Deck 10: Team Effectiveness

Question 1

Minority viewpoints and tendencies to deviate from or question the group direction are discouraged in the performing stage of team development.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Activity-based goals are more important than outcome-based goals in team performance.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Teams that make or do things are the most effective when they deal with "critical delivery points."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The first team skill is the ability to assess whether or not a team will be cohesive.

Question 5

A sense of premature maturity prevails in the forming stage of team development.

Question 6

A high-performance scorecard includes dimensions of production output,member satisfaction,and capacity for continued cooperation.

Question 7

An extreme state of escalation of commitment is known as the innocent bystander effect.

Question 8

Teams are better than individual workers when risk is desirable.

Question 9

High-performing teams usually have between 12 and 15 members.

Question 10

Technical expertise is the most important team skill.

Question 11

Storming is the first stage of team development.

Question 12

For teams that make or do things to be most effective,a relentless focus on performance is required.

Question 13

The opposite of social facilitation is free-riding.

Question 14

The forming stage of team development is the point at which a group begins to come together as a coordinated unit.

Question 15

Groupthink is a phenomenon found in highly cohesive groups when team members strive to maintain harmony at the expense of quality decision making.

Question 16

Teams are unique because each member cannot complete the work without the work of other members.

Question 17

Communication skills are necessary for good teamwork.

Question 18

The best strategy to counter social loafing is choking.

Question 19

"Sucker aversion" is a direct result of social conformity.

Question 20

When people are alone,they make decisions that have more risks than when they are in teams.

Question 21

Which of the following is an outcome-based goal?

A)Save money through reducing patient days.
B)Reengineer the new software license process.
C)Win three new accounts in the next quarter.
D)Make this company a better place to work.
E)Build a culture of innovation and new product development.

Question 22

The more difficult it is to get into a group,the more cohesive the group typically becomes.

Question 23

A team is a group of people:

A)who work for the same manager.
B)whose workspaces are located near one another.
C)who have lots of personal contact with each other in the workplace.
D)who share responsibility for producing something together.
E)who are all individually accountable for definable outcomes.

Question 24

Nathan is one of six real estate agents assigned to a local office.He is not especially good at planning or problem solving,but whenever someone needs a sounding board or has an issue to vent,Nathan is there to pay attention,nod his head,refrain from giving biased advice,and be supportive.Nathan is demonstrating the teamwork KSA of:

A)conflict resolution.
B)collaborative problem solving.
C)communication.
D)goal setting and performance management.
E)planning and task coordination.

Question 25

Gatekeeping,encouraging all participants in a group to contribute,is an important interpersonal contribution that a team member can make to a team.

Question 26

Cohesive groups do not always result in high performance.

Question 27

Problem reversal is a technique for generating creative ideas.

Question 28

Convergent thinking involves recognizing links among remotely associated issues,and transforming information into unexpected forms.

Question 29

Why is the term "disciplines" used to describe high-performance team characteristics?

A)It is important to identify high-performance team characteristics.
B)It is important to understand high-performance team characteristics.
C)Penalties are important to achieve conformance to high-performance team characteristics.
D)These characteristics must be consistently applied to get high-performance results.
E)It signifies that great teams do not have productive failures.

Question 30

Subdivision is a technique used to stimulate convergent thinking.

Question 31

A climate of trust,open communication,and risk taking is a critical success factor that promotes more creativity in teams.

Question 32

Frank is a cook at a nonprofit shelter,a part of a seven-member crew.The crew prepares meals from donated items,often improvising or "improving" standard recipes based on availability.The credit of this transformation goes to Frank who taught the other members of the crew to not only improvise from routine but also to cook nutritious meals with the available items.Frank is demonstrating the teamwork KSA of:

A)conflict resolution.
B)collaborative problem solving.
C)communication.
D)goal setting and performance management.
E)planning and task coordination.

Question 33

Marc,a basketball team coach,gets the team to agree to work on free throws,passing patterns,new defenses,and generally all aspects needed to set and maintain the win percentage.Marc is exhibiting the teamwork KSA of:

A)conflict resolution.
B)communication.
C)collaborative problem solving.
D)goal setting and performance management.
E)planning and task coordination.

Question 34

Electronic meetings are appropriate when the goal is to reduce status effects or groupthink.

Question 35

Which of the following is a discipline of high-performing teams?

A)Individual goal attainment
B)Large size
C)Specialized and noncomplementary skill sets
D)Productive team norms
E)Individual production objectives

Question 36

The single most important factor for effective teams is that they have a(n):

A)sense of cohesion.
B)expectation of recognition.
C)adequate resource allocation.
D)clear,compelling performance challenge.
E)generous reward structure.

Question 37

The main advantages of electronic meetings are anonymity,honesty,and speed.

Question 38

Divergent thinking emphasizes speed,accuracy,and logic.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is a myth of teamwork?

A)If proper conditions for teamwork are not present,individual assignments are better.
B)High cohesion can cause teams to make bad decisions.
C)The team leader is the primary determinant of team performance.
D)The highest performing teams have complementary members.
E)Teams lose some of their effectiveness when they get too large.

Question 40

A team with a high score for continued cooperation:

A)is generally big in size.
B)continually strives to learn from mistakes.
C)has individual working approaches.
D)exhausts all its resources for a particular project.
E)consists of high achievers.

Question 41

Randy's race car was repeatedly having mechanical failures.His team had worked with the car for months,fine-tuning the engine and upgrading all faulty components,but it still continued to develop snags.Two weeks before a big race,the owner suggested starting with a new car.The team,to a man,promised to fix the old car and failed,as it went out in the second lap.This incident illustrates the group dynamic of:

A)risky shift.
B)escalation of commitment.
C)innocent bystander.
D)choking.
E)diffusion of responsibility.

Question 42

A team should meet face-to-face when:

A)generating new ideas.
B)conflicts must be resolved.
C)dealing with the least sensitive issues.
D)solving problems that have one right answer.
E)attempting to reduce groupthink.

Question 43

Is virtual team management different from traditional team management?

A)Yes.People work in remote locations and have no sense of mutual accountability for team outcomes.
B)No.The five fundamental disciplines of high team performance remain the same.
C)Yes.Because virtual teams accommodate personal lives,no team norms are established.
D)No.Goals and roles remain the only important parts of team management.
E)Yes.There is no emotion,no enthusiasm,or eagerness in a virtual team.

Question 44

_____ is a common phrase in a team that is known for creativity.

A)"We tried it before."
B)"Who else can build on that?"
C)"That's not our job."
D)"What we have is good enough."
E)"Our customers would never go for that."

Question 45

Judy,a team coaching expert,worked with a group of attorneys in an urban office.She administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)to the entire staff.She subsequently facilitated discussions around such topics as communication misunderstandings,decision making,and conflict resolution.Judy conducted which of the following team interventions?

A)Dealing with free riders
B)Conducting an AAR
C)Performing a process check
D)Understanding member profiles
E)Building team cohesion

Question 46

Which of the following is the Ringelmann experiment that identified the social loafing tendency?

A)Rope pulling
B)Box stacking
C)Chicken plucking
D)Calf roping
E)Language learning

Question 47

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Which team KSA does Pat illustrate in her introductory comments to Blue Lightning before Toby showed up for the meeting?

A)Conflict resolution when she did not say anything to Amanda about being late.
B)Collaborative problem solving when she said the team had to figure out how to get better numbers on budget and output.
C)Communication when she talked to Dave about the two new employees being late.
D)Encouragement when she let Amanda explain why she got late for the meeting.
E)Encouragement when she let Dave and Nate talk about sports.

Question 48

Which of the following is a competitive team reward?

A)When quality standards are met for three consecutive months,team members receive an extra day of paid vacation.
B)When safety standards are violated,the entire plant must shut down all production processes.
C)Each year,a member of the faculty is chosen as the outstanding professor of the year.
D)When a real estate sales team hits a billion dollar month,all team members get a new car.
E)Secretaries receive a one percent raise for each year of service to the organization.

Question 49

Which of the following should a leader consider to determine the appropriateness of competitive vs.cooperative rewards when matching rewards to contribution?

A)The degree of task interdependence.
B)The number of members in the work group.
C)Cooperative rewards are most effective for teams with low interdependence.
D)The age group of the workers.
E)Competitive rewards are most effective for teams with high interdependence.

Question 50

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Which of the following disciplines of high-performance teams is met best by the team of Blue Lightning?

A)Skills
B)Purpose
C)Norms
D)Size
E)Results

Question 51

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Which of the following is the biggest threat to performance for Blue Lightning?

A)Risky shift
B)Cautious shift
C)Social facilitation
D)Choking
E)Social loafing

Question 52

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Which part of the high-performance team scorecard triggered Pat's request for an intervention?

A)Production output
B)Member satisfaction
C)Capacity for cooperation
D)Customer input
E)Peer evaluations

Question 53

Electronic meetings are good for:

A)establishing relationships.
B)dealing with sensitive issues.
C)persuading a team to fully commit to a course of action.
D)allowing opportunities for mentoring.
E)generating innovative,high-quality ideas.

Question 54

Kara's MBA class had to work in groups for a semester-long project involving some aspects of organizational culture.Her group gave their first presentation tonight.Everyone was tense,checking that the other group members were doing their assigned roles,not leaving early,or saying the wrong thing.The major shared goal was that the group "be nice" to each other during the presentation.Kara's group is in the _____ stage of team development.

A)recruiting
B)forming
C)norming
D)storming
E)performing

Question 55

Which of the following is a cooperative team reward?

A)Each member of the group that gave the best presentation in an MBA course receives an A in the course.
B)The top salesman in a real estate team gets a two-week vacation.
C)Commission structures pay higher percentages to top performers.
D)A graduate course is graded Pass/Fail.
E)A production team nominates a team member for the "EXCEL" award.

Question 56

Gary,the project leader of a team of software engineers,wanted to improve team performance.He gave each team member a checklist to complete about the project they just finished.Each team member answered these questions: "What do you think were the failures of the project? If there were failures,how can we avoid them? What are the areas that were good and what are the areas that can improve?" What kind of team intervention did Gary conduct?

A)Understanding member profiles
B)Building team cohesion
C)Conducting AARs and process checks
D)Developing survey research techniques
E)Dealing with a free-rider

Question 57

Which of the following is an activity-based goal?

A)Win three new accounts in the next quarter.
B)Reduce the average duration of patient stays by one day this year.
C)Reengineer the new software license process.
D)Improve retention rate among top-performers by 20 percent this year.
E)Generate at least a quarter of revenue from products less than two years old.

Question 58

What is the best strategy to address social loafing?

A)Identifiability
B)Dispensability of effort
C)Sucker aversion
D)Choking
E)Diffusion of responsibility

Question 59

Kara's MBA class has to work in groups for a semester-long project.Her group met for the first time this week,working out questions of what project focus the group should take,which group members have what skills,and how much time will be required.Kara's group is in the _____ stage of team development.

A)recruiting
B)forming
C)norming
D)storming
E)performing

Question 60

ATMs and open grills were conceived through which method for generating creative thought?

A)Divergent thinking
B)Subdivision
C)Deductive reasoning
D)Analogies
E)Problem reversal

Question 61

In a five-member team that you need to set up,you have selected four members.You are debating whether Steve or Pete would be the best fifth member.They both have the skill sets required for the success of the team.What are the five dimensions of teamwork that you will base your judgment on?

Question 62

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Would you have chosen the same intervention that Toby used with Team Lightning? Explain your answer and develop at least one alternative intervention.

Question 63

Identify a few myths about teamwork.

Question 64

What is the Ringelmann effect? What is the best strategy for avoiding it?

Question 65

To execute a complex accounting project for a retail giant,an accountancy firm created a five-member team.The team members were all highly experienced and had complementary skill sets.The team was given a month's deadline to finish the project.Despite facing many hurdles,the team finished the project in three weeks.Though the team's work met the quality standards,two resenting members (Paul and Julia)thought that the quality of their work suffered due to tight deadline.Others in the team disagreed which made Paul and Julia decide never to work with this team again.Evaluate the performance of this team.

Question 66

What are the five stages of team development?

Question 67

How do teams that recommend things differ from teams that make or do things?

Question 68

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Identify and explain any threats you see to team performance in Blue Lightning.Make a suggestion to deal with the biggest threat,without changing group membership.

Question 69

Martha is a conscientious,highly capable,and risk-averse primary school teacher.She has been asked to be a part of a team of experienced school teachers.The purpose of this team is to make recommendations for improving teaching methods and syllabi for their school district.What kind of changes might her behavior undergo in the team setting?

Question 70

You are an HR manager at a retail stationery giant.To assess how future hires will fare in teamwork,you have been recently asked to introduce leaderless group discussions as part of the hiring process.What team member behaviors will you use to assess teamwork performance of the job candidates?

Question 71

Explain in brief the five disciplines of high-performing teams.

Question 72

Your friend Jim works for the biggest automobile manufacturer of the country.He is part of the sports car design team.During a baseball game last weekend,you asked him,"How's work?"
He replied,"Great.I have been part of this team for over a year now.Our team is the most cohesive team in the entire company,and we are always happy and respect each other.The only flaw is that just one out of the four cars we designed has been successful in the marketplace.I wonder why." Which of the pitfalls of teams is Jim's team demonstrating? Give Jim good advice.

Question 73

You have been assigned a new project with high visibility.Your boss has given you the option of either dividing the work between five highly skilled and talented employees,or making a team of those five and giving them shared responsibility for the project.On what criteria will you base your decision to form a team or not?

Question 74

Your friend,Lee,a team coaching expert,told you that she believes a key feature of a high-performing team is that they start performing as soon as the team members meet the first time.Do you agree? Elaborate.

Question 75

Blues Services,a large print publishing house,added two new employees to one of its work group teams (Blue Lightning)last year to replace a retiree and a promotion.The Blue Lightning team was responsible for global marketing and advertising for several monthly print pieces: a travel journal,an eco-tourism monthly,a food and restaurant guide with recipes,and an in-flight magazine for a well-known commercial air carrier.Pat,a 40-something Hispanic female,headed the team and had primary responsibility for the travel journal.Dave,a 60ish white male,had primary responsibility for the food and restaurant guide and general long-term account management.Amanda,a new college graduate with marketing major,was hired to replace Clyde,the retiree who was responsible for the in-flight magazine.Nathan,an ex-army sergeant who did much of his college work while on active duty,had responsibility for the eco-tourism monthly.Pat had called a staff meeting to work on team productivity.Numbers were down from a year ago.Expenses were doubled.Pat had talked to the senior human resources consultant,Toby,before the meeting about this team intervention.She told Toby,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda.He is so reliable and responsible.They both have great technical skills.Remember? We didn't have to train either one of them at all in any of the computer support.Mobiles,tablets,spreadsheets,they knew all of it.Amanda is like my high school aged daughter in so many ways! She talks all day on the phone or to someone.She does her work while she talks and it has to be checked and fixed most of the time.On the days she is out of the office,more work gets done more smoothly.I let her travel as much as possible,but it is eating up my budget." Toby commented,"You have to keep this team intact,as I recall.You can't replace Amanda?" Pat shook her head."We are it.Thank you for agreeing to facilitate our session.We have to change something.What are you going to do?" Toby said,"I'll do a deliberate team intervention.We should get a long way this afternoon.I assume Dave is the same steady contributor he has always been for you." Pat nodded,"See you at 1:30."
Pat and Dave waited in the conference room for the younger employees.Pat looked at her watch and said,"I can't believe Nate is only two years older than Amanda." Dave commented,"It's that military thing.Grows them up quick." Pat shrugged,"Maybe,but neither one of them is here and we are supposed to start in 1 minute." Dave looked at his watch and said,"I'll buy you coffee if Amanda shows up first.You buy for me if it's Nate." Pat laughed,"I'll buy you coffee,but no deal" just as the door swung open and Nate slid into a seat."Hey,did you see those playoffs! I was down at Clancy's and caught the slow elevator back.Just barely on time! What's going on,Ma'am? Sir?" He put his notebook down and pulled out the budget reports and goals statements that had been requested for the meeting.Dave asked Nate about the game and started telling him about an earlier year's series that he had witnessed in person.Nate said,"So that's how you did the terrific 'Sports,bars,stars,and restaurants in Baltimore' series! That was so great.My mom's sister sent me magazines every month I was in country.All the guys loved that one." Pat interjected,"That was great work,Dave.We got national recognition for that." The two men continued to chat and Pat continued to look at her watch.At 1:10,she buzzed her secretary to find Amanda.Ten minutes later,Amanda walked into the room,frowning,"I so forgot about the meeting today.Why didn't anyone remind me? I was working really hard at getting frequent traveler miles from the airline to use for my vacation next year.Then,Sandy (Pat's secretary)interrupted me to come up here.Will this take long? I have a massage scheduled at 5:30 across town and the last time I was late,Paul took someone else in front of me! Can you believe that?" Pat began talking."I have asked Toby,the consultant who works with groups to spend the afternoon with us.He will be here shortly.As you have seen from the projections and reports from last year,Blue Lightning is no longer in first place in the Blue Team rankings.Our production figures have slipped significantly.Our expenses are nearly double what they were last year.Customer complaints about our lack of concern are an embarrassment.We are in this together.30 percent of our regular income and 50 percent of our bonuses come from our combined efforts.We have to figure out how to stop double efforts on some clients and missing others altogether.When we call the same person on the same day with approximately the same questions or information,we look disorganized and unprofessional.Travel expenses show we are going to the same cities on consecutive weeks to do the same business.Don't we share account information with each other? All of these products have similar client demographics,similar market niches,and similar competitive profiles.We have to share.We have to figure this out together.Now,we have to change something.Now.any questions before Toby arrives?" Amanda fished through her purse,"Oh,Pat,I nearly forgot! Daddy (the CEO of Blues Services)said 'Thanks' for that report you rushed to him yesterday.What projections and reports?" Nate flashed her the packet of information.She said,"Oh,that looked too boring and too historical for me to look through.Tell me what I need to know." Nate ignored her as he checked the scores on his mobile.Amanda gave him a pitying look and said,"You men,concerned about ball game scores at work! How just,un..." Pat smiled bleakly and said,"Hello,Toby,I think you know everyone here." Toby shook hands all around,except with Amanda who was busy putting on the hand lotion she had finally found in her purse.Toby started,"Thanks for taking the time to complete the questionnaires I sent you.I think Blue Lightning has a lot going for it,and some areas to work on.I will show you what you told me,and then we will work on this together." Toby's first slide showed four stick figures with "What we think about _____" arrayed around them.Figure 1 had curly hair and a big smile and data that indicated that the rest of the team thought Figure 1 did not show up for meetings on time,did not contribute a fair share to the group workload,did not receive feedback well,did encourage innovation among team members,and was fun and energetic.Figure 2,with a flattop haircut,was surrounded by data that indicated Figure 2 showed up on time,prepared work assignments on time,showed respect for all group members,and did not change his or her opinion easily,even when appropriate.Figures 3 and 4 provided similar information.Toby also had results combined from the four Blue Lightning members in response to questions such as "How satisfied are you that your ideas are heard by the team?" "How well does the team resolve differences of opinion? How well does the team follow its own ground rules?" Please refer to this scenario for the following question.
Evaluate Blue Lightning in terms of the five disciplines of high-performing teams.Make one suggestion for improvement without changing team composition.