Deck 9: Building an Effective, Ethical Small Group

Question 1

All of the following are suggestions for resisting groupthink, EXCEPT:

A) divide regularly into subgroups
B) invite outsiders in
C) adopt a decision-making format
D) give the team strict time limits

Answer 1

D

Question 2

______ is used to describe the fact that individuals often reduce their efforts when placed in a group.

A) Social thinking
B) Groupthink
C) Social loafing
D) Social idea

Answer 2

C

Question 3

All of the following are positive outcomes of substantive conflict EXCEPT:

A) thorough problem analysis
B) greater motivation to solve problems
C) increased group cohesion and cooperation
D) higher emotional intelligence

Answer 3

D

Question 4

______ listening leads to evaluation.

A) Appreciative
B) Ethical
C) Critical
D) Active

Question 5

Groups suffering from groupthink exhibit which of the following?

A) Overanalyze the problem
B) Do not reexamine a course of action when it is not working
C) Engage in excessive conflict
D) Fail to seek consensus

Question 6

______ is how much a person expects that his or her effort will lead to high group performance.

A) Expectancy
B) Instrumentality C Social loafing
D) Groupthink

Question 7

Roberto really wants the high grade that his group could receive if it does a quality class project. According to the collective effort model, he is motivated by:

A) high expectancy
B) high instrumentality
C) high valence
D) high conscientiousness

Question 8

Which of the following factors contribute MOST to the Abilene paradox?

A) Fear of separation
B) Real risk
C) Action anxiety
D) Negative fantasies

Question 9

______ is the belief that one's personal contribution and the group's collective effort will bring about the desired result.

A) Expectancy
B) Instrumentality
C) Social loafing
D) Valence

Question 10

All of the following are suggestions for addressing the ethical challenges of virtual teams EXCEPT:

A) create very large groups
B) set clear timelines and hold members to them
C) communicate frequently
D) establish a clear procedure for managing conflicts

Question 11

Which of the following is an outcome of substantive conflict?

A) Anger
B) Problem avoidance
C) Escalating hostilities
D) Thorough problem analysis

Question 12

______ listening processes the verbal and nonverbal components of a message.

A) Discriminative
B) Critical
C) Appreciative
D) Comprehensive

Question 13

All of the following are suggestions for listening in a group, EXCEPT:

A) pay close attention to individual words
B) compensate for your biases
C) ask questions
D) avoid interruptions

Question 14

______ conflict is centered on the personal relationship between group members.

A) Substantive
B) Affective
C) Emotional
D) Cooperative

Question 15

______ is how desirable the outcome is for individual group members.

A) Expectancy
B) Instrumentality
C) Social loafing
D) Valence

Question 16

All of the following are elements of a small group, EXCEPT:

A) loyalty
B) interdependence
C) mutual influence
D) ongoing communication

Question 17

The 911 operators demonstrate the importance of ______ listening.

A) active
B) discriminative
C) ethical
D) comprehensive

Question 18

Who is the creator of groupthink theory?

A) Jerry Harvey
B) Steven Karau
C) Irving Janis
D) Christopher Neck

Question 19

______ listening is motivated by the need to understand and retain messages.

A) Active
B) Discriminative
C) Ethical
D) Comprehensive

Question 20

______ try to protect the group leader from unpleasant feedback.

A) Moral champions
B) Self-appointed mindguards
C) Lieutenants
D) Screeners

Question 21

______ help explain why those near the end of a project are more likely to spend additional funds to finish it.

A) Money pit theory
B) Sunk costs
C) Sinking ship
D) Money balancing

Question 22

A few people engaged in communication interaction over time, usually in face to face and/or computer-mediated environments, who have common goals and norms and have developed a communication pattern for meeting their goals in an interdependent manner is a definition of a ______.

A) large group
B) stationary group
C) dogmatic group
D) small group

Question 23

Leaders can foster minority opinion and protect dissenters by ensuring groups are made up of members who are similar in their backgrounds and perspectives.

Question 24

In ______ conflict, participants argue about the proposal before the group.

A) comprehensive
B) argumentative
C) substantive
D) dogmatic

Question 25

______ is typically considered the maximum size for a small group because beyond this number members can no longer communicate face to face.

A) Five
B) Ten
C) Twenty
D) Twenty-Five

Question 26

In groups marked by the ______, members mistakenly assume that silence means that everyone supports a proposal.

A) Abilene paradox
B) illusion of unanimity
C) Goleta effect
D) Golem effect

Question 27

______ is pursuing a failed course of action and is a consequence of mismanaged agreement.

A) Escalation of commitment
B) Social loafing
C) Groupthink
D) Teamthink

Question 28

Action anxiety is one of the psychological factors that accounts for the ______.

A) Abilene paradox
B) illusion of unanimity
C) Goleta effect
D) Golem effect

Question 29

Risk seeking is a factor-driving escalation.

Question 30

With ______, individuals keep their doubts about group decisions to themselves.

A) self-censorship
B) groupthink
C) autonomy
D) escalation of commitment

Question 31

In the ______, group members falsely believe that everyone supports a decision.

A) Abilene paradox
B) illusion of unanimity
C) Goleta effect
D) Golem effect

Question 32

In ______, groups encourage divergent views, combining the open expression of concerns and doubts with a healthy respect for their limitations.

A) groupthink
B) teamthink
C) rolethink
D) memberthink

Question 33

______ leadership is the process of bringing diverse groups together to achieve common goals.

A) Ethical
B) Intergroup
C) Multicultural
D) Social

Question 34

One of the consequences of mismanaged agreement is continuing to pursue a failed course of action, which is called ______.

A) escalation of confidence
B) escalation of leadership
C) escalation of action
D) escalation of commitment

Question 35

______ listening is motivated by the need to understand and retain messages.

A) Comprehensive
B) Argumentative
C) Substantive
D) Dogmatic

Question 36

______ groups are more productive than those with an individualistic or competitive focus.

A) Collaborative
B) Cooperative
C) Dogmatic
D) Relational

Question 37

Too much e-mail communication can lead to information ______.

A) breakdown
B) think
C) effect
D) overload

Question 38

______ group members are those who are inflexible and claim to have all the answers.

A) Comprehensive
B) Argumentative
C) Substantive
D) Dogmatic

Question 39

A(n) ______ establishes procedures for dealing with conflicts.

A) conflict covenant
B) argument
C) conflict talk
D) dogmatic conversation

Question 40

______ refers to influencing our own thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors.

A) Self-leadership
B) Self-regulation
C) Self-efficacy
D) Self-confidence

Question 41

Raising team EI is an important leadership responsibility, which is accomplished largely through role modeling and establishing norms.

Question 42

We act as discriminative listeners when we enjoy a song download from iTunes, a live concert, or a play.

Question 43

Define "escalation of commitment."

Question 44

Higher level moral reasoning is a positive outcome of substantive conflict.

Question 45

Define "intergroup leadership."

Question 46

Controlling messages imply that the recipient is inadequate.

Question 47

The Abilene paradox describes how groups reach false agreement.

Question 48

Conflict seems to be less common in virtual teams.

Question 49

Seeking areas of agreement is one of the suggestions to improve listening performance in a group setting.

Question 50

Control and evaluation can be communicated both verbally and nonverbally.

Question 51

Name and explain the eight symptoms of groupthink.

Question 52

Affective conflict promotes good group decisions.

Question 53

Creativity and change are both positive outcomes of substantive conflict.

Question 54

Define teamthink.

Question 55

Listening in a group is generally more difficult than listening in one-to-one conversations.

Question 56

Leaders spend a great deal of their time in small groups.

Question 57

Arguing about specific words in order to clarify them is a suggestion to improve listening performance in a group setting.

Question 58

In ethical problem-solving groups, therapeutic listening is more important than other types of listening.

Question 59

Give an example of a "sunk cost."

Question 60

Describe the factors leading to social loafing.

Question 61

What are the two components of group emotional intelligence?

Question 62

How can you use a conflict covenant to improve the productivity of your group?

Question 63

Explain the Abilene paradox and identify the factors that contribute to it.

Question 64

What does it mean to "open a space" for dialogue? How can you open this space?

Question 65

Evaluate a group that you belong to using the standards of teamthink.

Question 66

Develop an argument for a controversy of your choice. Be sure to clarify the controversy, develop reasons and evidence, and consider how to respond to arguments made by those on the other side of the issue.

Question 67

Discuss what it means to be a leader in a small-group setting and any experience you have had with this.

Question 68

Explain why social loafing is unethical.

Question 69

Define comprehensive listening.

Question 70

Describe what it means for a group to engage in productive conflict and why this type of conflict is essential to a group's ethical performance.

Question 71

Outline steps you can take to improve the emotional intelligence of your group.

Question 72

Discuss the elements of a small group.

Question 73

Based on your experiences and observations, explain how meetings ARE the work of a leader.

Question 74

Identify five strategies for resisting groupthink.

Question 75

Develop a plan for minimizing social loafing in a group that you participate in.