Question 1

William knows everything about everybody at work, especially who's seeing whom when away from work. He uses his breaks to make sure that everyone else knows, too. He is a prime practitioner of ________ water cooler communication.

Accepted Answer

William is using outward water cooler communication because he is sharing information about others with people outside of his immediate work group.

Question 2

Tracy is in the know. Her specialty is what's happening in the managers' offices. She uses breaks to keep her colleagues up to date on any shifts in how different people are compensated for different work. She is a prime practitioner of ________ water cooler communication.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Tracy is in the know. Her specialty...

Question 3

Downward messages sometimes experience ________; that is, when intermediaries add to the original message, changing its meaning either in fact or in tone.

Accepted Answer

Adding refers to the tendency for intermediaries to add to the original message, potentially changing its meaning.

Question 4

Downward messages sometimes experience ________; that is, when intermediaries reshape messages to be more palatable to intended recipients.

Accepted Answer

Assimilation occurs when intermediaries modify messages to make them more acceptable or understandable to the recipients, often altering the original intent or content.

Question 5

The rumors have been swirling for weeks. There will be layoffs is the sales department, but maybe they're in shipping; nobody knows for sure, but everyone has something to say. The ________ is in full force.

Accepted Answer

The mention of rumors and uncertainty points towards the grapevine, which is an informal network of communication that spreads rumors and gossip among employees.

Question 6

Because they are altered and reshaped as they move through various stopping points between the original source and the intended receiver, downward organizational messages tend to suffer from the ________.

Accepted Answer

Serial distortion refers to the process where a message is altered and reshaped as it is passed from one sender to another. This happens when a message is communicated through a series of intermediaries or stopping points. Downward organizational messages tend to suffer from this effect because they have to pass through multiple levels of the organizational hierarchy before reaching the receiver, and each level may add its own interpretation or alter the message in some way.

Question 7

The bicycle manufacturer you work for employs engineers, designers, sales representatives, marketing professionals, lobbyists, and safety experts, among others. In addition to communicating internally to make sure you produce the best, most attractive, and safest bike available, these people must also have external interactions, rendering this organization __________.

Accepted Answer

An open system is one that interacts with its environment, both taking in inputs and outputting its products or services. The bicycle manufacturer interacts with various external actors, such as customers, suppliers, and regulatory agencies, making it an open system.

Question 8

To ensure that organizations continue to operate as intended as they deal with people and other organizations outside their own, they establish predetermined guidelines. One type, _________, are statements that provide a blueprint of how the organization operates, its goals, and its expected outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Policies are statements that provide a blueprint of how the organization operates, its goals, and its expected outcomes. Protocols are specific procedures to follow in a given situation, norms are accepted behaviors within a group, bureaucracy refers to a complex system of rules and regulations, and rule books are a collection of rules and regulations.

Question 9

How an organization's predetermined guidelines are to be best met are laid out in its __________, detailed methods used in achieving those outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Protocols are detailed methods used in achieving outcomes according to predetermined guidelines. Policies are high-level statements of intent, not the detailed methods. Norms are shared beliefs and behaviors within a group that may or may not align with predetermined guidelines. Bureaucracy refers to a complex administrative structure, while rule books may include policies and protocols, but are not the same as protocols specifically.

Question 10

The larger an organization, the more complex its structure, the greater the need for more _______.

Accepted Answer

Larger organizations typically require more bureaucracy to manage the increased complexity and ensure efficient operations.

Question 11

Max Weber's Theory of Bureaucracy argues that bureaucracy serves to ensure a well-functioning system through three basic principles: authority, specialization, and ____________.

Accepted Answer

Max Weber's Theory of Bureaucracy argues that bureaucracy serves to ensure a well-functioning system through three basic principles: authority, specialization, and rules. Rules provide consistency, predictability, and fairness in decision-making, leading to the efficient functioning of the organization. Norms, policies, protocols, and rule books are usually created based on these rules but cannot replace them.

Question 12

Sociologist W. Richard Scott later added two additional principles to the Theory of Bureaucracy. One, _________, is the idea that technical qualifications, not favoritism or other non-work factors, should be the main criteria of evaluation.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Sociologist W. Richard Scott later added two...

Question 13

Edgar Schein saw an organization's culture as operating at three fundamental levels, often using an iceberg to model his idea. The top of the iceberg consists of observable artifacts, the second level, just below the water line, is espoused values, and well below the water line is ____________.

Accepted Answer

According to Schein, the third level of an organization's culture is underlying assumptions, which are deeply held beliefs and values that are often unconscious and taken for granted by members of the organization.

Question 14

Your company has developed a very clear organizational chart showing who reports to whom in the plant and at headquarters, demonstrating _________, one of the five principles of bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

The clear organizational chart demonstrates authority, which is one of the principles of bureaucracy. The other options such as empowerment, rules, policy or interaction are not directly related to the organizational chart demonstrating a clear hierarchy of authority in the company.

Question 15

You want to hang a white board in your office but your manager tells you that you cannot do it yourself; you must call the facilities department, demonstrating _________, one of the five principles of bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

The answer of You want to hang a white board...

Question 16

Your manager's nepotism drives you crazy. He's showed preference for his family members in hiring, scheduling, and even raises. This is in clear violation of __________, one of the five principles of bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

The principle of "equal treatment of all employees" is violated when nepotism occurs, as it involves favoritism towards certain individuals, undermining the fairness and equality expected in a bureaucratic system.

Question 17

Your office has established a clear set of policies and protocols for how it should run during the summer holidays when staffing is light. But despite its clarity and fairness it hasn't worked out because Seth and Martha simply will not meet its very simple reporting requirements. This bit of bureaucratic failure happened because _______.

Accepted Answer

Despite the clarity and fairness of the policies and protocols, Seth and Martha are not following them. This is most likely due to human fallibility, meaning that people are not always perfect or able to adhere to rules, even when they are simple.

Question 18

An organization's members, through their interactions with their colleagues, establish a ________, how they want to be perceived by those colleagues.

Accepted Answer

Work identity refers to how an individual perceives themselves in relation to their work or job. The establishment of work identity can be influenced by the interactions that an individual has with their colleagues and how they want to be perceived by them. Place in the hierarchy refers to an individual's position in the organizational structure and is typically determined by job title or level. Role refers to the specific responsibilities and expectations associated with a particular job or position. Self-identity refers to an individual's overall sense of self, including their personal characteristics, beliefs, and values. The looking-glass self is a concept in social psychology that describes how individuals develop their sense of self through their interactions with others and the feedback they receive from them.

Question 19

The __________ of an organization is the product of employees' interactions with the functioning of that organization.

Accepted Answer

The climate of an organization refers to the shared perceptions and attitudes of the employees towards the practices, policies, and procedures of the organization. It is formed through the employees' interactions with the organization's functions and is different from its culture, norms, socialization, and rules.

Question 20

The __________ of an organization is the pattern of shared basic assumptions or inferences that members learn from the organization's stories, myths, traditions, and everyday experiences and observed behaviors.

Accepted Answer

The concept described in the question is that of organizational culture.

Quiz 8: Organizational Communication