Q&A Hero

Q: Virtual groups working under time pressure typically a. perform better than face-to-face groups b. perform worse than face-to-face groups c. perform about the same as face-to-face groups d. exhibit no pattern in this regard

Q: Extraordinary leadership is the result of extraordinary communication.

Q: Designating a group member as a competent communicator is a judgment of that individuals inherent, natural, communication capabilities that the person is simply born with.

Q: Team leaders in virtual groups compared to face-to-face groups typically a. must work harder to sustain strong membership satisfaction b. need to work less to sustain strong member satisfaction c. need to work about the same in both types of groups to sustain strong group membership d. wont see any pattern in this regard

Q: Of the two functional viewpoints of leadership--the "leader as completer" and the "vital functions" perspectives--the "vital functions" viewpoint has more merit.

Q: Communication competence in groups necessitates behavior that is both effective and

Q: When conducting virtual group meetings a. choose the appropriate technology for the meeting b. limit the size of the group if possible c. plan for scheduling difficulties d. all of the above

Q: You can be either a manager or a leader in groups, but not both.

Q: If groups are to succeed, individual goals and agendas should be of secondary, not primary importance.

Q: As virtual groups mature in development, media richness is a. more critical than ever b. less critical c. about the same no matter what the maturity level d. none of the above

Q: Small zero-history groups typically select a leader by a process of elimination in which potential candidates are removed from consideration until only one person typically remains to be leader.

Q: We tend to overestimate our prior knowledge on a subject such as group communication once we have been told the correct answers. This is called the hindsight bias.

Q: Media richness theory claims thata. communication media differ in their inherent capacity to show nonverbal cues, provide rapid feedback, present personality traits, and permit language varietyb. media richness varies from low to high as you move, in sequential order, fromtext-only communication to audio, to video, and finally to face-to-face transactionsc. communication media with high richness are presumed to be impersonal and coldd. rich media are the least effective for dealing with complex, uncertain topics

Q: All cultures prefer the participative style of leadership.

Q: A person's communication is either competent or incompetent.

Q: Virtual groups present challenges for members not typically found in conventional small groups. These challenges include a. the absence of nonverbal cues such as facial expressions and gestures in text-only and voice-only virtual groups b. greater likelihood of destructive conflict c. increased social anxiety in videoconferences d. all of the above

Q: Charismatic leaders are the superstars of leadership; highly transformational.

Q: When you assume that other group members have the same meaning for a word as you do without checking to see if differences exist, this is called a mixed message.

Q: A virtual group a. is a group whose members interact by means of electronic technologies b. is completely devoid of any face-to-face communication c. is always a virtual team d. must be composed of members who live at least a continent away from each other

Q: You should strive to establish participative leadership in all groups because it is the most effective leadership style.

Q: The United States is an individualist culture. As such, levels of conformity to group norms are extremely low.

Q: Agreeing to give up some of what the group desires is called an integrative solution to a conflict of interest.

Q: Your boss at worka small business enterpriseexhibits no empathy for employees personal problems and challenges, seems to lack remorse for treating employees wretchedly, and appears to have no ethical or moral qualms about lying to employees and cheating customers. Yet your boss is obviously intelligent and even charming in some situations. Your boss exhibits significant signs of a a. charismatic leader b. psychopathic executive c. horrible boss d. all of the above

Q: Ethical standards for competent communication of honesty, respect, fairness, choice, and responsibility should be applied absolutely, with no exceptions.

Q: Power-forcing style of conflict management should never be used to manage a conflict.

Q: Which of the following is a valid conclusion based on research about the situational perspective onleadership effectiveness?a. No single style of leadership will be effective in all situationsb. When the readiness level of followers is low, the participating anddelegating styles are most appropriatec. Using the telling style with an able and talented veteran worker will seem like micromanaging and will likely produce resentmentd. When the readiness level of followers is high, the participating and

Q: Interrupting an interview by a search panel to answer a cell phone is an example of inappropriate communication because common rules and expectations for how one should conduct oneself during a job interview are violated.

Q: Interest-based bargaining attempts to argue interests of all parties first to clarify where everyone stands on issues of conflict.

Q: You want to emerge as leader of a group. To be successful you should a. express strong opinions on subjects of group interest b. accept accountability for your actions c. manifest conformity to the group's norms, values, and goals d. display proper motivation to lead

Q: Communication appropriateness is defined as how well the group progresses toward the achievement of goals.

Q: Destructive conflict is characterized by dominating, escalating, retaliating, competing, defensive, and inflexible communication patterns.

Q: Effective team leaders a. suppress their egos b. create a climate in which making a mistake is viewed as a part of learning c. use supportive and avoid defensive communication patterns d. work with team members to develop supportive rules for the group

Q: Based on research, which of the following is an accurate statement about individualist and collectivist cultures? a. All cultures have individualist and collectivist influences b. Despite strong cultural pressure, no population uniformly accepts its cultures values c. Excessive individualism can be faulted, but excessive collectivism also has it dangers d. The Unites States needs to become a collectivist culture to make groups work

Q: Hard bargaining is a competitive negotiating strategy. Thus, it should never be used if you hope to achieve constructive outcomes in a conflict.

Q: Leadership a. requires followership b. implies change c. is always charismatic d. is inherently transforming

Q: In mixed-sex groups, the following patterns of communication usually occur: a. Men talk more than women b. Women interrupt more than men c. Men tell more jokes than women d. Women give greater weight to the connection dimension and men

Q: The collaborating style of conflict management tends to provoke relationship conflict in groups, while the power-forcing style does not.

Q: If you want to become leader of a small group, avoid a. tardiness or missing meetings entirely b. nonparticipation in group discussions c. conformity to group norms d. expressing uninformed viewpoints

Q: Communication is transactional means that a. senders transmit information to receivers but not vice versa b. senders and receivers enter into a relationship any time they communicate c. communication involves both content and relationship dimensions of messages d. each party to the communication acts as either a sender or a receiver but not both

Q: Avoiding is always an ineffective conflict management style because it ignores the conflict instead of confronting it directly.

Q: Which of the following is a qualification for retaining leadership in a group? a. Demonstrate competence as a leader b. Accept accountability for your actions c. Display proper motivation to lead d. a and b

Q: The individualism-collectivism continuum is an important dimension for comparing cultures. According to research, the following can be said regarding this continuum: a. Most people in the world live in strongly individualist cultures b. Individualist cultures tend to emphasize the autonomy of the individual and collectivist cultures tend to emphasize commitment to groups c. Americans should strive to be far more collectivist than individualist d. In most cultures, either individualism or collectivism tends to predominate

Q: Compromising should be the primary goal of those who begin with strong disagreements.

Q: Readiness in the Hersey and Blanchard perspective on situational leadership effectiveness refers to a. the ability group members bring to a particular task or activity b. the ability to sell group members on a particular decision c. a willingness, or confidence, commitment, and motivation a group member exhibits to accomplish a specific task d. a and c

Q: Communication competence is a. a matter of degree b. Me-oriented not We-oriented c. dependent on appropriateness d. one way to combat grouphate

Q: The most appropriate situation to use accommodating (yielding) as a conflict management strategy is when issues are a minor concern to you but major concern to other parties.

Q: Which of the following is a difference between leaders and managers? a. Leaders usually operate from a position of authority; managers do not b. Leaders exercise positional influence (supervisor-subordinate); managers exercise interpersonal influence (leader-follower relationship) c. Leaders typically strive to maintain the status quo (current policies/practices); managers usually strive to change the status quo d. Leaders usually strive to change the status quo; managers implement but

Q: A group a. is composed of no fewer than three individuals b. is unlikely to be successful if members are primarily interested in their own individual accomplishment within the group c. has a common purpose d. all of the above

Q: Accommodating (yielding) is a conflict management style that should be avoided because it is really appeasement and wont produce favorable results for groups.

Q: Female leaders, based on research, are a. scrutinized more when they take positions traditionally held by men b. liked more than men when equivalently successful as leaders c. readily accepted and praised by both men and women in the group when they exercise leadership by being assertive d. seen as effective leaders when they act stereotypically by showing kindness, gentleness, and

Q: A small group is a. composed of two or more individuals b. composed of no more than seven members c. an aggregation of individuals waiting in line to buy tickets d. none of the above

Q: Since conflict can be an essential catalyst for growth in a system, increasing conflict may be required to evoke change.

Q: When comparing women and men as leaders, research supports which of the following conclusions? a. Men score much higher than women on key leadership competencies b. Women score much higher than men on key leadership competencies c. Men still hold the vast majority of all managerial and professional positions in the U.S. d. Women hold almost half of the CEO positions among the 500 largest corporations in the U.S.

Q: Sensitivity as presented in the communication competence model means a. receptive accuracy whereby you can detect, decode, and comprehend signals and emotional cues b. treating everyone in a group with respect and compassion c. a persistent effort to achieve goals and produce excellence d. a and b

Q: Conflict is always a destructive force in groups.

Q: You are likely to emerge as leader of a small informal group if you a. provide a solution to a crisis facing the group b. demonstrate effective listening c. exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence d. all of the above

Q: In a collectivist culture, typically a. self-promotion to get employment is encouraged b. competition not cooperation is emphasized c. personal goals are less important than advancing the goals of a valued group d. all of the above

Q: In general, compromise is the least effective conflict management style.

Q: Which of the following is a valid conclusion, based on research, about the traits perspective on leadership? a. The traits perspective provides great insight regarding what makes great leaders b. Physical attractiveness and sociability virtually guarantee that a group leader will be effective c. Some traits may be necessary but not sufficient for an emergent leader to be effective d. Traits that help a leader be effective in one group virtually assures effectiveness in

Q: If you were describing a collectivist culture you would use words such as, a. independence and competitiveness b. privacy and individuality c. community and loyalty d. all of the above

Q: All conflicts of interest and disagreements should be confronted in order to resolve the conflict.

Q: You want to be the leader of your informal group. You should a. be informed about problems that interest the group b. participate often, but do not dominate the conversation c. listen carefully to other group members d. all of the above

Q: Communication competence is defined as engaging in communication with others that is both a. effective and dynamic b. effective and appropriate c. appropriate and powerful d. elaborate and sensitive

Q: Principled negotiation is a form of positional bargaining.

Q: Psychopathic leaders, according to research, a. constitute about 4% of business executives b. constitute about 1% of business executives c. are defined as someone who has no conscience and feels no remorse or empathy d. a and c

Q: Which of the following is a difference between small groups and large organizations? There is a. greater formality in organizations b. greater chance of information distortion in organizations c. greater flow of negative information to the top of the organizational hierarchy d. a and b

Q: Conflicts about routine tasks often have a positive effect on group performance, while conflicts about nonroutine tasks often have a negative effect.

Q: In general, an informal group with zero history selects a leader by a. knowing who immediately appears to have leadership traits b. a process of elimination c. knowing in advance of group interactions who would make a great leader d. none of the above

Q: Communication is transactional. This means that each person communicating is a. either a sender or a receiver b. both a sender and receiver simultaneously c. senders of messages influence receivers but receivers do not influence senders d. none of the above

Q: Bridging and expanding the pie are forms of compromise.

Q: Leadership is a process not a person. This means a. a leader must possess certain traits to be effective b. transactional leaders are more apt to be successful than transformational leaders c. leadership is a leader-follower transaction; a partnership between leaders and followers d. all of the above

Q: Given Tannen's perspective on gender differences in communication, what would you expect to find regarding salary negotiation and gender? a. Women negotiate for higher starting salaries far more than men because they wish to prove their worth b. Men and women negotiate for higher starting salaries about equally c. Men far more than women negotiate for higher starting salaries because salary is a sign of status d. None of the above is Ans : TRUE

Q: Avoiding/withdrawing may be a useful conflict style in some instances.

Q: Credibility as a leadership quality includes which of the following elements? a. Dynamism b. Competence c. Trustworthiness d. All of the above

Q: Which of the following are essential values that should serve as ethical guides for our communication in groups? a. honesty b. respect c. choice d. fairness

Q: Blowing off steam is an effective method for managing ones anger because it vents the anger and keeps it from building to an explosive level.

Q: Hersey and Blanchard combine three variables in their situational model of leadership. They are a. interpersonal emphasis, socio-emotional emphasis, and readiness level b. task emphasis, productivity emphasis, and readiness level c. task emphasis, socio-emotional emphasis, and readiness level d. productivity emphasis, task emphasis, and readiness level

Q: Commitment is one of the general ways to improve your communication competence in groups. This commitment means a. knowing a lot about group communication b. exhibiting skillful communication in a variety of contexts c. exhibiting sensitivity to other group members d. demonstrating a passion for excellence, a strong desire to improve your

Q: The hard bargainer negotiation strategy is characterized by the bargainer acting tough on interests but easy on positions.

Q: A central, overriding point about leadership is that effective leaders a. adapt to changing situations b. exhibit a set of well-defined traits shared by all c. use only the participative leadership style d. are transactional leaders