Question 1

The primary difference between constructive feedback and destructive feedback is

Accepted Answer

D)Destructive feedback is purely negative; it has no constructive or positive component. Typically, destructive feedback consists of a person evaluating the performance or product of another person in a purely negative way, without any information about what went wrong or how to fix the item.

Question 2

During the ________ of the group-development process, the members of a problem-solving team would begin to discuss their positions and become more assertive in establishing their roles.

Accepted Answer

A)In the conflict phase of the group-development process, different opinions and perspectives begin to emerge. During orientation, team members get to know one another. Roles are established during orientation and group members begin developing group norms and goals.

Question 3

Writing for websites often involves the use of ________, which organize and control content and support teamwork.

Accepted Answer

D)Content management systems organize and control website content and include features that help team members work together on webpages and other documents.

Question 4

One member of a task force on which you serve is particularly good at helping other members get along and work through their differences. This individual plays a

Accepted Answer

A)Group members who fulfill a team maintenance role make sure that everyone in the group is focused on group tasks. These members spend time and energy to avoid conflicts and to make sure that group members don't feel resentful or bitter about group activities.

Question 5

"Virtual offices" that give everyone on a team access to the same set of resources and information are called

Accepted Answer

C)A shared workspace allows everyone working on the team to access the same source materials, including databases, schedules, source materials, team-created documents, and other items. In some shared workspaces team members create or edit documents collaboratively, with all team members able to view the document on their screen as changes are made.

Question 6

In participative management

Accepted Answer

A)Participative management's aim is to improve decision making and efficiency by including employees in the decision-making process.

Question 7

All of the following except ________ are elements of the group development process.

Accepted Answer

A)According to the textbook, teams evolve through the following five stages: orientation, conflict, brainstorming, emergence, and reinforcement.

Question 8

Groupthink refers to

Accepted Answer

A)When groupthink occurs, all group members tend to agree with the consensus. Groupthink arises when group members see little to gain and a lot to risk in expressing opinions that are not congruent with the prevailing views of the group.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a way teams help organizations to succeed?

Accepted Answer

B)Groupthink is the harmful tendency within groups that pressures members to conform with the majority or a few influential leaders. Increasing groupthink would decrease the likelihood of success for a team.

Question 10

Social networking technologies can help a company create communities of practice that

Accepted Answer

D)Some companies use social networking technologies to create virtual communities of practice that link employees with similar professional interests throughout a company; they sometimes link employees with customers and suppliers, as well. Sites such as LinkedIn and Xing link people together in a particular business community. For example, professional orchestra musicians may keep in touch with one another and the trends and opportunities in their vocation through LinkedIn, monitoring such things as job opportunities, concert schedules, and gossip on their virtual community.

Question 11

When you encounter someone who is resistant to change

Accepted Answer

C)When people in a group resist change, express understanding and bring their issue out into the open where it can be dealt with directly. Encourage the person to express his or her objections to the change, and resolve the issue firmly and fairly.

Question 12

A ________ usually has a long life span and typically deals with regularly recurring tasks.

Accepted Answer

C)Committees are formal teams that usually have a long life span and can become a permanent part of the organizational structure.

Question 13

Group members who are motivated mainly to fulfill personal needs play a

Accepted Answer

C)Self-oriented group members who aren't motivated by group goals tend to be unproductive and can often drag a group into being dysfunctional.

Question 14

When composing collaborative messages, the best strategy is to

Accepted Answer

A)Writing is something that cannot be done by many people at once. Get the group involved in the planning of the message, then assign one or a few people to draft the text on their own. Have the group examine the draft that has been created, then assign one person to make revisions and provide a finished document.

Question 15

________ are informal standards of conduct that team members share.

Accepted Answer

C)Norms are the unwritten rules of group conduct that identify how group members should behave. An example of a group norm is a "rule" that members never interrupt one another in a group meeting.

Question 16

Much of your workplace communication will occur during in-person or online meetings. If you're leading a meeting, you can help to make sure it's productive by

Accepted Answer

D)Meetings can be a waste of time if they aren't planned and managed well. You can help ensure productive meetings by preparing carefully, conducting meetings efficiently, and using meeting technologies wisely. Before the meeting begins, participants should be carefully selected, the purpose of the meeting should be identified, and the location and agenda for the meeting should be set. In some situations, when attempting to identify the purpose for a meeting or setting its agenda, you may decide that the purpose or agenda are unclear or inappropriate. In that case, the meeting should be canceled to avoid wasting people's time.

Question 17

A hidden agenda refers to

Accepted Answer

B)A hidden agenda is an unexpressed plan that is harbored by one member of the group but unknown to the rest of the group. An example of a hidden agenda would be a team member who conceals his plans to depose the group leader and take over leadership of the group.

Question 18

You and several coworkers serve on a task force charged with updating the company's personnel-policy manual. To proceed effectively, you should concentrate on

Accepted Answer

B)Successful groups have a common sense of purpose and an open and honest way of making decisions. When people fail to understand the purpose of the group, the group can have a hard time achieving its objectives.

Question 19

Only one sales representative can go to the conference in Hawaii, but both Susan and Sean want to go. After much discussion and arguing, they draw straws and Susan gets the trip. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)A win-lose situation is a zero-sum way of resolving a conflict: one party benefits from the outcome and the other party is harmed. If possible, win-lose conflict resolution should be avoided because it can breed resentment and other problems.

Question 20

Which one of the following is not a dysfunctional team role?

Accepted Answer

C)Controlling, withdrawing, attention seeking, and diverting are dysfunctional, self-oriented roles that mainly fulfill individual rather than team needs.

Quiz 2: Mastering Team Skills and Interpersonal Communication