MGMT 443 EXAM #2 QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS
What is defensiveness and disconfirmation?
Defensiveness: when a person defends him or herself due to feeling threatened or
punished by the communication
Disconfirmation: feeling resulting from communication that demeans or belittles the
recipient and threatens his or her sense of self-worth
Why is it important to understand defensiveness and disconfirmation?
Are obstacles to supportive communication
What are the 8 principles of supportive communication?
Supportive communication is based on congruence, not incongruence
Supportive communication is descriptive, not evaluative
Supportive communication is problem-oriented, not person-oriented
Supportive communication validates rather than invalidates individuals
Supportive communication is specific (useful), not global (not useful)
Supportive communication is conjunctive, not disjunctive
Supportive communication is owned, not disowned
Supportive communication requires supportive listening, not one-way message delivery
What is the difference between congruence and incongruence?
Congruence: what is communicated, verbally and nonverbally, matches what the
communicator is thinking and feeling
Incongruence: mismatch between what one is experiencing and what one is aware of,
or a mismatch between what one feels and what one communicates
What is the difference between descriptive and evaluative communication?
,Evaluative communication: makes a judgment or places a label on other individuals or
their behavior
Descriptive communication: objective description of the event or behavior that needs
modification, description of the reaction to its behavior or its consequences, and a
suggestion of a more acceptable alternative
What is the difference between problem-oriented communication and person-oriented
communication?
Problem-oriented communication focuses on problems and solutions rather than
personal traits
Person-oriented communication focuses on the characteristics of the individual, not the
event
What does it mean to validate someone else?
Help people feel recognized, understood, accepted, and valued
What are some approaches that get in the way of validation?
Superiority-oriented communication: message that gives the impression that the
communicator is informed while others are ignorant, adequate when others are
inadequate, competent when others are incompetent, or powerful while others are
impotent
Rigidity in communication: message that portrays the communication as absolute,
unequivocal, or unquestionable
Indifference: when the other person's existence or importance is not acknowledged
Imperviousness: not acknowledging the feelings or opinions of other people
What is the difference between conjunctive and disjunctive communication?
Conjunctive communication: connection of responses to previous messages in such a
way that conversation flows smoothly
Disjunctive communication: responses that are disconnected due to lack of equal
opportunity to speak, long pauses in speech or before a response, or when one person
decides the topic of conversation
What is the difference between owned and disowned communication?
, Owned communication: taking responsibility for one's own statements and
acknowledging that the source of ideas is from oneself and not others
Disowned communication: avoiding responsibility for one's own statements by
attributing to an unknown person, group, or external source
What is supportive listening?
Listening and responding effectively to someone else's statements
What is performance management?
Continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of
individuals and teams and aligning performance with the strategic goals of the
organization
Structure ensuring that everyone is progressing and developing and are headed in the
right direction
Why is performance management important?
Process used to systematically improve the profitability of the organization through a
focus on its people
What are the three main elements of performance management?
Set performance expectations
Assess performance
Performance feedback & review
What are the three main reasons why performance management is not more effective?
Managers don't take adequate time for it
Performance is not measured effectively -> ineffective evaluations and feedback
Evaluations/performance appraisals are emotionally charged meetings, and managers
try to do both evaluations and development feedback in the same meeting
What is required of managers to help their employees continually improve?
High-quality leader-follower relationships
Effective communication (generally & feedback)
ANSWERS
What is defensiveness and disconfirmation?
Defensiveness: when a person defends him or herself due to feeling threatened or
punished by the communication
Disconfirmation: feeling resulting from communication that demeans or belittles the
recipient and threatens his or her sense of self-worth
Why is it important to understand defensiveness and disconfirmation?
Are obstacles to supportive communication
What are the 8 principles of supportive communication?
Supportive communication is based on congruence, not incongruence
Supportive communication is descriptive, not evaluative
Supportive communication is problem-oriented, not person-oriented
Supportive communication validates rather than invalidates individuals
Supportive communication is specific (useful), not global (not useful)
Supportive communication is conjunctive, not disjunctive
Supportive communication is owned, not disowned
Supportive communication requires supportive listening, not one-way message delivery
What is the difference between congruence and incongruence?
Congruence: what is communicated, verbally and nonverbally, matches what the
communicator is thinking and feeling
Incongruence: mismatch between what one is experiencing and what one is aware of,
or a mismatch between what one feels and what one communicates
What is the difference between descriptive and evaluative communication?
,Evaluative communication: makes a judgment or places a label on other individuals or
their behavior
Descriptive communication: objective description of the event or behavior that needs
modification, description of the reaction to its behavior or its consequences, and a
suggestion of a more acceptable alternative
What is the difference between problem-oriented communication and person-oriented
communication?
Problem-oriented communication focuses on problems and solutions rather than
personal traits
Person-oriented communication focuses on the characteristics of the individual, not the
event
What does it mean to validate someone else?
Help people feel recognized, understood, accepted, and valued
What are some approaches that get in the way of validation?
Superiority-oriented communication: message that gives the impression that the
communicator is informed while others are ignorant, adequate when others are
inadequate, competent when others are incompetent, or powerful while others are
impotent
Rigidity in communication: message that portrays the communication as absolute,
unequivocal, or unquestionable
Indifference: when the other person's existence or importance is not acknowledged
Imperviousness: not acknowledging the feelings or opinions of other people
What is the difference between conjunctive and disjunctive communication?
Conjunctive communication: connection of responses to previous messages in such a
way that conversation flows smoothly
Disjunctive communication: responses that are disconnected due to lack of equal
opportunity to speak, long pauses in speech or before a response, or when one person
decides the topic of conversation
What is the difference between owned and disowned communication?
, Owned communication: taking responsibility for one's own statements and
acknowledging that the source of ideas is from oneself and not others
Disowned communication: avoiding responsibility for one's own statements by
attributing to an unknown person, group, or external source
What is supportive listening?
Listening and responding effectively to someone else's statements
What is performance management?
Continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of
individuals and teams and aligning performance with the strategic goals of the
organization
Structure ensuring that everyone is progressing and developing and are headed in the
right direction
Why is performance management important?
Process used to systematically improve the profitability of the organization through a
focus on its people
What are the three main elements of performance management?
Set performance expectations
Assess performance
Performance feedback & review
What are the three main reasons why performance management is not more effective?
Managers don't take adequate time for it
Performance is not measured effectively -> ineffective evaluations and feedback
Evaluations/performance appraisals are emotionally charged meetings, and managers
try to do both evaluations and development feedback in the same meeting
What is required of managers to help their employees continually improve?
High-quality leader-follower relationships
Effective communication (generally & feedback)
