Deck 9: Foundations of Group Behavior

Question 1

Which of the following is true, in general, in regard to groups?

A) A group is characterized by the independence of its members.
B) A group typically lacks definite roles and structures.
C) A group influences our emotional reactions.
D) An informal gathering cannot be considered a group.
E) The membership of a group does not affect how its members treat outsiders.

Answer 1

C
Explanation: Our tendency to take personal pride or offense for the accomplishments of a group is the territory of social identity theory. Social identity theory proposes that people have emotional reactions to the failure or success of their group because their self-esteem gets tied into the group's performance.

Question 2

Which of the following represents the first action in the group development process of a temporary group?

A) group direction is set
B) transition after half of time taken up
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) accelerated activity

Answer 2

A
Explanation: Temporary groups with finite deadlines pass through a unique sequencing of actions (or inaction): (1) Their first meeting sets the group's direction, (2) the first phase of group activity is one of inertia and thus slower progress, (3) a transition takes place exactly when the group has used up half its allotted time, (4) this transition initiates major changes, (5) a second phase of inertia follows the transition, and (6) the group's last meeting is characterized by markedly accelerated activity.

Question 3

Which of the following represents the final action in the group development process of a temporary group?

A) transition after half of time taken up
B) accelerated activity
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) transition initiates major changes

Answer 3

B
Explanation: Temporary groups with finite deadlines pass through a unique sequencing of actions (or inaction): (1) Their first meeting sets the group's direction, (2) the first phase of group activity is one of inertia and thus slower progress, (3) a transition takes place exactly when the group has used up half its allotted time, (4) this transition initiates major changes, (5) a second phase of inertia follows the transition, and (6) the group's last meeting is characterized by markedly accelerated activity.

Question 4

Which of the following is true regarding formal groups?

A) They are natural formations that arise in response to the need for social contact.
B) They lack clearly defined structures and roles for their members.
C) They have negligible impact on employee performance and behavior.
D) A group of people who come together to protest against a new law make up a formal group.
E) They are marked by stipulated behaviors in pursuit of organizational goals.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true with regard to the punctuated-equilibrium model of group development?

A) It applies to all permanent work groups.
B) It follows the five stages of forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.
C) It does not consider the changes in patterns of group activities in response to deadlines and time constraints.
D) It involves the two strategies of groupthink and groupshift to break out of the phases of inertia.
E) It characterizes groups as exhibiting long periods of inertia interspersed with brief revolutionary changes.

Question 6

Which of the following differentiates between formal and informal groups?

A) The timeline of reference for formal groups is greater than that for informal groups.
B) The impact of formal groups on organizational performance is less than that of informal groups.
C) Formal groups pursue the goal of social contact, while informal groups have definite organizational goals to attain.
D) Formal groups are typically smaller in size when compared to informal groups.
E) Formal groups involve clearly defined tasks and roles, while informal groups are neither formally structured nor organizationally determined.

Question 7

Which of the following represents the second action in the group development process of a temporary group?

A) group direction set
B) transition after half of time taken up
C) inertia and slow progress
D) second phase of inertia
E) accelerated activity

Question 8

In the context of the social identity theory, people have ________ to the failure or success of group members.

A) angry reactions
B) lack of empathy or pride
C) emotional withdrawal
D) lack of reaction
E) emotional reactions

Question 9

Aaron Dias was working on the last shift for the day at All Needs, a retail store owned by an Asian man, when he opened the cash register and stole some money thinking that nobody would witness him stealing. However, one of the customers watched him steal the money and reported it to the manager the next day, and Aaron was terminated. Subsequently, the manager became extremely strict with all his Caucasian employees and was often heard abusing them by saying, "You guys are all the same." This scenario depicts ________.

A) social loafing
B) ingroup favoritism
C) groupthink
D) contrast bias
E) social exchange

Question 10

Ingroups and outgroups pave the way for social identity threat.

Question 11

Often, our identification with our workgroups is stronger than with our organizations. Both are important to positive outcomes in attitudes and behaviors. Additionally, if we have low identification in relation to the group, there may be increased competition and decreased organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) by group members. If we have low identification with our organizations, we may experience decreased satisfaction and OCB.

Question 12

________ is defined as the tendency to see members of the group of which we are a part of as better than other people.

A) Ingroup homogeneity
B) Xenocentrism
C) Ingroup favoritism
D) The black sheep effect
E) Hindsight bias

Question 13

________ is when we connect with the aggregate characteristics of our groups.

A) Relational identification
B) Collective identification
C) Schadenfreude
D) Informal group identification
E) Formal group dynamics

Question 14

Which of the following represents the third action in the group development process of a temporary group?

A) transition after half of time taken up
B) inertia and slow progress
C) second phase of inertia
D) transition initiates major changes
E) accelerated activity

Question 15

At Milton farms, where a large part of the management comes from the same sociocultural background, many employees of diverse ethical or cultural origins are hired only to ensure legal compliance with laws relating to diversity at the workplace. The company's day-to-day functioning leaves much to be desired in terms of promoting diversity. Recently, the owner's cousin was promoted to the post of a branch manager while three suitable candidates hailing from different cultures were blatantly overlooked. This is an example of ________.

A) social loafing
B) ingroup favoritism
C) groupthink
D) contrast bias
E) social exchange

Question 16

Social identity threat is akin to stereotype threat.

Question 17

Our tendency to take personal pride or offense for the accomplishments of a group we are a part of is the territory of the ________ theory.

A) social exchange
B) expectancy
C) social identity
D) reinforcement
E) equity

Question 18

________ is when we connect with others because of our roles.

A) Collective identification
B) Schadenfreude
C) Relational identification
D) Informal group identification
E) Formal group dynamics

Question 19

Which of the following is true with regard to the social identity theory?

A) It proposes that members take personal pride in accomplishments but dissociate from the group in the event of any offenses or failures.
B) It proposes that people have emotional reactions to the failure or success of their group because their self-esteem is tied into the group's performance.
C) It proposes that people develop only one social identity in childhood that becomes more defined and concrete in the course of their lives.
D) It proposes that social identities can never be detrimental as they have no effect on how members of an ingroup view members of an out-group.
E) It proposes that members of an ingroup are viewed as being homogeneous, while members of an out-group are seen as being heterogeneous.

Question 20

An informal group is characterized by the ________.

A) stipulation of expected behaviors by the organization
B) predetermined designation of tasks of members
C) pursuit of particular organizational goals
D) fulfillment of the need for social contact
E) creation of timelines and rationale

Question 21

Janice Cooper has recently joined a hospital as a part of the internship program prescribed by the nursing school she attends. Janice, who was inspired to take up this profession by the story of Florence Nightingale, has very strong ideals about how she should behave as a nurse. She feels that as a nurse she must be gentle, pleasant, and caring at all times so she can serve her patients well, and she often goes to great lengths as an intern by putting in extra hours at the hospital and so on. The scenario reflects Janice's ________.

A) role fuzziness
B) role ambiguity
C) role conflict
D) role perception
E) role status

Question 22

A period of inertia in a temporary group with a deadline refers to the group standing still or becoming locked into a fixed course of action.

Question 23

Role perception indicates our view of how we are supposed to act in a given situation.

Question 24

Role perception is defined as ________.

A) the way others believe we should act in a given context
B) our view of how we are supposed to act in a given situation
C) the existence of roles that are at variance with one another
D) the socially defined position or rank given to group members by others
E) the degree to which members are motivated to stay in the group

Question 25

Role expectations at work are often conveyed through the psychological contract.

Question 26

When ________, the result is role conflict.

A) compliance with one role aids our performance in another role
B) compliance with the group is an attempt to understand who we are and how we fit into the world
C) compliance with the group is marked by a tendency to notice and emphasize those aspects of the group that are distinctive
D) compliance with one role requirement may make it difficult to comply with another
E) compliance with the group is strengthened by members who have similar values and characteristics

Question 27

Most people assume that police officers should behave in a lawful manner, refrain from demonstrating favoritism to any particular group, and do their best to uphold the law. Which of the following terms best represents these beliefs?

A) diversity
B) similarity
C) role expectation
D) uncertainty reduction
E) dispersion of responsibility

Question 28

Tabby Tolman is a project coordinator at Tristar Solutions. Whenever a new project comes her way, she holds a project meeting and follows it up with repeated meetings to address any concerns the team members may have and to monitor their progress. However, with the peak of the business season arriving, she has been holding just one project initiation meeting for every project to save on time. She has become increasingly worried about the team's progress with no inputs coming from the members, and she has had no time to check with them. With two weeks left to go for a high priority project of a month's duration, she has now begun to see some work coming through and is relieved. This development reflects that the group is at the stage of ________.

A) forming
B) inertia following the first meeting
C) second phase of inertia before the group's last meeting
D) storming
E) transition following the halfway mark in the timeline

Question 29

Michael is devout and very active in his church. He is also a very dedicated employee. His manager offers him a promotion, but the new role will require him to work Sundays. Michael would like the promotion but realizes that it would force him to miss some church activities. In this situation, Michael is most likely to experience ________.

A) role conflict
B) social loafing
C) groupthink
D) role fuzziness
E) groupshift

Question 30

Studies show that groups tend to experience a transition precisely halfway between a first meeting and the official deadline.

Question 31

A group's last meeting is usually characterized by a great deal of inactivity.

Question 32

Role ________ is defined as the way others believe you should act in a given context.

A) fuzziness
B) expectation
C) conflict
D) perception
E) enhancement

Question 33

Explain the following terms: role perception and role expectation.

Question 34

Setting up a group's direction is often the first activity of temporary groups.

Question 35

The development of temporary work groups with finite deadlines is best understood in terms of three sequences in the group development process.

Question 36

Describe the punctuated-equilibrium model.

Question 37

The determination of the behavioral patterns and assumptions through which the group approaches the project is a function of the ________ phase in the punctuated-equilibrium model.

A) performing
B) inertia
C) equilibrium
D) transition
E) first meeting

Question 38

Explain the relationship between role conflict and reference groups.

Question 39

Which of the following represents the major determinants of group development and functioning as depicted by the punctuated-equilibrium model?

A) better perspectives and patterns
B) group solidarity and collectivist goals
C) promotion of diversity
D) deadlines and time constraints
E) role perception and expectation

Question 40

Which of the following represents the acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group's members?

A) status
B) norms
C) dyads
D) goals
E) cliques

Question 41

When group members adopt and agree to the norms of a group, which of the following is true?

A) Dress codes play a more important role
B) Written rules become very important
C) A clear set of written group norms is necessary
D) A maximum of external controls is necessary
E) A minimum of external controls is necessary

Question 42

The important groups to which an individual belongs or hopes to belong are known as ________ groups.

A) interacting
B) reference
C) organizational
D) control
E) nominal

Question 43

Jonas Wilkes has struggled for many years with tight finances at home. Throughout school and college, he worked really hard, earned the best grades, and prepared himself for a better life. By a better life, he meant a house in the uptown Wellington Road and a membership in the Diamond District Club where he envisions himself playing golf on weekends. The residents of Wellington Road and the members of Diamond District Club serve as a(n) ________ for him.

A) nominal group
B) organizational group
C) control group
D) intervention group
E) reference group

Question 44

Norms can cover any aspect of group behavior.

Question 45

Which of the following is an effective means of countering social loafing?

A) increasing the rewards the group is given if it succeeds
B) increasing the amount by which the group's progress is monitored
C) ensuring that individual contributions to the group's outcome are identified
D) increasing the size of the group
E) increasing the group's workload

Question 46

As a member of a group, you typically desire acceptance by the group and are susceptible to ________ to group norms.

A) approving
B) divulging
C) conforming
D) divergence
E) Appearance

Question 47

How can norms be used to reduce deviant workplace behavior?

Question 48

Which of the following is true with regard to social loafing?

A) Social loafing decreases when rewards are added for collective performance of the group.
B) Social loafing reflects the drastic rise in employee performance when employees work collectively.
C) Social loafing involves the cumulative rise in productivity when teams increase in size.
D) Social loafing is a result of the emphasis on individual outcomes over shared outcomes.
E) Social loafing is witnessed less in collectivist cultures where people take pride in group performance.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of status on conformity pressure?

A) High-status individuals are often given less freedom to deviate from norms than are other group members.
B) People in high-status jobs have especially negative reactions to social pressure exerted by people in low-status jobs.
C) Lower-status people are better able to resist conformity pressures than their high-status peers.
D) Groups exert equal conformity pressure on all individuals regardless of their status.
E) Compared to high-status members, low-status members are given a wider range of discretion as long as their activities aren't severely detrimental to group goal achievement.

Question 50

________ refers to the adjustment of one's behavior to align with the norms of the group.

A) Deviance
B) Conflict
C) Divergence
D) Conformity
E) Appearance

Question 51

Which of the following terms best represents voluntary actions that violate significant organizational norms and, in doing so, threaten the well-being of the organization or its members?

A) undue hardship
B) deviant workplace behavior
C) antidiscrimination and retaliation
D) progressive discipline
E) wrongful termination

Question 52

Which of the following is true with regard to deviant workplace behavior?

A) It is involuntary in nature.
B) Widespread deviant workplace behavior depends on the accepted norms of the group.
C) It has a negligible adverse impact on organization as it is accepted by some employees.
D) Research on deviance at the workplace has shown that employees operating individually engage in more deviant behaviors than those who function as a part of groups.
E) Leaving work early is an example of a property-related deviant workplace behavior.

Question 53

When faced with a number of tight deadlines, Mandy Moore often delegates work collectively. Recently she chose some fairly experienced employees to work on a high-priority project. She was heartened to see that the selected group of employees was having numerous meetings and working hard. However, when she went to check on their progress at the halfway mark in the project schedule, she was shocked to see how little the team had done in the past three weeks. This scenario reflects ________.

A) groupthink
B) collective efficacy
C) social loafing
D) groupshift
E) ingroup favoritism

Question 54

Which of the following terms indicates the tendency of individuals to spend less effort when working collectively?

A) groupthink
B) collective efficacy
C) social loafing
D) groupshift
E) social facilitation

Question 55

Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect that size of the group has on the group's overall behavior?

A) The size of the group does not affect the group's overall performance.
B) Evidence indicates that larger groups are faster at completing tasks than smaller ones.
C) Compared to smaller groups, larger groups are better at problem solving.
D) If the goal of the group is fact-finding, then smaller groups are more effective than larger groups.
E) Evidence indicates that individuals perform better in larger groups than in smaller ones.

Question 56

The popular thinking is that to increase creativity in groups, for instance, norms should be loosened. However, research on gender-diverse groups indicates that strong political correctness (P.C.) norms increase group creativity.

Question 57

According to status characteristics theory, which of the following factors does not determine status?

A) control over the resources needed by the group
B) contribution to goals
C) ability to conform to group norms
D) personality
E) talent

Question 58

Which of the following is a contributing factor with regard to social loafing?

A) difficult task assignments
B) high collective efficacy
C) severe time constraints
D) diffusion of responsibility
E) heavy workload

Question 59

Positive norms always portend positive outcomes in a company.

Question 60

Status refers to the ________.

A) impact that support of group norms has on workplace civility
B) adjustment of one's behavior to align with the norms of the group
C) socially defined position or rank given to groups or group members by others
D) existence of roles that are at variance with one another
E) acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group's members

Question 61

________ is defined as the extent to which members of a group are similar to, or different from, one another.

A) Homogeneity
B) Diversity
C) Conformity
D) Civility
E) Universality

Question 62

Social loafing appears to have a Western bias.

Question 63

According to the status characteristics theory, what are the three sources of status?

Question 64

Which of the following steps can be taken by a manager to minimize groupthink?

A) increase the group size
B) encourage group leaders to develop a stronger sense of group identity
C) prevent all team members from engaging in a critical evaluation of ideas at the beginning
D) ask the group members to first focus on the positives of an alternative rather than the negatives
E) seek input from employees before the group leader presents his or her opinions

Question 65

When ________ is of importance in decision making, group decisions are preferred to individual decisions.

A) acceptance of a solution
B) speed
C) efficiency
D) clear responsibility
E) legitimacy

Question 66

When compared to individual decision making, group decision making has a disadvantage in the area of ________.

A) diversity
B) creativity
C) acceptance of final solutions
D) speed
E) accuracy

Question 67

________ refers to the degree to which members are attracted to each other and motivated to stay in the group.

A) Assertiveness
B) Social dominance
C) Authoritativeness
D) Cohesiveness
E) Diversity

Question 68

How can social loafing be prevented?

Question 69

________ is defined as a phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action.

A) Groupshift
B) Social loafing
C) Ingroup favoritism
D) Cyber loafing
E) Groupthink

Question 70

Which of the following statements is true regarding the effect of group cohesiveness and performance norms on group productivity?

A) When cohesiveness is low and performance norms are also low, productivity will be high.
B) The productivity of the group is affected by the performance norms but not by the cohesiveness of the group.
C) If cohesiveness is high and performance norms are low, productivity will be high.
D) If cohesiveness is low and performance norms are high, productivity will be low.
E) When both cohesiveness and performance norms are high, productivity will be high.

Question 71

Groupshift is seen when ________.

A) group members view themselves in better light when compared to members of the out-group
B) group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions they hold when discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a solution
C) group members notice and emphasize identities that reflect how different they are from other groups
D) group members tend to prefer and endorse the products, ideas, and aspects of someone else's culture over their own
E) group members fail to express alternative opinions and deviant views under the influence of the norm for consensus

Question 72

ICE is a non-profit organization that runs awareness campaigns and research programs that provide data to initiate the process of legislative changes on various aspects of the environment like forest cover, nuclear fuel, endangered species and others. The ICE operates through networks of grass-root level researchers who are grouped into flexible project teams whose roles and duties change with each new project. The ICE believes its employees to be like family, and an informal environment pervades its functioning without any compromises being made in the efficiency. Recently, the project manager of the rainwater harvesting pilot project in the suburbs has been informed of two delays in the project. When the third extension request came to him, he looked into the matter by speaking individually with the five team members. Which of the following complaints by the team members, if true, would indicate the presence of social loafing in the team?

A) A team member complained that the residents of the suburb in which they were working were uncooperative and did not accept their most cordial requests for helping in data collection.
B) Nancy, one of the new team members, reported that she felt the team was not cohesive enough.
C) Two of the most experienced employees on the team reported having to shoulder a disproportionate amount of the current workload and asked for an internal transfer.
D) The scarcity of funds was one of the major concerns that all the team members mentioned.
E) The team members were dissatisfied with the compensation package as they felt they were putting in a lot of work and being paid relatively less.

Question 73

In discussing a given set of alternatives and arriving at a solution, group members tend to exaggerate the initial positions they hold. This phenomenon is called ________.

A) social desirability bias
B) groupshift
C) halo effect
D) social loafing
E) ingroup favoritism

Question 74

High-status individuals may be more likely to deviate from norms when they have low identification (social identity) with the group.

Question 75

Sonia Soans is a corporate trainer. One of her favorite ways to start a training program is to present a case study and encourage members to think of the case in depth and discuss it amongst each other. Using the results of the activity, she understands the baseline measures of the group's functioning. During one of her recent sessions, she observed that the group came to a consensus very quickly. However, when asked to present their views, the team members were not too confident and appeared to be under an illusion of unanimity. From this scenario, we can say that this group experienced ________.

A) diversity
B) groupshift
C) role conflict
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Question 76

Surface-level diversity refers to attitudes, values, and opinions which are different in diverse groups.

Question 77

Which of the following is an advantage of group decision making when compared to individual decision making?

A) increased ambiguous responsibility
B) increased conformity pressures
C) increased diversity of views
D) increased dispersion of accountability
E) increased pace of decision making

Question 78

The HR department at Bailey Services is considering offering telecommuting as an option to some experienced employees. At a meeting to formalize the move, the heads of the different departments met with Laura Watson, the HR manager. Laura, who thought this meeting would be a short one, was proven wrong when all the members, who had previously agreed that telecommuting would work in their company, began coming up with divergent views. By the end, two divisions claimed they had major concerns about allowing employees to telecommute, and those in favor of it were equally vocal. This scenario depicts the operation of ________.

A) conformity
B) groupshift
C) role conflict
D) groupthink
E) social loafing

Question 79

An individual's personal characteristics, like good looks or friendly personality, represent one of the dimensions of the status characteristics theory.

Question 80

Discuss effectiveness and efficiency in the context of group decision making.