Chapter 15: Managing Communication
TRUE/FALSE
1. Across all industries, poor communication skill is the single most important reason why people do not
advance in their chosen career.
2. Communication is the process of transmitting information from one person or place to another.
3. The process of communication occurs when a Honeywell executive tells a Fortune magazine reporter,
“Innovation is in Honeywell’s lifeblood and the spirit of creativity comes from diversity.”
4. Due to perceptual filtering, people exposed to the same information will often disagree about what
they saw or heard.
5. In the perceptual process, apprehension is the process of remembering interpreted information.
6. Perception is the process by which individuals attend to, organize, interpret, and retain information
from their environments.
7. In the perceptual process, interpretation is the process of incorporating new memories with old
memories and creating the ability to recall both.
8. Selective perception is the tendency to notice and accept objects and information consistent with our
values, beliefs, and expectations and screen out or not accept inconsistent information.
9. According to attribution theory, the two general reasons or attributions we use to explain people’s
behavior are primary attribution and secondary attribution.
10. The resistance bias is the tendency for people to perceive themselves as personally and situationally
similar to someone who is having difficulty or trouble, and therefore, to use external attributions to
explain the person’s behavior.
11. When the 55-year-old executive sat in his office thinking about his 25-year-old colleague with two
tattoos, a piercing, no watch, and a shameless propensity for chatting up the boss, he could have been
using selective perception to screen out how effective an employee the younger man actually was.
12. When things go wrong in the workplace, workers are more likely to perceive events and explain
behavior using an external attribution, and managers are more likely to make an internal attribution.
13. According to the theory of perception, the 55-year-old executive has a basic need to understand what
motivates his 25-year-old colleague with two tattoos, a piercing, no watch and a shameless propensity
for chatting up the boss.
14. The self-serving bias is the tendency to overestimate our value by attributing successes to ourselves
(internal causes) and attributing failures to others or the environment (external causes).
15. In the model of the communication process, decoding may result in faulty communication as a result
of perceptual filters on the receiver’s part.
16. Feedback is not necessary in the communication process when the sender and receiver are both
confident that they understand each other.
17. The conduit metaphor causes problems in communication by making managers too complacent and
confident in their ability to easily and accurately transfer messages to receivers.
18. Horizontal communication flows among managers and workers who are at the same organizational
level.
19. Informal communication occurs when the director of the research and development department of a
watch manufacturer presents an idea for a digital watch made of diamonds to the marketing director.
20. Another name for the informal communication channel is the “grapevine.”
21. One recommendation for managers wishing to improve formal communication is to decrease reliance
on downward communication.
22. When the Richemont Group purchased Vacheron Constantin, the world’s oldest watch manufacturer in
continuous production, the grapevine at Vacheron Constantin would more than likely have spread
rumors of the acquisition throughout the firm when the plan was still in the discussion stage.
23. The two kinds of one-on-one communication are mentoring and vestibule training.
24. Nonverbal communication plays a role in management only when it supports or reinforces a verbal
message.
25. In nonverbal communication, the term kinesics is used to refer to the pitch, rate, tone, volume, and
speaking pattern (i.e., use of silences, pauses, or hesitations) of one’s voice.
26. According to the “Doing the Right Thing” box One Thing at a Time, multitasking can potentially
decrease the quality of the tasks accomplished.
27. When it comes to improving communication, managers must manage one–on-one communication
while also managing organization-wide communication.
28. As a general rule, managers prefer written communication over oral communication.
29. Managers with better listening skills are rated as better managers by their employees and are much
more likely to be promoted.
30. Listening is an example of a voluntary behavior.
31. Active listening encourages listeners to ask for clarification of confusing or ambiguous statements.
32. Involuntary listening is just as important as active listening, especially for managers, because it helps
build rapport and trust with others.
33. In communicating feedback to employees, managers need to recognize that feedback can be
constructive or destructive.
34. The first step in successful cross-cultural communication is familiarizing yourself with a country’s
general work norms.
35. Association time is how much time you must spend getting to know someone before the person is
prepared to do business with you.
36. In affective cultures, people are much more likely to display emotions and feelings when
communicating, whereas in neutral cultures they do not.
37. People in polychronic cultures tend to do more than one thing at a time and view time as circular.
38. The four important temporal concepts that affect cross-cultural communication are appointment time,
schedule time, discussion time, and acquaintance time.
39. Online discussion forums are the in-house equivalent of Internet newsgroups.
40. Company hotlines, survey feedback, frequent informal meetings, and surprise visits are ways of
overcoming organizational silence.
41. Frequent, informal meetings between top managers and lower-level employees are one of the best
ways for top managers to hear what others feel and think.
42. In general, blogs serve no value in the corporate world.
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. __________ is the process of transmitting information from one person or place to another.
a.
Reiterating
b.
Communication
c.
Feedback
d.
Reciprocating
e.
Channeling
2. Which of the following statements about the importance of communication is true?
a.
Many of the basic management processes cannot be performed without effective
communications.
b.
Oral communication is the most important skill for college graduates who are entering the
work force.
c.
Poor communication skill is the single most important reason that people do not advance
in their careers.
d.
Communication is especially important for top managers.
e.
All of these statements about the importance of communication are true.
3. ____ is the process by which individuals attend to, organize, interpret, and retain information from
their environments.
a.
Active hearing
b.
Passive listening
c.
Perception
d.
Apprehension
e.
Participative communication
4. In the perceptual process, ____ is the process of noticing or becoming aware of particular stimuli.
a.
retention
b.
organization
c.
interpretation
d.
attention
e.
activation
5. In the perceptual process, ____ is the process of remembering interpreted information.
a.
apprehension
b.
organization
c.
interpretation
d.
retention
e.
activation
6. In the perceptual process, ____ is the process of incorporating new information into your existing
knowledge.
a.
comprehension
b.
organization
c.
interpretation
d.
retention
e.
attention
7. In the perceptual process, ____ is the process of attaching meaning to new knowledge.
a.
attention
b.
organization
c.
interpretation
d.
definition
e.
retention
8. Which of the following statements about perception and perceptual filters is true?
a.
People pay attention to similar things.
b.
People organize and interpret what they pay attention to similarly.
c.
People remember things similarly.
d.
People are unaffected by differences in stimuli.
e.
People perceive according to personality-, psychology-, and experience-based filters.
9. Because of ____, people exposed to the same information will often disagree about what they saw or
heard.
a.
defensive biases
b.
feedback variables
c.
differences in communication media
d.
perceptual filters
e.
communications deviations
10. Product placement (the use of branded products by characters in films and TV shows in return for a fee
paid by the brand’s owner) is commonplace today. Several news agencies have done extensive reports
on the common practice. How often have you seen a character drinking a brand of soda, going to shop
at a named retail outlet, or using some branded electronics equipment? If you haven’t noticed these
ads, you are probably experiencing:
a.
defensive biases
b.
feedback variables
c.
differences in communication media
d.
perceptual filters
e.
communications deviations
11. Perceptual filters may occur as the result of:
a.
stimulus-based differences
b.
physiology-based differences
c.
situation-contextual differences
d.
personality-based differences
e.
all of these
12. The steps in the basic perception process include all of the following EXCEPT:
a.
attention
b.
organization
c.
analysis
d.
interpretation
e.
retention
13. The steps in the perceptual process in order are:
a.
interpretation, attention, organization, action
b.
organization, attention, interpretation, retention
c.
attention, organization, interpretation, retention
d.
attention, interpretation, organization, retention
e.
attention, decision, intention, and action
14. The last step in the perceptual process is:
a.
interpretation
b.
retention
c.
attention
d.
organization
e.
action
15. ____ is the tendency to fill in gaps of missing information by assuming that what we don’t know is
consistent with what we already know.
a.
Selective perception
b.
Kinesics
c.
Closure
d.
Defensive bias
e.
Attribution
16. Marathon runner Mariah Li noticed the San Diego Zoo was prohibiting people in motorized
wheelchairs from viewing the zoo’s baby panda and saw nothing wrong with this policy. Tully Smythe,
who is wheelchair-bound, saw the notice and felt he was being discriminated against because he could
not use his wheelchair to access the panda site. This is an example of:
a.
selective perception
b.
kinesics
c.
faulty closure
d.
selective retention
e.
defensive biases
17. Robin has postponed getting her ears pierced for years even though she loves to wear earrings and is
convinced that jewelry manufacturers will not continue to produce clip-on earrings. When Robin was
told that her favorite store would no longer stock Coret brand clip-on earrings, she assumed that this
meant that Coret was no longer producing clip-on earrings even though that was not the case. ____ led
to Robin’s incorrect assumption.
a.
Selective perception
b.
Kinesics
c.
Closure
d.
Defensive bias
e.
Attribution
18. Mike is a big fan of all kinds of sports. As he walked past the snack room bulletin board, he was
excited to notice the company was sponsoring a softball team. Non-athletic Kenneth walks by the
same bulletin board at least three times every day and has yet to see the softball notice. The fact one
saw the notice and the other did not is due to:
a.
selective perception
b.
kinesics
c.
faulty closure
d.
selective retention
e.
defensive biases
19. ____ is the tendency to notice and accept objects and information consistent with our values, beliefs,
and expectations, while ignoring or screening out or not accepting inconsistent information.
a.
Selective perception
b.
Kinesics
c.
Closure
d.
Attribution
e.
The mirror effect
20. The retired founder of L. L. Bean spent much of his time sitting on a set of stairs where he could watch
customers coming and going to his store. He typically dressed in old pants, well-worn flannel shirts,
and a pair of muddy boots. Customers assumed he was a derelict. Those who recognized him thought
of him as a real character. He was seen differently by different people due to:
a.
attribution
b.
a defensive bias
c.
a reactive bias
d.
selective perception
e.
kinesics
21. Clyde is a hunter and a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and proudly displays its
decal on his truck. When he glimpsed a window decal on Don’s car, he thought, “Hey, Don is a
member of NRA, too.” Clyde correctly filled in the words on the decal by relating the shape and color
of the decal to the decal he was familiar with. Clyde used ____ to fill in missing information.
a.
a reactive bias
b.
closure
c.
selective reception
d.
paraperception
e.
a defensive bias
22. According to attribution theory, ____ makes managers more likely to attribute workers problems or
failures to internal causes than to external causes.
a.
closure
b.
the defensive bias
c.
the self-serving bias
d.
the fundamental attribution error
e.
kinesics
23. According to attribution theory, we use two general reasons or attributions to explain people’s
behavior. They are:
a.
formalized and non-formalized attributions
b.
self-serving and defensive attributions
c.
objective and subjective attributions
d.
internal and external attributions
e.
centralized and decentralized attributions
24. According to attribution theory, the defensive bias makes workers more likely to attribute their
performance problems to:
a.
situational causes
b.
personal causes
c.
an internal locus of control
d.
the absence of unity of command
e.
none of these
25. The ____ states that we all have a basic need to understand and explain the causes of other people’s
behavior.
a.
attribution theory
b.
behavioral reflection theory
c.
theory of causality
d.
principle of consideration
e.
theory of empathetic reinforcement
26. Renovation of a street and sidewalk was supposed to be finished in October. Wet weather prolonged
the rebuilding until the middle of December. Local retailers blamed the city for low holiday sales. If
you agree with this analysis of why sales were poor, then you:
a.
are experiencing the halo effect
b.
do not believe in attribution theory
c.
have a defensive bias
d.
have a reactive bias
e.
are experiencing perceptual empathy
27. Lopez was injured at work when a warehouse shelving unit fell on him. According to attribution
theory, his co-workers would be guilty of a(n) ____ if they assumed the accident was due to the
shelves being improperly anchored to the wall.
a.
fundamental attribution error
b.
reactive perception error
c.
error of culpability
d.
proactive perceptual error
e.
defensive bias
28. Karl was injured at work when a shelving unit fell on him. According to the attribution theory, his
employer would be committing a(n) ____ if he thought Karl was completely responsible for the
accident because Karl was trying to reach an item on a high shelf by climbing on the shelving unit
rather than using a ladder.
a.
fundamental attribution error
b.
reactive perception error
c.
error of culpability
d.
proactive perceptual error
e.
primary perceptual oversight
29. When Zaid’s workgroup received a subpar review, he was angry with the other group members for
ruining his incredible ideas with their lackluster input. This is an example of __________.
a.
a defensive bias
b.
a self-serving bias
c.
the fundamental attribution error
d.
extrinsic reinforcers
e.
closure
30. When things go wrong in the workplace, workers are more likely to attribute their problems to ____,
while managers are more likely to attribute those same workers’ problems to ____.
a.
extrinsic reinforcers; intrinsic reinforcers
b.
external causes; internal causes
c.
the fundamental attribution error; the defensive bias
d.
the fundamental attribution error; the self-serving bias
e.
internal causes; external causes
31. Someone experiencing a(n) ____ would be likely to take any negative criticism of his or her
department personally.
a.
empowerment bias
b.
error of culpability
c.
fundamental attribution error
d.
reactive error of perception
e.
proactive error of perception
32. ____ is the tendency to overestimate our value by attributing successes to ourselves (internal causes)
and attributing failures to others or the environment (external causes).
a.
Closure
b.
A defensive bias
c.
A self-serving bias
d.
The fundamental attribution error
e.
Overreward
33. In the model of the communication process, ____ occurs when a message is put into a written, verbal,
or symbolic form that can be recognized and understood by the receiver.
a.
encoding
b.
decoding
c.
transmission
d.
feedback
e.
receiving
34. Jergen Lindegaart is the chief executive of SAS Scandinavian Airlines. When he explained to
stockholders why SAS was withdrawing from a joint venture with BMI British Midland, a United
Kingdom company, he was engaged in:
a.
encoding
b.
feedback preparation
c.
feedforward
d.
selective filtering
e.
decoding
35. In the model of the communication process, ____ makes senders aware of possible
miscommunications and enables them to continue communicating until the receiver understands the
intended message.
a.
encoding
b.
noise
c.
transmission
d.
feedback
e.
the communication medium
36. The crew renovating the downtown area accidentally dug up the sidewalk belonging to the First
Methodist Church because they understood that all sidewalks were to be replaced. The crew was
actually supposed to replace all city-owned sidewalks. In terms of the communication process, the
crew members engaged in:
a.
selective perception
b.
incorrect decoding
c.
improper encoding
d.
negative feedback
e.
noise filtering
37. The crew renovating the downtown area accidentally dug up the sidewalk belonging to the First
Methodist Church because they understood that all sidewalks were to be replaced. The crew was
actually supposed to replace all city-owned sidewalks. In terms of the communications process:
a.
noise prevented communication
b.
negative feedback occurred
c.
unreinforced communication resulted
d.
the city was guilty of a poor communication conduit
e.
selective encoding occurred
38. Noise can occur when:
a.
the sender isn’t sure of what message to communicate
b.
the receiver doesn’t have the time to understand the message
c.
the message is not decoded properly
d.
the message is not encoded properly
e.
any of these occur
39. Spending money on product placement (the use of branded products by characters in films and TV
shows in return for a fee paid by the brand’s owner) may not be as effective as the advertisers hope
because what is occurring on the show or what the characters are saying may prevent the advertising
message from being received. In other words, the communication process used for product placement
can be interrupted by:
a.
encoding
b.
noise
c.
transmission
d.
feedback
e.
the communication medium
40. The ____ is the mistaken assumption that senders can pipe their intended messages directly into the
heads of receivers with perfect clarity and without noise or perceptual filters interfering with the
receivers’ understanding of the message.
a.
communication selection error
b.
decoding attribution error
c.
conduit metaphor
d.
encoding bias
e.
theory of passive listening
41. The conduit metaphor is a false assumption that:
a.
noise does not have to exist if the communication channel is properly designed
b.
communication channels can transmit error-free messages
c.
encoding and decoding processes will match if the individuals communicating have the
same cultural and social backgrounds
d.
perceptual filters will not interfere with the receivers’ understanding of the message
e.
a defensive bias can be controlled by using open communication channels
42. Real estate brokers have always had a dilemma about trying to save money and still getting as much
information as possible in their newspaper ads. One newspaper ad read, “2,500 sf on a c-d-s, 2BR,
2.5BA, CA, spac grt rm w/ wbfp, grmet kit, det gar.” The _____ used in the ad may have prevented
some potential home buyers from responding to the ad.
a.
encoded message
b.
negative feedback
c.
jargon
d.
transmission methodology
e.
response mechanism
43. The ____ is the system of official channels that carry organizationally approved messages and
information.
a.
downward communication channel
b.
upward communication channel
c.
horizontal communication channel
d.
formal communication channel
e.
informal communication channel
44. The three formal communication channels in organizations are categorized as:
a.
downward, horizontal, and upward
b.
hierarchical, functional, and organizational
c.
horizontal, vertical, and grapevine
d.
upward, dyadic, and downward
e.
vertical, horizontal, and dyadic
45. Dieter Zetsche is the chief executive of DaimlerChrysler. When he explained to unionized employees
why the company had to reduce its healthcare coverage for its employees, he was engaged in ____
communication.
a.
upward
b.
dyadic
c.
horizontal
d.
downward
e.
functional
46. Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest financial service providers, wanted to develop a customer-focused
sales and service culture. To do this, it established a toll-free telephone line, which provided
employees with a direct feedback channel. Its goal was to promote two-way communication and
sustain a dialogue between frontline employees and the executive team throughout the change process.
This is an example of a(n)______ communication channel.
a.
downward
b.
upward
c.
horizontal
d.
formal
e.
informal
47. When Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest financial service providers, wanted to develop a
customer-focused sales and service culture, it avoided information overload by limiting the number of
communication vehicles used. An executive team developed the plan through the use of ____
communication.
a.
upward
b.
dyadic
c.
horizontal
d.
downward
e.
functional
48. When Scotiabank, one of Canada’s largest financial service providers, wanted to develop a
customer-focused sales and service culture, it avoided information overload by limiting the number of
communication vehicles used. Top management developed the main messages, which were
consistently communicated to all levels of employees throughout the organization. This is an example
of a(n) ____ communication channel.
a.
downward
b.
upward
c.
horizontal
d.
formal
e.
informal
49. Mark Buckley, the CEO of Staples, gave a speech where he explained to employees how the retailer
was going to use solar panels to generate about 20 percent of the power the stores need to operate.
Buckley was engaged in __________ communication.
a.
upward
b.
dyadic
c.
horizontal
d.
downward
e.
functional
50. Hot Topic is a fast-growing clothing chain targeted to the alternative teen demographic. Hot Topic’s
former CEO Betsy McLaughlin relied on her employees to locate new trends. McLaughlin consulted
with her employees almost daily for suggestions on what the stores should carry. After attending an
Insane Clown Posse concert, an employee suggested the stores should carry Faygo soda (the kind the
band sprays on audience members during a concert). The employee’s suggestion was an example of
____ communication.
a.
upward
b.
dyadic
c.
horizontal
d.
downward
e.
functional
51. W. L. Gore is the company that created Gore-Tex among many other innovative products. Gore
employees (known as associates) don’t have titles or bosses in the traditional sense. Instead, associates
make commitments to work on projects that they believe are most worthy of their time. As a result of
doing away with traditional titles, the company encourages more ____ communication.
a.
upward
b.
dyadic
c.
horizontal
d.
downward
e.
hierarchical
52. How can managers improve formal communications?
a.
by being aware of the problems associated with grapevine communication
b.
by setting up intranet chatrooms
c.
by decreasing the use of one-way communications
d.
by encouraging much greater use of horizontal communication
e.
by using reinforcement theory to eliminate gossip
53. The hurried communication of vague, unclear messages is a common problem associated with ____
communication.
a.
downward
b.
upward
c.
horizontal
d.
informal
e.
dyadic
54. The issuing of contradictory messages is a common problem associated with __________
communication.
a.
horizontal
b.
upward
c.
downward
d.
dyadic
e.
informal communication
55. An angry and defensive managerial reaction is a common problem associated with ____
communication.
a.
downward
b.
upward
c.
dyadic
d.
informal
e.
horizontal
56. The news provided by the military to soldiers serving in Vietnam was sometimes censored. Thirsting
for uncensored news and music, ambitious GIs put to use the abundance of available communications
equipment and became Vietnam’s underground radio pirates. The pirate stations used military
communications equipment instead of commercial broadcast equipment to pass along advice,
information, and support not communicated by upper echelon military personnel. Soldiers in the field
could hear the broadcasts on their field radios. This would be an example of a(n) ____ communication
channel.
a.
downward
b.
upward
c.
horizontal
d.
formal
e.
informal