75) A person who is upset is more likely to get the message right than one who is calm.
76) List the seven elements of the communication process and explain the process of
interpersonal communication.
77) Discuss the two best-known types of nonverbal communication. Include a specific example
of each type of nonverbal communication to support your answer.
78) List and discuss the barriers to effective communication that managers face. Include a
specific example of each barrier to support your answer.
79) When a manager asks an employee to complete a task, he or she is using ________
communication.
A) upward
B) lateral
C) informal
D) formal
80) The vice president wrote a letter to the employees announcing the opening of a new
production facility. This is an example of which type of organizational communication?
A) horizontal
B) formal
C) lateral
D) informal
81) When Sam went to the human resource manager and applied for transfer to the new facility,
he was participating in which type of organizational communication?
A) formal
B) downward
C) horizontal
D) lateral
82) Organizational communication that is not defined by the organization’s structural hierarchy is
known as ________ communication.
A) external
B) passive
C) informal
D) controlled
83) The ________ communication system within an organization permits employees to satisfy
their need for social interaction with their peers.
A) informal
B) social
C) formal
D) organizational
84) Downward communication is used ________.
A) by employees to give managers progress reports
B) to coordinate and evaluate employees
C) between employees at the same organizational level
D) between people of different departments and organizational levels
85) ________ communication is communication that flows from a manager to his employees.
A) Diagonal
B) Upward
C) Downward
D) Horizontal
86) Jon is the manager of the Finance department. He has to inform the employees in the
department about the introduction of a new analytical software and the resultant changes in
procedures. Which one of the following types of communication does he use?
A) upward
B) downward
C) lateral
D) diagonal
87) In an effort to improve communication within the accounting department of a large
organization, the department head puts a suggestion box at the door and invites employees to
communicate their thoughts, ideas, concerns, or grievances to the managers in the department.
Which one of the following methods of communication is he encouraging?
A) upward
B) diagonal
C) downward
D) lateral
88) ________ communication keeps managers aware of how employees feel about their jobs,
their coworkers, and the organization in general.
A) Downward
B) Horizontal
C) Vertical
D) Upward
89) Many production employees began to talk among themselves about whether they wanted to
transfer to a new production facility in a neighboring town. What type of communication is this?
A) diagonal
B) formal
C) lateral
D) downward
90) Which one of the following is an example of lateral communication?
A) George informs his superior about the progress of the new project.
B) Brian talks to his teammate about a change in project specifications.
C) His supervisor penalizes John for not following the company dress code.
D) Paul tells the CEO about the low morale in his department.
91) Cross-functional teams rely heavily on ________ communication, which can be problematic
if their managers are not kept informed about the decisions.
A) diagonal
B) upward
C) vertical
D) lateral
92) When Sam, a production supervisor spoke to the human resources manager about
transferring to the new production facility, he was involved in which type of organizational
communication?
A) diagonal
B) upward
C) horizontal
D) lateral
93) When an organization has an interest in increasing the efficiency and speed of
communication between managers at different levels and in different departments, then
________.
A) upward communication works best
B) diagonal communication should be used
C) lateral communication is ideal
D) downward communication works the fastest
94) In the ________ communication network, communication flows according to the formal
organizational hierarchy, both downward and upward.
A) chain
B) linked
C) wheel
D) horizontal
95) In a(n) ________ communication network, all communication passes through a clearly
identifiable leader to the others in a team and upward from team members to the leader.
A) wheel
B) all-channel
C) chain
D) circular
96) When MediFax was a small company, information flowed freely from the sales force to all
areas of the home office. This most closely represents the ________.
A) wheel network
B) chain network
C) all-channel network
D) informal network
97) Once MediFax grew and became more mechanistic, management insisted that information
flow vertically along the lines of authority. This is most representative of the ________
communications network.
A) wheel
B) chain
C) all-channel
D) circular
98) Rick believes that it might be more effective if incoming market-based information and
outgoing responses and directions were to flow through a central figure, the regional sales
manager for each region. He, therefore, prefers the ________ network for communication.
A) wheel
B) chain
C) all-channel
D) informal
99) In the all-channel network, communication flows ________.
A) downward from a strong leader to his subordinates in the work group
B) in a parallel fashion until all of the members of a work group have been informed
C) freely among all members of a formal work team
D) through the grapevine
100) If a company is concerned with achieving high member satisfaction for all the participants
in a network, which one of the following communication networks is best?
A) chain network
B) horizontal network
C) wheel network
D) all-channel network
101) Over the years, managers at Wilson’s Retail have discovered that the sales staff in the retail
areas have the best insights into what customers want and how they shop. Wilson’s uses these
insights to design its retail spaces and decide which products to stock. To make the sharing of
information easier, Wilson’s encourages an open communication network, where information
flows freely between and among staff and managers. Which one of the following communication
networks does Wilson’s use?
A) chain
B) wheel
C) all-channel
D) downward
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102) Which one of the following is true for organizational communication?
A) It uses formal but not informal communication techniques.
B) It includes informal communication via the grapevine.
C) Information flows according to the organization’s chain of command.
D) It does not include interpersonal communication.
103) An organization’s grapevine works as ________.
A) a method for managers to communicate official policy
B) a method for management to control the dissemination of information
C) both a formal and an informal communication method
D) a filter and a feedback mechanism for managers and employees
104) Because rumors that flow along the grapevine can never be eliminated entirely, managers
can minimize the negative consequences of rumors by ________.
A) ignoring them completely
B) communicating openly and honestly with employees
C) encouraging an all-channel communication network
D) using filtering wherever possible
105) Employees typically engage in four types of work: ________.
A) paid, volunteer, overtime, and holiday
B) production, customer service, maintenance, and paperwork
C) administrative, manual, computerized, and relationship
D) focused work, collaboration, learning, and socialization
106) Despite the company’s open door policy, Victoria’s office door remained closed for the
better part of the day because she was performing ________.
A) research
B) Internet shopping
C) focused work
D) unauthorized personal work
107) To increase face-to-face communication among employees, the workplace design should
________.
A) maximize visibility and density
B) maximize visibility and minimize density
C) minimize visibility and density
D) minimize visibility and maximize density
108) Selenius Inc. develops and tests software products. The work calls for a lot of collaboration
among employees, who frequently brainstorm and bounce ideas off each other. Which one of the
following workplace designs will best suit Selenius’ requirements?
A) an open workplace
B) closed cubicles
C) high partitions
D) individual offices
109) Cartoonist Scott Adams, author of the Dilbert comic, writes of “cubicle cities,” large areas
with innumerable employees packed into individual workspaces separated by partial walls. In
this workplace design, ________.
A) privacy is assured.
B) density is increased
C) visibility is high
D) collaboration is unlikely to happen
110) Informal communication is organizational communication not defined by the organization’s
structural hierarchy.
111) Downward communication is communication that flows from a manager to employees.
112) Upward communication is used to inform, direct, coordinate, and evaluate employees.
113) Communication that takes place among employees on the same organizational level is
called lateral communication.