Deck 12: Managing Professional Relationships

Question 1

The word conversation's literal meaning is:

A) to change or transform another.
B) to go against usefulness.
C) to turn around together.
D) to banish loneliness.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which is one of the criteria that govern public interactions?

A) Priority is given to achieving practical goals.
B) Interaction encourages the development of unique scripts and personally revealing roles.
C) Interaction allows people to self-disclose and get in touch with their own feelings.
D) All of the above

Answer 2

A

Question 3

According to Goffman, which of the following mechanisms do people use to show deference to others?

A) Avoidance and presentation rituals
B) Cognitive conservatism and beneffectance
C) Cost-cutting and compensating
D) Affection and inclusions

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When we intentionally allow one another the right to psychological distance and physical privacy, we are engaging in:

A) an avoidance ritual.
B) an affect display.
C) nonverbal immediacy.
D) narcissism.

Question 5

As used in the text, playacting:

A) means being phony and manipulative and should be avoided.
B) allows us the opportunity to lose our personal identities and be expressive and creative.
C) means using role-reversal during negotiation.
D) means destroying others' faces and lines.

Question 6

Research shows that office romances:

A) are condemned by most employers regardless of whether they have participated in a romance.
B) are subject to gender bias: men are blamed for engaging in office romances, while women are supported.
C) are thought to have a positive effect on job performance by close to 20 percent of employees.
D) definitely destroy productivity and morale.

Question 7

In the book Talking from Nine to Five, Deborah Tannen states:

A) coworkers should avoid conversational rituals.
B) women are much more directly critical than men.
C) it is important to take the content of conversational rituals literally.
D) women workers often feel ignored or taken for granted because men seldom tell them when they are doing a good job.

Question 8

According to the dyadic linkage model of leadership:

A) effective leaders adapt their styles to fit each worker.
B) two leaders should always be assigned to a group, one a task leader and one a social leader.
C) workers should pick their own bosses.
D) workers should be paired off into a kind of buddy system, and rewards should be given to the dyad, not the individuals.

Question 9

The members of a group who are the most influential in changing group norms are known as:

A) boundary spanners.
B) opinion leaders.
C) devil's advocate.
D) central negative.

Question 10

The extent to which group members like one another and want to remain in the group is known as:

A) organizational culture.
B) group consensus.
C) group norms.
D) group cohesiveness.

Question 11

Groupthink:

A) is a method of stimulating creativity by encouraging idea generation.
B) refers to the fact that groups are often smarter than their smartest individual.
C) occurs when critical thinking is sacrificed in order to promote group agreement.
D) occurs when members are mistrustful of their own abilities and are cautious in their problem solving.

Question 12

Which of the following do NOT promote effective group communication?

A) Complementary roles
B) Clear-cut norms
C) Higher levels of groupthink
D) A moderate degree of cohesiveness

Question 13

Jill usually gives in to others because she believes her own goals aren't very important and she wants to preserve her friendships. She is using which of the following conflict styles?

A) Aggressive
B) Compromise
C) Problem solving
D) Accommodating

Question 14

In which situation should an aggressive conflict style be used?

A) When personal goals are of high importance and when relationship goals are of low importance
B) When both personal and relationship goals are low
C) When personal and relationship goals are of moderate importance
D) Never; there is no excuse for an aggressive approach to conflict.

Question 15

Ellen and John disagree about whether to fly home or drive. John tells Ellen if she'll let him make the decision this time, next time they'll do it her way. This is an example of:

A) cost-cutting.
B) compensation.
C) logrolling.
D) compromise.

Question 16

Ellen and John disagree about whether to fly home or drive. John knows Ellen opposes driving because the trip is long and uncomfortable. He tells her that they'll drive, but he'll make it less tiring by staying at a nice resort on the way. This is an example of:

A) cost-cutting.
B) compensation.
C) logrolling.
D) compromise.

Question 17

When a third party to a conflict is brought in to listen to arguments and produce a set of nonbinding substantive arguments, which process is being used?

A) Mediation
B) Arbitration
C) Fact-finding
D) Negative inquiry

Question 18

Compromise differs from problem solving because compromise

A) looks for a novel alternative.
B) allows each party to achieve his or her initial position.
C) has each party give up something.
D) is generally highly emotional.

Question 19

In other historical periods, the public realm of interpersonal roles and civil communication has been:

A) a far more important place than it seems to be today.
B) a much less important place than it seems to be today.
C) of the same level of importance than it is today.
D) totally unimportant.

Question 20

Gerald Miller and Mark Steinburg's three levels of knowledge that govern relationships as they move from public to private include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) social-level rules.
B) cultural-level rules.
C) institutional-level rules.
D) individual-level rules.

Question 21

A salute given from one member of the armed forces to another would be an example of a:

A) cultural-level rule.
B) social-level rule.
C) individual-level rule.
D) institutional-level rule.

Question 22

Ray Oldenburg lists all of the following as characteristics of "third places" EXCEPT:

A) The establishment is not "owned" by any one social group.
B) The establishment has an impressive décor.
C) Conversation is the dominant activity in the establishment.
D) The establishment has a playful mood.

Question 23

Places that exemplify Oldenburg's "third place" criteria include all of the following EXCEPT:

A) beauty parlors.
B) donut shops.
C) backyard patios.
D) cafes.

Question 24

Somerville and Mroz argue that in order for an organization to respond to problems in an effective and timely manner each employee must:

A) avoid engaging in overlapping conversations about the organization's mission.
B) think of himself or herself as a leader who can take independent action.
C) be sure to defer to a higher authority before making decisions.
D) be careful not to act quickly when a problem arises.

Question 25

Which of the following elements exists in each of Somerville and Mroz's essential competencies for success in today's high-speed, global organizations?

A) Adhering to a mission statement that is carefully crafted by top management
B) Avoiding conversations with other allied organizations
C) Consistently using Western approaches to organizing and problem solving
D) Engaging in several different, yet overlapping conversations

Question 26

Organizational vocabulary refers to:

A) the language styles of individual group members in an organization.
B) the language styles that are familiar to the entire organization.
C) the language styles used by the leader of an organization.
D) the language styles used by a few members of an organization.

Question 27

Aunt Linda takes Uncle Harry to the same restaurant each year for their anniversary. This restaurant is very popular and reservations are difficult to obtain. Since the management knows that Aunt Linda returns each year at the same time, they put in a call to her 1 month before her anniversary, reminding her to make reservations. This sales approach is known as:

A) personal marketing.
B) customized marketing.
C) relationship marketing.
D) individualized marketing.

Question 28

Which of the following factors did Sias and Cahill not find to be common among friendship development in the workplace and friendship development in other contexts?

A) Physical proximity
B) Self-disclosure
C) Increased discussion of intimate topics
D) Interest in differing opinions

Question 29

What did Kinnick and Parton (2005) study?

A) The negative effects of child labor
B) Communication on The Apprentice
C) Bottlenecking in communication in organizations
D) Communication on Survivor
E) Communication on West Wing

Question 30

Most dyadic communication occurs in the context of intimate relationships; interpersonal communication that takes place in the public sphere is relatively infrequent.

Question 31

Public life through much of history was highly theatrical, intended to create feelings of goodwill, expansion, and generosity of spirit.

Question 32

When the print media became widespread in the 18th century, it was welcomed and seen as a positive addition to public discourse.

Question 33

According to Rom Harre, the deepest human motive is to seek the respect of others.

Question 34

Showing polite interest in a coworker's personal life, doing small favors, and inviting coworkers to do things with you (even when you might rather be alone) are examples of presentation rituals.

Question 35

According to Goffman, avoidance and presentation rituals are in constant tension and participants must be careful that neither is carried too far.

Question 36

Goffman believes that coworkers should forge extremely close, personal bonds with one another, avoiding any distance or formality.

Question 37

Leadership is currently thought to be the product of a leader-follower relationship, not the act of a single individual.

Question 38

Group interaction is most effective when the role each person plays complements the roles of other group members.

Question 39

Group members should each choose one role and specialize in that role.

Question 40

Group roles are behavioral expectations for specific group members; group norms are expectations the group has for all its members.

Question 41

Of all the conflict styles discussed in the text, compromise is considered the best.

Question 42

A position is the initial solution proposed by parties to a conflict; an interest is the underlying need or concern of each party.

Question 43

Dillard's study reported that gender bias still exists in the workplace regarding office romances.

Question 44

Using a first name instead of a formal title is an example of an avoidance ritual.

Question 45

Participants must focus on both position and interests to resolve conflict.

Question 46

Work and other "public" relationships have little effect on community cohesion.

Question 47

Richard Sennett's "ideology of intimacy" refers to our society's tendency to use the same criteria to judge public and intimate relationships.

Question 48

The authors of our text argue that public relationships should be judged in the same way as private relationships.

Question 49

Zoning laws that prohibit the mixing of business and residential establishments enhance neighborhood community interaction.

Question 50

According to James Kunstler, the design of buildings in public spaces can serve to promote either engagement in public activities or social isolation.

Question 51

Organizational communication theorist James Taylor downplays the importance of conversations in developing and sustaining organizations.

Question 52

Organizations develop unique cultures, similar to those existing in particular geographic regions.

Question 53

Globalization and new communication technologies have slowed the pace of change among organizations.

Question 54

Linguistic metaphors can shape expectations and action in an organization.

Question 55

Rituals that include formal or informal ways or recognizing outstanding performance are known as "standard operating procedures."

Question 56

One study cited in your text estimates that 80 percent of information acquired through the grapevine is accurate.

Question 57

Persuasive internal marketing refers to an organization targeting its own employees to purchase its products.

Question 58

Over the years, people have become less likely to develop more intimate relationships with colleagues in the workplace.

Question 59

Goffman includes both deference and demeanor in his discussion of respect. Please define these terms and distinguish between them through examples.

Question 60

One of the primary reasons for public interaction is the desire for "expressive behavior." Explain Sennett's notion of "playacting" in public and why it is often overlooked as a form of interaction between strangers.

Question 61

Your authors discuss three main ways to "negotiate" a conflict. Identify these methods and give examples of each. Please indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy.

Question 62

What are the five conflict styles discussed in your text? When should each be used? Give at least three examples of problem-solving strategies.

Question 63

Apply the communicative competence model to professional relationships. Include all five specific competencies.

Question 64

Discuss Gerald Miller and Mark Steinburg's explanation of cultural-level, social-level, and individual-level rules, including the points at which each can be used appropriately.

Question 65

Discuss the one-to-one marketing strategies presented in the text. Do you agree with the highly personal nature of these efforts? Explain.