Deck 7: Groups and Teams

Question 1

Virtual teams usually utilise some form of technology to enhance communication among individuals who are members of the team.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In the reality and unrest phase of team implementation, team members and managers often report frustration and confusion about the new situation.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Tightly formed teams may become overconfident and reduce their communication with other teams in the organisation.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Quality circles can be permanent work groups.

Question 5

Gain-sharing programmes usually reward all team members from all teams based on the performance of one particular team.

Question 6

Teams do not usually take a great deal of time to develop, which is one of the advantages of using teams in companies.

Question 7

Teams usually require different types of skills to be effective.

Question 8

Management teams are teams that may never actually meet together in the same room, but instead rely on teleconferencing and other electronic information systems.

Question 9

Team bonus plans are similar to gain-sharing plans in that the unit of performance used for pay is the entire organisation.

Question 10

A command group is a type of informal group.

Question 11

The use of teams can eliminate redundant layers of bureaucracy and flatten the hierarchy in a company.

Question 12

Implementing teams in organisations is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, time, training and patience.

Question 13

Having a common purpose and common performance goals sets the tone and direction of a virtual team.

Question 14

A task group is relatively temporary and formal.

Question 15

Teams can reduce the degree of stress that employees experience on the job.

Question 16

Problem-solving teams are permanent teams that make recommendations for others to implement.

Question 17

Skill-based pay systems require team members to acquire important skills that affect compensation.

Question 18

Implementation of self-managing work teams often takes less than six months.

Question 19

Change starts at the top in every successful team implementation.

Question 20

The collection of people who attend a class together could be called a group.

Question 21

Highly cohesive groups will be more productive for the organisation than groups with low cohesiveness.

Question 22

Increasing group interaction will not usually affect the cohesiveness of the group.

Question 23

Cohesiveness is generally higher in small groups than it is in large groups.

Question 24

A group is homogeneous if the members are similar in one or more ways that are critical to the work of the group.

Question 25

A friendship group often performs its duties outside of regular work hours.

Question 26

A team is characterised by all of the following EXCEPT

A) complementary skills.
B) profit motive.
C) mutual accountability.
D) small number of people.
E) commitment to a common purpose.

Question 27

A group norm is a standard against which the appropriateness of a behaviour is judged.

Question 28

Compared with managers from South Africa, Dutch managers like to make decisions cautiously and with extensive analysis.

Question 29

All groups go through all four stages of group development before disbanding.

Question 30

A homogeneous group is likely to be more productive when the group task is simple, cooperation is necessary, the group tasks are sequential, and quick action is required.

Question 31

Group norms are developed in the control and organisation stage of group development.

Question 32

Group productivity depends on successful growth at each stage of the group development process.

Question 33

In most situations, the most effective group size is 30 or more members because more ideas are generated.

Question 34

Teams differ from groups in that teams

A) place more emphasis on concerted action than groups do.
B) are usually larger than groups.
C) are usually temporary.
D) place little emphasis on common objectives.
E) pursue multiple goals.

Question 35

A heterogeneous group is more likely to be productive when the task is complex, requires a collective effort and demands creativity.

Question 36

The basic group performance factors include groupthink, social loafing and norm creation.

Question 37

Getting to know one another is part of the mutual acceptance stage of group development.

Question 38

Some groups fail to complete certain stages of development before moving on to later stages.

Question 39

Communication in Western cultures is typically indirect and vague.

Question 40

Social loafing is the tendency of some group members to put forth high levels of effort, which ultimately reduces self-policing.

Question 41

Which of the following is NOT an important leadership skill in a virtual project team or distance management situation?

A) Building community among team members based on mutual trust, respect, affiliation and fairness
B) Leading with directness and focusing on abstract results
C) Establishing a clear and motivating shared vision
D) Communicating effectively and matching technology to the situation
E) Coordinating and collaborating across organisational boundaries

Question 42

__________ happens when people are motivated to look good to others and want to maintain a positive self-image.

A) Managerial intervention
B) Social facilitation
C) Groupthink
D) Social loafing
E) Group cohesiveness

Question 43

What is (are) the new role(s) of managers in teams?

A) Supervisors and evaluators
B) Top managers
C) Team members
D) Technical specialists
E) Coaches and facilitators

Question 44

A team that never actually meets in the same room is called a

A) virtual team.
B) quality circle.
C) cross-functional team.
D) product development team.
E) management team.

Question 45

Willem is a member of a small group of employees from different work areas.They meet once each week to discuss and recommend solutions to workplace problems.This group is most likely a(n)

A) problem-solving team.
B) interdisciplinary team.
C) work team.
D) management team.
E) quality circle.

Question 46

What is the best reason for creating teams in an organisation?

A) They can increase productivity almost immediately.
B) Teams are always well received by employees.
C) Teams are increasing in popularity.
D) The competition is also implementing teams.
E) Teams make sense for that organisation.

Question 47

The cost of teams includes which of the following factors?

A) The difficulty of changing to a team-based organisation
B) An increase in innovation and creativity
C) Adverse impact on the bottom line
D) Increased social loafing
E) Decreased groupthink

Question 48

When choosing team members, which of the following abilities would you NOT specifically look for?

A) Persuasiveness
B) Conflict resolution
C) Collaborative problem-solving
D) Self-management
E) Communication

Question 49

A team that consists of members from different departments or functional areas is a(n)

A) interdisciplinary team.
B) work team.
C) cross-functional team.
D) problem-solving team.
E) quality circle.

Question 50

A team __________ is a written agreement among team members establishing ground rules about the team's processes, roles and responsibilities.

A) outline
B) commitment
C) contract
D) agreement
E) quality circle

Question 51

Which of the following statements best reflects the costs of teams to organisations?

A) The increased bureaucracy
B) The loss of creativity
C) The difficulty of changing to a team-based organisation
D) Increased worker compensation claims
E) Increased distance between employees and top management

Question 52

__________ is a reward system commonly found in team environments.

A) Skill-based pay
B) Share options
C) Commission-based pay
D) Annual profit sharing
E) Seniority-based pay

Question 53

Which of the following is NOT an example of an organisational enhancement arising from team environments?

A) Taller organisational hierarchy
B) Quicker reaction
C) Increased innovation
D) Higher creativity
E) Improved flexibility

Question 54

Why does working in teams result in enhanced performance?

A) Waste and errors are spread across multiple individuals.
B) Managers lower their performance standards.
C) Team members spend less time in direct contact with customers.
D) Teams pool individual efforts in new ways and strive for continuous improvement.
E) Taller hierarchies improve communication processes.

Question 55

The positive benefits of a team-based environment include all of the following EXCEPT

A) enhanced performance.
B) employee benefits.
C) organisational enhancements.
D) reduced costs.
E) All of these are benefits.

Question 56

Which of the following is NOT an example of cost reductions arising from team environments?

A) Reduced absenteeism
B) Reduced scrap
C) Lower turnover
D) Fewer errors
E) Lower commitment

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT a strategy for dealing with the challenges of multicultural teams?

A) One-on-one conferencing
B) Adaptation
C) Managerial intervention
D) Exit
E) Structural intervention

Question 58

Why do younger workers seem to benefit from team environments?

A) Supervision in teams is increased.
B) Workers receive higher wages in team environments.
C) Individuals receive more recognition in team environments.
D) Teams give them freedom to grow and manage themselves.
E) Teams increase employees' respect for authority.

Question 59

The primary job of __________ is to create new products, processes, or businesses.

A) interdisciplinary teams
B) quality circles
C) problem-solving teams
D) work teams
E) venture teams

Question 60

The move towards a team-based format is often initiated and communicated to the entire organisation by

A) internal team leaders.
B) the design team.
C) top management.
D) affinity groups.
E) an outside consultant.

Question 61

The concept of __________ is essential to the definition of groups presented in your text.

A) interaction
B) coordination
C) cohesion
D) member personality
E) proximity

Question 62

During the __________ phase of team implementation, managers have withdrawn from the daily operations and are counselling teams.

A) tightly formed teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centred teams
D) self-managing teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 63

Which of the following is a formal group?

A) Interest
B) Friendship
C) Social
D) Command
E) Grapevine

Question 64

During the __________ phase of team implementation, managers should provide encouragement, monitor performance and sometimes protect teams from those who want to see the team fail.

A) self-managing teams
B) tightly formed teams
C) leader-centred teams
D) reality and unrest
E) start-up

Question 65

__________ groups are usually temporary and are established to solve a particular problem.

A) Friendship
B) Task
C) Affinity
D) Interest
E) Command

Question 66

The size or number of people that constitute a group is

A) ten or more.
B) limited to fifteen.
C) fewer than two people.
D) limited to ten.
E) two or more.

Question 67

Suki is the senior manager at her company.She made the choice to go to teams because she went to a seminar on teams, but she'll be on a two-year foreign assignment when teams are actually implemented.Which of the following is likely to occur?

A) The teams will be performing well by the time she returns.
B) The teams will be more broadly spread than normal.
C) The teams will become self-managing more quickly than normal.
D) A complete organisational culture revolution is likely to occur.
E) The teams are likely to fail.

Question 68

During the __________ phase of team implementation, a team's internal focus can become detrimental to other teams and to the organisation as a whole.

A) start-up
B) reality and unrest
C) tightly formed teams
D) leader-centred teams
E) self-managing teams

Question 69

Shortly after implementation, team performance often __________ before returning to previous levels.

A) fluctuates unpredictably
B) ceases completely
C) increases slightly
D) declines
E) dramatically increases

Question 70

The audience at an Oprah Winfrey talk show is an example of a(n) __________ group.

A) special project
B) command
C) task
D) friendship
E) interest

Question 71

The start-up phase of team implementation includes which of the following?

A) Frustration and confusion about the new situation
B) Extreme confidence and cohesion
C) Intense team loyalty
D) Teams think of themselves as a unit
E) Informational or awareness training

Question 72

During the __________ phase of team implementation, teams usually long for a system that resembles the old organisational structure.

A) tightly formed teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centred teams
D) self-managing teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 73

__________ groups are informal and organised around a particular activity.

A) Friendship
B) Interest
C) Command
D) All
E) Task

Question 74

The definition of groups presented in your text omits any requirement of

A) interaction.
B) size.
C) influence.
D) group goals.
E) All of these are included in the textbook definition of a group.

Question 75

A new product development team is an example of which type of group?

A) Friendship
B) Interest
C) Performance
D) Task
E) Affinity

Question 76

In the __________ phase of team implementation, enthusiasm runs high and the anticipation of employees is quite positive.

A) self-managing teams
B) start-up
C) leader-centred teams
D) tightly formed teams
E) reality and unrest

Question 77

A(n) __________ is a person who engages in leadership activities but whose right to do so has not been formally recognised.

A) team manager
B) team specialist
C) executive
D) informal leader
E) None of these are correct.

Question 78

The two essential issues that must not be overlooked when implementing teams are

A) team performance and top management support.
B) implementation and team performance.
C) starting at the top and member loyalty.
D) team performance and team motivation.
E) team motivation and reward systems.

Question 79

A group of department managers who meet periodically to establish corporate policy is an example of which type of group?

A) Special project
B) Friendship
C) Task
D) Interest
E) Command

Question 80

Videoconferencing, instant messaging, electric meetings and even conference calls are considered __________ technology.

A) asynchronous
B) futuristic
C) team-specific
D) ineffective
E) synchronous