Question 1

Which of the following statements about groups and teams is correct?

Accepted Answer

A) A team is always a group but a group isn't always a team. The definition of a team can be viewed as a group plus additional factors such as shared goals and accountability.

Question 2

You strongly disagree with the course of action your group has decided on but when you speak up in the first meeting, you are hushed. Your group never explores alternate plans or attempts to identify flaws in the plan they have chosen. After being hushed, you don't feel that you can express your dissent, and even if you do, it won't matter because you're sure you won't be heard. The group seems to be suffering from ________.

Accepted Answer

C) This group seems to be suffering from groupthink because they don't explore alternate plans or listen to dissenting viewpoints.

Question 3

Groups and teams differ primarily on which factor?

Accepted Answer

A) Shared responsibility for goals is one factor that teams have but groups don't.

Question 4

The ability to function as a team member is a competency that is ________.

Accepted Answer

C) As with other skills and abilities, the ability to function effectively as a team member is a competency that is learned.

Question 5

Which decision making process is structured to work best for employees working remotely?

Accepted Answer

B) The Delphi technique requires the leader to coordinate from among the different group members, so this method is structured well for employees working from remote locations.

Question 6

What kind of group is composed of members who differ on gender, education level, functional specialty, and age?

Accepted Answer

B) A group with members holding diverse key characteristics such as gender, education level, functional specialty, and age, is a heterogeneous group.

Question 7

A demolition crew's job is to bring down old buildings. The employees work together in a coordinated effort to clear the site of the building within the time specified in their contract. This demolition crew is an example of what type of team?

Accepted Answer

C) This would be an example of a project team because their work has a specific time bound purpose which is to demolish a building within the contracted time period.

Question 8

According to Tuckman's model, what changes at each level of group development?

Accepted Answer

B) As groups progress through the levels of Tuckman's five-stage model, development involves a relatively predictable sequence of changes in group norms.

Question 9

Which of the following does Tuckman's five-stage model explain particularly well?

Accepted Answer

A) A strength of Tuckman's five-stage is the explanation of how psychological norms develop and change in a group over time.

Question 10

In what way are production teams and service teams similar?

Accepted Answer

A) Production teams focus on improving the production or operational performance via increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of ongoing operations. Service teams focus on addressing the ongoing needs of customers. The common element between service teams and production teams is that they address ongoing issues in the organization instead of short-term projects.

Question 11

What are the three major types of coaching?

Accepted Answer

B) The three major types of coaching are process, behavioral, and developmental.

Question 12

Firefighters have to work together using their highly specialized skills to respond to each unique emergency situation effectively. Firefighters are an example of what type of team?

Accepted Answer

B) Firefighters responding to an emergency are classified as an action and performance team. Their job focuses on a single performance, the emergency situation at hand, and they work together using their skills to be able to respond to the task before them. The coordination required is immense and must be done very quickly.

Question 13

Which of the following is not an organizational source of support for groups?

Accepted Answer

A) Organizations can provide many sources of support for their groups such as coaching, designing rewards and recognition systems, and increasing their autonomy.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a factor that relates to group effectiveness?

Accepted Answer

D) Three sets of factors relate to group effectiveness: purpose and type, context and composition, and internal factors.

Question 15

According to the punctuated equilibrium model, in which step/phase is group productivity the highest?

Accepted Answer

D) Phase 2 of the punctuated equilibrium model of group development is characterized by high productivity at least partially caused by a looming deadline. Productivity will increase even more at the very end of Phase 2 to meet expectations of external parties.

Question 16

If a team lead wants their group members to share ideas more freely and share in a sense that their teammates will follow through with their commitments, which interpersonal or maintenance norm should they develop within the team?

Accepted Answer

D) Trust is an important interpersonal or maintenance norm that facilitates presenting new ideas and believing that teammates will fulfill their commitments.

Question 17

Individuals change their behavior to conform to group norms because norms serve an important ________ and ________ function.

Accepted Answer

B) Norms serve an important social and psychological function in many ways and this can influence the individual's behavior.

Question 18

Which effect predicts that you will make riskier or more conservative decisions in a group than you will on your own?

Accepted Answer

A) The polarization effect predicts that groups make riskier or more conservative decisions than would their individual members working alone. The polarization effect uses peer pressure to explain this change in behavior.

Question 19

Which of the following is a major criticism of Tuckman's five-stage model of group development?

Accepted Answer

C) One major criticism of Tuckman's five-stage model of group development is that group development doesn't conform to a specified timeline and does not account for the pressure of deadlines and other project constraints.

Question 20

What are two external factors associated with success in groups?

Accepted Answer

B) Coaching and support are two factors external to the group that is associated with success in groups.

Quiz 9: Groups and Teams