Question 1

People who collaborate ________.
A)cannot function unless they have different goals
B)are always motivated by the same goals
C)need to recognize that they may be motivated by different goals
D)need to find solutions that address only one goal
E)rarely have conflicts arise due to working with different goals in mind

Accepted Answer

C) People who collaborate may not always be motivated by the same goals. In fact, for a business to succeed, it must work toward a number of goals that are sometimes in competition with each other. If they recognize that they have different goals, they can determine which has priority or collaborate to find a solution that addresses both goals.

Question 2

Which of the following colleagues are experiencing a cognitive conflict?
A)Joanna is upset because she feels that Sam is angry at her for receiving a raise when he didn't.
B)Shauna is avoiding taking calls from Geoff because she feels that he is arrogant.
C)Terry resents the fact that Kym received a commendation for a project that they both worked on, so Terry is deliberately withholding her best efforts on their latest project.
D)Having been told that there was "no urgency" to complete the project he was assigned several weeks ago, Greg is surprised when his manager sends him an email asking why the project is not yet finished.
E)Agnes is upset when she receives what she perceives to be a discourteous request from Milo to send him her latest report on how their company is meeting environmental regulations.

Accepted Answer

D) There has been some misunderstanding about the content of the manager's message concerning when the project deadline was. This is a cognitive conflict.

Question 3

Kaluhum's team is twelve weeks into a project and the team is encountering seemingly endless minor obstacles to completing the project on time: an interview with a primary source has to be postponed; a team member is temporarily off work because of illness; other projects at work have taken more time than expected. As the team leader, Kaluhum's best approach at the moment is to ________.
A)reinforce the team's objectives and remind the team why its goals are valuable in order to reinvigorate the team
B)share information less often and more judiciously, especially if it is information that involves further inconvenience to the team, to avoid causing even lower morale
C)limit potential conflict in the team by listening for negativity and suppressing it as soon as possible
D)boost team morale by organizing more social time for the team
E)step back and allow the situation to unfold since it will only be a matter of time before things get better

Accepted Answer

A) One of the team leader's most important roles is to keep the team focused on its objectives.

Question 4

Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)Agendas tend to inhibit productive meetings and should be used sparingly.
B)One person should specialize in chairing all meetings since this is a task that takes experience to do well.
C)Every person on a team should chair an equal number of meetings.
D)A chair's job is to keep track of the agenda and focus the meeting on it.
E)The person chairing a meeting should also record the minutes.

Accepted Answer

D) The primary purpose of a chair is to keep meetings focused on the agenda.

Question 5

Rana has just heard Vanessa's suggestion for resolving a research issue that the team has encountered. Vanessa's idea isn't fully thought out and needs more explanation. Which of Rana's responses would be most valuable to the team?
A)Rana should discourage Vanessa from contributing to meetings until she has learned the skills to do so properly.
B)Rana should prompt Vanessa to continue with a non-judgmental question like "I'm not sure I understand this idea completely. Can you elaborate?"
C)Rana should save the group time by pointing out how Vanessa could present her ideas the next time with a sentence like "Please think about this more before you present it, Vanessa."
D)Rana should not say anything so that Vanessa can save face and won't feel embarrassed to speak up next time.
E)Rana should finish Vanessa's thought for her.

Accepted Answer

B) Rana should using a non-judgmental question to encourage Vanessa to expand on her idea.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)"Conflict management" is a preferred term to "conflict resolution" because conflicts do not always resolve and they must be managed as an inevitable element of teamwork.
B)A non-conflict team is likely become a high-performing team sooner than a team in which there is conflict.
C)Affective conflicts tend to arise during the initial formation of a team and are normally easier to resolve than cognitive conflicts.
D)Cognitive conflicts tend to originate from affective conflicts.
E)Overcommunication around conflict issues leads to tension, stress, and a dysfunctional work process.

Accepted Answer

A) Conflicts rarely resolve entirely but they can be managed.

Question 7

For a team to begin performing well, it has to transform ________ energy into ________ energy.
A)conflict; collaborative
B)passive; active
C)playful; productive
D)passive; conflict
E)undirected; directed

Accepted Answer

A) Most teams experience conflict, but this can become positive, collaborative energy.

Question 8

In general ________ conflicts tend to originate from ________ conflicts.
A)cognitive; affective
B)aggressive; passive
C)affective; cognitive
D)affective; unstated
E)real; virtual

Accepted Answer

C) Affective conflicts normally arise from cognitive conflicts because most teams experience cognitive conflicts first, and the disagreements that arise from these conflicts lead to emotional responses.

Question 9

Although people often use the term conflict ________ to discuss handling conflict, conflict ________ is a more helpful term.
A)eradication; resolution
B)resolution; management
C)management; eradication
D)resolution; eradication
E)management; resolution

Accepted Answer

B) While conflict resolution implies that the conflict will go away, conflict management recognizes that some conflicts cannot be resolved.

Question 10

The most important role of a leader is ________.
A)to keep the overall goal of the team and project in mind
B)to take charge of a team and set its objectives
C)to assign tasks to each member of the team
D)to lead by example, especially when it comes to managing conflict
E)to mediate between team members when there is conflict

Accepted Answer

A) Team leaders may do all of the suggested answers, but their most important role is to keep the team focused on its goals.

Question 11

If a team member has no items to address on a meeting agenda, ________.
A)the team should find the team member something to do
B)the team should reconsider whether that team member needs to be at the meeting at all
C)the team member should observe the meeting
D)the team should reconvene the meeting when everyone has something to do
E)the team should reconsider the team member's membership on the team

Accepted Answer

B) Not every team member needs to be at every meeting.

Question 12

Jasmine, Cody, and Yehudi have come to the meeting prepared to talk about primary-source interviews that are scheduled to be completed next week. However, Miles, the fourth member of the group, wants to review the project milestones that have been set because he feels that they are unrealistic. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)The problem is that the agenda wasn't prepared collaboratively and did not state the purpose of the meeting.
B)The problem is that the team charter was not explicit enough.
C)Miles should not try to change an agenda that has already been set.
D)Milestones should not be renegotiated once they've been set.
E)Meeting agendas should be set by majority vote at the beginning of the meeting.

Accepted Answer

A) Each team member should contribute to writing an agenda and the agenda should be agreed upon by all team members.

Question 13

The primary responsibility of the "chair" of a meeting during the meeting is to ________.
A)send invitations to the meeting
B)take notes on the meeting
C)mediate disputes that arise during the meeting
D)keep track of how well the meeting is following the agenda
E)paraphrase contributions to the meeting to ensure understanding

Accepted Answer

D) The chair ensures that the meetings stays on track and follows the agenda.

Question 14

Not all team members will have chosen to be part of the team. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)A member's duties on the team should reflect his or her level of voluntary membership.
B)A member should respectfully decline to be a member of the team.
C)A member can choose to alter his or her perception from "incidental" to "intentional."
D)A member can choose to alter his or her perception from "incidental" to "accidental."
E)The team leader should seek another member if a person is reluctant to be on the team.

Accepted Answer

C) While a team member may not have control over his or her membership in the team, how he or she decides to work within the team should be intentional.

Question 15

Rana's team has voted to follow a course of action that Vanessa has proposed. Rana feels that her own proposal would have quicker results. What is her best response to the situation?
A)"I understand your reasons for choosing Vanessa's proposal. You all feel that it's a longer, but easier approach. OK, I'll support the team in meeting this objective."
B)"I'll accept that the team wishes to use Vanessa's approach to this, but I don't think it's the best solution."
C)Rana should decline to assist with implementing Vanessa's proposal as a matter of integrity.
D)Rana should not say anything at the meeting but should discuss her ideas individually with her teammates after the meeting.
E)Rana should stand up for her own proposal and argue for it again.

Accepted Answer

A) It is best to accept the team's wishes and commit to them as you would your own.

Question 16

Even when members of a team do most of their work independently, it is important for a team leader to create opportunities for ________.
A)synchronous, face-to-face communication
B)asynchronous online communication
C)technology-mediated communication
D)formal, agenda-driven meetings
E)synchronous online communication

Accepted Answer

A) When it is possible, face-to-face communication is the best way for teams to bond.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)One of the most powerful team behaviours you can develop is to ask questions of your teammates that help them to express their ideas.
B)Agreeing to disagree only prolongs conflict: team members should keep presenting logical arguments until a consensus is reached.
C)There tends to be a divide between those who are good leaders and those who are good team members: a person is likely to be one or the other.
D)Team conflicts tend to arise only if the members of the team have been poorly chosen to begin with.
E)Since it likely that you will be working on teams throughout your professional career, learning to choose your team members wisely is the most important skill you can develop.

Accepted Answer

A) Your teammates may make more and better contributions to the team if you ask the appropriate questions.

Question 18

As a team leader, the more you ________ the team, the more they will trust you.
A)spend time with
B)dominate
C)communicate with
D)direct
E)mediate between members of

Accepted Answer

C) Communicate frequently and transparently with teams to gain trust.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of an affective conflict?
A)two employees having different ideas about how to reach a sales goal
B)two coworkers disagreeing about the best way to market a new product
C)two colleagues becoming personally annoyed at each other after a contentious meeting
D)two managers with conflicting opinions on how best to trim the company's budget
E)two interns with differing ideas on how to complete a task

Accepted Answer

C) An affective conflict results from differences in personalities and relationships. This emotional conflict can damage the working relationship. The other choices are cognitive conflicts or disagreements about a project that result from differences in understanding content or tasks.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A)The person with the most creative ideas on the team must be its leader.
B)It is crucial for a team to have one single leader.
C)The leader is in charge of the team.
D)Leadership can rotate during different phases of a project.
E)A good leader encourages groupthink.

Accepted Answer

D) A team can establish leadership in a number of ways. It is not crucial for the team to have one single leader, but it is crucial for the team to have capable leadership that keeps the good of the team in mind.

Quiz 6: How Can We Be Better, Together Collaboration and Productivity

People who collaborate ________.

Which of the following colleagues are experiencing a cognitive conflict?

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Rana has just heard Vanessa's suggestion for resolving a research issue that the team has encountered. Vanessa's idea isn't fully thought out and needs more explanation. Which of Rana's responses would be most valuable to the team?

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

For a team to begin performing well, it has to transform energy into energy.

In general conflicts tend to originate from conflicts.

Although people often use the term conflict to discuss handling conflict, conflict is a more helpful term.

The most important role of a leader is ________.

If a team member has no items to address on a meeting agenda, ________.

The primary responsibility of the "chair" of a meeting during the meeting is to ________.

Not all team members will have chosen to be part of the team. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

Rana's team has voted to follow a course of action that Vanessa has proposed. Rana feels that her own proposal would have quicker results. What is her best response to the situation?

Even when members of a team do most of their work independently, it is important for a team leader to create opportunities for ________.

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

As a team leader, the more you ________ the team, the more they will trust you.

Which of the following is an example of an affective conflict?

Which of the following statements is TRUE?