Page 1
1.
The unique way in which people in an organization talk, think, and act is called the
organization’s
A)
culture.
B)
strategy.
C)
climate.
D)
personality.
2.
Ethnographers who look specifically at issues of power and domination associated with
the development, maintenance, or transformation of a particular culture most likely
embrace which of the following views?
A)
Corporate culture view
B)
Interpretive view
C)
Practical view
D)
Critical and postmodern views
3.
William Ouchi’s Theory Z asserts that the survival and prosperity of organizations
depend heavily on their ability to
A)
solve their productivity problems.
B)
re–instill hierarchical management structures.
C)
adapt to their surrounding cultures.
D)
follow Japanese manufacturing techniques.
4.
Which of the following views of organizational culture emerged from managements’
desire for specific communication strategies that enhance competitiveness and increase
employee satisfaction?
A)
Productive view
B)
Practical view
C)
Interpretive view
D)
Critical and postmodern views
5.
Which of the following items would not count as an organizational artifact, according to
the text?
A)
Office decor
B)
Role models
C)
Dress codes
D)
Graffiti
Page 2
6.
Cultural studies begin with the assumption that which of the following concepts is
central to human perception?
A)
Relationships
B)
Organizations
C)
Language
D)
Culture
7.
According to Joanne Martin, which of the following cultural perspectives typically
favors the story held by those in power over other competing stories?
A)
Domination
B)
Fragmentation
C)
Differentiation
D)
Integration
8.
Which of the following terms are used to describe the two general types of
socialization?
A)
Anticipatory socialization and organizational assimilation
B)
Occupational socialization and anticipatory socialization
C)
Organizational turning points and occupational socialization
D)
Occupational socialization and organizational assimilation
9.
Which of the following is an example of a high-reliability organization as referenced in
the text?
A)
Research universities
B)
911 call stations
C)
Fire departments
D)
Hospitals
10.
Organizational cultures are composed of environments and symbols. According to the
book, which of the following would not count as either an environment or a symbol?
A)
Payroll taxes
B)
Arrangements of parking lots
C)
Key vocabulary
D)
Accomplishments and awards
Page 3
11.
The use of terms like “family,” “machine,” or “ship” to characterize an organization and
its daily activities is an example of which of the following concepts?
A)
Rituals
B)
Stories
C)
Metaphors
D)
Imagery
12.
When Pixar employees are allowed to decorate their office space any way they desire,
which of the following elements of organizational culture are they manipulating?
A)
Rituals
B)
Artifacts
C)
Performances
D)
Metaphors
13.
Researchers who develop “thick descriptions” of an organizational culture are practicing
which of the following theoretical traditions?
A)
Interpretive
B)
Critical
C)
Postmodern
D)
Systems
14.
All of the following events were used to characterize the changing political landscape
that gave rise to the cultural approach in organizational communication EXCEPT
A)
the Great Depression.
B)
European countries giving up their colonies.
C)
minority voices gaining political power
D)
the Korean War.
15.
Which of the following approaches to culture advocates the use of stories, rituals, and
other organizational elements to build strong organizational cultures and increase
employee commitment?
A)
Practical view
B)
Interpretive view
C)
Critical and postmodern views
D)
Systems view
Page 4
16.
Which of the following perspectives on culture emphasizes consistency and clarity in
organizational processes and practices?
A)
Practical view
B)
Integration perspective
C)
Fragmentation perspective
D)
Differentiation perspective
17.
When the person in charge on an organizational chart differs from the person whom
“everyone knows” is in charge, which of the following views on culture is being
portrayed?
A)
Differentiation perspective
B)
Integration perspective
C)
Interpretive view
D)
Critical and postmodern views
18.
Which of the following perspectives on culture recognizes that consensus and dissensus
fluctuate back and forth in a constant pattern of change?
A)
Differentiation perspective
B)
Integration perspective
C)
Fragmentation perspective
D)
Interpretive view
19.
Career placement tests and job fairs that many high schools use to prepare students for
graduation are examples of which of the following concepts?
A)
Organizational assimilation
B)
General socialization
C)
Fragmentation
D)
Anticipatory socialization
20.
The use of websites, intranets, chat groups, instant messages, and the like to improve the
socialization process is an example of which of the following concepts?
A)
Advanced communication and information technologies
B)
Social media networking
C)
Cultural artifacts
D)
Rituals
Page 5
21.
Organizational leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs are often cited as
innovative individuals who personify the values of their organizations. Which of the
following elements of culture best describes why these men are held up as role models?
A)
They developed clear organizational values and rituals.
B)
They are regarded as organizational heroes.
C)
They are inspirational leaders.
D)
They are skilled organizational performers.
22.
The first known reference to organizational culture appeared in which of the following
publications?
A)
The New York Times
B)
Management Communication Quarterly
C)
Administrative Science Quarterly
D)
Organizational Communication
23.
According to the text, when less experienced physicians are encouraged to “speak like a
doctor,” what else are they doing?
A)
Performing identity
B)
Communicating the values of the organization
C)
Acting as organizational heroes/heroines
D)
Becoming leaders
24.
Which of the following metaphors does John Van Maanen use in his study of
organizational culture at Disney?
A)
“Family tree”
B)
“Organizational drama”
C)
“Fantasy culture”
D)
“Smile factory”
25.
According to Peters and Waterman, which of the following makes top-performing
companies succeed?
A)
Strong leaders
B)
Customers
C)
Managers and supervisors
D)
Front-line workers
26.
According to Joanne Martin, the fragmentation perspective views ambiguity as an
inevitable part of organizational life.
A)
True
B)
False
Page 6
27.
Much like other traditional research methods in the social sciences, ethnographic
research discourages the researcher from being a participant observer.
A)
True
B)
False
28.
Rather than viewing culture as something that an organization has, interpretive scholars
treat culture as something that an organization is.
A)
True
B)
False
29.
Anticipatory socialization involves two parts: vocational socialization and
organizational socialization.
A)
True
B)
False
30.
From an ethnographic perspective, organizational activities such as office parties and
softball games can be misleading when it comes to studying culture.
A)
True
B)
False
31.
Members of the communication field are very united in their views on organizational
culture.
A)
True
B)
False
32.
There are two general types of socialization: anticipatory socialization and
organizational assimilation.
A)
True
B)
False
33.
The critical and postmodern views are the approaches to organizational culture that
focus most on power.
A)
True
B)
False
Page 7
34.
Organizational stories must be formally recorded in order to count as part of the
organization’s culture.
A)
True
B)
False
35.
The interpretive view of organizational culture made the most significant move to
recognize organizations as socially constructed.
A)
True
B)
False
36.
Although there are seven elements of culture, the only one that scholars really study is
metaphors.
A)
True
B)
False
37.
The focus on heroes and heroines is an important element of organizational culture.
A)
True
B)
False
38.
Anticipatory socialization usually gives people a very accurate idea of what a job will be
like, and this impression is unchanged by organizational assimilation that takes place
when they start working.
A)
True
B)
False
39.
Organizational cultures are examples of symbolic constructions.
A)
True
B)
False
40.
Researchers can study an organization’s values by looking at several elements, including
formal documents, advertisements, websites, and even the layout of employee parking
lots.
A)
True
B)
False
41.
Explain what the textbook means by organizational “culture.” What elements make up a
culture? Offer an example of an organization that has a distinct and unique culture based
on these elements.
Page 8
42.
How does the interpretive view differ from other views on organizational
communication that have been presented in the text?
43.
What is Theory Z, and how does it relate to Theory X and Theory Y from previous
chapters?
44.
What are strong cultures, according to Deal and Kennedy? If strong cultures exist, does
that also mean that weak cultures exist? If so, what would they look like?
45.
What does the practical view offer to the study of organizational culture? Provide an
example that illustrates your point.
46.
What are some of the significant changes and social trends in American history that
helped usher in the study of organizational culture?
47.
How would one carry out an ethnography?
48.
The text outlines several elements of culture. List and define three of them.
49.
What does it mean to say that organizational cultures are “symbolic constructions”?
50.
What does Meyer encourage leaders to do to create a seamless, strong culture that
blends “home” (corporate) culture with the “host” (international) culture?
51.
Choose an organization that you believe has a clear and unique culture. How would a
supporter of the practical view analyze that organization’s culture? How would an
interpretive scholar view that same culture? What about a scholar of the critical and
postmodern views? In your answer, be sure to define each of these three views, and
offer detailed examples from the organization that you chose.
52.
Consider how individuals are socialized into their short-term jobs and long-term careers.
Using the two forms of organizational socialization (anticipatory socialization and
organizational assimilation), define socialization, and explain how individuals are
prepared to participate in organizations.
Page 9
53.
Explain socialization in high-reliability organizations and provide examples.
Answer Key
1.
A
2.
D
3.
C
4.
B
5.
B
6.
C
7.
D
8.
A
9.
C
10.
A
11.
C
12.
B
13.
A
14.
D
15.
A
16.
B
17.
A
18.
C
19.
D
20.
A
21.
B
22.
C
23.
A
24.
D
25.
B
26.
A
27.
B
28.
A
29.
A
30.
B
31.
B
32.
A
33.
A
34.
B
35.
A
36.
B
37.
A
38.
B
39.
A
40.
A
41.
42.
43.
44.
Page 11
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.