Deck 8: Communication and Decision Making

Question 1

Tacit knowledge is acquired through observation and experience and seems to be in the unconscious.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the process of encouraging participative decision making,some managers end up involving employees in the task but not in the decision-making process.This is a case of pseudoparticipation.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Vertical communication is required to make a coordinated,cross functional effort in achieving organizational goals.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

In the democratic form of participative decision making,managers ask for and receive involvement from their employees,but the managers maintain the right to make the decision.

Question 5

Effective feedback is evaluative rather than descriptive.

Question 6

Social cognitive theory posits that humans often evaluate themselves quite differently than others do.

Question 7

When a person does not say anything,communication does not take place.

Question 8

As per the managerial communication model,the informal developer exhibits monitoring/controlling activities.

Question 9

Time is a silent dimension of nonverbal communication.

Question 10

Communication is a personal process that involves the exchange of behaviors and information.

Question 11

The classical decision theory operated under the assumption of rationality and certainty,whereas the new behavioral decision theory does not.

Question 12

A manager's ego can cause him to stick to a bad decision alternative.

Question 13

The informal system of communication has a highly impersonal orientation.

Question 14

A person with the director style of communication likes to know the whole picture and thrives on details.

Question 15

In terms of decision-making styles,'skeptics' are often unemotional,logical,and accurate.

Question 16

Paralanguage includes yawning and laughing.

Question 17

Social pressures and influences may cause managers to make irrational decisions.

Question 18

Mark is a senior manager at a multinational company.He works well with his colleagues but has a hard time saying no to them and is not comfortable making tough decisions.Mark's decision making style can be classified as directive.

Question 19

According to Herbert A.Simon,the second phase of the decision-making process-design activity-involves analyzing possible courses of action.

Question 20

Creative ideas from both individuals and groups are scarce.

Question 21

According to the managerial communication model,the _____ exhibits monitoring activities.

A) mechanistic isolate
B) formal controller
C) formal developer
D) humanistic interactor

Question 22

Empathic design relies heavily on textual information.

Question 23

_____ makes communication a two-way process.

A) Feedback
B) Information processing
C) Perception
D) Cognition

Question 24

Mark wants to improve his nonverbal communication.Mark should:

A) focus on obvious nonverbal signs.
B) consider the discrepancies between nonverbal behavior and verbal statements.
C) concentrate on behavior and not the situation in which the behavior takes place.
D) adopt commonly used nonverbal behaviors.

Question 25

Joe is a manager at multinational company.He is very fast at grasping information but has a short attention span and prefers it when people 'get to the point'.How would you deal with Joe's communication style?

A) By providing several recommendation
B) By providing in-depth information
C) By providing a bulleted list of conclusions
D) By providing a thorough analysis of the information

Question 26

Juries often adopt the truth-wins decision scheme.

Question 27

Which form of communication involves facial expressions and what people do with their eyes,feet,hands,and posture?

A) Body language
B) Interpersonal communication
C) Verbal communication
D) Paralanguage

Question 28

_____ includes things such as voice quality,tone,volume,speech rate,pitch,nonfluencies,laughing,and yawning.

A) Noise
B) Context
C) Feedback
D) Paralanguage

Question 29

In dealing with Generation X,a manager must:

A) push them to participate.
B) offer them the flexibility to telecommute.
C) encourage face-to-face meetings.
D) encourage them to learn from Generation Y.

Question 30

Anna asked Andrew to restate the various points they had discussed at the end of their feedback session.She did this to ensure:

A) that her feedback was valid.
B) that the feedback was directed toward aspects of Andrew's job.
C) that the feedback was useful.
D) that Andrew had clearly understood the feedback he had received.

Question 31

Carl told Eva that her work on particular assignment was not up to the standard and that if she did not improve he would have to put her on a performance improvement program.Carl's feedback:

A) is a personal attack on Eva.
B) does not provide any specific information about Eva's performance.
C) is inappropriate.
D) is inaccurate.

Question 32

According to the managerial communication model,the _____ communicates spontaneously in all directions and exhibits activities related to developing his or her people.

A) humanistic interactor
B) mechanistic isolate
C) informal developer
D) formal controller

Question 33

The seating arrangement in a committee meeting is an example of which dimension of nonverbal communication?

A) Space
B) Time
C) Body language
D) Posture

Question 34

Which among the following is a disadvantage of interactive communication among peers?

A) It leads to ineffective feedback.
B) It leads to an unhealthy dependence on peers.
C) It may limit vertical communication.
D) It reduces task coordination.

Question 35

Allan is the type of manager who is interested in knowing the whole picture.He requires in-depth information and does not jump from subject to subject,but instead remains focused on the topic under consideration until it has been exhaustively reviewed.How would you describe Allan's communication style?

A) The director
B) The free spirit
C) The humanist
D) The historian

Question 36

When Fred was told by his boss that the presentation he had prepared did not meet the client's expectations as it lacked an in-depth analysis,he became defensive.This is probably because:

A) the feedback was not presented in a timely fashion.
B) the feedback was directed at Fred and not his work.
C) the feedback was not specific.
D) Fred was not ready to receive the feedback.

Question 37

When people assume that other people have the same knowledge that they do,and they communicate on this basis,the result if often:

A) improved feedback.
B) escalation of commitment.
C) paralanguage.
D) communication breakdown.

Question 38

Cognitive complexity refers to a person's ability to generate novel,but still appropriate,responses to questions and problems.

Question 39

Building checkpoints and setting limits into a plan can result in more effective group decisions.

Question 40

Innovative observation focuses on people's body language and spontaneous comments.

Question 41

According to Herbert
A) consists of trial-and-error processes.

A)Simon,the intelligence activity phase of decision-making:
B) consists of searching for existing standard procedures or solutions already in place.
C) consists of selecting a particular course of action from among those available.
D) consists of searching the environment for conditions calling for decision making.

Question 42

_____ rationality can be applied to decisions that maximize attainment relative to knowledge of a given subject.

A) Objective
B) Conscious
C) Subjective
D) Personal

Question 43

According to Mintzberg,the recognition of a problem and its diagnosis is made during _____ phase of decision-making.

A) identification
B) development
C) design
D) intelligence

Question 44

Which among the following is a psychological determinant of the escalation of commitment?

A) Information-processing errors
B) Peer pressure
C) A breakdown in communication
D) Delayed return on investment

Question 45

The market research team will be meeting with members of the production department to discuss their findings from a survey on customer product design preferences for household appliances.This form of interactive communication serves the purpose of:

A) task coordination.
B) problem solving.
C) information sharing.
D) conflict resolution.

Question 46

Divergent thinking:

A) is based on rational logic.
B) relies heavily on knowledge.
C) is the ability to develop novel but appropriate responses.
D) involves reasoning and judgment.

Question 47

Scott is a manager at an accounting firm.Whenever faced with a problem,Scott likes to gather as much information as possible.However,he tends to over think situations causing him to take a long time to make decisions.Based on this information,Scott's decision-making style can be classified as:

A) conceptual.
B) behavioral.
C) analytical.
D) directive.

Question 48

Which among the following is a disadvantage of conceptual style decision-makers?

A) They can foster an idealistic and indecisive approach to decision making.
B) They have a very short-run focus.
C) They tend to have an autocratic leadership style.
D) They have difficulties making tough decisions.

Question 49

According to Mintzberg,a solution is chosen by _____ when the selection involves a group of decision makers and all the political maneuvering that this entails.

A) bargaining
B) analysis
C) judgment
D) examination

Question 50

According to Mintzberg,the _____ was found to be a groping,trial-and-error process in which the decision makers had only a vague idea of the ideal solution.

A) intelligence activity phase
B) selection phase
C) design process
D) identification phase

Question 51

George likes to keep his colleagues happy and is often described as warm,supportive,and open to others ideas.However,on account of his strong concern for people,George cannot make hard decisions.Based on this information,George's decision-making style can be classified as:

A) conceptual.
B) behavioral.
C) analytical.
D) directive.

Question 52

Researcher Teresa Amabile proposes that creativity is a function of three major components: expertise,creative-thinking skills,and motivation.According to her:

A) expertise consists of knowledge: technical,procedural,and intellectual.
B) motivation determines how flexibly and imaginatively people can deal with problems.
C) creative-thinking skills refer to the inner passion for solving a problem at hand.
D) the creative process is generally better off when given a short span of time.

Question 53

According to Herbert
A) intelligence activity

A)Simon,inventing,developing,and analyzing possible courses of action takes place in the _____ phase of decision-making.
B) design activity
C) choice activity
D) identification activity

Question 54

Which of the following statements is true regarding the informal system of communication?

A) It is impersonal in nature.
B) It is generally relied on for vertical coordination.
C) It tends to be much faster than the formal downward system of information flow.
D) It tends to be less effective than the formal system when information requires quick responsive action by lower-level personnel.

Question 55

Which among the following fosters the use of participative decision-making?

A) Hierarchical superior-subordinate relationships
B) Teams with limited experience
C) Boundary-spanning information technologies
D) Vertical structures

Question 56

In the ____ form of participative decision-making,there is total participation,and the group makes the final decision by consensus or majority vote.

A) shared
B) complementary
C) consultative
D) democratic

Question 57

Dysfunctional politics can be classified as a(n)_____ that can lead to the escalation of commitment.

A) project characteristic
B) organizational determinant
C) psychological determinant
D) defensive force

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true regarding participative decision-making?

A) It is informal in nature.
B) It primarily entails physical involvement.
C) It can range from no participation to full participation.
D) It is lesser when tasks are unstructured.

Question 59

Margaret heads the accounting department at a small firm and has been trying to involve her subordinates in the decision-making process.However,whenever they try to make a suggestion,she criticizes their ideas.This is an example of:

A) empathic design.
B) escalation of commitment.
C) pseudoparticipation.
D) autocratic leadership.

Question 60

Representatives of various departments will be attending a meeting to discuss the different ways they can help the organization reduce costs.This form of interactive communication serves the purpose of:

A) task coordination
B) problem solving.
C) information sharing.
D) conflict resolution.

Question 61

Briefly explain the three major phases in the decision-making process as conceptualized by Herbert A.Simon.

Question 62

_____ focuses on observing how people respond to products and services and drawing creative conclusions from the results.

A) Empathic design
B) Cognitive complexity
C) Traditional inquiry
D) Conceptualization

Question 63

) In innovative observation:

A) the questions that are asked can bias the responses.
B) people's routines are often interrupted.
C) people make unsolicited comments.
D) people are unable to recall how they feel about a particular product or service.

Question 64

What are the major categories of communication?

Question 65

According to Mintzberg's phases of decision-making,the choice of a solution is made in the selection phase.How is this done?

Question 66

The _____ appears to guide decision making most often when there is no objectively correct decision.

A) truth-wins scheme
B) two-thirds majority scheme
C) majority-wins scheme
D) first-shift rule

Question 67

In order to overcome the status quo tendency,one should:

A) judge people based on outcomes.
B) make all groups responsible for monitoring the environment,developing new technologies,and generating new ideas.
C) emphasize the importance of success.
D) build checkpoints and limits into any plan.

Question 68

Briefly explain the conceptual style of decision-making.

Question 69

What role does the informal organization play in interactive communication in organizations?

Question 70

What is meant by divergent thinking?

Question 71

What is paralanguage?

Question 72

What is meant by the term escalation of commitment? What causes this phenomenon to take place?

Question 73

A disciplinary committee is equally divided on whether or not to enforce disciplinary action against an employee facing allegations of improper conduct in the workplace.However,after a member changed his stance on the issue,the committee decided to suspend the employee for a week.This situation is an example of the:

A) truth-wins scheme.
B) two-thirds majority scheme.
C) opposition scheme.
D) first-shift rule.

Question 74

What is the difference between the consultative and the democratic technique in group participation?

Question 75

Explain the managerial communication model.

Question 76

Briefly explain the characteristic of effective feedback.

Question 77

Define and briefly explain the concept of nonverbal communication.

Question 78

What are the purposes of interactive communication?

Question 79

Creative people tend to:

A) have a narrow range of interests.
B) be independent.
C) focus on concrete problems.
D) rely on explicit knowledge.

Question 80

_____ refers to a person's use of and preference for elaborate,intricate,and complex stimuli and thinking patterns.

A) Detailed complexity
B) Creative complexity
C) Cognitive complexity
D) Personal complexity