Deck 11: Communication in the Work Place

Question 1

The sender in the communication process is also called

A) the communicator.
B) the encoder.
C) the decoder.
D) the comcon.

Answer 1

the encoder.

Question 2

The common uses of nonverbal communication include

A) to impair the communication process.
B) to confuse listeners.
C) to convey underlying feelings.
D) All of the above

Answer 2

to convey underlying feelings.

Question 3

"Noise" in the communication process refers to

A) competing conversations.
B) loud machinery.
C) selective attention.
D) All of the above

Answer 3

All of the above

Question 4

Research indicates that most organizations do not have enough

A) downward communication.
B) reverse communication.
C) written communication.
D) lateral communication.
E) All of the above

Question 5

Characteristics of the sender that influence the effectiveness of a communication are called

A) channel factors.
B) sender factors.
C) source factors.
D) audience factors.

Question 6

Source factors that may influence communication effectiveness include

A) semantic problems.
B) attention span.
C) believability.
D) All of the above

Question 7

Common channel factors which may influence communication include

A) credibility.
B) semantic problems.
C) encoding skills.
D) the relationship between the sender and the receiver.

Question 8

Downward communication may take several forms, including

A) instructions concerning job performance.
B) information about organizational procedures.
C) feedback concerning job performance.
D) All of the above

Question 9

One type of downward communication that is often lacking in many organizations is

A) job descriptions.
B) feedback concerning work performance.
C) information about work procedures and the operating status of the organization.
D) All of the above

Question 10

Encoding involves

A) the selection of the recipient of a message.
B) different processes depending on the type of communication network.
C) the selection of a shared code as a means of communication.
D) All of the above

Question 11

Which of the following communication channels is less likely to be misunderstood?

A) Written channels
B) Face-to-face communications
C) Telephone channels
D) Communication channels do not differ in levels of misunderstanding.

Question 12

Elements related to the receiver that may influence the communication process are called

A) decoder factors.
B) decoding factors.
C) audience factors.
D) receipt factors.

Question 13

Which of the following is an advantage of the use of a telephone as a communication channel?

A) It involves personal contact.
B) It permits questions and answers.
C) It involves convenient timing.
D) It lessens the impact of status and/or power.
E) All of the above are advantages of the telephone as a communication channel.

Question 14

The communication process typically proceeds as follows:

A) encoding, channel selection, feedback, decoding.
B) channel selection, encoding, decoding, message receipt.
C) encoding, message receipt, decoding, feedback.
D) encoding, channel selection, decoding, feedback.

Question 15

All of the following are types of nonverbal communication except

A) style of dress.
B) terms of endearment.
C) posture.
D) physical attractiveness.

Question 16

A primary function of jargon is to

A) speed up communication.
B) differentiate between "insiders" and "outsiders."
C) shorten the length of messages.
D) All of the above

Question 17

Communication in work organizations

A) is an ongoing process.
B) takes many forms.
C) is extremely complex.
D) All of the above

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true of source credibility?

A) Highly credible sources are also highly skilled.
B) Source credibility does not affect the effectiveness of communication.
C) Receivers may pay close attention to the messages of credible sources.
D) All of the above

Question 19

Research suggests that

A) managers are indicating a growing preference for e-mail as a communication method.
B) managers are indicating a growing preference for formal written reports as a communication method.
C) managers are indicating a growing preference for face-to-face communication.
D) None of the above

Question 20

Communication begins with

A) a message.
B) a nonverbal gesture.
C) the sender.
D) the receiver.

Question 21

Lateral communication in organizations is particularly important when

A) coworkers are competing for the same reward/goal.
B) work groups must manage themselves.
C) coworkers must coordinate their activities in order to accomplish a goal.
D) managers are responsible for many different workers and their performance.

Question 22

Which of the following networks is fastest and makes fewer errors in dealing with simple repetitive tasks?

A) The circle network
B) The wheel network
C) The all-channel network
D) The comcon network

Question 23

Which of the following types of messages are least likely to contain distortion?

A) Written messages
B) Spoken messages
C) Lateral communications
D) Upward communications

Question 24

In the XYZ company, a new employment policy is established by the Executive Council, which sends a memo to the Vice President of Human Resources. The V.P. then communicates the message to the Manager of Employee, who shares the information with all Human Resource workers. This is an example of which kind of communication network?

A) The circle network
B) The Y network
C) The wheel network
D) The all-channel network

Question 25

The "MUM effect" is a type of

A) nonverbal communication.
B) exaggeration.
C) censoring.
D) filtering.

Question 26

Distortions disrupt communication effectiveness

A) by eliminating or changing key aspects of the message.
B) by confusing the sender and the receiver.
C) because they incorporate too much nonverbal communication.
D) All of the above

Question 27

Filtering may occur in organizational communication because

A) management fears the impact of complete messages on workers.
B) information is perceived as unimportant by lower-level workers.
C) work groups are highly cooperative.
D) All of the above

Question 28

Research has indicated that non-central members in centralized communication networks have

A) low levels of satisfaction.
B) high levels of satisfaction.
C) higher levels of satisfaction than members in decentralized networks.
D) the same level of satisfaction as members in decentralized networks.

Question 29

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of an all-channel communication network?

A) Employees work together as a team.
B) There is maximum opportunity for feedback.
C) All members are accessible to one another.
D) Communication is quite slow.

Question 30

Centralized networks may have difficulty solving complex problems because

A) information flows too quickly.
B) individuals in central positions are subject to information overload.
C) the status hierarchy stifles individual creativity.
D) no one is directing the flow of communication.

Question 31

Upward communication of feedback is particularly critical for

A) managers.
B) lower-level clerical workers.
C) human resource employee.
D) None of the above

Question 32

Decentralized networks are better than centralized networks at dealing with

A) simple, repetitive tasks.
B) assembly work.
C) abstract problem solving.
D) All of the above

Question 33

Which of the following factors does NOT affect the flow of organizational communication?

A) Job assignments and duties
B) The proximity of workers to one another
C) Established rules governing communication
D) All of the above affect the flow of organizational communication.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT true regarding decentralized communication networks?

A) Communication can originate at any point in the network.
B) Communication patterns are not typically controlled by members' status.
C) Flow of information is directed through specific network members.
D) The network is controlled by workers' proximity to one another.

Question 35

Upward communication by subordinates may be limited in organizations because

A) workers fear that negative information may reflect poorly on their abilities.
B) managers do not usually ask subordinates for information.
C) workers may feel that management will not listen to their suggestions.
D) All of the above

Question 36

The __________ network represents communication between members who are immediately accessible to each other.

A) chain
B) Y
C) comcon
D) circle

Question 37

Downward communication may be insufficient in some organizations because

A) superiors may overestimate the amount of information that their subordinates possess.
B) lower-level employees do not want or need much information from upper-level employees.
C) subordinates may not be able to understand technical information used by superiors.
D) All of the above

Question 38

Which of the following communication networks represents a status hierarchy?

A) The chain network
B) The circle network
C) The comcon network
D) None of the above

Question 39

Which of the following has been found by research to influence the tendency to distort a communication?

A) Degree of trust in the receiver
B) Communication channel
C) The direction of organizational communication
D) All of the above

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT an example of distortion through exaggeration?

A) Elaborating certain aspects of a message
B) Leaving out entire aspects of a message
C) Overestimating certain aspects of a message
D) Minimizing certain aspects of a message

Question 41

Explain the various barriers to the effective flow of organizational communication.

Question 42

Which of the following terms does NOT apply to the organizational grapevine?

A) Efficiency
B) The organigram
C) The sociogram
D) None of the above applies to the organizational grapevine.

Question 43

Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of three different communication channels.

Question 44

In studying informal communication networks,

A) workers are surveyed to determine which organizational members they typically interact with.
B) workers are observed as they complete they daily activities.
C) workers keep journals or diaries to document their regular daily communication.
D) the organizational chart is used to determine regular patterns of communication.

Question 45

Serving as a communication source is linked to increased levels of job satisfaction.

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a positive effect of the grapevine?

A) It relays information through established organizational communication patterns.
B) It meets the social communication needs of employees.
C) It can play a part in reducing absenteeism and turnover.
D) It encourages the development of organizational commitment.

Question 47

Define the communication process, including the influence of source, channel, and audience
factors.

Question 48

A diagram of informal communication lines among work group or organizational members is called a(n)

A) organigram.
B) organizational chart.
C) sociogram.
D) communigram.

Question 49

Describe downward, upward, and lateral communication in a work organization.

Question 50

The organizational grapevine provides

A) a quick way to transmit messages.
B) opportunities for workers to meet social interaction needs.
C) a sense of unity and commitment among workers.
D) All of the above

Question 51

Which statement is NOT true regarding rumors?

A) Rumors in organizations are usually true.
B) Rumors in organizations are usually false.
C) Rumors can be the result of wishful thinking by workers.
D) Rumors can be the result of employee speculation.

Question 52

Generally, the lower the organizational status of the sender, the more likely that the
communication will be listened to and acted upon.

Question 53

Which of the following statements is NOT true concerning organizational communication?

A) More is usually better.
B) It is not important to job performance.
C) It can sometimes interfere with effective job performance.
D) Most organizations lack an adequate degree of upward communication.

Question 54

Discuss the organizational grapevine, including its benefits and costs to the organization.

Question 55

Mary wants the Vice President of her company to know about the sudden resignation of one of her colleagues, but she knows that it will take several days for the information to pass through channels. Mary mentions the information to the office secretary, because she knows that the office secretary has lunch everyday with the V.P.'s secretary. Which of the following factors assures that the message will be sent through the grapevine?

A) Friendship
B) Usage
C) Efficiency
D) All of the above

Question 56

Generally, the encoding skills of the sender have little effect on the effectiveness of
communication.

Question 57

Compare and contrast centralized and decentralized communication networks, including examples of each.

Question 58

When false rumors occur in organizations, the best strategy may be

A) to provide accurate information through the grapevine.
B) to provide accurate information through formal channels of communication.
C) to provide accurate information through the grapevine and through formal channels.
D) to pinpoint the source of the rumors and reorganize the communication network.

Question 59

The "snowball effect" describes

A) the general lack of absenteeism among satisfied workers.
B) individual employees who receive a great deal of information from upper levels in an organization.
C) workers who quit their jobs in clusters.
D) the flow of lateral and downward communication in the organization.

Question 60

The effective flow of communication can break down at many points.

Question 61

Explain the relationship between organizational communication effectiveness and organizational performance.