IS301

When faced with potentially unpopular choices, having a team develop potential solutions and implementation methods can result in what?

A) Increased information B) Increased acceptance C) Higher performance levels D) Lower costs E) Hidden agendas

Which of the following is not an aspect of interpersonal communication? A) Productive meetings B) Active listening C) Clearly identifiable agendas D) Nonverbal communication E) Business etiquette

Communication skills needed in order to work well in team settings and on important interpersonal communication skills that will help you on the job: productive meetings, active listening, nonverbal communication, and business etiquette.

What is the competitive advantage of a diverse workforce? A) A shared systems of beliefs B) Increased communication opportunities C) Increased cultural competency D) A broader understanding of diverse markets E) Better utilization of skill sets

D) A broader understanding of diverse markets D) Smart business leaders recognize the competitive advantages of a diverse workforce that offers a broader spectrum of viewpoints and ideas, helps companies understand and identify with diverse markets, and enables companies to benefit from a wider range of employee talents.

In high context cultures, the primary role of communication is to build relationships, not exchange information.

TRUE

A team is a group of two or more people with a shared mission and responsibility for a goal.

TRUE

Which of the following would be most helpful when working with people from other cultures? A) Communicating based on your own cultural norms so as not to confuse others B) Recognizing your own cultural biases C) Assuming others are as culturally aware as you D) Stereotyping to increase basic understanding of the culture E) Explaining the advantages of your way of thought

B) Recognizing our own cultural biases and working to minimize those will improve the communication process. Communication should be meaningful to the audience, and that audience may or may not be as culturally aware. Avoid stereotyping and be prepared to change habits and thoughts.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of working in a team? A) Limited knowledge B) Diversity of views C) Limited acceptance of a solution D) Lower performance levels E) Cost

E) Aligning schedules, arranging meetings, and coordinating individual parts of a project can eat up a lot of time and money.

To maintain harmony in a group, some team members may withhold unpopular opinions. This is known as what? A) Collaboration B) Non performance C) Groupthink D) Hidden agendas E) Participative management

Groupthink occurs when peer pressures cause individual team members to withhold contrary or unpopular opinions and to go along with decisions they don't really believe in. The result can be decisions that are worse than the choices the team members might have made individually.

Today's mobile systems can do virtually everything fixed-web collaboration systems can do.

TRUE

At the end of a meeting with those of other cultures, what habit can help ensure understanding? A) Clarifying what will happen next B) Being straightforward and direct C) Assuming the listener is less knowledgeable than you D) Using industry specific slang and jargon E) Avoiding lengthy transitions

A) At the end of a conversation, be sure that you and the other person(s) agree on what has been said and decided. This habit is important for any group or team, regardless of culture, in aiding understanding.

Which of the following is a benefit of a successful team? A) Diversity of views B) Groupthink C) Multiple agendas D) Low cost E) Limited peer pressure

A) Bringing a variety of perspectives can improve decision making—as long as these diverse viewpoints are guided by a shared goal.

Which of the following is generally true when referring to groups? A) Group meetings are costly in terms of time and coordination B) Team members will work harder to support the goals of a group than individual projects C) Group members are more accepting of contrary opinions D) Groups are often ineffective E) Groups have limited access to research data and other essential information

A) Aligning schedules, arranging meetings, and coordinating individual parts of a project can eat up a lot of time and money.

The goal when giving feedback should focus on the outcomes of the communication. This type of feedback is often called what? A) Constructive feedback B) Destructive feedback C) Criticism D) Collaboration E) Unified communication

A) Constructive feedback, sometimes called constructive criticism, focuses on the process and outcomes of communication, not on the people involved. In contrast, destructive feedback delivers criticism with no effort to stimulate improvement.

Websites that are accessible only to employees and select parties external to the organization are known as what? A) Clouds B) Extranets C) Intranets D) Wikis E) On demand

B) Shared workspaces are online "virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information. You may see some of these workspaces referred to as intranets (restricted-access websites that are open to employees only) or extranets (restricted sites that are available to employees and to outside parties by invitation only). Many intranets have now evolved into social networking systems that include a variety of communication and collaboration tools, from microblogging to video clip libraries.

Interpersonal communication skills will impact all areas except which? A) Productive meetings B) Active listening C) Writing skills D) Nonverbal communication E) Business etiquette

C) Focusing on the communication skills you need in order to work well in team settings and on important interpersonal communication skills that will help you on the job will impact areas including the ability to hold productive meetings, active listening, nonverbal communication, and business etiquette. Writing skills can be less impacted by interpersonal communication, unless writing as a group.

Which of the following would not be an example of nonverbal communication? A) Space B) Dress C) Facial expression D) Jargon E) Vocal inflection

D) Jargon is words unique to a work group, or culture and is considered a verbal communication tool. Vocal inflection is considered a nonverbal tool because the inflection, not the words, provides the meaning.

The tendency to judge all other groups according to the standards of one's own group is called what? A) Stereotyping B) Discrimination C) Bias D) Culture E) Ethnocentrism

E) Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge all other groups according to the standards, behaviors, and customs of one's own group. When making such comparisons, people often decide that their own group is superior.

Participative management allows employees at any level of the organization to do what? A) Solve long-term problems B) Allow long-term problem solving teams to flourish C) Allow effective virtual teams D) Increase effectiveness of new member orientation E) Create job security

E) When teams are successful, they can improve productivity, creativity, employee involvement, and even job security. Teams are often at the core of participative management, the effort to involve employees in the company's decision making.

Diversity can be defined as all the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals.

TRUE

Groupware allows users to work on documents simultaneously and connect using social networking tools.

TRUE

When a receiver can no longer determine what information is useful and what is useless, or think deeply about complex situations, they are suffering from information overload.

TRUE

Whether the interaction takes place online or in person, creating and fostering positive relationships with colleagues, customers, and others can make or break your career.

TRUE

When speaking, women emphasize content and outcomes and place higher premium on relationship maintenance.

FALSE

Which of the following best describes the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals? A) Diversity B) Culture C) Cultural context D) Social behavior E) Practical intelligence

A) Diversity A) Throughout one's career, employees will interact with people from a variety of cultures, people who differ in race, age, gender, sexual orientation, national and regional attitudes and beliefs, family structure, religion, native language, physical and cognitive abilities, life experience, and educational background. Although the concept is often narrowly framed in terms of ethnic background, a broader and more useful definition of diversity includes "all the characteristics and experiences that define each of us as individuals".

Which of the following will aid in the effective communication process across cultures? A) Learn how to communicate respect in various cultures B) Understand that all members of each culture have certain practices that are true across all cultural members C) Control the communication to ensure the message is shaped to your needs D) Teach others how to communicate well in your cultural context E) Identify differences in others and aid in their need to minimize those differences

A) Recognizing our own cultural biases and working to minimize those will improve the communication process. Communication should be meaningful to the audience, and that audience may or may not be as culturally aware. Avoid stereotyping and be prepared to change your habits and thoughts. Since you cannot change others, it is important that you recognize your own cultural limitations and learn how to communicate respect for other cultures.

Which of the following is least likely to improve communication efforts? A) Developing a corporate presence on all available social media sites B) Using technology to aid in communication, not replace it C) Being proficient with basic features and functions of technologies D) Disregarding information that is not useful E) Speaking with coworkers face to face whenever practical

A) Use the filtering features of your communication systems to isolate high-priority messages that deserve your attention. Be wary of following too many blogs, Twitter accounts, and social networking feeds, and other sources of recurring messages. Focus on the information you truly need to do your job.

Technology should be used as a replacement for face to face communication whenever possible.

FALSE

Because of the increase in the use of technology, which of the following might help in determining what communications to work on first? A) The date and time the message was received B) The information that best supports blogs and social networking feeds C) The filtering feature that identifies high priority items D) The attachment icon that indicates additional important information E) The sender name feature to identify internal and external messages

C) As a sender, make sure every message you send is meaningful and important to your receivers. As a recipient, take steps to control the number and types of messages you receive. Use the filtering features of your communication systems to isolate high-priority messages that deserve your attention. Also, be wary of following too many blogs, Twitter accounts, and social networking feeds, and other sources of recurring messages. Focus on the information you truly need to do your job.

Collaboration is best described as what? A) Active listening B) Groupthink C) Clearly agreed upon agendas D) Working together on complex challenges E) Dependent on strong nonverbal communication skills

Collaboration—working together to meet complex challenges—has become a core job responsibility for roughly half the U.S. workforce.

For entry level professional positions, what is the ratio of men to women? A) 20 percent B) 30 percent C) 40 percent D) 50 percent E) 60 percent

D) Although the ratio of men and women in entry-level professional positions is roughly equal, the percentage of management roles held by men increases steadily the further one looks up the corporate ladder.

Which of the following is the generic name for software that helps organize and control website content for groups? A) Enterprise systems B) Workflow systems C) Cloud management systems D) Content management systems E) Intranet systems

D) Collaborating on website content often involves the use of a content management system, which organizes and controls website content and can include features that help team members work together on webpages and other documents. These systems range from simple blogging systems on up to enterprise systems that manage web content across an entire corporation.

Approximately what percentage of the U.S. workforce has positions that require collaboration as a core job responsibility? A) 20 percent B) 30 percent C) 40 percent D) 50 percent E) 60 percent

D) Collaboration—working together to meet complex challenges—has become a core job responsibility for roughly half the U.S. workforce.

Cultural competency is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations and norms for behavior.

FALSE

Stereotyping is the tendency to judge all other groups according to the standards, behaviors and customs of one's own group.

FALSE

When a collaborator is located off site, the most productive way of working with that person would be to require attendance at regularly scheduled meetings with the rest of the team.

FALSE

When there is a need to confront a difficult situation at the workplace, it is best to use email, allowing the sender time to think through and shape their message appropriately.

FALSE

When writing collaboratively, it is often more effective to writing as a group, ensuring all collaborators are following the same format.

FALSE

When increasing the diversity of a workforce, which of the following can increase the talent base of those with disabilities? A) Assistive technologies B) Mentoring C) Stereotyping D) Repetitive tasks E) A code of conduct

A) As with other elements of diversity, success starts with respect for individuals and sensitivity to differences. Employers can also invest in a variety of assistive technologies that help create a vital link for thousands of employees with disabilities, giving them opportunities to pursue a greater range of career paths and giving employers access to a broader base of talent.

When providing feedback, focusing comments on the message, not the person who created it, is an example of what? A) Verifying understanding B) Keeping feedback impersonal C) Being specific D) Focusing on controllable behavior E) Discussing improvements rather than flaws

B) Constructive feedback, sometimes called constructive criticism, focuses on the process and outcomes of communication, not on the people involved. Feedback should be focused on the message, and be impersonal in nature.

When developing communication that ensures the message can be sent and understood across a variety of cultures, the sender is practicing what? A) Stereotyping B) Cultural competency skills C) Exemplary social custom skills D) Practical intelligence E) Ethnocentrism

B) Cultural competency is an appreciation for cultural differences that affect communication and the ability to adjust one's communication style to ensure that efforts to send and receive messages across cultural boundaries are successful. It requires a combination of attitude, knowledge, and skills.

To best maintain productive relationships with customers and suppliers, what type of communication tool is often most important? A) Blogs B) Face to face meetings C) Twitter feeds D) LinkedIn E) Emails

B) Even the best technologies can hinder communication if they are overused. Speaking with people over the phone or in person can take more time and effort, and can sometimes force you to confront unpleasant situations directly, but it is often essential for solving tough problems and maintaining productive relationships.

Which of the following is an advantage of collaborative writing? A) Each member has to accomplish fewer tasks. B) Each member has different expertise to contribute. C) Each member can focus on accuracy and detail so no errors are missed. D) Each member can rely on another member if their schedule gets busy. E) Each member can change another members work to ensure unified ideas.

B) In any collaborative effort, team members coming from different backgrounds may have different work habits or priorities: A technical expert may focus on accuracy and scientific standards; an editor may be more concerned about organization and coherence; and a manager may focus on schedules, cost, and corporate goals. To collaborate effectively, everyone involved must be flexible and open to other opinions, focusing on team objectives rather than on individual priorities.

In order to save time and frustration, what should be agreed upon before beginning a collaborative process? A) Skill sets B) Project goals C) Leadership roles D) Writing style E) Due dates

B) Project goals should be discussed and agreed on before you start. Starting without a clear idea of what the team hopes to accomplish inevitably leads to frustration and wasted time.

Which of the following is true regarding the use of technology on the job? A) Technology use can make up for a lack of essential skills. B) Technology is an aid to communication. C) Technology can ensure the message is read by the receiver. D) Technology can replace the need for face to face communication. E) Technology can ensure messages are well designed and accurate

B) Technology is an aid to communication, not a replacement for it. Technology can't think for you, make up for a lack of essential skills, or ensure that communication really happens.

Which cultural group within the workplace prefers communicating with short digital messages? A) Millennials B) Generation X C) Generation Y D) Baby boomers E) Senior level executives

C) Generation Y workers (those born between 1981 and 1995) have a strong preference for communicating via short digital messages, but baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) and Generation X workers (1965 to 1980) sometimes find these brief messages abrupt and impersonal.

Which of the following would be least helpful when developing ethical messages in an international work environment? A) Seek mutual ground B) Send and receive messages without judgment C) Have the legal department ensure the validity of a contract D) Send messages that are honest E) Show respect for cultural differences

C) Have the legal department ensure the validity of a contract C) While a manager from a U.S. company would tend to view a signed contract as the end of the negotiating process, with all the details hammered out, his or her counterpart in many Asian cultures might view the signed contract as an agreement to do business-and only then begin to negotiate the details of the deal. Legal issues vary by country, and this is least likely to ensure an ethical message.

Websites that are accessible only to employees are what type of systems? A) Clouds B) Extranets C) Intranets D) Wikis E) On demand

C) Shared workspaces are online "virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information. You may see some of these workspaces referred to as intranets (restricted-access websites that are open to employees only) or extranets (restricted sites that are available to employees and to outside parties by invitation only). Many intranets have now evolved into social networking systems that include a variety of communication and collaboration tools, from microblogging to video clip libraries.

When writing collaboratively, what should each team member focus on supporting? A) Individual areas of expertise B) Individual priorities C) Team objectives D) Organization and coherence E) Writing styles and work habits

C) To collaborate effectively, everyone involved must be flexible and open to other opinions, focusing on team objectives rather than on individual priorities. Most ideas can be expressed in many ways, so avoid the "my way is best" attitude when working with others.

The pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli and implicit understanding that affect a communication is known as what? A) Social customs B) Ethnocentrism C) Practical intelligence D) Cultural context E) Diversity

D) Cultural Competency Every attempt at communication occurs within a cultural context, the pattern of physical cues, environmental stimuli, and implicit understanding that convey meaning between two members of the same culture.

Which of the following is considered the most important factor in determining how well a team will perform? A) A shared sense of purpose B) The right mix of creative talent C) Full engagement of team members D) Strong communication skills E) Clear objectives

D) Effective teams share a number of traits, including a clear objective, a shared sense of purpose, full engagement from all team members, procedures for reaching decisions by consensus, and the right mix of creative and technical talents for the tasks at hand. While all these traits contribute to team success, the single most important factor is how well the team members communicate.

The goal of communication in a high context culture is what? A) To use visual cues to convey meaning B) To exchange information C) To focus on results D) To build relationships E) To ensure a legal decision making process

D) In low-context cultures, businesspeople tend to focus on the results of the decisions they face, a reflection of the cultural emphasis on logic and progress. In comparison, higher-context cultures emphasize the means or the method by which a decision will be made. Building or protecting relationships can be as important as the facts and information used in making the decisions.

Which of the following is an advantage to written communication? A) Technology will correct errors in the message. B) Written communication can happen in real time. C) Written communication encourages quicker response time in the receiver. D) Written communication allows more time for receivers to understand and translate the message. E) Written communication can be longer and more detailed as the receiver will only read the communication when they have time.

D) Oral communication can be more difficult for audiences because it happens in real time and in the presence of other people. In some situations, written communication will be more successful because it gives the recipient the opportunity to translate in private and at his or her own pace.

Activities that support incompatible goals to those of the group are referred to as what? A) Groupthink B) Participative management C) Multitasking D) Hidden agendas E) Increased diversity of views

D) Some team members may have a hidden agenda—private, counterproductive motives, such as a desire to take control of the group, to undermine someone else on the team, or to pursue an incompatible goal.

Which of the following is least helpful to effective collaborative writing? A) Selecting collaborators carefully B) Establishing clear processes C) Agreeing on project goals before you start D) Taking time to bond before starting the collaboration E) Writing as a group

D) The actual composition is the only part of developing team messages that does not usually benefit from group participation. Brainstorming the wording of short pieces of text, particularly headlines, slogans, and other high-visibility elements, can be an effective way to stimulate creative word choices. However, for longer projects, it is usually more efficient to plan, research, and outline together but assign the task of writing to one person or divide larger projects among multiple writers. If you divide the writing, try to have one person do a final revision pass to ensure a consistent style.

Which of the following is not a result of information overload? A) Inability to differentiate between useful and useless information B) Inability to think deeply about complex situations C) Lower productivity D) Inability to respond to every message received E) Increase in employee stress

D) The overuse or misuse of communication technology can lead to information overload, in which people receive more information than they can effectively process. Information overload makes it

When one or more writer can change the document text of a group member, what type of software tool is more likely being used? A) Adobe Acrobat B) PDF file C) Spell check D) Change tracking E) Commenting

D) The simplest tools are software features such as commenting (which lets colleagues write comments in a document without modifying the document text) and change tracking (which lets one or more writers propose changes to the text while keeping everyone's edits separate and reversible). The widely used Adobe Acrobat electronic document system (PDF files) also has group review and commenting features, including the option for live collaboration.

12) The two most common reasons cited for unsuccessful teamwork are a lack of trust and what? A) Groupthink B) Hidden agendas C) Incompatible technology D) Poor communication E) Time

D) Two of the most common reasons cited for unsuccessful teamwork are a lack of trust and poor communication. A lack of trust can result from team members being suspicious of one another's motives or ability to contribute. Poor communication can also result from basic differences in conversational styles. For example, some people expect conversation to follow an orderly pattern in which team members wait their turn to speak, whereas others might view conversation as more spontaneous and are comfortable with an overlapping, interactive style.

When developing a mentor relationship with senior executives to improve communication and equity in the workplace, which of the following could likely improve the process? A) Understanding that men find it easier to bond with other men B) Understanding that women find it easier to bond with other women C) Understanding that male executives are concerned about developing relationships that may appear inappropriate D) Understanding the perception of assertiveness is a negative quality in men E) Understanding the perception of assertiveness is a negative quality in women

E) According to research by Linda Babcock of Carnegie Mellon University, both men and women tend to accept disparity between men and women, viewing assertiveness as a positive quality in men but a negative quality in women. Changing these perceptions could go a long way toward improving communication and equity in the workplace.

Which of the following improve response times and collaboration efforts when using mobile collaboration? A) Clouds B) Intranets C) Fixed-web collaboration systems D) Social intranets E) Unified communication

E) An important aspect of mobile collaboration and mobile communication in general is unified communication, which integrates such capabilities voice and video calling, voice and video conferencing, instant messaging, and real-time collaboration software in a single system. By minimizing or eliminating the need to manage multiple communication systems and devices, unified communication promises to improve response times, productivity, and collaboration efforts.

When speaking with someone whose native language is not your own, what could make the communication process easier for the receiver? A) A written text of your main ideas B) Speaking louder C) Watch for a smile or nod of the head to signal understanding D) Detailed information about issues that may be difficult for the receiver to understand E) Short, plain words

E) Recognizing our own cultural biases and working to minimize those will improve the communication process. Words should be pronounced clearly, stop at distinct punctuation points and develop one point at a time.

When developing a communication for those who may not be comfortable with your language, what could make the communication easier to understand for the receiver? A) Industry jargon B) Words with several meanings C) Long paragraphs D) Limited transitions E) Short, plain words

E) Short, plain and easy to understand words will help the communication process. Avoid words with several meanings, jargon and long paragraphs.

Technologies that allow people to share files, review message threads, and work on documents simultaneously are known as what? A) Virtual offices B) Shared workspace C) Cloud computing D) Social intranets E) Collaboration platforms

E) Teams and other work groups can also take advantage of a set of broader technologies often referred to as groupware or collaboration platforms. These technologies let people communicate, share files, review previous message threads, work on documents simultaneously, and connect using social networking tools. These systems help companies capture and share knowledge from multiple experts, bringing greater insights to bear on tough challenges.