Chapter 14 — Quiz
Try the whole quiz before checking the key.
Multiple choice
1. Western workplaces are best described as: - A) truly flat with no hierarchy - B) flatter than many, but with a real (hidden) hierarchy - C) steeply hierarchical and formal - D) leaderless
2. "My door is always open" means you can: - A) go over your manager's head anytime to complain about them - B) come with quick questions/ideas, respecting the chain of command - C) move into the office - D) ignore your manager
3. "Take ownership of this" means: - A) buy the company - B) you're responsible for driving it to completion proactively - C) wait for instructions - D) give it to someone else
4. In the Western workplace, waiting to be told what to do generally reads as: - A) respectful and ideal - B) passivity/disengagement (a career risk) - C) strategic - D) required
5. The "real power structure" of an office: - A) always matches the org chart exactly - B) often differs from the org chart (informal influencers matter) - C) doesn't exist in flat companies - D) is published openly
6. Decisions in Western workplaces are often: - A) only ever made openly in the meeting - B) shaped beforehand in 1-on-1s and hallway conversations - C) made by vote of all staff - D) never made
7. "Business casual" typically means: - A) full suit and tie - B) neat but not formal (collared shirt/blouse, nice trousers) - C) pajamas - D) beachwear
8. "We're like a family here" should be treated with: - A) total literal trust - B) friendly skepticism (it can mask overwork/loyalty extraction) - C) fear - D) contempt
9. Which country has the flattest, most casual workplaces? - A) France - B) Germany - C) the US/Australia - D) Japan
10. The bilingual move for office politics is: - A) ignore hierarchy entirely - B) surface equality (first names, speak up) + private power-literacy (read real power) - C) defer to everyone always - D) challenge seniors publicly
11. (new) Ngozi's proposals kept losing because: - A) they were weak - B) the decisions were shaped before the meeting and she'd skipped the groundwork - C) she dressed wrong - D) she spoke too much
12. (new) The structural truth that "we're a family" rhetoric obscures is that: - A) families never argue - B) it remains a business relationship — the company can lay you off - C) startups never fail - D) there's no boss
True / False
13. "Flat" means there's no boss who can promote or fire you. (True / False)
14. Using the open door appropriately signals engagement. (True / False)
15. Taking initiative and ownership is highly valued in the Western workplace. (True / False)
16. The flatness of Western workplaces is entirely genuine with no performance or downside. (True / False)
17. (new) Doing 1-on-1 groundwork before a meeting is a legitimate, normal way to build influence. (True / False)
Short answer
18. Explain "flat but not really" — what's real and what's illusion?
19. Give two things you'd do before a meeting to influence a decision.
20. Why should "we're a family here" be treated cautiously (the Honesty Box)?
21. (new) How can you be warm and committed at work and boundaried? Give one example.
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Answer Key
- B. 2. B. 3. B. 4. B. 5. B. 6. B. 7. B. 8. B. 9. C. 10. B. 11. B (pre-meeting groundwork). 12. B (still a business).
- False — there's still a chain of command and a boss with real power. 14. True. 15. True. 16. False. 17. True.
- Model: Real: fewer layers, first names, access, expected engagement. Illusion: hierarchy still exists (boss can promote/fire; real power lines), just hidden and downplayed — so you must read the real structure beneath the friendly surface.
- Any two: talk to the real influencers 1-on-1; share your view/evidence in advance; line up a supporter; pre-empt objections — so the room is already aligned.
- Model: It can be used to extract loyalty, overwork, and emotional labor while the power imbalance remains — a company still lays you off; a family doesn't. Enjoy the warmth but keep boundaries.
- Model: Be friendly and a great colleague while protecting limits — e.g., help on a real crunch but leave at a reasonable hour most days and take your vacation; warmth and boundaries coexist.