, she should resist forming an opinion until the speaker has finished, then attempt to empathize with the listener, and finally effectively respond to the speaker. She learned techniques regarding maintaining eye contact and sending back channel signals to show interest.

54. Communication noise can exist even when people speak the same language. This occurs because of the A. skill differences among people. B. lack of necessary aptitudes. C. richness of the communication channel. D. reduced channel bandwidth. E.cultural differences among people.

E.cultural differences among people. Feedback: Language differences also produce communication noise. Yet even when people speak the same language, translation errors occur because of cultural differences in the meaning of particular words and phrases.

32. Which of the following conditions would necessitate the use of nonverbal communication instead of verbal communication? A. low physical distance B. need for immediate feedback C. personal nature of communication D. familiarity with the listener E.increased noise

E.increased noise Feedback: Nonverbal communication channels are necessary where noise or physical distance prevent effective verbal exchanges and the need for immediate feedback.

52. The leadership team meets weekly to update each other on what events are taking place in each unit. Each division director completes an update report to be attached to the minutes. Since many of the division directors meet with each other, there are rarely any surprises. This weekly communication calls for A. an active corporate grapevine. B. high emotional contagion in communication. C. the use of nonverbal communication. D. an increased number of face-to-face meetings. E.lean media.

E.lean media. Feedback: According to media richness theory, rich media are better than lean media when the communication situation is nonroutine and ambiguous. In nonroutine situations (such as an unexpected and unusual emergency), the sender and receiver have little common experience, so they need to transmit a large volume of information with immediate feedback. Lean media work well in routine situations because the sender and receiver have common expectations through shared mental models.

64. Information load can be reduced by all of the following except A. buffering. B. omitting. C. summarizing. D. filtering. E.time management.

E.time management. Feedback: Information load can be reduced by buffering, omitting, and summarizing.

96. Emotional contagion receives relatively little attention in organizational behavior literature (as it is mostly studied by psychologists), yet it is an important part of social interaction in the workplace. Define emotional contagion and identify two benefits of this phenomenon.

Emotional contagion refers to the notion that we tend to "catch" other people's emotions by continuously mimicking that person's facial expressions and nonverbal behavior. For instance, listeners smile more and exhibit other emotional displays of happiness while hearing someone describe a positive event. Similarly, listeners will wince when the speaker describes an event in which they were hurt. Along with defining emotional contagion, students need to identify any two of the three benefits described in the textbook. Communicates caring: Mimicry provides continuous feedback, communicating that we understand and empathize with the sender. To consider the significance of this, imagine if employees remain expressionless after watching a colleague bang his or her head! The lack of parallel behavior conveys a lack of understanding or caring. Improves the listener's empathy: Mimicking the nonverbal behaviors of other people seems to be a way of receiving emotional meaning from those people. If a colleague is angry with a client, your tendency to frown and show anger while listening helps you to share that emotion more fully. In other words, we receive meaning by expressing the sender's emotions as well as by listening to the sender's words. Strengthens team cohesiveness: Another function of emotional contagion is to fulfill the drive to bond. Social solidarity is built out of each member's awareness of a collective sentiment. Through nonverbal expressions of emotional contagion, people see that others share the same emotions that they feel. This strengthens team cohesiveness by providing evidence of member similarity.

8. Compared to lean media, rich media have fewer social distractions.

FALSE Feedback: Channels with high media richness tend to involve more direct social interaction. This social presence sensitizes both parties to their relative status and self-presentation, which diverts their attention from the message. This may offset the benefits of channel richness by social distractions from the message content, whereas lean media have much less social presence to distract or distort the transmitted information.

4. Email is a very good medium for communicating emotions.

FALSE Feedback: Email is a poor medium for communicating emotions. People rely on facial expressions and other nonverbal cues to interpret the emotional meaning of words. Email lacks this parallel communication channel.

15. The best way to manage the organizational grapevine is to ignore the information it communicates.

FALSE Feedback: Management should listen to the grapevine as a signal of employee anxiety and then correct the cause of this anxiety. Some companies also listen to the grapevine and step in to correct blatant errors and fabrications.

5. In quiet settings, most information is communicated verbally rather than nonverbally.

FALSE Feedback: Nonverbal communication includes facial gestures, voice intonation, physical distance, and even silence. Nonverbal communication occurs even during silence. Even in quiet, face-to-face meetings, most information is communicated nonverbally.

13. The sensing stage of active listening includes empathizing and organizing information. FALSE

FALSE Feedback: Sensing is the process of receiving signals from the sender and paying attention to them. Evaluating, which follows the sensing stage, includes empathizing and organizing information.

11. Talking while someone is speaking to you is interpreted by the Japanese as the person's interest and involvement in the conversation.

FALSE Feedback: Talking while someone is speaking to you is considered quite rude in Japan, whereas Brazilians and French are more likely to interpret this as the person's interest and involvement in the conversation.

3. The effectiveness of the encoding-decoding process is independent of the sender's and the receiver's proficiency with the communication channel.

FALSE Feedback: The sender's and receiver's abilities and motivations to communicate through the communication channel is an important factor determining the effectiveness of the communication channel.

7. A communication channel with high media richness should be used in routine situations where the sender and receiver have common understanding and expectations.

Feedback: Lean media work well because the sender and receiver have common expectations through shared mental models. In nonroutine situations (such as an unexpected and unusual emergency), the sender and receiver have little common experience, so they need to transmit a large volume of information with immediate feedback.

99. Briefly explain the problem of information overload.

Information overload occurs whenever a job's information load exceeds an individual's capacity to get through it. Employees have a certain information processing capacity—the amount of information they can process in a fixed unit of time. At the same time, jobs have a varying information load—the amount of information to be processed per unit of time. Information overload creates noise in the communication system because information gets overlooked or misinterpreted when people can't process it fast enough. The result is poorer-quality decisions as well as higher stress.

95. A few organizations have recently tried to minimize employee use of email when communicating with colleagues. Discuss two reasons companies might want to minimize the use of email.

Information overload: Many email users are overwhelmed by hundreds of messages each week, many of which are either unnecessary or irrelevant to the receiver. This occurs because emails can be easily created and copied to thousands of people through group mailbox systems. Ineffective for communicating emotions: Some organizational communication requires the transmission of emotion, and email does not send this emotional meaning very well. Even the use of emoticons is insufficient for some messages, which should be communicated in person. Reduces politeness and respect: A third problem is that email seems to reduce our politeness and respect for others. Email has low social presence, which makes it more impersonal, so people are more likely to write things that they would never say in face-to-face conversation. Poor medium for ambiguous, complex, and novel situations: Email requires a moderate level of mutual understanding between the sender and receiver. Coordinating through email in ambiguous, complex, and novel situations, on the other hand, requires communication channels that quickly send a larger volume of information and offer equally rapid feedback.

98. Explain the concept of media richness. What are the two conditions required for a communication channel to be considered high in media richness?

Media richness refers to the data-carrying capacity of a communication medium. The data-carrying capacity includes the volume and variety of information that the channel can carry. Face-to-face interaction has very high media richness, whereas newsletters and routine computer printouts have low media richness. The two conditions that require a communication channel that is high in media richness are non-routine and ambiguous situations. In non-routine situations, the sender and receiver have little common experience, so they need to communicate more information to develop a common understanding of that situation. Ambiguous situations occur when the parties face multiple and conflicting interpretations of their observations and experiences. Again, large amounts of information (and probably more varied information) are required to reduce this ambiguity.

100. What are the common gender differences observed in communication?

Men and women have similar communication practices, but there are subtle distinctions that can occasionally lead to misunderstanding and conflict. One distinction is that men are more likely than women to view conversations as negotiations of relative status and power. They assert their power by directly giving advice to others and using combative language. There is also evidence that men dominate the talk time in conversations with women, as well as interrupt more and adjust their speaking styles less than do women. Men engage in more "report talk," in which the primary function of the conversation is impersonal and efficient information exchange. Women also use report talk, particularly when conversing with men, but conversations among women have a higher incidence of relationship building through "rapport talk."

102. Should companies try to eliminate grapevine communication? Explain your answer.

Research suggests that companies should not try to eliminate grapevine communication. One reason is that they cannot eliminate the grapevine even if they try. Moreover, attempts to eliminate the grapevine might further strain relations with employees. At the same time, the grapevine should not be viewed as a primary source of communication. It can be fairly accurate, but it may distort actual events by deleting some details. Rather than eliminating the grapevine, companies should treat the grapevine as a signal of employee anxiety and act on the causes of that anxiety. Companies should also use the grapevine as a benchmark of the effectiveness of formal communication. They should try to reduce the need for grapevine communication by providing more effective formal methods of organizational communication.

97. What is social acceptance? What are the social acceptance factors?

Social acceptance refers to how well a communication medium is approved and supported by the organization, teams, and individuals. One factor in social acceptance is organizational and team norms regarding the use of specific communication channels. A second social acceptance factor is individual preferences for specific communication channels. These preferences are due to personality traits, as well as previous experience and reinforcement with particular channels. A third social acceptance factor is the symbolic meaning of a channel. Some communication channels are viewed as impersonal, whereas others are more personal; some are considered professional, whereas others are casual; some are "cool," whereas others are old-fashioned.

12. Active listeners constantly cycle through the three components of listening during a conversation and engage in various activities to improve these processes.

TRUE Feedback: Active listeners constantly cycle through the three components of listening—sensing, evaluating, and responding—during a conversation and engage in various activities to improve these processes.

2. Communication supports employee well-being and can improve employee well-being.

TRUE Feedback: Communication supports employee well-being. Informational communication conveys knowledge that helps employees better manage their work environment. Emotionally, the communication experience itself is a soothing balm. This effect occurs because people have an inherent drive to bond, to validate their self-worth, and to maintain their social identity.

1. Effective communication is of vital importance to organizations because employees work interdependently, and interdependence requires communication.

TRUE Feedback: Effective communication is vital to all organizations. Organizations are defined as groups of people who work interdependently toward some purpose. People work interdependently only when they can communicate with each other.

14. The grapevine is an important social process that fulfills the employees' drive to bond.

TRUE Feedback: Grapevine is associated with the drive to bond. Being a recipient of gossip is a sign of inclusion, according to evolutionary psychologists.

10. Jargon improves communication efficiency when both the sender and receiver understand this specialized language.

TRUE Feedback: Jargon—specialized words and phrases for specific occupations or groups—is usually designed to improve communication efficiency. However, it is a source of communication noise when transmitted to people who do not possess the jargon codebook.

9. Language differences among people can produce communication noise.

TRUE Feedback: Language differences also produce communication noise. Yet even when people speak the same language, translation errors occur because of cultural differences in the meaning of particular words and phrases.

6. Emotional contagion fulfills our drive to bond with others.

TRUE Feedback: One of the functions of emotional contagion is to fulfill the drive to bond. Social solidarity is built on each member's awareness of a collective sentiment. Through nonverbal expressions of emotional contagion, people see others share the same emotions that they feel.

94. What are the four major factors that influence the effectiveness of the encoding-decoding process in communication?

There are four main factors that influence the effectiveness of the encoding-decoding process. These are: Communication channel proficiency: Generally, the encoding-decoding process is more effective when both parties are skilled and enjoy using the selected communication channel. Similar codebooks: A second factor is the extent to which both parties have similar "codebooks"—dictionaries of symbols, language, gestures, idioms, and other tools used to convey information. Shared mental models of the communication context: A third factor influencing encoding-decoding process effectiveness is the extent to which both parties have shared mental models about the topic's context. When sender and receiver have shared mental models, they have a common understanding of the environment relating to the information, so less communication is necessary to clarify meaning about that context. Experience encoding the message: A fourth factor influencing encoding-decoding process effectiveness is the sender's experience at communicating the message. The more experience and practice gained at communicating a subject, the more people learn how to effectively transmit that information to others.