Lesson Seven Skills of the Supervisor Chapter 10 - Communication Chapter 11 - Motivating Employees General Instructions: Create an answer sheet for...
| Lesson Seven |
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Remember: Each lesson has multiple assignments. Prepare an answer sheet and email as an attachment. |
| Instructions: Read Chapters 10 & 11 and complete all assignments. Assignment 1: Multiple Choice Questions. Select the best one answer – 5 points each. 1. You teach supervision seminars for ABC Company. As you lecture, you are communicating using words, gestures, and facial expressions. You are actively engaged in which step of the communication process? A. Decoding B. Feedback C. Encoding D. Receiving
2. Identify the correct statements about rumors. A. Supervisors should not distance themselves from rumors. B. Rumors rarely tell a complete or unbiased version of the truth. C. The supervisor needs an open mind and should get the facts from those who are spreading the rumor. D. Much formal communication takes the form of rumors.
3. A supervisor, reading a memo from top management describing a new company policy, is actually receiving: A. diagonal communication. B. upward communication. C. lateral communication. D. downward communication.
4. Select the CORRECT statement about the communication process. A. The sender encodes, but does not do any decoding. B. The receiver decodes, but does not do any encoding. C. Noise and feedback do not affect communication. D. The receiver of a message must listen to it rather than just hear it.
5. The grapevine is: A. an example of formal communication. B. the path along which informal communication travels. C. very controllable by managers. D. seldom used.
6. To indicate what behavior is acceptable, people use: A. rumors. B. gossip. C. the grapevine. D. lateral communication.
7. In times of crisis or conflict, employees may be getting incorrect information from: A. lateral communication. B. formal communication. C. the grapevine. D. downward communication.
8. A conclusion drawn from the facts available is defined as a(n): A. perception. B. stereotype. C. fact. D. inference.
9. To communicate with employees, supervisors usually depend on: A. written communication. B. nonverbal communication. C. haptic communication. D. oral communication.
10. When General Motors first began selling its Chevy Novas in Mexico, it could not understand the low sales volume at first. Then, GM discovered that the word, "no va" in Spanish means "something that does not go." Would you buy a car that does not go? This is a prime example of which way to avoid misunderstandings? A. Biases in paying attention B. Cultural similarities C. Choosing the right word(s) D. Separating facts from inferences
11. When students ask questions, they are using which technique of effective communication? A. Using strategies for effective listening B. Learning from feedback C. Overcoming barriers to communication D. Communicating from the receiver's viewpoint
12. Lateral communication is where a message is sent: A. to someone at a higher level in the organization. B. to a person at the same level in the company. C. through the Internet. D. to an individual at a lower level on the organization chart.
13. Which of the following statements about nonverbal messages is false? A. Silence is a type of nonverbal message. B. When a person is sending both verbal and nonverbal messages, the nonverbal message may have more influence on the receiver. C. We learn the meaning of nonverbal messages by studying them in relationship to written messages. D. Employees often consider the physical presence of the supervisor as a nonverbal message that the supervisor is interested in what the employees are doing.
14. Which of the following statements about inferences and facts is false? A. Statements using the words never and always are not inferences. B. To overcome mistakes caused by treating inferences as facts, a supervisor should be aware of them. C. When sending a message, a supervisor should avoid statements that phrase inferences as facts. D. When listening to a message, a supervisor should be explicit with his/her inferences.
15. Marsha worked for one corporation and her best friend, Shelby, worked for another corporation. These two major corporations merged into one company. One morning, Shelby called Marsha and told her about the company's new reorganization plan. Later that afternoon, Marsha's supervisor Les was called into an important meeting and was told the same information. This situation is an example of: A. how the grapevine can be used to get information out before the supervisors know about it. B. gossip between two employees. C. false rumors becoming reality. D. managers using the grapevine to their advantage.
16. Which of the following statements about gossip is false? A. Gossip is like small talk but centers around people. B. People use gossip to indicate what behavior is acceptable. C. Gossip is a fact of life in the workplace. D. Gossip is an explanation for what is going on around us.
17. The communication that is directed toward accomplishing the goals of the organization is called: A. informal communication. B. lateral communication. C. formal communication. D. perceptive communication.
18. To be well informed and benefit from employees' creativity, a supervisor should encourage: A. horizontal communication. B. downward communication. C. upward communication. D. lateral communication.
19. One method that supervisors can use to encourage upward communication is to: A. encourage one's boss to ask questions. B. hear but not listen to subordinates. C. use a suggestion box. D. tell subordinates how their work is progressing.
20. Which of the following statements about memos is true? A. People writing to someone outside the organization usually send a memo. B. They are an informal way to send a written message. C. They take a relatively short time to prepare and deliver. D. An analysis of how to meet a need or solve a problem takes the form of a memo.
21. Melinda is the sales manager of a company manufacturing office equipment. She believes it is possible to increase sales by using reinforcement theory. If Melinda wants to use positive reinforcement to increase sales, she should: A. end all sales contests and their corresponding awards. B. decrease sales commissions. C. discontinue showing the top salesperson's results on the company bulletin board. D. increase sales commissions.
22. In order to implement behavior modification programs in organizational settings, a supervisor should consider all of the following ideas except: A. offer different types of rewards for employees according to the quality of their performance. B. clearly communicate any feedback to employees by telling them what they are doing right and wrong. C. provide rewards and punishments that are substantial. D. if an employee requires punishment of some sort, be sure to deliver this punishment in the presence of other employees.
23. Which financial incentive pay plan involves companies paying employees for offering ideas on how to cut costs or improve quality? A. Piecework system B. Production bonus system C. Profit sharing D. Payments for suggestions
24. A policy that grants employees some leeway in choosing which eight hours a day or which 40 hours a week to work is: A. job sharing. B. gainsharing. C. flextime. D. democratic leadership.
25. Training in the skills required to perform more than one job is: A. job enlargement. B. job rotation. C. cross-training. D. illegal in nonunionized shops.
26. Giving people incentives that cause them to act in desired ways is known as: A. leadership. B. bribery. C. motivation. D. punishment.
27. The objective of motivating employees is to: A. lead them to perform in ways that meet the goals of the department and the organization. B. get as much work out of them as possible to maximize company profits. C. justify their positions, especially during a layoff, so they will not lose their jobs. D. help them believe they can attain desired rewards.
28. An unpleasant consequence given in response to undesirable behavior is defined as: A. behavior modification. B. extinction. C. punishment. D. negative reinforcement.
29. Which of the following is an example of punishment? A. Police officers are given favored assignments when the department receives compliments on those police officers' work. B. A bank teller is taken out to lunch for being the most accurate teller of the month. C. An assembly-line worker is docked if he gets to work late. D. A nurse is given the day shift after working six months without any patient and/or doctor complaints.
30. Profit-sharing plans and gainsharing plans are types of: A. group incentive plans. B. motivational theories. C. individual incentive plans. D. content theories.
31. You are a supervisor wanting to use Maslow's theory to motivate an individual at the level of social needs. Which reward should you choose to motivate that person? A. A new project requiring an informal work group B. Cash bonuses C. A new fancy, job title D. A ceremony recognizing important contributions
32. A Theory X manager: A. adopts a democratic leadership role. B. assumes that people dislike work and try to avoid it. C. focuses on developing the potential of employees. D. assumes that the primary need of people is security.
33. McClelland's theory is based on which of the following three needs? A. Physiological, social, and self-actualization B. Achievement, power, and affiliation C. Hygiene, motivators, and working conditions D. Reinforcement, punishment, and behavior modification
34. Gene was an engineer in a large aerospace company. He was unhappy with his job and it was beginning to show in terms of his work performance. His supervisor Don tried to motivate Gene by telling him about the new company benefits plan coming out this fall and the new building they were going to move to next month. Using Herzberg's theory, which type of factor was Don using to motivate Gene? A. Motivating factors B. Hygiene factors C. Reinforcement factors D. Affiliation factors
35. According to Herzberg, responsibility, advancement, and personal growth are examples of which factor? A. Motivating factors B. Hygiene factors C. Reinforcement factors D. Affiliation factors
36. A work arrangement where employees can and want to work from home and keep in touch by computer and telephone lines is: A. flextime. B. telecommuting. C. nomad working. D. web commuting.
37. A group incentive plan under which the company sets aside a share of its profits and divides it among employees is a(n): A. gainsharing plan. B. employee stock ownership plan. C. profit-sharing plan. D. defined benefit pension plan.
38. Under this law, organizations with 50 or more employees within a 75-mile radius must give employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a newborn, adopted, or foster child within one year of the child's arrival. A. The Uniform Adoption Act B. The Family and Medical Leave Act C. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act D. The Occupational Safety and Health Act
39. This theory says that people behave as they do because of the kind of consequences they experience as a result of their past behavior. A. Cross training B. Reinforcement theory C. Maslow's theory D. Vroom's theory
40. A financial incentive plan that rewards a team of workers for meeting or exceeding an objective is a(n): A. piecework system. B. profit. C. group incentive plan. D. payments for suggestions plan.
Assignment 2: Essay Questions – 25 points each. Remember: Use complete sentences
1. You see a person come out of a building labeled "bar," get into a car, and crash into another car. From this statement, pick out the inferences and facts of the situation.
2. Why is reinforcement more effective than punishment in the long term?
3. Does money motivate you? Explain why or why not. |
