Q&A Hero

Q: In 2009, the global economy began shrinking for the first time since World War II. A) True B) False

Q: The concept of concertive control makes it increasingly difficult to hold on to the idea that organizational elites (i.e., managers) shape organizational processes and practices to support their own interests at the expense of other employees. A) True B) False

Q: Critical theorizing actively questions the status quo. A) True B) False

Q: Critical approaches are often praised as taking a pro-profit approach. A) True B) False

Q: Critical theorists believe that employees must practice more personal responsibility in order to avoid workplace accidents. A) True B) False

Q: Critical theorists gather interpretive data but refuse to comment on issues of race, class, and gender to create a neutral speaking ground. A) True B) False

Q: Resistance operates only through small-scale efforts. A) True B) False

Q: Ideologies are always neutral. A) True B) False

Q: Over time, myths, stories, and metaphors can come to define appropriate behavior and may suspend employees' critical thinking. A) True B) False

Q: Which of the following organizations is known for the "LUV story" that they have created? A) Bank of America B) Hallmark Greeting Cards C) Southwest Airlines D) Google

Q: Most people think of a "real" job as one that involves A) earning good wages. B) producing something tangible. C) doing something that makes a difference. D) working somewhere long enough to get a raise.

Q: Which of the following concepts is not one of the four functions of ideology? A) Representing sectional interests as universal B) Reification C) Making power transparent D) Control

Q: Mentors and charismatic leaders are most likely to embody which of the following types of power? A) Expert B) Legitimate C) Reward D) Referent

Q: Which of the following concepts do critical scholars believe has the most potential to lead to increased exploitation of vulnerable populations? A) Progressive capitalism B) Organizational power C) Unchecked globalization D) Hegemony

Q: Although individuals often uphold democratic principles when it comes to systems of government, they are more than willing to leave those democratic ideals at the door when it comes to the workplace. Which of the following functions of ideology helps explain this point? A) Ideology naturalizes the present through reification. B) Ideology functions as a form of control. C) Ideology denies system contradictions. D) Ideology represents individual interests to be universal.

Q: When individuals distance themselves from organizational power, they are said to be engaging in A) ideologies. B) resistance. C) power plays. D) storytelling.

Q: Which of the following is not a critical mode of being? A) Being filled with care B) Being filled with thought C) Being filled with good humor D) Being filled with community

Q: The Internet has become a valuable tool for organizing grassroots campaigns against corporate domination. The Internet is an example of what Ganesh, Zoller, and Cheney would call A) global transformation. B) resistance. C) critical organizational theorizing. D) employee dissent.

Q: Borrowing heavily from French philosopher Michel Foucault, many critical scholars now view power as operating primarily in and through A) dialogue. B) bureaucracy. C) discourse. D) discipline.

Q: Even when individuals are given the chance to be creative and to self-organize, they often reproduce systems where they police themselves through things such as arbitrary rules and burdensome systems of accountability. Which of the following concepts best illustrates this process? A) Concertive control B) Progressive capitalism C) Critical organizational theorizing D) Manufactured consent

Q: The old social contract idealized A) individual commitment. B) hard work. C) loyalty. D) All of the options are correct.

Q: An organizational myth about which of the following individuals suggests that anyone can "make it" in the workplace, regardless of his or her background? A) Karl Marx B) Donald Trump C) Horatio Alger D) Michel Foucault

Q: Which of the following concepts demonstrates the process of "forgetting" that socially constructed meanings have actually been socially constructed? A) Hegemony B) Reification C) Ideology D) Progressive capitalism

Q: Which economic strategy occurred between the Industrial Revolution and the early 1970s and is characterized by corporate and individual growth in economic well-being? A) Marxism B) Communism C) Taylorism D) Progressive capitalism

Q: A significant number of U.S. employees cite work as a growing source of A) creativity. B) stress. C) achievement. D) security.

Q: Critical theory first emerged in response to unfair working conditions during which of the following eras of history? A) The Renaissance B) The Victorian period C) PostIndustrial Revolution D) Post-9/11

Q: What type of narrative often reveals the beliefs and values of a culture and tells the stories of legendary heroes, of good and evil, and of origins and exits? A) Myths B) Ethnographies C) Metaphors D) Work-life narratives

Q: Jeremy Bentham's panopticon is a design for an ideal A) organization. B) computer system. C) highway system. D) prison.

Q: Critical organizational theory views power as A) transparent and worthy of critique. B) impossible to interrogate. C) hidden but pervasive. D) a sinister force.

Q: Which of the following systems of control was established to replace bureaucracy but is often more stringent and less forgiving than bureaucratic controls? A) Concertive control B) Manufactured consent C) Network control D) Critical control

Q: Which of the following concepts refers to the process of employees at all levels willingly adopting and enforcing the legitimate power of the organization, society, or system of capitalism? A) Progressive capitalism B) Manufactured consent C) Hidden power D) Hegemony

Q: Our basic, often unexamined assumptions about how things are or ought to be stem from our A) hegemony. B) work-life narratives. C) theoretical constructs. D) ideology.

Q: In French and Raven's types of social power, which type of power is based on the perception that certain behaviors will lead to punishments? A) Reward B) Coercive C) Legitimate D) Referent

Q: Critical approaches to organizational communication pose difficult and important questions about A) creating horizontal communication. B) increasing efficiency and effectiveness. C) the nature of power and control. D) promoting managerial sense making.

Q: What is Theory Z, and how does it relate to Theory X and Theory Y from previous chapters?

Q: How does the interpretive view differ from other views on organizational communication that have been presented in the text?

Q: Explain what the textbook means by organizational "culture." What elements make up a culture? Offer an example of an organization that has a distinct and unique culture based on these elements.

Q: Researchers can study an organization's values by looking at several elements, including formal documents, advertisements, websites, and even the layout of employee parking lots. A) True B) False

Q: Organizational cultures are examples of symbolic constructions. A) True B) False

Q: Anticipatory socialization usually gives people a very accurate idea of what a job will be like, and this impression is unchanged by organizational assimilation that takes place when they start working. A) True B) False

Q: The focus on heroes and heroines is an important element of organizational culture. A) True B) False

Q: Although there are seven elements of culture, the only one that scholars really study is metaphors. A) True B) False

Q: The interpretive view of organizational culture made the most significant move to recognize organizations as socially constructed. A) True B) False

Q: Organizational stories must be formally recorded in order to count as part of the organization's culture. A) True B) False

Q: The critical and postmodern views are the approaches to organizational culture that focus most on power. A) True B) False

Q: There are two general types of socialization: anticipatory socialization and organizational assimilation. A) True B) False

Q: Members of the communication field are very united in their views on organizational culture. A) True B) False

Q: From an ethnographic perspective, organizational activities such as office parties and softball games can be misleading when it comes to studying culture. A) True B) False

Q: Anticipatory socialization involves two parts: vocational socialization and organizational socialization. A) True B) False

Q: Rather than viewing culture as something that an organization has, interpretive scholars treat culture as something that an organization is. A) True B) False

Q: Much like other traditional research methods in the social sciences, ethnographic research discourages the researcher from being a participant observer. A) True B) False

Q: According to Joanne Martin, the fragmentation perspective views ambiguity as an inevitable part of organizational life. A) True B) False

Q: According to Peters and Waterman, which of the following makes top-performing companies succeed? A) Strong leaders B) Customers C) Managers and supervisors D) Front-line workers

Q: Which of the following metaphors does John Van Maanen use in his study of organizational culture at Disney? A) "Family tree" B) "Organizational drama" C) "Fantasy culture" D) "Smile factory"

Q: According to the text, when less experienced physicians are encouraged to "speak like a doctor," what else are they doing? A) Performing identity B) Communicating the values of the organization C) Acting as organizational heroes/heroines D) Becoming leaders

Q: The first known reference to organizational culture appeared in which of the following publications? A) The New York Times B) Management Communication Quarterly C) Administrative Science Quarterly D) Organizational Communication

Q: Organizational leaders like Mark Zuckerberg and the late Steve Jobs are often cited as innovative individuals who personify the values of their organizations. Which of the following elements of culture best describes why these men are held up as role models? A) They developed clear organizational values and rituals. B) They are regarded as organizational heroes. C) They are inspirational leaders. D) They are skilled organizational performers.

Q: The use of websites, intranets, chat groups, instant messages, and the like to improve the socialization process is an example of which of the following concepts? A) Advanced communication and information technologies B) Social media networking C) Cultural artifacts D) Rituals

Q: Career placement tests and job fairs that many high schools use to prepare students for graduation are examples of which of the following concepts? A) Organizational assimilation B) General socialization C) Fragmentation D) Anticipatory socialization

Q: Which of the following perspectives on culture recognizes that consensus and dissensus fluctuate back and forth in a constant pattern of change? A) Differentiation perspective B) Integration perspective C) Fragmentation perspective D) Interpretive view

Q: When the person in charge on an organizational chart differs from the person whom "everyone knows" is in charge, which of the following views on culture is being portrayed? A) Differentiation perspective B) Integration perspective C) Interpretive view D) Critical and postmodern views

Q: Which of the following perspectives on culture emphasizes consistency and clarity in organizational processes and practices? A) Practical view B) Integration perspective C) Fragmentation perspective D) Differentiation perspective

Q: Which of the following approaches to culture advocates the use of stories, rituals, and other organizational elements to build strong organizational cultures and increase employee commitment? A) Practical view B) Interpretive view C) Critical and postmodern views D) Systems view

Q: All of the following events were used to characterize the changing political landscape that gave rise to the cultural approach in organizational communication EXCEPT A) the Great Depression. B) European countries giving up their colonies. C) minority voices gaining political power D) the Korean War.

Q: Researchers who develop "thick descriptions" of an organizational culture are practicing which of the following theoretical traditions? A) Interpretive B) Critical C) Postmodern D) Systems

Q: When Pixar employees are allowed to decorate their office space any way they desire, which of the following elements of organizational culture are they manipulating? A) Rituals B) Artifacts C) Performances D) Metaphors

Q: The use of terms like "family," "machine," or "ship" to characterize an organization and its daily activities is an example of which of the following concepts? A) Rituals B) Stories C) Metaphors D) Imagery

Q: Organizational cultures are composed of environments and symbols. According to the book, which of the following would not count as either an environment or a symbol? A) Payroll taxes B) Arrangements of parking lots C) Key vocabulary D) Accomplishments and awards

Q: Which of the following is an example of a high-reliability organization as referenced in the text? A) Research universities B) 911 call stations C) Fire departments D) Hospitals

Q: Which of the following terms are used to describe the two general types of socialization? A) Anticipatory socialization and organizational assimilation B) Occupational socialization and anticipatory socialization C) Organizational turning points and occupational socialization D) Occupational socialization and organizational assimilation

Q: According to Joanne Martin, which of the following cultural perspectives typically favors the story held by those in power over other competing stories? A) Domination B) Fragmentation C) Differentiation D) Integration

Q: Cultural studies begin with the assumption that which of the following concepts is central to human perception? A) Relationships B) Organizations C) Language D) Culture

Q: Which of the following items would not count as an organizational artifact, according to the text? A) Office decor B) Role models C) Dress codes D) Graffiti

Q: Which of the following views of organizational culture emerged from managements' desire for specific communication strategies that enhance competitiveness and increase employee satisfaction? A) Productive view B) Practical view C) Interpretive view D) Critical and postmodern views

Q: William Ouchi's Theory Z asserts that the survival and prosperity of organizations depend heavily on their ability to A) solve their productivity problems. B) re-instill hierarchical management structures. C) adapt to their surrounding cultures. D) follow Japanese manufacturing techniques.

Q: Ethnographers who look specifically at issues of power and domination associated with the development, maintenance, or transformation of a particular culture most likely embrace which of the following views? A) Corporate culture view B) Interpretive view C) Practical view D) Critical and postmodern views

Q: The unique way in which people in an organization talk, think, and act is called the organization's A) culture. B) strategy. C) climate. D) personality.

Q: Explain socialization in high-reliability organizations and provide examples.

Q: Consider how individuals are socialized into their short-term jobs and long-term careers. Using the two forms of organizational socialization (anticipatory socialization and organizational assimilation), define socialization, and explain how individuals are prepared to participate in organizations.

Q: Choose an organization that you believe has a clear and unique culture. How would a supporter of the practical view analyze that organization's culture? How would an interpretive scholar view that same culture? What about a scholar of the critical and postmodern views? In your answer, be sure to define each of these three views, and offer detailed examples from the organization that you chose.