Question 1

Call-center training institutes are springing up all over in bigger cities in India, helping young people, for a fee, to de-Indianize themselves. During one lesson at one of the Indian institutes, the instructor was overheard saying, "Americans and the British are very specific with their times. When they say one minute, they mean one minute. When they say two minutes, they mean two minutes." The instructor was referring to the fact that the Americans and the British do not have _____ cultures.

Accepted Answer

The instructor's comment highlights that Americans and the British are precise with time, indicating they have monochronic cultures, which is the opposite of polychronic cultures where time is more fluid and less strictly managed.

Question 2

A company decided to solicit ____ from the company's best customers. From the information gathered, the company learned that it needed to modify its invoice form and that the sales staff needed to engage in more follow up.

Accepted Answer

Constructive feedback is feedback that is intended to be helpful, corrective, and/or encouraging and is aimed at correcting performance deficiencies and motivating employees.

Question 3

A description of Chinese employees by a British antiques exporter operating in 19^th century Hong Kong states, "My employees have round placid faces from which it is impossible to read what they are thinking." In terms of cross-cultural communication, the exporter was seeing a(n)____ culture.

Accepted Answer

The description suggests that the employees do not show emotions openly, which is characteristic of a neutral culture where emotions are controlled and not openly expressed.

Question 4

The United States and Canada tend to be fairly monochronic while Mexico tends to be polychronic. Some cultures mix both styles, such as the Japanese, who are monochronic when it comes to work, and polychronic in social situations. These two statements are discussing how different cultures:

Accepted Answer

The statements describe how different cultures perceive and manage time, with monochronic cultures focusing on schedules and punctuality, and polychronic cultures being more flexible with time.

Question 5

In ____ cultures, people are much more likely to display emotions when communicating.

Accepted Answer

Affective cultures are characterized by the open expression of emotions in communication.

Question 6

____ is the withholding of information about organizational problems or issues by employees.

Accepted Answer

Organizational silence refers to employees withholding information about problems or issues in the organization. Organizational filtering refers to the distortion or manipulation of information as it is passed from one level of the organization to another. Negative grapevining refers to the spreading of negative rumors or gossip in the organization. Lower-level filtering refers to the distortion or manipulation of information by lower-level employees before it is passed up to higher levels of the organization. Communication shutdown refers to a complete breakdown of communication within the organization.

Question 7

____ is feedback that is intended to be helpful, corrective, and/or encouraging and is aimed at correcting performance deficiencies and motivating employees.

Accepted Answer

Constructive feedback is intended to be helpful, corrective, and/or encouraging and is aimed at correcting performance deficiencies and motivating employees. Empathetic feedback focuses on acknowledging and understanding the emotions of the person receiving the feedback. Participative feedback involves employees in the decision-making process. Solicited feedback is feedback that is requested or asked for. Motivational feedback is feedback that is given to praise or reinforce positive behavior or performance.

Question 8

Feedback is more likely to be destructive than constructive when it is ____.

Accepted Answer

Feedback that is judgmental tends to criticize or blame the recipient, rather than offering helpful suggestions for improvement. This can lead to defensiveness and a lack of willingness to make necessary changes.

Question 9

Until last year, Dutch-based Ahold, the world's fourth-biggest food retail and food service group by sales, owned and operated U.S. Foodservice, a catering company. With 27,000 employees and 70 distribution centers throughout the United States, U.S. Foodservice delivers food to retailers as large as McDonald's Corporation and as small as neighborhood delis. One of the major problems between the two companies and one of the reasons why Ahold finally sold U.S. Foodservice was _____, which prevented the two companies from communicating with each other in an effective manner.

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural communication was a major problem between Ahold and U.S. Foodservice because it prevented the two companies from communicating with each other in an effective manner.

Question 10

Managers should know and use the address terms that people in a given culture use to address each other in the workplace to increase the chances for successful cross-cultural communication. Doing this will tend to ____ on the part of the person from the other culture who is being addressed (or spoken to).

Accepted Answer

Using appropriate address terms can make individuals from other cultures feel respected and understood, thereby reducing defensiveness and fostering a more open and effective communication environment.

Question 11

According to the text, in order to increase the chances of effective cross-cultural communication, managers need to be familiar with:

Accepted Answer

Managers need to be familiar with cultural work norms to effectively communicate across different cultures, as these norms influence behavior and expectations in the workplace.

Question 12

The last step of empathetic listening requires managers to ____.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The last step of empathetic listening requires...

Question 13

In __________ cultures, people exhibit little or no emotion during communications.

Accepted Answer

Neutral cultures are characterized by the suppression of emotions in communication, focusing instead on logic and reason.

Question 14

The first thing that managers need to recognize when communicating feedback one-on-one to employees is that feedback can be ____.

Accepted Answer

Feedback can be both constructive or destructive, depending on how it is delivered. Managers need to be mindful of their tone and approach when giving feedback to ensure that it is helpful and not harmful to the employee.

Question 15

In China, you may have an appointment with a client at noon. It is almost customary for you to show up after the appointment time. If you show up at 1 o'clock, or after, they probably will not think twice about your absence. If this same practice were to happen in the United States, you would probably have little chance of doing business because of it. This reflects the Chinese culture's view of ____ time.

Accepted Answer

In Chinese culture, the concept of "appointment time" is more flexible, and being late is often more acceptable compared to the strict adherence to schedules in the United States.

Question 16

In ____ cultures, people don't reveal what they are thinking or feeling.

Accepted Answer

Neutral cultures are characterized by people who do not openly express their emotions or thoughts.

Question 17

____ is feedback that is disapproving without any intention of being helpful and almost always causes a negative or defensive reaction in the recipient.

Accepted Answer

Destructive feedback is criticism that serves no real purpose other than to tear someone down or express disapproval. It is not intended to be helpful, and it often results in a negative or defensive response from the recipient. This type of feedback is counterproductive in most cases and should be avoided.

Question 18

Which of the following is one of the primary tasks faced by managers who want to improve organizational communication?

Accepted Answer

Managing organization-wide communication is one of the primary tasks faced by managers who want to improve organizational communication. This involves ensuring that communication flows smoothly and effectively across all departments and levels within the organization. This can include implementing communication protocols, providing training and coaching to employees and leaders, and promoting open and transparent communication practices.

Question 19

A recent study found that only 29 percent of first-level supervisors thought that their organization encouraged their employees to express their opinions openly. This means that the overwhelming majority of these supervisors engage in ____.

Accepted Answer

Organizational silence occurs when employees withhold their opinions or concerns, often due to a belief that their input is not valued or could lead to negative consequences. The fact that only 29 percent of supervisors felt encouraged to express opinions suggests a culture of silence.

Question 20

One risk of imposing an American work order on employees from other cultural backgrounds is a mutual misunderstanding of each other's concepts of time . Indian workers value a gradual and cyclical sense of time that equally includes work, family, sociability, community, and religion. This runs counter to the fast-paced, hyper-rapid, "cutting corners to get things done" approach to work and life that a U.S. employer may expect of recruits. This description indicates that the Indian culture is a ____ culture.

Accepted Answer

Indian culture is described as valuing a gradual and cyclical sense of time, which is characteristic of a polychronic culture where multiple activities are integrated and time is seen as flexible.

Quiz 13: Communication

A company decided to solicit ____ from the company's best customers. From the information gathered, the company learned that it needed to modify its invoice form and that the sales staff needed to engage in more follow up.

A description of Chinese employees by a British antiques exporter operating in 19^th century Hong Kong states, "My employees have round placid faces from which it is impossible to read what they are thinking." In terms of cross-cultural communication, the exporter was seeing a(n) ____ culture.

The United States and Canada tend to be fairly monochronic while Mexico tends to be polychronic. Some cultures mix both styles, such as the Japanese, who are monochronic when it comes to work, and polychronic in social situations. These two statements are discussing how different cultures:

In ____ cultures, people are much more likely to display emotions when communicating.

____ is the withholding of information about organizational problems or issues by employees.

____ is feedback that is intended to be helpful, corrective, and/or encouraging and is aimed at correcting performance deficiencies and motivating employees.

Feedback is more likely to be destructive than constructive when it is ____.

According to the text, in order to increase the chances of effective cross-cultural communication, managers need to be familiar with:

The last step of empathetic listening requires managers to ____.

In __________ cultures, people exhibit little or no emotion during communications.

The first thing that managers need to recognize when communicating feedback one-on-one to employees is that feedback can be ____.

In ____ cultures, people don't reveal what they are thinking or feeling.

____ is feedback that is disapproving without any intention of being helpful and almost always causes a negative or defensive reaction in the recipient.

Which of the following is one of the primary tasks faced by managers who want to improve organizational communication?

A recent study found that only 29 percent of first-level supervisors thought that their organization encouraged their employees to express their opinions openly. This means that the overwhelming majority of these supervisors engage in ____.

Quiz 13: Communication

A company decided to solicit ____ from the company's best customers. From the information gathered, the company learned that it needed to modify its invoice form and that the sales staff needed to engage in more follow up.

A description of Chinese employees by a British antiques exporter operating in 19th century Hong Kong states, "My employees have round placid faces from which it is impossible to read what they are thinking." In terms of cross-cultural communication, the exporter was seeing a(n) ____ culture.

The United States and Canada tend to be fairly monochronic while Mexico tends to be polychronic. Some cultures mix both styles, such as the Japanese, who are monochronic when it comes to work, and polychronic in social situations. These two statements are discussing how different cultures:

In ____ cultures, people are much more likely to display emotions when communicating.

____ is the withholding of information about organizational problems or issues by employees.

____ is feedback that is intended to be helpful, corrective, and/or encouraging and is aimed at correcting performance deficiencies and motivating employees.

Feedback is more likely to be destructive than constructive when it is ____.

According to the text, in order to increase the chances of effective cross-cultural communication, managers need to be familiar with:

The last step of empathetic listening requires managers to ____.

In __________ cultures, people exhibit little or no emotion during communications.

The first thing that managers need to recognize when communicating feedback one-on-one to employees is that feedback can be ____.

In ____ cultures, people don't reveal what they are thinking or feeling.

____ is feedback that is disapproving without any intention of being helpful and almost always causes a negative or defensive reaction in the recipient.

Which of the following is one of the primary tasks faced by managers who want to improve organizational communication?

A recent study found that only 29 percent of first-level supervisors thought that their organization encouraged their employees to express their opinions openly. This means that the overwhelming majority of these supervisors engage in ____.

A description of Chinese employees by a British antiques exporter operating in 19^th century Hong Kong states, "My employees have round placid faces from which it is impossible to read what they are thinking." In terms of cross-cultural communication, the exporter was seeing a(n) ____ culture.