Deck 12: Managing New Product Development Teams

Question 1

Lightweight teams are appropriate for derivative projects where high levels of coordination and communication are not required.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of the following is an advantage typically associated with cross-functional teams?

A) A cross-functional interface ensures that cross-fertilization of ideas is reduced.
B) Cross-functional teams allow a project to draw on a wider mix of information sources in the environment.
C) Cross-functional teams usually reduce coordination and communication costs.
D) Cross-functional teams are most efficient in eradicating homophily.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Heavyweight teams are typically permanent in nature.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A cross-functional team is one that has members of different ethnic backgrounds in a single functional area.

Question 5

Project managers of heavyweight teams are typically junior managers.

Question 6

Heavyweight teams are suitable for platform projects.

Question 7

As the size of a team increases,the potential for social loafing decreases.

Question 8

A contract book must be developed before a project charter can be written.

Question 9

A lack of cross-functional communication can lead to a poor fit between product attributes and customer requirements.

Question 10

Homogeneous teams should possess more information,on average,than heterogeneous groups.

Question 11

A contract book is an important mechanism for establishing team commitment to a project and a sense of ownership over the project.

Question 12

At Tech Edge Inc.,a special team is set up for making a robot capable of assisting blind people in going about their daily activities.The members of the team are taken from various areas of the firm,including R&D,marketing,manufacturing,and distribution.The new team is put under the charge of a senior manager.This team is most accurately an example of a:

A) cross-functional team.
B) laggard team.
C) homogenous team.
D) self-directed work team.

Question 13

In the context of product development teams,which of the following statements is true?

A) The larger a team is, the easier it is to foster a shared sense of identity among team members.
B) As the size of a team increases, the potential for social loafing increases.
C) Formation of cross-functional teams hinders the cross-fertilization of ideas.
D) Increasing the diversity of team members eliminates the possibility of homophily.

Question 14

Proximity and frequent interaction help teams to develop shared norms and a dialect for communicating about a project.

Question 15

Karen's supervisor,while discussing about her participation in a new product development team,tells her that she has been engaging in social loafing.This means that Karen:

A) has been involved in whistle-blowing activities.
B) has been discriminating against colleagues belonging to minority groups.
C) has not been putting much effort into the team's work.
D) has stolen office property.

Question 16

In a functional team approach to new product development,team members remain in their functional departments and may meet periodically to discuss the project.

Question 17

In heavyweight teams,the long-term career development of individual members rests with their project managers rather than their functional managers.

Question 18

The vice president of Sunflower Computers Inc.is trying to decide on the composition of a new product development team.If he chooses members who are from different backgrounds,he is most likely to reap the benefits of:

A) a broader knowledge base.
B) lesser cross-fertilization of ideas.
C) homophily.
D) social loafing.

Question 19

Functional teams typically have a project manager or dedicated liaison personnel.

Question 20

Managers of lightweight teams are normally junior or middle management employees.

Question 21

Which of the following statements is true of heavyweight teams?

A) Project managers of heavyweight teams lack the authority to command resources.
B) Heavyweight teams are always temporary.
C) In heavyweight teams, members are collocated with the project manager.
D) Heavyweight teams are considered inappropriate for platform projects.

Question 22

Which of the following is an advantage of heavyweight teams?

A) Heavyweight teams have strong cross-functional coordination.
B) The team structure of heavyweight teams increases the possibility of social loafing.
C) Heavyweight teams are typically permanent.
D) The team structure of heavyweight teams decreases the cross-fertilization of ideas.

Question 23

Ruth works in the advertising department of her company.It was observed that she interacted more frequently and more intensely with team members who shared her interests and social background,but ignored others.This phenomenon exhibited by Ruth is referred to as:

A) free riding.
B) social loafing.
C) homophily.
D) groupthink.

Question 24

Which of the following is an advantage of a functional team?

A) The team structure of a functional team is straightforward to implement.
B) The team structure of a functional team allows for greater cross-functional coordination.
C) The team structure of a functional team increases the cross-fertilization of ideas.
D) The team structure of a functional team increases the possibility of social loafing.

Question 25

The vice president of Biomedics Inc.is trying to decide on the composition of a new product development team.If she chooses members from multiple functional areas in the firm,which of the following disadvantages is she most likely to experience?

A) Increase in instances of whistle-blowing
B) Increase in communication and coordination costs
C) Lesser cross-fertilization of ideas
D) Lesser instances of social loafing

Question 26

Which of the following is a defining characteristic of autonomous teams?

A) Autonomous teams are not held accountable for the success of a project.
B) Autonomous teams do not have a project manager, which leads to constant problems with coordination of activities.
C) The degree of cross-functional integration is low in autonomous teams.
D) Autonomous teams often do not conform to the operating procedures of the rest of the organization.

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true of the autonomous team structure?

A) In autonomous teams, individuals may spend less than 10 percent of their time working on team-related activities.
B) In autonomous teams, the potential for conflict between team and functions is very low.
C) In autonomous teams, team members are collocated with a senior project manager.
D) The project manager of an autonomous team is not given full control over resources.

Question 28

Virtual teams are best defined as teams in which members:

A) may be situated at a great distance from each other and collaborate intensively via advanced information technologies.
B) are drawn from multiple functional areas in the firm such as R&D, marketing, manufacturing, and distribution, and they work at the company headquarters.
C) have the tendency to cooperate only with people whom they perceive as being similar to themselves.
D) have the tendency of shirking their responsibilities and blaming one another for their poor performance.

Question 29

What are the advantages and disadvantages of having a heterogeneous new product development team?

Question 30

Which of the following statements is true of functional teams?

A) Functional teams consist of members from multiple areas in the firm such as R&D, marketing, manufacturing, distribution, and so on.
B) The functional team structure provides little opportunity for cross-functional coordination.
C) Functional teams are not appropriate for derivative projects that affect only a single function.
D) Functional teams are usually permanent.

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true of lightweight teams?

A) Lightweight teams are typically permanent.
B) Lightweight teams do not have dedicated liaison personnel.
C) Lightweight teams are most appropriate for projects where high levels of coordination are required.
D) Lightweight teams are comprised of members who still reside in their functional departments.

Question 32

Write a short note on functional teams.

Question 33

Describe project charter and contract book.Explain their purposes.How are they related to each other?

Question 34

The CEO of Bright Electronics Inc.has put together an autonomous new product development team.He is now trying to decide the type of leader who should be appointed to head the team.What should he look for in the leader of this team to improve its chances of success?

Question 35

In the forming of virtual teams,what criteria must be used to select team members?

Question 36

Members of a virtual team:

A) must be located in the same office.
B) may live great distances apart.
C) are always collocated.
D) must belong to the same country.

Question 37

Which of the following is an advantage of lightweight teams?

A) Lightweight teams are more stable as they are permanent in nature.
B) Lightweight teams do not have dedicated liaison personnel, and the members have more decision-making authority.
C) The team structure of lightweight teams increases the possibility of homophily.
D) It is easier to coordinate activities in a lightweight team than in a functional team.

Question 38

Which of the following is a disadvantage associated with autonomous teams?

A) The project manager of an autonomous team does not have any control over resources contributed from different functional departments.
B) The autonomous team structure does not accommodate cross-functional integration.
C) It is hard for autonomous teams to fold back into the parent organization when a project is completed.
D) Autonomous teams do not have project managers, because of which they face a lot of coordination problems.

Question 39

Albert has put together a new product development team based on the functional team structure.Which of the following statements is most likely to be true about this team?

A) Team members will spend up to 50 percent of their time on team-related activities.
B) The team will typically require dedicated liaison personnel.
C) The team will have a high degree of cross-functional integration.
D) The team structure will be straightforward to implement.

Question 40

June is a member of a new product development team.Her supervisor asks her about her experience in the team,and she replies,"Our team seems to be suffering from homophily." This statement means that:

A) team members are not exerting the expected amount of effort.
B) team members spend all their time chatting about their personal issues.
C) team members are only interested in talking to people who are senior to them.
D) team members only like other people whom they perceive as being similar to themselves.