Today, Google’s top management suffers from the same communication problems found at
similar sized companies, namely, that it infrequently interacts with lower level managers. As the
number of managers and levels increase, it becomes difficult to communicate directly with those in the
lower and middle ranks. To overcome this problem, and to unfreeze Google’s paralyzed decision
making, CEO Larry Page e-mailed Google’s engineering and product managers asking them to write
to him, in 60 words or less, about the projects they’re working on. The idea, according to Page, was for
them to “pitch” their project ideas to him. This doesn’t mean, however, that Page will support every
project idea sent his way. In fact, he’s likely to eliminate or reduce resources for projects that he
considers less important, such as Google Health, which lets people securely store medical records
online.
Page has also established a “bullpen” session every afternoon during which he and Google’s
other top executives sit in a public area outside the board room in Building 43. The idea is that
employees know they’ll be there at the same time every day and that they can approach them directly
to discuss any issue. Page also expects the bullpen sessions to improve communication among
Google’s top executives.
Finally, Page has begun an internal “tour” at Google in which he visits with people and
departments throughout the company to hear directly about the problems they face. Page is also trying
to push more effective communication practices down to lower levels at Google, advising managers
and employees to better manage their meetings by designating who is responsible for carrying out
decisions. He’s also encouraging them to communicate more effectively together during meetings by
not working on their laptops or reading their smart phones.
104. Refer to WWYD Google. With so many projects happening at Google, Larry Page requested managers
to send him a brief written description of their ideas. This is likely because:
a.
email is particularly well suited for delivering information
b.
email is easy to fire off in a rush
c.
email is generally preferred by managers over face-to-face communication
d.
it’s easy to ask questions over email
e.
email has the same formality as letters when making requests
105. Refer to WWYD Google. Larry Page has begun an internal “tour” at Google in which he visits with
people and departments throughout the company to hear directly about the problems they face. By
doing so, he is opening the_____channel of communication.
a.
upward
b.
downward
c.
lateral
d.
cultural
e.
formal
106. Refer to WWYD Google. Page’s bullpen sessions are an example of:
a.
informal communication channels
b.
improving reception by hearing what others feel and think
c.
improving cross-cultural communication
d.
taping into the grapevine
e.
managing perceptions
107. Refer to WWYD Google. Google’s launch of its cloud-computing initiative, GDrive, never happened
because of the company’s complicated approval processes. Those processes are examples of:
a.
organization-wide communication
b.
communication media
c.
one–to-one communication
d.
grapevine
e.
formal communication
108. Refer to WWYD Google. The paralyzing bureaucracy of Google’s product approval process was a
type of _____ in the company’s communication.
a.
perceptual filter
b.
feedback
c.
noise
d.
organizational silence
e.
conduit
SHORT ANSWER
1. List and briefly define the four parts of the perception process.
2. Briefly define perceptual filters. How do perceptual filters impact the perception process?
3. Define attribution theory. Within your definition, be sure to define the two types of attributions that
people typically make.
4. What is the conduit metaphor? What is its significance to managers?
5. Briefly identify the difference between the formal and informal communication channels in an
organization.
6. Distinguish between coaching and counseling.
7. What is an EAP? How can it help a manager deal with employee performance problems?
8. Briefly explain why it is important for managers to understand nonverbal communication.
ANS:
9. Briefly differentiate between active listening and empathetic listening.
10. Define constructive and destructive feedback. Briefly describe the impact when a manager uses each
of these to communicate with a work group.
11. Briefly identify the four categories of knowledge and skill that a manager should have in order to
manage one-on-one communication effectively.
ANS:
12. What is organizational silence? Why does it occur? What should managers do about it?
ESSAY
1. Explain how the perception process and students’ perceptual filters could complicate the
communication process for the registrar’s staff at a university, which is trying to implement an
unpopular change in policy. The new policy requires students to pay an additional fee to drop classes
after the first week. (No fee has been charged for this drop prior to the change.) The registrar has
placed notification of the change in the student registration newspaper, sent an e-mail message to all
students, and put up posters across the campus.
2. Assume that you have just accepted your first job upon graduation from college. You are working as
the supervisor of a group of manufacturing workers in a company that has had some financial
problems. Workers have complained about being unfairly blamed for financial losses associated with
the production process, and your predecessor quit as a result of grievances filed against him by his
subordinates. Explain how you can use your understanding of attribution theory to be more effective in
your personal perception of the causes of problems in your work unit and in your personal
communications about those problems to your new subordinates.
ANS:
3. Identify and briefly describe the different kinds of communication channels in organizations. Specify
the things that managers should know about using these channels in order to maximize their
managerial effectiveness.
4. What are the two reasons why companies use organization-wide communication? Define three types of
organization-wide communication. Give an example of the effective or ineffective use of each
communication. Using the material from the text chapter on Managing Communication, explain why
the example was particularly effective or ineffective.
5. Assume that a friend of yours has just taken a job as international sales manager for a small but
growing medical instrument company. Your friend will be directly supervising a variety of sales
representatives from many different cultures, who are selling the company’s products in nations all
over the world. Based upon your knowledge of communication in management, what advice would
you give your friend about effectively managing one-on-one supervisory communication with these
multicultural sales representatives?
ANS:
