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REVIEW QUESTIONS & SUGGESTED ANSWERS
1 When a manager says to the sales staff, “Let’s try to make budget this year,” what are
some of the possible metacommunications?
Some possible metacommunications are as follows: “You didn’t make budget last year, but try to
1. What roles do culture and gender play in nonverbal communication?
Nonverbal messages have different meanings from culture to culture, and men and women from the
2. How is the activity of listening impacted by the particular situation?
3. Discuss six bad listening habits. Which do you think is the biggest challenge for you
personally?
4. What is a possible cause of most conflict between or among groups?
5. How are a group and a team different?
6. Discuss how a flat organizational structure affects communication.
7. What are some factors to consider in deciding whether to hold a face-to-face meeting or
an electronic meeting?
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
1
8. Why do some teams never reach the highest stage of team development? What can be
done to overcome the obstacles to peak team performance?
Teams fail to reach the highest performance stage because of lack in one or more of the 4 C’s:
9. Why are records such as agendas and minutes important to group success?
10. Review suggestions for making meetings more effective? Provide examples, if possible,
from your own experience.
FEATURED ASSIGNMENTS
1Assessing the Professional Value of Interpersonal and Group Communication Skills:
2Metacommunication: Keep a journal over a period of two to five days that records events
11. Cultural Differences in Nonverbal Behaviors: Choose a specific country, such as Argentina,
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
2
12. Perceptions of Nonverbal Behaviors: Find and observe a speaker. Good sources are television
interviews or speeches or speeches on the internet or You-Tube. Identify and analyze the
speaker’s nonverbal communication. Describe how these nonverbal behaviors affected your
perceptions of the speaker. For example, did you like the person? Why or why not? (Please
remember to focus on his or her nonverbal communication.) Did you trust the person and
believe what he or she had to say? Was he or she interesting? Why or why not?
13. Identifying Deterrents to Group Success: In small groups, discuss negative group situations in
which you have participated. These groups could be related to school, organizations, sports
teams, performing groups, etc. Referring to the chapter information, identify reasons for each
group’s lack of success. Make a list of the most common problems identified in the team.
Compare your list with that of other small groups in the class.
14. Analyzing Group and Team Experiences: As a team, visit the website of the Institute for
Performance Culture at http://teaming-up.com. From the Free Resources menu tab, click on
“Are you a True Team?” and together take the survey. Some of the items may not relate to your
short-term project team but will provide you with ideas of issues faced in real-world work
teams. Discuss the evaluation report produced from your survey. Send your instructor an email
message, summarizing what your team survey revealed and how you will use the information to
improve your team performance.
When student teams take this survey, ask them to click the “Next” tab at the end of the survey.
15. Boosting Team Effectiveness: Research and read a selection of three articles on corporate
teambuilding activities. In class, get into groups of three to five individuals and share the
activities you’ve read about. Then, determine which of the activities has the most potential for
building a high-performance team.
Summarize group responses for class discussion. Responses should focus on addition of off-site
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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16. Documenting Meeting Activities: Attend a meeting of an organization of your choice, obtain a
copy of the agenda, and prepare minutes of the meeting. Submit your meeting documentation in
class.
17. Analyzing a Meeting for Effective Behaviors: Attend a meeting of an organization of your
choice. Compare the activities of the attended meeting with the “Suggestions for Effective
Meetings” presented in the chapter. Email your instructor, describing the meeting attended and
summarizing how well the meeting reflected the chapter suggestions and how it might have
been more effective.
18. Groupthink: Recall a time when a group of which you were a member suffered from
groupthink. How did you handle it? Were you swept up and afraid to voice a contrary opinion,
or did you speak out with an alternative idea or solution? Email your examples and reactions to
your instructor.
ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS
1Nonverbal expressions: Generate a list of phrases and nonverbal expressions peculiar to their
culture that groups from another culture might not understand. Identify any conflict situations
that could arise from the misinterpretation of the collectively understood terms. Consider also
how group norms play a part in the understanding of collective culture. Be prepared to present
one item from your list as the topic for a 5-minute presentation to the class.
2Communicating Nonverbally in a Job Interview: Locate an article on the internet or on one of
your library’s databases that gives useful suggestions for ensuring that your nonverbal
behavior in a job interview makes a favorable impression.
Expand the list of recommended nonverbal messages and their interpretations. Share your list with
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
4
Additions to the positive behavior list might include:
Using a firm handshake—I am confident in myself and my abilities.
Additions to the negative behavior list might include:
Standing while everyone else is sitting—I am better than you; I have authority over you.
19. Locating Information on Nonverbal Communication in Other Cultures: Locate one or more
articles from library databases or the Internet that discuss nonverbal communication in various
cultures. Compile a list of body language and behaviors that have different meanings among
cultures. Discuss how ignorance of these differences might affect interpersonal communication.
20. Communicating with Diverse Cultures: Choose a culture that differs from your own then
describe your beliefs, attitudes and perceptions about that culture. Now conduct internet
research or interview someone from that culture to find out more about it and its values, beliefs
and practices. After learning more about the culture, what misperceptions did you hold about
it? How might this knowledge help you to improve your communication with people from this
culture?
21. Analyzing Limitations of Electronic Communications: Consider a distance learning
conference or course in which you have participated. How were nonverbal communication,
listening, and other factors different from what you have experienced in traditional class
settings? How do your experiences relate to the conducting of electronic meetings?
22. Maximizing the Effectiveness of Virtual Teams: Consider the significance of this statement
“Certain personality types are more likely to thrive in the virtual team experience.” Develop a
list of personality attributes that would enable a person to work effectively as part of a virtual
team. In a short written or oral report, share your list, justifying your selections with facts and
references.
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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23. Using Instant Messaging (Chat) to Communicate: Following directions from your instructor,
participate in an online chat with your class about one of the following topics: (a) how to
overcome listening barriers, or (b) guidelines for effective group communication.
CASE ASSIGNMENT
The case for Chapter highlights how eBay is using new concepts in improving customer
satisfaction, promoting teamwork, and performing in the global marketplace to become a company
where $1,400 worth of goods are traded every second.
Growing faster in its first decade than any other enterprise in the history of capitalism,
eBay has exploded as a global online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers 24/7. Founded in
1995, eBay now conducts more transactions every day than the Nasdaq Stock Market and has
annual revenues of more than $4 billion.
EBAY CONNECTS A WORLDWIDE MARKET
EBay has become a marketing phenomenon. It has empowered people to create their own
businesses and has changed the way people think about junk they once might have sold at garage
sales. More importantly, it has demonstrated that trust between strangers can be established over the
Internet. According to eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy, “The Internet has leveled the playing field in
terms of commerce, allowing individuals, small business, and big corporations to all compete
against each other.” As it redefines consumer culture, the tremendously successful auction site stirs
debate over its impact on society. Is it a portal to a new, global society? Does it elevate materialism
above all other belief systems? Does it define who we are as a society?
Growing faster in its first decade than any other enterprise in the history of capitalism,
eBay has exploded as a global online marketplace connecting buyers and sellers 24/7. Founded in
1995, eBay now conducts more transactions every day than the Nasdaq Stock Market and has
annual revenues of more than $4 billion. In the 1990s, people thought e-commerce would be
dominated by big players, but instead the last decade has produced a market driven by individuals
and small businesses.
Nearly 160 million registered users in 33 markets can scan 55 million items at any time,
and about $1,400 worth of goods are traded on the site every second. eBay has also created jobs,
with more than 724,000 Americans saying they earn all or most of their income selling goods online
through eBay. The site has provided people with the opportunity to start their own businesses at
reduced costs by using eBay to buy needed equipment and to sell their goods.
Founder and chairman, Pierre Omidyar, acknowledges that running eBay has never been just about
managing employees. It’s also about guiding and understanding the ever-growing community of
eBay sellers. eBay is known for listening to its customers. The company’s feedback system allows
buyers and sellers to evaluate each other based on the quality of their dealings. PayPal, the part of
eBay that allows individual sellers to accept credit card payments, was a direct result of customer
demand; in the near future, eBay listings, which are now static web pages, will have sound and
video.
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
6
EBay continues to expand worldwide. In about 15 percent of current transactions, the buyer
and seller are in different countries. With this ratio steadily increasing, eBay has a tremendous
power to connect the Third World with the industrialized world. Omidyar says that the most
significant lesson demonstrated by eBay is “the remarkable fact that millions of people have
learned that they can trust a complete stranger. That’s had an incredible social impact. People have
more in common than they think.” To be effective in the ever-changing environment of business,
you will need to have an understanding of human behavior and its influences on organizational and
group communication.
Since Meg Whitman joined eBay as CEO in 1998, revenues have exploded, and eBay has
become a household word throughout much of the world. Meg Whitman had never even heard of
eBay when she agreed to interview. She hoped her headhunter would call back with something
more promising. Little did she know that the firm she had never heard of would become one of
history’s fastest growing companies with her at its helm.
Under her democratic leadership, the collective intelligence and enthusiasm of 160 million
customers determine and drive the daily actions of the company’s 9,300 employees. “At eBay, it’s a
collaborative network. You are truly in partnership with the community of users. The key is
connecting employees and customers in two-way communication. We call it “The Power of Us.”
A key belief underlying Whitman’s leadership is that people are basically good and can be
trusted. A second of her guiding principles for management is to never assume you know more than
the marketplace or community, because you don’t. To learn more about the growing community of
Chinese Internet users, Whitman has made several trips to China, listening and trying to understand
how the country actually works.
It’s debatable as to whether great leaders are born or bred, and in Whitman’s case the
mystery continues. Following completion of an MBA at Harvard, Whitman began her career in
brand management at Procter & Gamble, where she learned to always put the customer first.
Through holding positions with several other firms before joining eBay, including Bain, Disney,
StrideRite, and Hasbro, Whitman learned how to get things done in places where she was not well
known or well established. This required listening, learning, collaboration, and building business
relationships. She credits Disney’s late president and chief operating officer, Frank Wells, with
teaching her the importance of executive humility.
Although nurturing, no one mistakes Whitman’s sensitivity for weakness. In fact, she is a
strong believer in maintaining boundaries. An example is her decision to ban the sale of weapons on
eBay. According to Tom Tierney, eBay director, “Meg is a hybrid, and that’s the model for the
future, a decisive general manager with an open-minded influencer.” In 2004, The Wall Street
Journal and CNBC recognized Meg Whitman’s unusual talent by naming her as the business leader
of the future; and in the same year, Fortune named her the most powerful woman in American
business. Whitman sums up her leadership philosophy simply: “Executive leadership is a span of
influence, not of control.”
Sources: Johnson, K. S. (2005, October 21). eBay exec at Tech Week for e-commerce pep talk. The Denver Post, p. C-03;
Meyers, W. (2005, October 31). Keeping a gentle grip on power. U.S. News & World Report, 139(16), 78; Shapiro, S.
(2005, September 4). If everything is for sale, what does it say about us? Internet auction site eBay is both sacred and
profane—and distinctly American. The Baltimore Sun, p. 7F; Maney, K. (2005, March 22). 10 years ago, eBay changed
the world, sort of by accident. USA Today, p. 1B; Meyers, W. (2005, October 31).
Questions
1 Explain what Meg Whitman means by “The Power of Us.”
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
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24. What factors contributed to the leadership style exhibited by Whitman?
25. What does “executive humility” mean?
© 2015 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a
publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
8
