MANA 3335 (CHAPTER 8 & 9)

Which of the following things might you do to improve your evidence-based decision making? (A) Base decisions on previous decisions because if it isn't broken, the evidence suggests you shouldn't try to fix it (B) Encourage people to stick with a decision, even if it seems to be failing, so that you will eventually succeed (C) Build a culture in which people avoid having unpleasant or difficult conversations (D) Encourage experimentation and learning by doing

D

Body movements such as gestures or expressions that convey information to others For example, during a performance appraisal meeting, an employee drumming his fingers on the table and fidgeting in the chair is using body language to communicate anxiety without saying a word.

body language

During a performance appraisal meeting, an employee drumming his fingers on the table and fidgeting in the chair is told by his manager to relax, the purpose of the meeting is to help him succeed at the company. What is the fidgeting and finger drumming an example of?

body language

In the United States, shifting your eyes and looking away while speaking tends to make people not trust your message.

body language

The idea that although individuals may seek the best solution to a problem, the demands of processing all the information bearing on the problem, generating all possible solutions, and choosing the single best solution are beyond the capabilities of most decision makers

bounded rationality

A technique used in the idea-generation phase of decision-making that assists in development of numerous alternative courses of action. Example: Although you think that Tyler's idea is crazy, you don't say anything evaluative about it as the purpose of this decision-making stage is to generate a wide range of ideas.

brainstorming

Manager knows what the outcomes of each alternative of a given action will be and has enough information to estimate the probabilities of various outcome

condition of certainty

The decision maker cannot know with certainty what the outcome of a given action will be but has enough information to estimate the probabilities of various outcomes. Example: If you invest more in marketing your new product line it may increase sales, but it is not guaranteed to do so.

condition of risk

The decision maker who lacks enough information to estimate the probability of outcomes (or perhaps even to identify the outcomes at all) faces a Example: You are trying to decide whether or not to expand your manufacturing facility, but it is impossible to know whether or not the increased demand for your products will be permanent.

condition of uncertainty

Identifies alternative actions that can be taken if the primary course of action is unexpectedly disrupted or rendered in appropriate

contingency plan

A decision that recurs often enough for a decision rule to be developed

programmed decision

Proposes that decisions under risk are influenced more by the potential value of gains or losses than the final outcome itself. The theory further proposes that, all else being equal, people are more motivated to avoid losses than they are to seek gains.

prospect theory

One (or a very small number) of products was built just to see whether the ideas behind this new product actually work and are rarely sold to the public but are very valuable in verifying the insights developed in the creative process. Example: 3D or additive printing is helping many small companies develop small versions of their product ideas to see if they actually work.

prototype

Verification may also include the development of a product or service _______

prototype

You give away an early version of your company's new app to family and friends and ask them to use it for a couple of weeks and see how they like it. If this _______ is successful, you plan to develop a more comprehensive version of it for your company.

prototype

Requires constant communication and mutual adjustment for task completion, such as a cross-functional research and development team, or an event planning team, and creates the highest potential for conflict

reciprocal interdependence

The extent to which a decision maker is aggressive willing to gamble when making a decision. Some managers are cautious about every decision they make, whereas others are more willing to take big risks. Example: A manager's _________ influences how aggressive the manager is and how much the manager is willing to gamble when making decisions.

risk propensity

Examining alternatives only until a solution that meets minimal requirements is found and then ceasing to look for a better one. Example: Because it isn't very important to you, you glance at the menu and order the first thing that sounds good. You have engaged in

satisficing

A manager with a finance background may be more likely to see the problem as finance-based, while a manager with a production background may be more likely to see it as production-based.

selective perception

We selectively see and hear based on our expectations and beliefs. Each manager __________ information that is consistent with his or her expertise and expectations and does not pay as much attention to other types of information.

selectively perceived

Reflects the fact that words can mean different things to different people and that this can introduce noise into communications.

sematics

Requires tasks to be performed in a certain order. This increases the need for communication as individuals or groups are dependent on other individuals or groups for the resources they need to complete their own tasks.

sequential interdependence

When you finish your stage of the assembly process you pass the product to John, who passes it to Lisa for packaging when he has finished adding his part.

sequential interdependence

In general, ethical dilemmas for managers may center on direct personal gain, indirect personal gain, or _____________

simple personal preferences.

A goal for a particular situation

situation goal

An informal alliance of individuals or groups formed to achieve a common goal (often a preferred decision alternative) Example: Stockholders frequently band together to force a board of directors to make a certain decision

coalition

Rather than allowing for overall project management, wikis tend to be best for:

collaborative writing.

Managers frequently need to ____________ via emails, memos, letters, and reports. Effective business writing is not just about grammar and punctuation—the style and tone also have to be appropriate for the audience.

communicate in writing

How would you resolve this problem? (cultural barriers) (A) Help physicians understand how to tailor their messages for patients from different cultural backgrounds. (B) Reduce the layers in the communication hierarchy. (C) Get physicians to attend to things outside their expectations. (D) Find ways of minimizing the amount of information physicians have to attend to.

A

Which of the following are skills you might consider developing in a workshop if you are focusing exclusively on improving active listening skills (as opposed to other forms of communication)? Check all that apply. (A) Give speakers clear nonverbal evidence that you are listening attentively, including leaning toward the speaker, maintaining eye contact, and not fidgeting. (B) Follow up on unusual or inconsistent communication cues from the speaker, such as changes in tone, vocabulary, and body language to determine the real message the speaker is trying to send. (C) Show the speaker respect by not interrupting and by using an inclusive, friendly, and sharing tone. (D) Edit and revise to correct grammar and spelling errors.

A, B, C

Which of the following is an approach that you might consider using to maximize the effectiveness of the group's decision making process? Check all that apply (A) Use groupthink (B) Use brainstorming (C) Use the Delphi technique (D) Use the nominal group technique

B,C, and D

Puts the decision into action. It builds on the commitment and motivation of those who participated in the decision-making process (and may actually bolster individual commitment and motivation). To succeed, implementation requires the proper use of resources and good management skills. Example: Although you made the right decision to restructure the lower-performing unit of the company and reduce costs by 20%, employee resistance and the subsequent low morale is making it difficult to execute the cost reduction plan.

Implementation

Occurs when lower-level employees communicate with those at higher levels—for example when a subordinate tells a manager about a problem employees are having meeting a customer's request Example: You tell your manager an idea you have to be more responsive to customer requests.

Upward communication

Becoming actively involved in the process of listening to what others are saying and clarifying messages' meaning is:

active listening

The rational assumes that the decision makers will generate all the possible ____________ to the problems

alternative solutions

_________ means the receiver is uncertain about the message's consequences.

ambiguity of intent

_____________ occurs when the receiver is not sure what the sender meant.

ambiguity of meaning

Words, graphs, or other media used to send a message are:

channel

Case study: Your candy making company is at a crossroads. You have maxed out your current production capacity, but think that there may be a new opportunity in custom fruity nut caramel clusters that could be very profitable to the company. You think through your options, and decide that you would like to expand your company to include this high potential new product. As the production line for the custom fruity nut caramel clusters is being implemented you realize that if you do it slightly differently than you originally decided you can produce 10% more candy every hour.

control

Final stage of the rational decision making process, the outcomes of the decision are measured and compared with the desired goal

control

An important part of enhancing creativity is to reward creative successes, while being careful to not punish what?

creative failure

Assume you are Fritz Kron, a Regional Director for Quality at Intermountain Healthcare. You learn that physicians have been having difficulty discussing health issues with patients, who are all very diverse. This has created problems in the quality of healthcare delivery Which of the following is the problem you are facing?

cultural barriers

The process of choosing from among several alternatives Example: You need to decide which job candidate to hire as your new account representative

decision making

You have to choose which car to buy. Example of:

decision making

A statement that tells a decision maker which alternative to choose based on the characteristics of the decision situation or have predetermined information about the decision situation Example: Whenever the machine makes a certain warning noise, the operator shuts down the machine for ten minutes.

decision rule

Physicians at Intermountain Healthcare hear presentations conducted by Mark Allen about a brochure. One of the physicians attends the presentation and reads the associated brochure and concludes that Intermountain Healthcare is not very serious about improving teamwork.

decoding

A method of systematically gathering judgments of experts for use in developing forecasts.

delphi technique

Anything that is not official. It includes gossip and answering another employee's question about how to do something. Example: Your coworker Charlie tells you that he thinks that Phil is first in line for the next promotion.

informal communication

Mark Allen, a Clinical Information Systems Manager at Intermountain Healthcare, must work with others to coordinate communication processes across 22 hospitals and over 300 clinics. If the senior executives at Intermountain Healthcare create new written protocols for healthcare delivery and then communicate these protocols across all hospitals and clinics then this is an example of what communication concept?

downward communication

Occurs when higher-level employees communicate with those at lower levels of the organization—for example, from a manager to a subordinate. It typically consists of messages about how to do a job, performance goals, the firm's policies, and how the company is performing Example: Your manager asks you to give him a project update by the end of the day.

downward communication

Occurs when the message sender converts a thought, idea, or fact into a message composed of symbols, pictures, or words.

encoding

Occur when a decision maker stays with a decision even when it appears to be wrong Example: Not long after you make your decision to hire Ted you think you've made a mistake and question both his job skills and his fit with your team. You really liked him during his interview, though, and decide to coach him for a while instead of firing him.

escalation of commitment

You decided to hire Shana for the job, but after she has been on the job for a week you have received numerous complaints from parents about her rude demeanor and apparent lack of interest in the kids. You tell them that you're sure she will improve and just needs time to get used to her new job.

escalation of commitment

Refers to the commitment to identify and utilize the best theory and data available to make decisions.

evidence based management

A check on the success of the communication.

feedback

Occurs when information is intentionally withheld, ignored, or distorted to influence the message that is ultimately received. Example: To try to look good before a performance evaluation you tell your boss only about the things that are going well in your unit and fail to mention the challenges your team is facing.

filtering

Are official, organization-sanctioned communications. They can be upward, downward, horizontal, or diagonal. It channels typically involve some sort of written communication that provides a permanent record of the exchange. Example: After Will was late for the third time in a month you formally wrote him up and asked him to sign a letter agreeing to be on time or risk losing his job.

formal communication

This communication media ranks the lowest in terms of richness, feedback availability, personal focus, and the number of cues it provides.

formal written correspondence

Occurs when the average of the group members' post-discussion attitudes tends to be more extreme than the average pre-discussion attitudes. When individuals discover during a group discussion that others share their opinions, they may become more confident about their opinions, resulting in a more extreme view

group polarization

A mode of thinking that occurs when members of a group are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, and the desire for unanimity offsets their motivation to appraise alternative courses of action Example: You really don't want to see the romantic comedy movie tonight, but think that your friends do so you all go to see it. When you are all talking after the movie you all realize that none of you actually wanted to see the movie, but because you each thought that the others did you all agreed to go!

groupthink

When ________ occurs, the group unknowingly makes unanimity rather than reaching the best decision its goal

groupthink

Occurs when someone in an organization communicates with others at the same organizational level.

horizontal communication

An interesting aspect of ________ is that it is often helped along by pauses in concentrated rational thought. Some creative people rely on physical activity such as jogging or swimming to provide a "break" from thinking. Example: After thinking about some ideas for a while you decide to go for a walk and think about something else to help the creative process along.

incubation

Many people say that they do their best thinking and come up with their best ideas when exercising. This is an example of

incubation

Occurs when we have so much information that it is impossible to process all of it. When faced with too much information, we have to use some sort of filtering strategy to reduce it to a manageable amount. Example: You are more likely to read all of your emails when there are only a few in your inbox. When you have dozens of messages, you are more likely to prioritize them and read only the most important ones right now.

information overload

An innate belief about something without conscious consideration. Managers sometimes decide to do something because it "feels right" or they have a hunch. This feeling is usually based on years of experience and practice in making decisions in similar situations and may help managers make an occasional decision without going through a full-blown rational sequence of steps. Example: When you make a decision about an answer on a test without thinking much about it you have probably relied on

intuition

Case study: You call a meeting of your product development team to begin work on a new market opportunity. Your team members include people from a wide variety of organizational functions, all of whom must work together effectively to get the new product developed on time and on budget. You are about to start your first meeting and want to get off on the best note possible as this is a big investment for your company. When you state that the goal of the meeting is to "develop a premier intelligent semiconductor intellectual property solution that dramatically accelerates complex SOC designs while minimizing risk," several team members stare at you blankly.

jargon

Technical language can create ambiguity when the receiver does not understand it.

jargon

Occurs when an Internet connection goes down, phone lines are full of static, or a video conference link is dropped.

loss of transmission

You had just started a videoconference with your global team when the link was dropped and you lost both audio and video communication with the other members.

loss of transmission

The message is the encoded information being sent Example: To let your employees know the facility's safety performance, you post a graph on the wall every day summarizing accidents and near-misses. The safety performance in the graph is called what?

message

A group member who protects the group from adverse information that might shatter their shared complacency about the effectiveness and morality of their decisions. Example: After the meeting to address how to handle a competitor that the group fears is about to take considerable market share from the company, Terry learns that the competitor is actually laying off workers and is not likely to be the threat they thought it was. Terry decides not to tell the others about this development because the group was very confident in the decisions it made about how to better compete.

mindguard

Anything that blocks, distorts, or changes in any way the message the sender intended to communicate. It can be something physical in the environment, like people talking, or it can occur because the sender or receiver are distracted and are unable to concentrate on the message being sent or received. Stereotypes, biases, and one's mood or psychological state can all serve as noise that distorts a message.

noise

Because of her bias against younger workers, the manager was slow to realize that the concerns her young subordinate was expressing about the safety process were valid.

noise

Group members follow a generate-discuss-vote cycle until they reach a decision Example: You convene a group of employees to decide how to best restructure the company's customer service process. Each person is asked to first make a list of ideas for five minutes with no discussion. Members then take turns explaining their ideas to the group, and as they are recorded on a flip chart other members are encouraged to build on the previous ideas. Voting is periodically taken to reduce the list until a decision is made.

nominal group technique

Decisions are poorly structured with imperfect information, requiring judgment and creativity for solutions.

nonprogrammed decisions

Helena Fogarty, the CEO and founder of Mi Ola, states "You have to work with an imperfect amount of information. You're never going to have the answer." This is an example of what decision making concept?

nonprogrammed decisions

___________ to communication comes from the hierarchical structure and culture of the organization. Numerous hierarchical levels or department specializations can make communication across levels and departments difficult.

organizational barriers

Can make project status continually visible to managers through real-time reports and visual cues such as red-yellow-green traffic signals or digital dashboards. Example: As a new project manager, you decide to use one of these to keep your team's project status continually updated and visible.

portal

Even if you are not a formal business major, taking some business classes can be an effective way to get "up to speed" and begin making creative contributions quickly in your future organization. Doing this is effective in the ________ stage because you will become more familiar with organizationally relevant research and knowledge.

preparation

The first stage in the creative process, includes education, formal training, and other formative experiences. Example: Helena Fogarty, the CEO, and founder of Mi Ola, earned her MBA and spent years working in the fashion industry.

preparation

Finding the answer to a question. Example: You are about to meet with Mary to discuss her ideas about why the extruder machine keeps breaking.

problem solving

You need to figure out the best way to set up your quality control process. Example of:

problem solving

Case study: The time has come to hire a new director for your local grade school's after-school care program. The town is proud of its schools, and although they do not want to overpay, residents are willing to pay a reasonable salary in hiring and retaining the best staff. You have been put in charge of managing the hiring and training process for the new hire. You identify Mike as the best candidate, but he wants a salary 20% higher than you are willing to pay based on parent feedback and what the previous person in the position was paid. Instead of hiring Mike, you decide to hire Alex instead because he will accept the current salary for the position.

suboptimizing

Knowingly accepting less than the best possible outcome to avoid unintended negative effects on other aspects of the organization. Example: Because you cannot make both marketing and production happy with your decision about the new toy design, you have to engage in

suboptimizing

Once a receiver provides feedback to a sender, the sender and receiver have engaged in

two-way communication.

Live or prerecorded video segments are broadcast over a company's intranet and archived for employees to view later. Wikis are searchable, archivable websites that allow people to comment on and edit one another's work in real-time. Rather than allowing for overall project management, wikis tend to be best for collaborative writing.

webcasts

Your company uses _______ to allow employees to view prerecorded videos of important company information at a time that is best for them.

webcasts

Searchable, archivable websites that allow people to comment on and edit one another's work in real time. Rather than allowing for overall project management, wikis tend to be best for collaborative writing.

wiki

Technology tools such as ______ can enhance bottom-up communication in organizations. By creating an open-source workspace, all employees can be part of the brainstorming and problem-solving process.

wikis

Some companies give all new hires e-mail etiquette training that covers the basics including how to communicate quickly but with courtesy, what not to put in writing, and the importance of proofreading e-mails before sending them.

written communication