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Organizational Behavior, 17e (Robbins)
Chapter 11 Communication
1) Which of the following statements is true with regard to communication?
A) Communication cannot be used to motivate and control employees in an organization.
B) Communication involves the transfer and understanding of meaning.
C) Communication involves the mere imparting of meaning to another person or group.
D) Perfect communication is not dependent on a channel and its richness.
E) Perfect communication results in dissimilar mental models.
2) Norah Baines is one of the most devoted teachers at Oakwood Academy. She has been
working with the institution for seven years and is expecting a promotion soon. However,
Norah's candidacy for this promotion is passed over in favor of another less experienced male
employee as Norah plans to start a family soon. Consequently, Norah writes a formal letter
voicing her concerns. Norah's letter fulfills the ________ function of communication.
A) motivation
B) accommodation
C) facilitation
D) control
E) informal
3) The emotional expression function of communication involves ________.
A) managers motivating employees by setting specific goals
B) management communicating company policies to employees
C) managers training employees in decision-making strategies
D) members of the organization following their job descriptions
E) members of the organization showing their satisfaction and frustrations
4) Synergy Inc. has recently assigned some of its best employees to form a cross-functional team
and complete a project from a new client. Many of the employees on this team are apprehensive
about the structure and dynamics of how they will function as a group and accomplish this goal.
To energize the employees, their immediate manager is holding a meeting with them next week
where he will provide them some additional training in strategies and methods that may work
well for the team. The manager's initiative to hold this meeting fulfills the ________ function of
communication.
A) filtering
B) information
C) emotional expression
D) control
E) informal
5) Before communication can take place, a ________ is required.
A) filter
B) channel
C) receiver
D) purpose
E) decoder
6) In a communication process, the ________ initiates a message by encoding a thought.
A) receiver
B) decoder
C) transmitter
D) sender
E) receptor
7) The ________ is the actual physical product of the sender's encoding.
A) channel
B) filter
C) message
D) noise
E) medium
8) With reference to the communication process, the ________ is the medium through which the
message travels.
A) feedback
B) noise
C) encoder
D) channel
E) decoder
9) With reference to the communication process, the ________ is the one to whom the message
is directed, who must first translate the symbols into understandable form.
A) creator
B) receiver
C) encoder
D) sender
E) transmitter
10) Stacey was at work when Ann, her sister, called to confirm their dinner plan the following
weekend at their Aunt Hilda's farmhouse. Stacey said she would call Joe, her husband, and get
back to her. However, when Stacey called her back, Ann could not hear most of what she said
because Jennifer, Ann's daughter, was crying loudly in the background. Who is the first sender in
this scenario?
A) Joe
B) Stacey
C) Jennifer
D) Ann
E) Hilda
11) Stacey was at work when Ann, her sister, called to confirm their dinner plan the following
weekend at their Aunt Hilda's farmhouse. Stacey said she would call Joe, her husband, and get
back to her. However, when Stacey called her back, Ann could not hear most of what she said
because Jennifer, Ann's daughter, was crying loudly in the background. Who represents the noise
in the communication process depicted in this scenario?
A) Hilda
B) Joe
C) Jennifer
D) Ann
E) Stacey
12) Formal information channels are characterized by ________.
A) the transmission of spontaneous messages
B) the emergence in response to individual choices
C) the absence of noise in the communication cycle
D) the personal and social nature of usage
E) the compliance with the organizational authority chain
13) Which of the following statements is true regarding an informal communication channel?
A) It traditionally follows the authority chain within the organization.
B) It generally transmits messages related to the professional activities of members.
C) It is established by the organization.
D) It is generally used for communicating personal or social messages.
E) Information regarding change in the policies of the organization is transmitted through it.
14) When the receiver of a communication translates the message, it is known as ________.
A) encoding
B) conveying
C) transmitting
D) filtering
E) decoding
15) In a communication process, ________ is the check on how successful we have been in
transferring our messages as originally intended.
A) filtering
B) signal
C) feedback
D) encoding
E) noise
16) Which of the following is the final step in the communication process?
A) silence
B) feedback loop
C) all-channel transmission
D) decoding
E) encoding
17) The four functions of communication are control, motivation, emotional expression, and
information.
18) In the communication process, decoding precedes encoding.
19) It's important to remember that persuasion can benefit or harm an organization.
20) Brian Grazer found, good communication makes organizations successful. Communication is
powerful: no group or organization can exist without sharing meaning among its members.
21) What are the seven key parts of the communication process?
22) Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is
called ________.
A) intrapersonal communication
B) downward communication
C) upward communication
D) lateral communication
E) horizontal communication
23) Which of the following is an example of downward communication?
A) Harry is reporting the work he has done for the day to his supervisor.
B) Ben, an assembly line worker, is communicating some safety concerns he has to his manager.
C) Silas has just sent a request for leave to his supervisor and is hoping that it will be accepted.
D) John and Jack, the production and the marketing managers, have met to discuss the budget
constraints they are facing.
E) Ray is holding his monthly meeting with his team in which he informs them of their monthly
targets.
24) Which of the following is a disadvantage of downward communication?
A) communication apprehension
B) inferiority complex
C) inability to convey feedback
D) one-way nature
E) fear of authority chain
25) Communication that flows to a higher level in the group or organization is called ________.
A) intrapersonal communication
B) downward communication
C) upward communication
D) lateral communication
E) horizontal communication
26) Which of the following is an example of upward communication?
A) Jennifer has just received an outstanding performance rating as a part of the yearly appraisals.
B) Sherry is holding a project initiation meeting with her team to familiarize them with the
guidelines and requirements.
C) The assembly line workers have conducted a signature campaign asking for the revision of
the old pay scales.
D) The management has recently given a copy of the new safety policies that the employees
must abide by in their daily work.
E) The heads of the different departments of Carver Inc. have met to discuss their plans for the
coming year.
27) Communication that takes place among members of work groups at the same level is known
as ________ communication.
A) diagonal
B) grapevine
C) upward
D) lateral
E) downward
28) Reuben Williams, the marketing manager for F&B Industries, is frustrated. He feels that the
production division repeatedly lets his division down. Although the latest marketing strategy
announced that a new product would be available in the market by July, the production division
was unable to complete the production of the first batch till August. The production manager
claims that manpower is short and the targets placed on the production division are unreasonably
high. To resolve this deadlock, they will be meeting soon. This meeting is an example of
________ communication.
A) lateral
B) grapevine
C) diagonal
D) upward
E) downward
29) Which of the following is a unique advantage of lateral communication?
A) Lateral communication helps in the transmission of ideas and information.
B) Lateral communication occurring with management's knowledge and support can be
beneficial even if it does not follow the formal vertical structure.
C) Lateral communication facilitates emotional expression, enhances motivation, and helps the
organization control its employees effectively.
D) Lateral communication facilitates coordination at the intradepartmental level.
E) Lateral communication works quickly as it does not follow the stages of the communication
process.
30) Gehring Services is a company organized around a strong management which values
experience, knowledge, and structure. The company has a detailed framework of rules,
procedures, and guidelines in place to help employees respond to problems in an orderly manner.
Mails, memos, and notifications are used to communicate between managers, employees, and the
management. Despite such provisions to help in structuring and executing work, the company
incurs losses for delays and quality issues. One of their key clients had asked for two similar
projects to be delivered by the teams headed by Briony and Benedict. While Benedict's team
completed the project successfully on time, Briony's team had to implement numerous last-
minute changes to meet client specifications, and she ended up delivering the project over a week
late. Which of the following, if true, would explain this delay in Briony's submission?
A) Briony's team was comprised of members who generated a lot of positive synergy while
working together.
B) Briony and Benedict had teams comprising equal members and were allocated company
resources in equitable manner.
C) The company stipulated that all communication be in the upward or downward mode only to
ensure clarity and control.
D) Briony had a good track record with clients who trusted her to do a good job.
E) The management allowed Briony's team an extension to complete the project.
31) Which of the following statements is true regarding oral communication?
A) It is tangible and verifiable.
B) It can be stored for an indefinite period.
C) The sender can quickly obtain feedback from the receiver.
D) As compared to written communication, it is more likely to be well thought out, logical, and
clear.
E) In the case of oral communication, the possibility of distortion of the message decreases.
32) Written communication is characterized by ________.
A) a high degree of potential distortion
B) the speed of transmission and feedback
C) the availability of nonverbal cues
D) a high degree of tangibility and verifiability
E) minimal time required for transmission and feedback
33) Genepa Corporation manufactures home appliances and other electronic products. Genepa is
planning to introduce a new refrigerator model. The marketing manager at Genepa has developed
a marketing plan for this new product and wants to communicate this plan to all the employees in
the marketing department. Which of the following is most likely to be the best form of
communication for communicating this plan?
A) nonverbal communication
B) oral communication
C) written communication
D) grapevine communication
E) lateral communication
34) Which of the following forms of communication is characterized by the use of only body
movements, intonations, facial expressions, and physical distance to communicate?
A) written communication
B) downward communication
C) nonverbal communication
D) lateral communication
E) upward communication
35) Which of the following modes of communication does not come under the purview of
nonverbal communication?
A) physical distance
B) personal e-mails
C) intonations
D) facial expressions
E) body movement
36) Which of the following statements is true with regard to nonverbal communication?
A) Nonverbal communication has a high degree of potential distortion.
B) E-mails and memos are examples of nonverbal communication.
C) The importance of nonverbal cues is low as they have no fixed meanings.
D) Level of interest and the perceived status between a sender and a receiver can be studied
through body language.
E) Messages received through oral and nonverbal communication cannot be contradictory to
each other.
37) Managers can identify influencers (highly networked people trusted by their coworkers) by
noting which individuals are small talkers (those who regularly communicate about insignificant,
unrelated issues).
38) Communication that flows from one level of a group or organization to a lower level is
called downward communication.
39) Lateral communications are often created to short-circuit the vertical hierarchy within an
organization.
40) Automated performance reviews have allowed managers to review their subordinates
without discussions, which is efficient but misses critical opportunities for growth, motivation,
and relationship-building.
41) One disadvantage of oral communication is the lack of a built-in feedback mechanism.
42) Crossed arms convey a feeling of approachability.
43) Explain and provide a workplace example for each of the following communication
situations: oral communication in downward flowing direction; written communication in
upward flowing direction; and nonverbal communication in lateral flowing direction.
44) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of oral communication.
45) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of written communication.
46) Describe the various forms of nonverbal communication.
47) The ________ network is a type of formal small-group network that rigidly follows the
formal and hierarchical levels of command.
A) matrix
B) chain
C) wheel
D) all channel
E) cross-functional
