II. Terms

In your essays for this course it is very important to use the terminology of communication science. Therefore, take time to learn the terms and their meanings in each chapter. In the face-to-face version of this course, various interactive techniques will be used to test your knowledge of the major terms. In the online version of the class you will review the terms independently. Make sure you use the terms referred to below in your essays.

Cross-sex peers Defensive climate Network density Network media Organizational climate Organizational culture Sexual harassment Supportive climate Tensions, control vs. collaboration Tensions, detachments vs. empathy Tensions, dogmatism vs. flexibility

Tensions, evaluation vs. description Tensions, strategy vs. spontaneity Tensions, superiority vs. equality Workplace abuse Workplace cliques Workplace networks Workplace norms Workplace relationships Workplace romance Workplace values

III. Names

It is very important to remember the names of scholars who contributed to communication theory. Your essays will sound more professional if you make reference to the people mentioned in this brochure. In the face-to-face version of this course, and in the audio lectures that accompany the online version of this course the names of these scholars will be routinely used to refer to various concepts. Study the names of communication scholars and try to remember their contribution to the science.

Albrecht, Torrance Cahill, Janet Dillard, James Eisenberg, Eric Hovick, Shelly

Katz, Daniel Kreps, Gary Miller, Catherine Sias, Patricia Zorn, Theodore

IV. Recap Questions

Use the recap questions to see if you remember the main concepts discussed in the chapter. In the face-to-face version of this course recap questions will be asked at various points as we make connection between different concepts. In the online version of this course use the recap questions to check if you remember all the concepts discussed in the chapter.

1. Provide a definition of a workplace relationship.

2. What are some benefits and costs of workplace relationships?

3. How can we maintain workplace relationships?

4. What is organizational culture?

5. How is organizational culture socialized?

6. How is organizational culture promoted?

7. What are organizational networks?

8. What are the advantages and disadvantages of cliques?

9. Provide an explanation of defensive and supportive organizational climates.

10. What are the dialectical tensions of organizational climates?

11. Name the six tactics of creating a supportive climate.

12. Name the most important tactics of maintaining peer relationships.

13. How do you maintain mixed status relationships?

14. What is workplace abuse?

15. What is sexual harassment and how do you cope with it?

V. Self-Reflection Items

There are a total of eight self-reflection items (SRIs) in each chapter. For the online and face-to-face versions of the class alike, choose THREE items to discuss.

1. Communication Diary: Choose one of SRI to discuss privately with your teacher. Answer all the questions in the SRI. Refer to at least THREE concepts in the chapter in THREE good paragraphs, then summarize in the fourth paragraph. (20 points).

2. Communication Board Posting: Choose one of the SRIs to discuss openly with your fellow students. Follow the same rules as for CD1 but in the end ask ONE question of your fellow class-mates, a word of advice. (20 points).

3. Communication Board Comment: Write one good paragraph in response to the question posed by your classmate in pairs as assigned by the teacher (10 points).

1. Think of the relationships you have with people at work. What makes them “good” or “bad”? When you compare the benefits and drawbacks of your close workplace relationships, how does this affect your feelings about the organization where you work?

2. Think about the culture of an organization you belong to. What norms exist regarding communication? What artifacts bolster these expectations? What values are considered most important for the organization’s success? How does the organizational culture shape your work and your feelings about the organization?

3. What are the characteristics of your organization’s climate? Is your organization’s climate supportive, defensive, or somewhere in between? What could you do differently to improve your organization’s climate?

4. How many of your work peers do you consider friends rather than simply coworkers? Are there any you think of as best friends? How do your relationships with peers at work affect your feelings about your job and the organization?

5. If you have had a workplace romance, what were the consequences, benefits, and challenges? How did you and your partner meet these challenges? If you haven’t had a workplace romance, what are your perceptions of such romances? Do you approve or disapprove of them? How could they affect your organization?

6. If you directly supervised a collegial or special peer, could you evaluate his or her performance objectively? What might happen if the friend was doing unsatisfactory work and you gave him or her negative feedback? Could your relationship survive such an incident? If so, how?

7. Think about the most effective supervisor you know. Which aspects of this supervisor’s communication make him or her so effective? His or her openness? Skill at explaining things? Willingness to listen?

8. Would you continue working if you didn’t need to? Why or why not? If you chose not to work, what consequences can you envision for your life? How would not having a job affect your sense of purpose? Your happiness?