Deck 9: Work Teams and Groups

Question 1

A group is a collection of two or more persons with common interests or objectives, whereas a work team:

A)consists of two or more persons who are loosely tied together, yet each member works independently
B)may be dozens of people who are quickly assembled to perform a task that may only take a few minutes
C)has several persons but the performance or contribution of any particular member is inconsequential for the team's output
D)is usually a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common goal for which they are mutually accountable

Answer 1

D

Question 2

According to the group development model discussed in the text, a group addresses which of the following issues?

A)personal, task, and authority issues
B)cultural, interpersonal, and task issues
C)task, authority, and cultural issues
D)interpersonal, task, and authority issues

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The two sets of social benefits available to team or group members include:

A)recognition and integrated involvement
B)integrated involvement and achievement
C)psychological intimacy and recognition
D)psychological intimacy and integrated involvement

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following statements regarding group cohesion is NOT accurate?

A)group cohesion can enhance job satisfaction for members.
B)group cohesion can enhance organizational productivity.
C)highly cohesive groups tend to have higher interpersonal exchanges away from the workplace.
D)highly cohesive groups are better able to control and manager their membership better than work groups low in cohesion.

Question 5

People may engage in immoral acts or even violent behavior as committed members of their group when:

A)group cohesion declines
B)social loafing is emphasized
C)there is a loss of individuality
D)there is not a norm for moral behavior

Question 6

Which of the following includes the set of interpersonal issues that need to be addressed according to the group development model?

A)purpose, methods, and outcomes
B)trust, personal comfort, and security
C)trust, personal comfort, and inclusion
D)inclusion, personal comfort, and control

Question 7

Which of the following is a characteristic of a well-functioning group?

A)decisions are usually based on what a majority of the group wants
B)conflict and disagreement tend to be over individual personalities or approaches
C)the atmosphere tends to be stressful and formal
D)people express both their feelings and their thoughts

Question 8

Social loafing is usually:

A)a norm of behavior within a group
B)supportive of the development of group cohesion
C)detrimental to the group and may cause interpersonal conflict within the group
D)a stimulant to increased group performance

Question 9

Groups emphasize all of the following except:

A)collective work products
B)individual leadership
C)exclusive work products
D)personal accountability

Question 10

A beneficial team environment is one where an individual does the following:

A)suppresses their own thoughts
B)follows orders
C)comes up with initiatives
D)doesn't rock the boat

Question 11

A method for countering social loafing includes:

A)motivational training
B)formal evaluation of member contributions
C)emphasizing task functions
D)setting clear group goals

Question 12

Teams are appropriate where:

A)the knowledge and talent of workers are dispersed across members and require integration
B)tasks are independent and complex
C)tasks are simple and routine
D)knowledge and talent is placed in highly skilled individuals

Question 13

Integrated involvement as a social benefit of group or team membership includes:

A)emotional support
B)affection and warmth
C)opportunity for influence
D)interpersonal openness

Question 14

All of the following would be considered positive norms of behavior within a group except:

A)consensus decision making
B)shared leadership
C)loss of individuality
D)open discussion, or free exchange, of information concerning problems confronting the group

Question 15

The behavioral norms expected within work groups and considered to be among the most important from the organization's perspective are known as:

A)visions
B)organizational culture and credos
C)group cohesion
D)groupthink

Question 16

Work teams place a strong emphasis on:

A)shared leadership
B)mutual accountability
C)products that require collective work
D)individual accountability

Question 17

A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common mission, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable is known as a/an:

A)group
B)cohesive group
C)work team
D)effective group

Question 18

According to the group development model, which of the following set of issues need to be addressed as part of a group's authority issues?

A)who is in charge, management of power and influence, and security
B)expected group outcomes, who is in charge, and management of power and influence
C)expected group outcomes, who is in charge, and who has the right to tell whom to do what
D)who is in charge, management of power and influence, and who has the right to tell whom to do what

Question 19

One of the contributing factors to the violent and aggressive acts that led to the riot that destroyed Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict in the early 1990's included:

A)group cohesion
B)loss of individuality
C)group sanctions
D)integrated involvement

Question 20

The standards that a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members are called:

A)role congruence
B)expectation consistency
C)norms of behavior
D)superordinate goals

Question 21

Which of the following would NOT be considered a formal or deliberately designed group in a work setting?

A)project team
B)council of department heads
C)executive committee
D)lunch hour table group

Question 22

As a member of a quality circle, you frequently check with other members to make sure all are focused on the same problem and that everyone has opportunities to contribute. You are performing the group maintenance function of:

A)seeking consensus
B)testing ideas
C)gatekeeping communication
D)giving information

Question 23

Work team effectiveness in the new team environment requires attention by management to both:

A)training and work team process
B)team structure and work team training
C)team structure and team process
D)roles and leadership

Question 24

An effective team exhibits:

A)no weaknesses
B)shared leadership
C)intragroup conflict
D)formal, designated leadership

Question 25

Tension reduction activities are considered a:

A)maintenance function
B)leadership function
C)management function
D)conflict resolution function

Question 26

Which of the following statements best reflects the punctuated equilibrium model of group development?

A)teams experience relational conflicts at different times and in different contexts.
B)groups do not necessarily progress linearly from one stage to another in sequential steps or stages.
C)groups alternate between periods of inertia and progress toward goals with bursts of energy.
D)all of these.

Question 27

At what stage of group development does the leader need to adopt a coaching style due to team challenges?

A)forming
B)adjourning
C)norming
D)performing

Question 28

An important role in the performance of cross-functional teams is:

A)contributor
B)data generator
C)challenger
D)integrator

Question 29

Task functions relate to a group's efforts to complete an assignment. These functions include all of the following except:

A)seeking information
B)coordinating activities
C)testing ideas
D)consensus testing

Question 30

Cooperative rewards in work teams will have the most effective impact on:

A)speed of performance
B)accuracy of performance
C)individual satisfaction
D)none of these

Question 31

All of the following are considered important work process issues except:

A)diversity
B)creativity
C)dissimilarity
D)role specification

Question 32

Dependence on guidance and direction is the defining characteristic in what stage of group development?

A)norming
B)forming
C)performing
D)adjourning

Question 33

At what stage of group development is the leader's role primarily one of recognition of the group's achievements?

A)forming
B)norming
C)storming
D)performing

Question 34

An emergent group is known as a/an:

A)formal group
B)assigned group
C)informal group
D)temporary group

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a maintenance function of a group?

A)harmonizing conflicts
B)elaborating concepts
C)following others' leads
D)setting standards

Question 36

The notion that groups alternate between periods of inertia and bursts of energy as they develop is most consistent with:

A)storming-norming stage
B)forming-storming stage
C)punctuated equilibrium
D)evolution-revolution in group development

Question 37

The set of authority and task relations among group members is known as:

A)control and sanctions
B)mutual acceptance
C)status structure
D)cohesiveness

Question 38

Which stage requires that team members feel they are a part of the team for further progression in group development to occur?

A)forming
B)storming
C)norming
D)performing

Question 39

The development of group cohesiveness is negatively influenced by:

A)internal competition
B)prestige of the group
C)external pressure
D)group size when there are only five to eight members

Question 40

The contributor role in a team is usually occupied by someone who:

A)is a good devil's advocate
B)is a collaborator
C)is a good facilitator, listener, and communicator
D)provides data and necessary information for problem solutions

Question 41

A "wild turkey" in the top management team is:

A)someone who is uncontrollable
B)a devil's advocate who challenges the thinking of the CEO and other top executives
C)a member of the executive team that retards the executive teams performance
D)one who increases the homogeneity within the executive group

Question 42

All work teams are groups, but not all groups are work teams.

Question 43

A group member who becomes a social loafer may negatively affect cohesiveness.

Question 44

Some experts believe that only individuals within a team can be creative, but a professor at Northwestern University suggests that team creativity can be achieved. Which of the following practices would NOT enhance team creativity?

A)building a playground
B)team diversity
C)facilitator training
D)conformity

Question 45

Performance norms are among the most important group norms from the organization's perspective.

Question 46

Which of the following is not considered to be a foundation for successful teamwork?

A)working together
B)empowerment skills
C)goal clarity
D)process skills

Question 47

According to the group development model in the text, the most common way for decisions to be made within a cohesive group is to vote and follow a simple majority rule.

Question 48

Self-managed teams are sometimes called:

A)quality circles
B)quality teams
C)autonomous work groups
D)cross-functional work teams

Question 49

A team-oriented work environment places emphasis on:

A)empowerment and collaboration
B)power and authority or the distribution of power among team members
C)internal competition
D)hierarchical control by top management

Question 50

Which of the following is most accurate regarding the impact of dissimilarity on teams and team members?

A)value dissimilarity is negatively related to task conflict
B)functional dissimilarity is negatively related to team involvement
C)value dissimilarity is negatively related to team involvement
D)demographic dissimilarity has no impact on OCB

Question 51

Upper echelon theory argues that:

A)turnover at the top becomes a vicious cycle
B)executive turnover will usually result in declining organizational performance
C)characteristics of the top management team can predict organizational characteristics
D)wild turkeys will have a detrimental effect on organizational performance

Question 52

For successful chief executive officers, their peak performance years are usually after:

A)two years
B)ten years
C)five to seven years
D)three to four years

Question 53

Teams with experience working together produce valuable innovations, and individual contributions within teams are valuable as well.

Question 54

Psychological intimacy and integrated involvement need to be achieved in the same team or group.

Question 55

Dependence on guidance and direction is the declining characteristic in the forming stage.

Question 56

Work teams tend to be more effective and efficient when the designated leader is socially and psychologically distant from team members.

Question 57

Whereas psychological intimacy is more emotion based, integrated involvement is more behavior and activity based.

Question 58

The standards that a work group uses to evaluate the behavior of its members are its norms of behavior.

Question 59

Hambrick and Fukutomi's research on CEO tenure found that the second stage of tenure involved:

A)selecting an enduring corporate theme
B)responding to a Board of Directors mandate
C)convergence or pulling together for performance
D)experimentation

Question 60

Groups emphasize shared leadership, mutual accountability, and collective work products.

Question 61

The most critical process skill for empowerment is goal setting.

Question 62

Demographic dissimilarity may have positive or negative effects in teams and on team members.

Question 63

A highly cohesive group can set performance output at a level below standard.

Question 64

Group cohesion and intragroup conflict tend to be contradictory forces.

Question 65

Role and status structures tend to be highly defined and relatively unchanged in a fully developed mature group.

Question 66

Informal groups are sometimes called emergent groups.

Question 67

Dissimilarity tends to increase the creativity in groups and accordingly has positive impacts on groups.

Question 68

Employees must be properly focused through careful planning and preparation before the power of empowerment strikes.

Question 69

After its formation, a group goes through stages of development that unfortunately cannot be predicted.

Question 70

Work team process issues have become less complex in the global workplace due to the ability to use virtual work teams.

Question 71

According to Tuckman, a group goes through predictable stages of development after it is developed.

Question 72

The contributor is data driven, information sensitive, and one who adheres to performance standards.

Question 73

In order to increase the speed of a group's performance, competitive rewards would have a better impact then cooperative rewards.

Question 74

The primary elements of work team structure include goals, operating guidelines, performance measures, and specification of roles.

Question 75

Group maintenance functions are commonly performed or provided by the designated group leader.

Question 76

Self-managed teams are broad-based work teams that deal with issues beyond quality.

Question 77

Informal groups do not go through the same stages of group development that formal groups go through.

Question 78

In the performing stage of development, the group requires a coaching style from the leader.

Question 79

Communication gatekeepers serve a maintenance role or function within groups.

Question 80

The punctuated equilibrium model of group development proposes that groups do not necessarily progress linearly from one step to another in a predetermined sequence.