Comm 227 Flashcards
(53 cards)
DIMENSIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING (basically how do you evaluate a claim
- Primary Claim
- Quality of Evidence
- Interpretation of Evidence
- Causal Claims
- Persuasiveness of Information
Define a “claim.”
The conclusion or position an author is trying to persuade you to accept in a report, presentation, or argument.
What makes a claim uncontested? Give one example.
No evidence examination required; widely accepted fact or common-sense truth. “Pi rounded to the nearest hundredth is 3.14.”
What makes a claim contested?
Introduces new ideas and causes people to think about things differently, requires evidence to
support the idea; subject to scrutiny.
What’s the difference between an uncontested and a contested claim?
Uncontested: Accepted without evidence (e.g., Pi ≈ 3.14)
Contested: Introduces new ideas—needs supporting evidence
What does SPAARC stand for when evaluating evidence?
Sufficiency
Precision
Accuracy
Authority
Representativeness
Clarity
Presenting-claims best practices.
- Accurately and concisely present the claim (key message)
- Clear statements at the beginning and/or end of the report
- Visuals, pictures and concept maps (graphical presentation of the claim)
What are the four sources of evidence?
- The Organization (past projects, financials, etc.
- Research (academic journals and credible sources top-ranked publications, e.g. HBR, Economist )
- Expert & experienced practitioners (inside and outside the organization)
- Internal & external stakeholders e.g. employees, board members, customers and suppliers
What are the five characteristics of high-performing teams?
Complementary skills
Shared purpose
Productive norms
Mutual accountability
Small size
What do “complementary skills” mean in a team context?
Each member’s expertise fills gaps—e.g., writing, researching, planning balanced among the group
How do diverse perspectives help avoid groupthink?
They introduce varied viewpoints, reducing blind spots (e.g., Challenger disaster case)
What are “process norms” (the 5 Cs)?
Confidence, Cooperation, Coordination, Cohesion, Conflict
Define social loafing, free-rider, and sucker effects.
Social loafing: A person exerts less effort in groups vs. alone
Free rider: Rely on others’ work
Sucker effect: Lower effort when others loaf
Discrepancy Theory
Satisfaction is a function (outcome) of the discrepancy (difference) between the job outcomes wanted,
and the perception of the outcomes achieved
Self-serving bias
taking credit for successful outcomes (dispositional factors) and
denying credit for failures (situational factors).
Fundamental Attribution Error
Over-attributing others’ behaviors to personality/disposition rather than situational causes.
Example: Assuming a late colleague is “lazy” instead of considering they may have had transit issues.
Name the five bases of power.
Referent Power (charisma/fame)
Reward Power (gives benefits)
Legitimate Power (position authority)
Expert Power (knowledge/skills)
Coercive Power (ability to punish)
Power and Influence
Ability to influence others to produce
desired outcomes
‘Independent’ from authority, which is
the influence associated (‘comes with) a
position
How is political power (capital) defined?
Skills, attitudes, or behaviors (bargaining, negotiating) used to get or keep power and accomplish objectives without formal authority.
Trait Theory of Leadership, what six traits are associated with leaders?
Intelligence
Dominance
Sociability
High Energy/Drive
Self-Confidence
Tolerance for Ambiguity
What are two limitations of the Trait Theory of Leadership?
- Difficult to determine if traits make the leader,
or opportunity produces the traits - Does not account for the situation in which
leadership occurs - Traits alone are not sufficient for
successful leadership
What three forces drive Situational Leadership?
Managerial Forces (values, preferences, confidence in employees)
Employee Forces (characteristics, readiness, motivation)
Situational Forces (org values, task complexity, urgency)
Describe the continuum of leadership behavior.
A spectrum from boss-centered (directive) to employee-centered (delegative) styles, chosen based on those three forces.
What is Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory?
High-quality, trust-based relationships between leaders and employees lead to extra effort, commitment, and better performance.
