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Clampitt, Communicating for Managerial Effectiveness 5e
Instructor Resources: Testbank
Chapter 8: Communicating Across Organizational Boundaries
Multiple Choice
1. ___ bring together people from different departments to manage a project.
a. brainstorming sessions
b. matrix teams
c. cross-functional teams
d. parallel functional teams
2. How can companies encourage activities that promote shared experiences and
common goals?
a. Hold company-wide seminars
b. Encourage coauthoring of articles
c. Develop links between role counterparts in the other organization or divisions
d. All of the above
e. a and c
3. How successful was Procter and Gamble with its disposable diapers in the Japanese
market?
a. P & G lost market share when it didn’t act on recommendations about how to
better serve the market
b. P & G is the model success story: it has maintained its position as market leader
by adapting the diaper to better fit Japanese babies
c. P & G entered the market late, but became the market leader because of its
better understanding of the culture
4. Your author recommends implementing “error correction processes.” Some
examples of this include using ____
a. tracking processes
b. quizzes
c. opinion leaders
d. all of the above
e. a and b
5. What are some ways that a company can integrate boundary spanning into its
structure?
a. build boundary spanning into job descriptions
b. support job switching and job shadowing
c. redesign the physical environment
d. all of the above
True/False
6. It is vital for departments to have a “silo” mentality as it leads to a more productive
organizational climate.
7. Research has revealed that office design does not have an effect on the likelihood of
communication.
8. Research reveals that companies that use cross-functional teams decrease product
development time and tend to get products or services to the marketplace faster
than their competitors.
9. Cultures such as Japan, China and Vietnam value directness in their communication
while cultures such as Great Britain and Italy value indirectness.
10. Your author notes that it is far more important for boundary spanners to be skillful
at managing conflict than to be proficient at developing relationships or persuading
others.
11. Cultures such as China and Hong Kong are focused more on long-term results,
whereas cultures such as Nigeria and the Philippines are focused more on short-
term results.
12. Your author highlights Lawrence of Arabia as an example of how not to approach
boundary spanning.
13. High power cultures, such as Austria, Israel and Ireland, show great deference to
those in authority positions (high power) vs. cultures such as Russia and Mexico,
which exhibit more collegial relations (low power).
14. Research done at MIT revealed that as the distance between workstations increases,
the probability of communication decreases.
15. A company with two departments has only one communication link between the
departments. When it adds another department, the communication linkages
increase to two – a geometric increase.
Short Answer
16. List and explain 3 primary factors that contribute to boundary spanning challenges.
17. List and explain 3 different skills boundary spanners need.
18. What is an “error correction process”? Why do boundary spanners need this
process?
19. List and explain 3 activities (or tactics) that boundary spanners could use to promote
shared experiences and common goals.
20. Describe 3 key features of a collaborative communication style.
