Page 1
1.
The argument that individuals can be real and honest in the way that they live and work
with others is also known as
A)
identity.
B)
feminism.
C)
the “zone of indifference.”
D)
authenticity.
2.
The idea that the individual is an inhuman cog in a complex machine is most closely
associated with which of the following approaches to management?
A)
Classical
B)
Human resources
C)
Critical
D)
Systems
3.
Which of the following generations believes that they sacrificed and worked long and
hard to achieve success, and they expect a similar attitude from new employees?
A)
Generation Xers
B)
Millenials
C)
Baby boomers
D)
Traditionalists
4.
Which of the following theories was extended to include race and class in ways that
reproduce inequitable divisions in everyday organizational life?
A)
Tannen’s model of report talk and rapport talk
B)
Acker’s model of the gendered organization
C)
Alvesson and Willmott’s model of performance
D)
Allen’s model of individuals and groups
5.
A cultural practice by which individuals create their sense of self by purchasing and
using artifacts is known as
A)
consumption.
B)
personal branding.
C)
resistance.
D)
identity construction.
Page 2
6.
Allen offers three strategies that enable individuals and groups to better communicate
multiple identities. Which of the following is not one of those strategies?
A)
Be proactive.
B)
Fill your communication toolbox.
C)
Be mindful.
D)
Be supportive.
7.
Which of the following methods of identity regulation is illustrated by “successful”
teachers who do not seek higher salaries because they’re “in it for the kids”?
A)
Defining a person by defining others
B)
Offering specific morals and values
C)
Providing a vocabulary of motives
D)
Reinforcing hierarchical dynamics
8.
Everyday organizational life often produces which of the following two types of
insecurity, as demonstrated by the self-doubter’s experience?
A)
Realistic and irrational
B)
Symbolic and material
C)
Practical and theoretical
D)
Symbolic and theoretical
9.
Which of the following strategies did Microsoft recently implement to identify top,
good, average, and poor performers, which led to employees competing with one
another, rather than with the company’s competition?
A)
“Stack ranking”
B)
Incentivizing
C)
Identity regulation
D)
Identity work
10.
Which of the following images of identity is particularly good at drawing upon a variety
of resources in order to build a coherent and distinct identity?
A)
Surfer
B)
Storyteller
C)
Strategist
D)
Struggler
Page 3
11.
Kenneth Gergen uses which of the following terms to characterize the notion that
identities tend to be both fluid and multiple?
A)
Authenticity
B)
The “zone of indifference”
C)
“Multiphrenia”
D)
Organized identities
12.
Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which Alvesson and Willmott claim
that organizations “make” members’ identities?
A)
Defining a person directly
B)
Defining a person by defining others
C)
Offering specific morals and values
D)
Distinguishing between pro-profit and nonprofit identities
13.
Organizational members who adopt the surfer image tend to enact which of the
following theories of organizational communication?
A)
Postmodern
B)
Critical
C)
Systems
D)
Scientific
14.
Which of the following images of identity is most likely to rely on “cultural raw
material,” including language, symbols, and interactions with others, in order to craft a
coherent sense of self?
A)
Self-doubter
B)
Storyteller
C)
Surfer
D)
Struggler
15.
In Martin and her colleagues’ research on interethnic conversations, the feeling of being
controlled, manipulated, and trapped as a result of others taking charge is referred to as
A)
stereotyping.
B)
acceptance.
C)
disrespect.
D)
powerlessness.
Page 4
16.
Which of the following terms captures the significant labor that women perform in the
private sphere for which they receive little compensation or gratitude?
A)
The second shift
B)
Double standards
C)
Personal branding
D)
Gendered labor
17.
As part of his storyteller image, H. L. “Bud” Goodall wrote himself into being as a man
who lived with a terminal illness by keeping a scholarly blog, where he chronicled his
life in
A)
the “zone of indifference.”
B)
the “terminal.”
C)
“cancerland.”
D)
“cyberville.”
18.
Strategists are most often characterized as
A)
completely immersed in their organizational identity.
B)
insecure.
C)
willing to downplay their individuality.
D)
utilitarian and goal-directed.
19.
According to Joan Acker, which of the following types of worker does dominant
organizational logic prefer?
A)
A gender-neutral employee who understands what it means to balance work and
home
B)
A male worker whose life centers on his full-time job
C)
A female worker who has chosen work over family commitments
D)
A gender-neutral employee who is a good fit with the organization’s culture
20.
Which of the following concepts refers to making a project out of one’s self by
developing a personal brand and other similar practices?
A)
Authentic communication
B)
Habits of character
C)
The entrepreneurial self
D)
Identity work
Page 5
21.
Which of the following approaches to the study of identity and difference is grounded in
feminist theorizing?
A)
Identity and difference as features of the organization that influence members
B)
Identity and difference as organizational practices and performances
C)
Identity and difference as products of social and popular narratives
D)
Identity and difference as essential or fixed aspects of the self
22.
Patricia Parker’s research suggests that, in addition to being gendered, organizations are
also
A)
“raced” and “ethnicized.”
B)
“classed” and “ethnicized.”
C)
“raced” and “classed.”
D)
“raced” and “sexualized.”
23.
The organizational logic that highlights the unspoken but pervasive norm that also
requires African Americans to prove to potential employers that they do not conform to
racial stereotypes by adopting a “middle-class” persona is often referred to as
A)
“essentialism.”
B)
“stack ranking.”
C)
authenticity.
D)
“whiteness.”
24.
A significant goal of many organizations is to regulate and control their members’
identities. Which of the following examples of identity regulation describes how
organizational communication creates and naturalizes taken-for-granted ways of doing
and being?
A)
Establishing and clarifying a distinct set of “rules of the game”
B)
Promoting specific morals and values
C)
Defining the environment
D)
Providing a specific vocabulary of motives
25.
Development of personal brands has become so prevalent that even stay–at-home
mothers are developing branding strategies by doing all of the following EXCEPT
A)
creating reward structures for family members.
B)
defining themselves as “family CEOs.”
C)
developing family “mission statements.”
D)
treating the family as an enterprise.
Page 6
26.
Men and women both experience the phenomenon of the second shift in fairly equal
ways.
A)
True
B)
False
27.
Organizations attempt to control member identities by defining people according to their
positions within the organization.
A)
True
B)
False
28.
Identity work and identity regulation are essentially the same process.
A)
True
B)
False
29.
Organizational members often use identity markers, such as gender or race, to highlight
differences between individuals.
A)
True
B)
False
30.
Issues of identity are often value-free and have little to do with power and ideology. We
simply are who we are.
A)
True
B)
False
31.
A recent study of female characters in the top grossing films of 2014 revealed chronic
underrepresentation of women in leading roles, persistent gender stereotypes, and a lack
of ethnic diversity.
A)
True
B)
False
32.
Identity has less to do with language and action and more to do with simple genetics.
A)
True
B)
False
33.
Authentic communication is impossible in contemporary organizations.
A)
True
B)
False
Page 7
34.
Gender is a “difference that often makes a difference” in organized contexts.
A)
True
B)
False
35.
Women who work outside the home typically still do twice as much housework as their
male partners.
A)
True
B)
False
36.
Stereotyping involves communication in which the communication partner racially
categorizes rather than treating the other as an individual.
A)
True
B)
False
37.
African American men and women faced communication issues routinely in their
organizational interactions and adopted a variety of conversational strategies to make
their workplace interactions more productive and satisfying.
A)
True
B)
False
38.
John Gray’s book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus attests to the fact that
men and women communicate in similar ways.
A)
True
B)
False
39.
According to the text, the development of gender-equitable policies will only make
gender differences in the workplace more problematic.
A)
True
B)
False
40.
The slogan “There is no I in team” most closely relates to the soldier image of identity.
A)
True
B)
False
41.
Explain the concept of identity, and give one example of how gendered identities are
constructed.
Page 8
42.
What does it mean to have a fixed identity? What implications does this approach to
identity and difference have for organizations?
43.
Describe the concept of consumption, and explain its relevance to the study of identity
and organizational communication. Be sure to include an example that illustrates your
point.
44.
According to the text, identity regulation and identity work are two different processes.
Describe what distinguishes them from one another.
45.
How can individuals practice authentic communication in organized contexts?
46.
Describe the process of creating a personal brand. Provide an example of a personal
brand that you would use to describe yourself.
47.
How does the work of H. L. “Bud” Goodall contribute to our understanding of
organizational images of identity?
48.
Explain the “zone of indifference” and its relevance for the concept of authenticity in
organizations.
49.
What are the benefits and drawbacks of adopting a soldier image of identity in
relationship to one’s organization?
50.
How do social texts—such as films, books, television shows, news reports, magazines,
etc.—influence how we align ourselves with our work? Provide an example to illustrate
your answer.
51.
Chapter 7 focuses on four ways to approach the relationship between identity,
difference, and organization. Outline these four approaches, and provide an example of
each of them.
Page 9
52.
Using the concepts from Chapter 7 as support for your argument, take a position on the
following statement: “Organizations should be gender-neutral spaces where the
differences between men and women are not a part of the communication practices.”
Defend your position using detailed examples.
53.
Consider the concept of identity work and how it led to the seven images of identity.
Select three of the seven images. Define the selected images and provide an example for
each image. Conclude your essay by making a case for which image is most likely to fit
the widest variety of contemporary organizations.
Answer Key
1.
D
2.
A
3.
C
4.
B
5.
A
6.
D
7.
C
8.
B
9.
A
10.
D
11.
C
12.
D
13.
A
14.
B
15.
D
16.
A
17.
C
18.
D
19.
B
20.
C
21.
A
22.
C
23.
D
24.
A
25.
A
26.
B
27.
A
28.
B
29.
A
30.
B
31.
A
32.
B
33.
B
34.
A
35.
A
36.
A
37.
A
38.
B
39.
B
40.
A
41.
42.
43.
44.
Page 11
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.