Comm 227

Question 1

DIMENSIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING (basically how do you evaluate a claim

Answer 1

1. Primary Claim
2. Quality of Evidence
3. Interpretation of Evidence
4. Causal Claims
5. Persuasiveness of Information

Question 2

Define a “claim.”

Answer 2

The conclusion or position an author is trying to persuade you to accept in a report, presentation, or argument.

Question 3

What makes a claim uncontested? Give one example.

Answer 3

No evidence examination required; widely accepted fact or common-sense truth. “Pi rounded to the nearest hundredth is 3.14.”

Question 4

What makes a claim contested?

Answer 4

Introduces new ideas and causes people to think about things differently, requires evidence to
support the idea; subject to scrutiny.

Question 5

What’s the difference between an uncontested and a contested claim?

Answer 5

Uncontested: Accepted without evidence (e.g., Pi ≈ 3.14)

Contested: Introduces new ideas—needs supporting evidence

Question 6

What does SPAARC stand for when evaluating evidence?

Answer 6

Sufficiency

Precision

Accuracy

Authority

Representativeness

Clarity ​

Question 7

Presenting-claims best practices.

Answer 7

• 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)

Question 8

What are the four sources of evidence?

Answer 8

1. The Organization (past projects, financials, etc.
2. Research (academic journals and credible sources top-ranked publications, e.g. HBR, Economist )
3. Expert & experienced practitioners (inside and outside the organization)
4. Internal & external stakeholders e.g. employees, board members, customers and suppliers

Question 9

What are the five characteristics of high-performing teams?

Answer 9

Complementary skills

Shared purpose

Productive norms

Mutual accountability

Small size ​

Question 10

What do “complementary skills” mean in a team context?

Answer 10

Each member’s expertise fills gaps—e.g., writing, researching, planning balanced among the group ​

Question 11

How do diverse perspectives help avoid groupthink?

Answer 11

They introduce varied viewpoints, reducing blind spots (e.g., Challenger disaster case) ​

Question 12

What are “process norms” (the 5 Cs)?

Answer 12

Confidence, Cooperation, Coordination, Cohesion, Conflict ​

Question 13

Define social loafing, free-rider, and sucker effects.

Answer 13

Social loafing: A person exerts less effort in groups vs. alone

Free rider: Rely on others’ work

Sucker effect: Lower effort when others loaf

Question 14

Discrepancy Theory

Answer 14

Satisfaction is a function (outcome) of the discrepancy (difference) between the job outcomes wanted,
and the perception of the outcomes achieved

Question 15

Self-serving bias

Answer 15

taking credit for successful outcomes (dispositional factors) and
denying credit for failures (situational factors).

Question 16

Fundamental Attribution Error

Answer 16

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. ​

Question 17

Name the five bases of power.

Answer 17

Referent Power (charisma/fame)

Reward Power (gives benefits)

Legitimate Power (position authority)

Expert Power (knowledge/skills)

Coercive Power (ability to punish)

Question 18

Power and Influence

Answer 18

Ability to influence others to produce
desired outcomes
‘Independent’ from authority, which is
the influence associated (‘comes with) a
position

Question 19

How is political power (capital) defined?

Answer 19

Skills, attitudes, or behaviors (bargaining, negotiating) used to get or keep power and accomplish objectives without formal authority. ​

Question 20

Trait Theory of Leadership, what six traits are associated with leaders?

Answer 20

Intelligence

Dominance

Sociability

High Energy/Drive

Self-Confidence

Tolerance for Ambiguity ​

Question 21

What are two limitations of the Trait Theory of Leadership?

Answer 21

• 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

Question 22

What three forces drive Situational Leadership?

Answer 22

Managerial Forces (values, preferences, confidence in employees)

Employee Forces (characteristics, readiness, motivation)

Situational Forces (org values, task complexity, urgency) ​

Question 23

Describe the continuum of leadership behavior.

Answer 23

A spectrum from boss-centered (directive) to employee-centered (delegative) styles, chosen based on those three forces. ​

Question 24

What is Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Theory?

Answer 24

High-quality, trust-based relationships between leaders and employees lead to extra effort, commitment, and better performance.

Question 25

What is Transactional Leadership

Answer 25

Straightforward exchange; setting goals, providing direction in to ‘receive’ rewards (operational & tactical)

Question 26

what is Transformational Leadership

Answer 26

Establishing commitment through a new vision and change in beliefs & attitudes, higher levels of performance (strategic)

Question 27

4 characteristics of transformational leadership

Answer 27

Intellectual Stimulation Individualized Consideration Charisma Inspirational Motivation

Question 28

what are the political skills

Answer 28

Friendship/liking(likability) commitment and consistency scarcity reciprocity social proof appeals to authority

Question 29

what is scarcity

Answer 29

limited supply of resources - skilled people, relevant expertise and useful information and capital

Question 30

what is reciprocity

Answer 30

Supporting others; building organizational credit and trust

Question 31

What is social Proof

Answer 31

Actions (claims) become more acceptable is others demonstrates ( accepts) them Effective in unfamiliar situations (uncertainty) and potential for others to follow (pre- requisites of other bases of power and political capital)

Question 32

How does decision-making differ from problem solving?

Answer 32

Problem solving moves from current state to a desired future state. Decision-making selects and commits to one course of action among alternatives. ​

Question 33

What’s the difference between perfect and bounded rationality?

Answer 33

Perfect: unlimited info, time, and cognitive ability → truly optimal decisions Bounded: limited info, time, and mental capacity → satisficing, not optimizing ​

Question 34

Name the five common cognitive biases in decision making.

Answer 34

Availability Bias More likely to make judgements based on readily available (familiar/recent) information. Representative Bias Making judgments (decisions) based on how people or situations match certain stereotypes (mental shortcuts) Anchoring & Adjustment Bias Relying (‘being attached) to information presented to make a decision Confirmation Bias Collecting information that supports (confirms) our intuition or pre-existing belief Confidence Bias Belief that we posses the ability to defy odds (outside of ‘reasonable’ limits)

Question 35

What are the five steps of the Rational Decision-Making Process?

Answer 35

Identify the Problem Generate Alternatives Decide (choose an alternative) Implement the Solution Learn (monitor & adjust) ​

Question 36

What’s an underlying assumption, and why must you identify them?

Answer 36

Implicit beliefs linking evidence to claims—uncovering them prevents hidden biases and ensures decisions rest on valid grounds. ​

Question 37

What is Reality vs Value Assumptions

Answer 37

Reality Assumptions: Beliefs about what exists and how things work (objective) Value Assumptions: Standards of right and wrong (subjective)

Question 38

How do you challenge reality vs. value assumptions?

Answer 38

Reality: Analyze the quality (reasonability) of the assumptions, Provide alternate (contradictory) data, Introduce doubt Value: Value conflicts (differences), Ranking of values , More difficult to challenge

Question 39

whats a causal claim

Answer 39

certain causes (factors or events) are responsible for the occurrence of other events or situations(outcomes) -effect

Question 40

DIFFICULTY WITH CAUSAL REASONING

Answer 40

Multiple reasons (causes) for the outcome (effect). The existence of rival (other) causal explanations (causes).

Question 41

Causal Reasoning : Differences between groups

Answer 41

Possibility of differences between groups i.e., different characteristics

Question 42

Causal Reasoning : Correlation between characteristics

Answer 42

Reasonability (‘strength’) of the causal link between the cause and effect

Question 43

Causal Reasoning: Post hoc ergo propter hoc Fallacy

Answer 43

“assuming one thing caused another because the first thing preceded the it” “after this, therefore, because of this

Question 44

Which bias fits this scenario? Fatima credits her leadership for success but blames rainy weather for failures.

Answer 44

Self-Serving Bias—attributing successes to dispositional factors and failures to situational factors. ​

Question 45

Which bias is at play when Sarah overestimates flight danger after seeing accident news, despite statistics showing air travel is safer?

Answer 45

Availability Bias—judgements based on readily available (familiar/recent) information.

Question 46

What is the primary goal of negotiation?

Answer 46

To reach an agreement when there is disagreement, ensuring potential gain exceeds potential cost. ​

Question 47

What does BATNA stand for and why is it important?

Answer 47

Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement—your fallback outcome if no deal is reached; use it to decide whether to accept an offer.

Question 48

Name the four factors to consider when deciding whether to negotiate.

Answer 48

1. Your current BATNA 2. Likelihood of a better outcome 3. Value of potential gains (qualitative & quantitative) 4. Hard & soft costs (time, opportunity cost) ​

Question 49

five negotiation approaches for managing conflict.

Answer 49

Integrating Obliging Dominating Compromising Avoiding

Question 50

What are the key stages of the negotiation process?

Answer 50

Prepare- Understand needs - list and discuss options - use process tactics - end negotiations - evaluate

Question 51

What are the process tactics for negotiating?

Answer 51

Silence, Good Guy / Bad Guy Routine, The Trial Balloon, Bait-and-Switch (should avoid it), Outrageous Behavior, Red Herring (considered bad faith), Bluffing

Question 52

Pick and Define 1 concept of SPAARC

Answer 52

Sufficiency: appropriate based on the claim Precision: quantitative vs. qualitative Accuracy: validate with independent sources Authority: relevant knowledge based on experience & training Representativeness: relatedness to the claim Clarity: clear explanation of how information supports the claim

Question 53

Main Sources of Conflict

Answer 53

Information : diffrent or incomplete sources of information Environment: scarcity of resources Perception differences interpretation of the information Role: Authoity vs employee Personal: personality and view of the objectives