Deck 8: Communication in the Workplace

Question 1

Matt is likely to receive more upward communication because he is known for listening to bad news without becoming upset with the messenger.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

A formal communication channel in a company can often serve an informal, social purpose such as containing a classified ad section.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

A major contribution of employee networks (or communities of practice)is that ________.

A)they sometimes assume responsibility for key problems
B)expand the social life of employees
C)identify poorly performing employees
D)maintain tight control over work-related information

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Webinars are useful communication vehicles yet they are quite costly because company employees from all over the country and world have to gather together to watch broadcasts of websites and videos.

Question 5

All of the teachers in the social science department willingly share their ideas and expertise with each other. They are good at ________ communication.

A)upward
B)downward
C)diagonal
D)horizontal

Question 6

A major purpose of a company using a social networking site within the organization is to ________.

A)encourage employees to purchase company products or services
B)facilitate employees building their working relationships
C)make the workday more fun for employees
D)find out what types of information employees are sharing with each other

Question 7

Marge has an open-door policy which allows employees to bring a complaint to her without checking with their manager first. This is an example of ________ communication.

A)downward
B)upward
C)problem
D)haphazard

Question 8

Jan faces an emergency at her workplace, so it would be appropriate for Jan to bypass the formal channels of communication to handle the emergency.

Question 9

Marketing specialist Martin is participating in a community of practice when he ________.

A)spreads gossip about company officials
B)acquires an important new job-related skill
C)applies new developments in his field to his job
D)shares work relevant information with coworkers

Question 10

Willy makes proper use of the wiki feature on the company intranet when he ________.

A)lists a few personal items for sale to other employees
B)explains to his boss why he deserves a raise this year
C)explains what he thinks company management is doing wrong
D)adds some updated features to product information

Question 11

A practical application of a social networking site within a company is to match potential mentors with people who are looking to be mentored.

Question 12

A typical use of a company intranet would be to ________.

A)give customers a convenient place to complain
B)advertise company products and services to a wide audience
C)make company information available in a convenient location for employees
D)provide an online place for employees to socialize

Question 13

A wiki feature of a company intranet is quite democratic because employees are invited to modify company policies such as sick days allowed, and the compensation of company executives.

Question 14

Adam published negative information about the company he works for in his private blog. Adam is liable to be fired.

Question 15

Carter brings a complaint about unhealthy working conditions to top-level management. He is therefore making use of the company's open-door policy.

Question 16

Formal communication channels are often bypassed through information technology.

Question 17

Sally has a major concern about a company product. To use the open-door policy to communicate these concerns, Sally first consults with her supervisor before communicating higher in the organization.

Question 18

The transmission of messages to higher or lower organizational levels in different departments is known as ________ communication.

A)diagonal
B)ineffective
C)downward
D)upward

Question 19

Downward communication is the flow of messages ________.

A)from a lower level to a higher level
B)from one co-worker to another
C)from one level to a lower level
D)in a circular direction

Question 20

Lola has a group of people in both her formal and informal channels that she gets in touch with on a regular basis to get her work accomplished. This group of people is often referred to as her ________.

A)subordinates
B)grapevine
C)network of contacts
D)downward communication

Question 21

Pandora has landed a job that requires considerable telephone interaction with customers. Pandora can increase her telephone effectiveness if she ________.

A)frowns when she speaks on the phone
B)smiles when she speaks on the phone
C)increase her productivity by multitasking while on the phone
D)maintains a steady tone while talking to customers

Question 22

An important feature of the company grapevine is that it passes along information almost strictly through people talking to each other face-to-face.

Question 23

The shadow organization of a company is revealed by network analysis which traces who talks to whom.

Question 24

Safety inspector Gilda works in an office that has been shifted to shared workspaces, so she can finally now have a desk permanently assigned to her.

Question 25

Research about multitasking suggests that ________.

A)when workers can multitask well, the workforce can be reduced by one half
B)after age 25, the ability to multitask vanishes
C)about three-fourths of the modern workforce is good at multitasking
D)only a small percentage of workers can multitask successfully

Question 26

Ted, a product design specialist, is included as a participant in a social network analysis, so the researcher is likely to ask Ted, "To whom do you turn for advice?"

Question 27

To use presentation technology to your advantage, ________.

A)talk to the audience and not the screen
B)reduce the text on each slide to the bare minimum
C)triple check your presentation for spelling errors
D)all of the above

Question 28

________ makes a contribution to the organization because trading information strengthens ties among workers and humanizes the workplace.

A)Negative gossip
B)Positive gossip
C)Upward communication
D)Diagonal communication

Question 29

Trudy has some tidbits of knowledge about safety features of a drug that she would like to share with coworkers, so she might rely on a community of practice to spread the word.

Question 30

Computer-generated data sometimes creates the subtle communication problem that the data are regarded as ________.

A)the product of tampering by a hacker
B)having been created mostly to manipulate other people
C)infallible
D)most likely to be incorrect

Question 31

A major purpose of open workspace arrangements is to facilitate informal communication among employees.

Question 32

A recommended way of combating negative rumors in an organization is for management to ________.

A)screen all e-mail and instant messages before they are sent
B)conduct an extensive social network analysis
C)promote healthy, accurate communication
D)spread rumors in opposition to negative rumors

Question 33

A notable consequence of electronic communication devices is that they have ________.

A)facilitated creating sharp boundaries between work and personal life
B)facilitated breaking down the distinction between work and personal life
C)made it more difficult to communicate with coworkers after hours
D)helped block the start of most rumors

Question 34

Jason sits quietly in his cubicle, getting his work accomplished. To find out if Jason is really a loner, management might conduct a ________.

A)shadow organization
B)organization chart analysis
C)performance evaluation
D)social network analysis

Question 35

Samantha is part of the shadow organization in her company because she ________.

A)quietly steals company supplies
B)works from home or another remote location
C)helps accomplish work whether or not it is part of her regular responsibilities
D)has a side business that she runs partly on company time

Question 36

Ken spends time everyday walking among her employees and customers to see how things are going and gather informal feedback. Ken's behavior is referred to as ________.

A)horizontal communication
B)searching for rumors
C)management by walking around
D)wasting time

Question 37

An advantage of open office space is that it facilitates ________.

A)informal communication among workers
B)formal downward communication
C)being able to engage in brainwriting
D)satisfying the human need for privacy

Question 38

According to some information technology research, the average worker dealing with information loses about how many minutes of productivity every day to electronic interruptions and distractions?

A)10
B)20
C)60
D)120

Question 39

A problem noted with telecommuting is that it ________.

A)lacks a solid human connection
B)lacks the efficiency of the traditional office
C)relies too heavily on in-person updates
D)leads to frequent labor-management problems

Question 40

Barb passes along positive gossip to her co-workers, but this would not be considered part of the grapevine because it is positive.

Question 41

A noted consequence of standup meetings is that ________.

A)participants usually have to think more quickly than in sit-down meetings
B)it is quite difficult to serve refreshments
C)wearing high heels is prohibited
D)PowerPoint slides cannot be shown

Question 42

A subtle communication feature of computer-generated data is that it is relatively easy to convince company officials, such as bankers and credit card officials, that the data are incorrect and you are right.

Question 43

A notable advantage of e-mail systems is that they curtail office politics by keeping people focused carefully on useful work.

Question 44

An information technology research and consulting firm found that the average worker dealing with information gains the equivalent of two hours of productive work per day through multitasking.

Question 45

Eric has very little self-discipline, so he would do well as a telecommuter because he would not be closely supervised by a boss.

Question 46

A potential disadvantage of being a telecommuter is that many of these workers believe they are likely to be passed over for promotion.

Question 47

Decades of research indicate that the quality of mental output and depth of thought deteriorate as a person attends to more than one task at a time.

Question 48

Product development manager Sylvia is probably on the right track when she holds brief standup meetings to deal with urgent problems.

Question 49

There is no need to solve small issues ahead of meetings with e-mail, because the group will be getting together for the meeting and can take care of everything at that time.

Question 50

A key suggestion for having a successful business meeting is to ________.

A)be flexible about start and stop times
B)block critical feedback and commentary
C)keep participants seated when quick action is needed
D)start with a key meeting outcome