Question 1

Team effectiveness can be defined by productive output,satisfaction,and commitment.

Accepted Answer

Team effectiveness is defined by three criteria: productive output,satisfaction,and commitment.

Question 2

Autonomous work groups have more responsibility than self-designing teams.

Accepted Answer

Autonomous work groups control decisions about and execution of a complete range of tasks and are fully responsible for an entire product or an entire part of a production process.Self-designing teams do all of that and go one step further: they also have control over the design of the team.They decide themselves whom to hire,whom to fire,and what tasks the team will perform.

Question 3

A small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose,set of performance goals,and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable,is called a working group.

Accepted Answer

A working group is a collection of people who work in the same area or have been drawn together to undertake a task but do not necessarily come together as a unit and achieve significant performance improvements.A real team is formed of people (usually a small number)with complementary skills who trust one another and are committed to a common purpose,common performance goals,and a common approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.

Question 4

Parallel teams can recommend solutions to specific problems but do not have authority to act.

Accepted Answer

Parallel teams operate separately from the regular work structure of the firm on a temporary basis.Their charge is to recommend solutions to specific problems.They usually do not have authority to act,however.Examples include task forces and quality or safety teams formed to study a particular problem.

Question 5

Work teams,when they exist,are typically a part of the formal organization structure.

Accepted Answer

Work teams make or do things such as manufacture,assemble,sell,or provide service.They typically are well defined;a clear part of the formal organizational structure;and composed of a full-time,stable membership.

Question 6

Transnational teams tend to be virtual teams.

Accepted Answer

Transnational teams are work teams composed of multinational members whose activities span multiple countries.Transnational teams tend to be virtual teams,communicating electronically more than face to face,although other types of teams may operate virtually as well.

Question 7

If used properly,teams can be powerfully effective as a building block for organization structure.

Accepted Answer

Used appropriately,teams can be powerfully effective as a building block for organization structure.Organizations such as Semco,W.L.Gore,and Kollmorgen,manufacturer of printed circuits and electro-optic devices,are structured entirely around teams.

Question 8

Teams should be empowered,or they will revert to making safe,traditional decisions.

Accepted Answer

Teams should be empowered.The benefits of teams are reduced when they are not allowed to make important decisions.If teams must acquire permission for every innovative idea,they will revert to making safe,traditional decisions.

Question 9

Teams can satisfy important personal needs for their members,such as affiliation and esteem.

Accepted Answer

Team members learn about the company and themselves,and they acquire new skills and performance strategies.The team can satisfy important personal needs,such as affiliation and esteem.

Question 10

The productive output of a team should be acceptable to the customers,inside or outside the organization,who receive the team's goods or services.

Accepted Answer

The productive output of a team,one of three criteria for effectiveness,should meet or exceed the standards of quantity and quality;the team's output should be acceptable to the customers,inside or outside the organization,who receive the team's goods or services.

Question 11

Self-managed teams,compared to traditionally managed teams,have more productivity but experience higher costs.

Accepted Answer

When teams reach the point of being truly self-managed,results have included lower costs and greater levels of team productivity,quality,and customer satisfaction.Overall,autonomous teams are known to improve the organization's financial and overall performance,at least in North America.

Question 12

Project and development teams work on short-term projects.

Accepted Answer

Project and development teams work on long-term projects,often over a period of years.They have specific assignments,such as research or new product development,and they work toward a one-time product,disbanding once their work is completed.

Question 13

Self-designing teams are groups of employees with specialized talents who are brought together to design new products or processes.

Accepted Answer

Self-designing teams do everything that autonomous work groups do and go one step further: they also have control over the design of the team.They decide themselves whom to hire,whom to fire,and what tasks the team will perform.

Question 14

Autonomous work groups are fully responsible for an entire product or an entire part of a production process.

Accepted Answer

Autonomous work groups control decisions about and execution of a complete range of tasks,such as acquiring raw materials and performing operations,quality control,maintenance,and shipping.They are fully responsible for an entire product or an entire part of a production process.

Question 15

Given the availability of human resources,only large companies use teams to produce goods and services.

Accepted Answer

Teams transform the ways organizations do business.Almost all companies now use teams to produce goods and services,to manage projects,and to make decisions and run the company.

Question 16

Some people prefer to work in traditional work groups because they have no managerial responsibilities.

Accepted Answer

Traditional work groups have no managerial responsibilities.The frontline manager plans,organizes,staffs,directs,and controls them,and other groups provide support activities,including quality control and maintenance.Some people prefer this arrangement to the self-managed team with more responsibility.

Question 17

Used appropriately,teams can be powerfully effective as a force for innovation,speed,and cost control.

Accepted Answer

Teams can increase productivity,improve quality,and reduce costs.Teams also can enhance speed and be powerful forces for innovation,creativity,and change.

Question 18

A team that communicates electronically more than face to face is called a technology team.

Accepted Answer

Virtual teams communicate electronically more than face to face;transnational and other types of teams may operate virtually.

Question 19

Check-ins during meetings is an important feature of a well-run meeting for a virtual team.

Accepted Answer

Virtual teams communicate electronically more than face to face.To manage a meeting,it is important to ensure through check-ins that everyone is engaged and heard from.

Question 20

During the forming stage,group members agree on their shared goals and norms,which results in closer relationships.

Accepted Answer

In the forming stage,group members attempt to lay the ground rules for what types of behavior are acceptable.Later,in the norming stage,group members agree on their shared goals and norms,and closer relationships develop.

Quiz 14: Teamwork