Question 1

Russell Wilson is a great NFL quarterback. His teammates listen to him, right or wrong. He gives them a look that says, "This'll work. Follow me." He possesses_____ power.

Accepted Answer

Russell Wilson possesses referent power, as his teammates respect and admire him for his skills, knowledge, and personality. They trust and follow him because they want to be associated with him and be like him, not because he has the ability to punish or reward them, nor because of any formal position or network of relationships. His athletic abilities are not relevant to his leadership power.

Question 2

A leader who always reminds a group of her or his famous next-door neighbor is attempting to gain ___________ power.

Accepted Answer

This leader is attempting to gain connectional power, which is based on who you know or are connected to, rather than what you personally can do or offer.

Question 3

The type of power that is most easily abused or wrongly administered is ________ power.

Accepted Answer

Coercive power is based on the ability to punish or withhold rewards, which can be easily abused if the individual wielding the power becomes too focused on their own interests rather than the well-being of those they have power over. This can lead to coercion, intimidation, and abuse of authority. The other types of power (reward, connectional, referent, athletic) do not necessarily lend themselves to abuse to the same extent as coercive power.

Question 4

_______ leaders face the challenge of their group members becoming unmotivated.

Accepted Answer

Laissez-Faire leadership often leads to a lack of direction and motivation among group members because the leader provides minimal guidance and involvement.

Question 5

Which of the following is true of the systems theory?

Accepted Answer

Systems theory posits that all parts of a system are interconnected and interdependent, meaning that each member's actions can affect the entire system.

Question 6

Which of the following is a main idea of the Structuration Theory?

Accepted Answer

The main idea of the Structuration Theory is that the rules and resources that shape group behavior are produced from people's interactions within the group. This means that individuals have agency to shape and change the structures of their groups through their actions and interactions.

Question 7

Your Dad calls you and your sisters into the kitchen so that you might all weigh in on that evening's menu-pizza or Chinese, ordered in, of course. You love the fact that he is always open to discussing matters and giving you some input, demonstrating the _______________communication strategy.

Accepted Answer

The democratic/authoritative communication strategy involves allowing others to have input and engaging in discussions before making a decision. In this scenario, the father is open to discussing and considering input from his children, demonstrating this type of communication style.

Question 8

Your Mom has always been strict with you and your siblings, but now in your late teens, her "my way or the highway" approach to family communication has begun to grate on you. This ____________family communicating strategy has outlived its usefulness for you and your siblings.

Accepted Answer

An authoritarian family communication strategy is characterized by a rigid hierarchy where the parent is the ultimate authority figure and the children are expected to follow their rules without question. This approach may work when children are very young, but as they grow into their teenage years, they become more independent and need more autonomy. This can lead to conflict and rebellion when an authoritarian approach is still being used. Therefore, this strategy has outlived its usefulness for this family.

Question 9

The Vice President of a Company told Martha, an intern, that to make her work better she needs to go into more detail about the research she has done. Which of the following C's for successful teamwork is in play in this situation?

Accepted Answer

Clear expectations are in play in this situation because the Vice President is providing Martha with specific feedback on how to improve her work.

Question 10

The sales teams get monthly bonuses based on their performance. This is an example of the use of _______ cohesion.

Accepted Answer

Reward-based cohesion refers to the group's motivation and commitment to the task being driven by external incentives, such as bonuses or promotions. In this example, the monthly bonuses serve as an external incentive to enhance the sales team's performance, thus emphasizing reward-based cohesion.

Question 11

Who of the following professionals typically exercises informational power?

Accepted Answer

Physicians possess a vast amount of specialized medical knowledge that they have the power to use to influence the decisions and behaviors of others.

Question 12

The members of a basketball team know which position to play because they are aware of _______ the team.

Accepted Answer

The word "position" suggests that the team members have specific roles to play on the court. Therefore, option C, "their roles on," is the most appropriate choice. The other options do not fit the context or make sense in this sentence.

Question 13

Army recruiters go into a high school and assemble groups of students to talk about the options available to young recruits fresh out of school. These are examples of ______ groups.

Accepted Answer

The description suggests that these groups are focused on presenting information, rather than encouraging skill development, facilitating decision-making, or planning for the future. It is unclear whether the students are leading the discussions, so participant-driven is also not a clear fit.

Question 14

Which of the following is one of the three most common leadership styles?

Accepted Answer

Laissez-faire Leadership is one of the three most commonly identified leadership styles, alongside autocratic and democratic leadership styles. It is characterized by a hands-off approach, allowing team members to make decisions and work independently.

Question 15

The battle of egos in your study group has become so bad that nothing is getting done and you are forced to report to your professor that your group will not meet the requirements of the assignment and must be dissolved. Your group has suffered ________.

Accepted Answer

"Group breakdown" accurately describes the situation of a study group that cannot function effectively due to internal conflict and must therefore dissolve. The other options do not fully capture the nature of the issue. "Hurting stage of conflict" implies that the conflict is ongoing and has not yet reached a resolution, whereas in this scenario, the conflict has become too toxic for the group to continue. "Resignation" suggests that members of the group are voluntarily leaving, which may not be the case. "Team disbanding" and "stunning humiliation" both imply that the dissolution of the group is a more dramatic event than a typical group breakdown.

Question 16

One of the reasons your project group did not meet the requirements of the assignment and had to be dissolved was that its rules and expectations had not been clearly defined or established. The group failed, in part, because it suffered ________.

Accepted Answer

Normative confusion refers to a lack of clarity or agreement on the norms or rules of behavior within a group. This can lead to misunderstandings, conflicts, and a lack of cohesion or direction within the group. Without clearly defined expectations and guidelines, the project group may have struggled to stay on track and work effectively together.

Question 17

When some voices in a group were suppressed because of pressure from others, resulting in a lack of thoughtful examination of the assigned task, the group failed, in part, because it suffered ________.

Accepted Answer

Groupthink is a phenomenon where individuals in a group tend to go along with the majority or dominant opinions, even if those opinions are flawed or incorrect. This can lead to a lack of critical examination of ideas and ultimately to poor decision-making. Suppressing some voices in a group can contribute to groupthink by limiting the diversity of opinions and perspectives that are considered.

Question 18

One reason a group might not meet the requirements of an assignment and have to be dissolved is the failure of leadership to control egos. In cases like this, the group fails, in part, because it suffers from ________.

Accepted Answer

Rank ineffectiveness refers to the inability of leadership to manage and control the dynamics within a group, such as controlling egos, which can lead to the group's failure.

Question 19

___________ is the process of your family, through interaction with its members, teaching you to become a functioning member of the family.

Accepted Answer

Socialization is the process through which individuals learn and internalize the values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of their culture or society. Family is the primary agent of socialization, which means that through interaction with family members, individuals learn how to behave and function as a member of their family. This includes learning appropriate ways to communicate, resolving conflicts, and understanding family roles and responsibilities.

Question 20

It's at the _______ stage in group development that teams typically experience and handle conflict.

Accepted Answer

During the storming stage, team members often have differing opinions and ideas, which can lead to conflict. This stage is characterized by resistance to tasks, authority conflicts, and other forms of disagreement. However, once the team is able to work through these issues and come to a resolution, they can move on to the norming stage, where they develop a sense of cohesion and unity.

Quiz 7: Communicating in Small Groups